School Finance Article Analysis

After the Second World War, there has been a dramatic increase on school finance in the United States. Through the article, Guthrie explains some of the critical incidents that contributed the considerable increase of the per-pupil expenditures in public elementary and secondary learning institutions. Upon reading the article, one should have an understanding on how do certain events affect per student spending in America. Some of the factors cited by Guthrie are the constant expansions regarding the services offered by schools, more pricey specialized classes on high school students, and special education programs. Also, Guthrie includes that grants for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with disabilities make a contribution to increased costs. In the article, Guthrie suggests that it is very likely that the increasing expenditure on school finance continues. With this, the author offers some solutions to be considered to put a halt or, at the least, control its growth rate. Some of these are privatization and contracting. Just like the article states about the increasing per student expenditure, school finance in Massachusetts is also affected by the factors stated earlier. Thus, one can say that Massachusetts is on its way on a much higher education budget. In the event that the education status in Massachusetts will continue (that is, its school’s productivity is increased), there can be a possibility that the trend will snap, thus making the funds for public elementary and secondary schools could be minimized.

Space Travel

SPACE TRAVEL 1. Only three nations have successfully put people into space: the US, Russia and China. All have been government programmes, developed at great expense. Now, a new era is beginning in which private enterprise will take people 100km or more above the Earth. _________________ 2. In 2001, an American, Christ Tito, became the first space tourist. He travelled to the International Space Station by Rocket and stayed there for ten days. A year later South African Millionaire, Mark Shuttleworth, went on the same trip. When he returned to earth he said, â€Å"Every second will be with me for the rest of my life†.Both men paid $20 million for their holidays. _________________ 3. The company that organised their trips is called Space Adventures. Its president, Eric Anderson, thinks space tourism will be the next big thing. â€Å"Everyone is looking for a new experience,† he says. In a few years he is going to start selling rocket trips to the public for about $ 100. 000. _________________ 4. Another company, The Space Island Group, is planning to build a circular hotel in space like the spaceship in the famous film 2001: A Space Odyssey. It will have everything a normal hotel has, except that the bedrooms won’t have windows.This is because the hotel will revolve, in other words it will turn around itself and people will feel sick if they look out of a window. Instead there will be screens showing pictures from space. Gene Myers, the company’s president, thinks that in 2020 a five-day holiday at the hotel might cost only $25,000. _________________ 5. Other companies have even bigger plans. Bigelow Aerospace is spending $500 million on a plan to build a 700-metre spaceship to fly tourists to the moon. There will be 100 tourists on each trip and each person will have a private room with a view of the Earth’s sunset.The Hilton Hotel Group has even talked about building a hotel on the moon. 6. Built by Burt Rutan and financed by Paul Allen, SpaceShipOne has entered the history books to become the first private manned spacecraft to fly to the edge of space and back. Mike Melvill became the first civilian to pilot a craft into space. Steve Bennett, chief of the British civilian space project, Starchaser Industries, said it was an important achievement. It finally came back to Earth after its 90-minute flight. Messages of congratulations came from Nasa's administrator Sean O'Keefe.He said that this just proves that you don't have to be Nasa or a government organisation. At the moment only millionaires can go on holiday in space. However one day you might be able to go there yourself- and it could be sooner than you think. (Taken and Adapted from Face to Face & http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/science/nature/3811881. stm) I) Read the article about Space Travel above and match headings a-e to paragraphs 2-5. a) Space hotelsParagraph:_______________ b) Going to the moon Paragraph:_______________ c) The future of to urismParagraph:_______________ ) The first space touristsParagraph:_______________ II) Read the article again and answer the questions. 1) Who were the first space tourists? _______________________________________________ 2) Did these space tourists enjoy their journey? How do you know? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3) Eric Anderson thinks that space travel will be popular because ________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ) The Space Island Group will not have any windows in their hotel because _______________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 5) Which two companies have bigger plans in comparison to The Space Island Group? What are their plans? a. ________________________________________________________________________ b. __________________________________________ ______________________________ 6) History books talk about SpaceShipOne as the spacecraft which ______________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ) According to Sean O'Keefe the success of SpaceShipOne proves that ___________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 8) Find these numbers in the article, what do they refer to? a. $20 million; ______________________________ b. $100,000; ________________________________ c. $25,000; _________________________________ d. $500 million; _____________________________ e. 90; _____________________________________ 9) Find the following words in the article, what do they refer to? a. In para 2, line 3 â€Å"same trip† refers to; _____________ b.In para 6, line 3 â€Å"it† refers to; ______________ c. In para 6, line 4 â€Å"its† refers to; ______________ 10) What does the word â€Å"achievement† in para 6 line 4 mean? _________ __________________________________________________________________ ANSWER KEY: Part I: Space hotelsParagraph:_____4_________ Going to the moon Paragraph:______5________ The future of tourismParagraph:_______3_______ The first space touristsParagraph:_______2_______ Part II: 1) an American, Christ Tito and South African Millionaire, Mark Shuttleworth 2) Yes, they enjoyed their trips.For instance, when Mark Shuttleworth returned to earth he said, â€Å"Every second will be with me for the rest of my life†. 3) because everyone is looking for a new experience. 4) because the hotel will revolve, in other words it will turn around itself and people will feel sick if they look out of a window. 5) a) Bigelow Aerospace is spending $500 million on a plan to build a 700-metre spaceship to fly tourists to the moon. b) The Hilton Hotel Group has even talked about building a hotel on the moon. 6) flew to the edge of space and back. ) this just proves that you don't have to be Nasa or a gov ernment organisation to go to space. 8) a) the money that the first space tourists paid for their holidays b) the price of rocket trips c) the possible cost of a five-day holiday at the hotel in 2020 d) the money that Bigelow Aerospace is spending on a plan to build a 700-metre spaceship to fly tourists to the moon e) the length of the flight of SpaceShipOne to the edge of space and back 9) a) travelling to the International Space Station b) SpaceShipOne’s flight to the edge of space and back c) SpaceShipOne’s 10) success

TLMT313 WEEK 4 FORUM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TLMT313 WEEK 4 FORUM - Assignment Example The intervention measure for removing oil spills was difficult for the government, as the treatment procedure i.e. ‘in-situ burning’ has negative impact on environment. Finally, skimmers are engaged into the task to remove the oil through the use of sorbents in order to trace the left spills. With regard to adverse effect of it in the ecosystem, it was noticed that the pelicans becomes black due to it, fish belly-up with brown sludge and the turtles were noticed to wash up on beaches. However, this spill does not have a major impact over the global oil pricing, as Mexico was not the key producer of oil. However, with an immediate impact of such an unexpected event, the government of the US was highly concerned regarding public health and significantly, adopted different preventive measures for mitigating such incident and loss in future. In this regard, ‘The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’ offered safety measures and advices to the Gulf Coast res idents including the workers involved in the relief program to take precautionary measure and physical examination of toxicity tests on dispersants (The Ocean Portal Team,

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Discussion - Essay Example The arguments against using these measures to fight unionization are that the organization can take a role which has more empathy and understanding more than anything else. The actions are indeed extreme as they deal with the jobs and relations of the employees on the job. I believe most managers would find a way to deal with their employees in a more honest way and come out in a clean manner. They would not find an excuse to do away with the aspect of unionization that has been a source of bane at the organization. Most managers would discuss these aspects with their employees and find a common ground so that they do not lose out on a number of different organizational counts. In essence, I would do the same things and make myself clear before deciding what course of action to adopt in the long run. I am of the view that being truthful about one’s dealings in the organization is essential. Managers have a duty to avoid unionization especially if the organization does not believe in such a philosophy but it is always good to come out cleanly for the betterment of the business and the relationships that develop between the managers and their subordinates. Employees join unions because they believe unions would raise their voice as a whole and in a collective fashion. Therefore I would agree with the truth of the statement more than disagreeing with it. However I believe that the element of unionization has been blown out of contexts in the recent years and unions are not as strong (negatively) as these used to be in the yesteryears. Now unions are all about bringing in collective good, not only for the sake of the organization but also for their own selves (Edwards 2003). I agree with this statement because it offers the employees a sense of security with regards to the basis of their jobs, and tells them in what stead their

Employee engagement is crucial for effective corporate decision making Essay

Employee engagement is crucial for effective corporate decision making - Essay Example Effective and efficient decision making in a company will enhance a perfect maximization of profits. A poor one, on the other hand, is not flexible to change especially technological changes, in a business corporation. The inefficiency of a poor decision-making by the managerial teams may lead to the decline of the company. This may be because of the poor relationship between the employer and the employees thus resulting into lack of responsibility towards the production of the final products. In the decision making process, the managers choose a perfect course of action from some of the few observable ones. The Lenovo and Samsung Companies have adopted this system of decision-making process towards acquiring a perfect product for competition. Employees’ Engagement in Corporate Decision-Making The Lenovo and Samsung Companies indulge in a more competitive market environment. Their decision-making processes are, therefore, very considerate especially in the managerial decision- making. This has seen these companies at the top of their game due to the well-organised decision-making process. Decision-making processes, in these companies, range from the product promotion, customer relation and to the employee-employer relationship. In addition, when it comes to the employee-employee relations, the companies have adopted a perfect system since this is the ultimate goal of any given business corporate. The brands of products produced by the Lenovo and Samsung companies are as well not affected by the market segmentations. Concept of Corporate Decision-Making A perfect corporate decision-making is a significant aspect towards achieving a healthy competitive marketing environment by a company (Salman, 2001 p201). Pricing, as an example of a decision making process, has made Lenovo as a multinational company acquire a greater status in the technological field. This company adopted one of the most appropriate pricing strategies, which has increased its customerâ₠¬â„¢s loyalty that has led to increased demand of their products globally due to their affordable nature (Bevans, 2007 p142). This, in addition, has maximised the profit maximization limits of the Lenovo Company. In the technology market, Lenovo has been viewed as one of the fast moving globally operating companies (Akwetey, 2011 p123). Samsung, on the other hand, has also adopted a flexible decision-making process in its marketing strategies (Mylanas & Hodges, 2007 p154). Samsung’s products are also affordable in most marketing environment. Over the last decades, Samsung has been able to acquire a good number of customers in spite of the stiff competition in the technological marketing environment. The Effectiveness of Corporate Decision-Making Businesses that handgrip their decisions in a well-organised manner just as these two companies will always be at an upper hand towards achieving a perfect financial status. Financial superiority, as an aspect of decision-making, is o ne of the key goals of a corporate decision making (Ling, 2006 p121). The entrepreneurs, therefore, engage in the decision-making system by considering financial status acquaintances as the driving factors. Another key aspect of an effective decision-making process is the motivation of employees in the workplace. Motivation of workers in the organisation is also a key role of decision-making (Mauboussin, 2021 p253). Various businesses have undergone

Business Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Report - Essay Example The emerging consumer concerns are likely to corner the operations and business prospect of the company if the necessary actions are not taken. In order to survive the economic downturn and counter the emerging challenges in its business line, Nature Foods Ltd has to effectively and efficiently manage changes within its business. 1. Terms of Reference Nature Foods Ltd UK markets Manufacturing and packaging Consumer concerns Raw food Retailers Imports and importation Competition Breakfast cereals Snack bars Dried fruits and nuts Food industry trends Environment Global business Low food mileage Natural and artificial ingredients Economic downturn Business operations and performance Business change management Economic future Contemporary times Purpose of research 2. Procedure Research aiding the compilation of this report was conducted on observation basis, focusing on the food industry in the UK and its players. Secondary research was specifically employed, using both primary and secon dary sources of information. References are cited accordingly throughout this report. 3. Findings 3.1. UK Food Markets Environment The UK food markets environment is highly competitive, characterized by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers (Fox, 2005, p.19). Nature Foods Ltd is a retailing firm that engages in processing imported raw food. The company’s product line deals with breakfast cereals, snack bars, and dried fruits and nuts. Food markets in the UK food industry depict as aspect of the need to design, redesign, and integrate change in business operations to ensure that consumer needs are met and that consumer concerns are timely addressed (Jack, 2009, p.201). Economic downturn combined with a number of consumer concerns, tastes and preferences have posed substantial operational challenges to Nature Foods limited. The economic downturn has significantly influenced the business portfolio of the firm. Consumers’ preference to go local in terms of product cons umption threatens the company’s business continuity due to the fact the company only manufactures and packages its products after importing raw food from foreign countries. Note that this aspect is also influenced by global business trends both locally and internationally. Advocacy for low food mileage has increasingly become prominent as consumer shift to relatively less transported food. This has necessitated the need for change management in manufacturing and packaging procedures, thereby influencing business operations and performance (Coles & Kirwan, 2011, p.167). In this respect, the performance and success of an enterprise is influenced by the strategic plans adapted to suit the operations of the firm. Natural and artificial food ingredients have also been put to test. The tastes and preferences of the consumers are increasingly becoming oriented towards natural ingredients as opposed to artificial ingredients. In the light of these findings, Nature Foods Ltd has to re -evaluate and restructure its business processes. 3.2. Impacts on the Business Consumers have increasingly become cautious about environmental issues, resulting in preference of locally produced products to those imported from foreign countries. This concern directly cuts into the operations and product line of Nature Foods Ltd. Most importantly,

Week #8 Learning Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week #8 Learning Activity - Essay Example Small businesses can use innovation to develop competitive advantages by being open to changes in HR practices and policies and by developing new ways of customer engagement. Whether there is a recession or not, small businesses grapple with the usual problems of limited capital and high demand for dedicated and talented employees. In order to attract or maintain talent, small businesses can offer alternative work arrangements, such as reduced work hours or flexible work schedules (Woods). Such arrangements are appealing to employees with children or who simply want more work-life balance. These are considered innovations when compared to traditional companies’ fixed office hours and 5-day work schedules. Apart from these HRM changes, small businesses can also use innovations in customer engagement for purposes of attaining social responsibility and brand promotion. Participating in social events, including contests, are good ways of improving brand awareness (Branson; Saylor Foundations 29). Moreover, promoting social awareness through discussing the social benefits of the product in community events is also an innovation that is less expensive than TV and print advertisements (Branson). These are innovations because they are not limited to traditional marketing promotions and communications. Small businesses have the advantage of introducing simple, but equally effective and efficient, innovations because they directly communicate with consumers more frequently than the decision-making executives of multinational corporations. As a result, small business owners can easily determine what customers want and develop what they can start (or stop doing, if applicable) to satisfy changing consumer needs. Woods, David. â€Å"Small Businesses Introduce Innovative HR Practices in Response to the Recession.† HR Magazine, 24 Sept. 2009. Web. 2 July 2014.

Requests strategies encountered by Iraqi students in Australian Dissertation

Requests strategies encountered by Iraqi students in Australian Universities - Dissertation Example Request strategies basically helps the students to clear their idea and concept regarding any reading they are doing of the text and then ask questions to the instructors in order to understand the key concepts of it and to clear all the queries. Sometimes requesters may hesitate to make any requests because it creates nuisance for the requester and for the recipient to answer it. Iraqi culture which is suppose to be the most influential culture in terms of protecting their values, beliefs and cultural positions follow their own language in order to communicate. Language is the first medium to communicate with the intercultural and the cross cultural variations and it is seems to be the barrier if the proper communication is not performed. For Iraqi’s, English is suppose to be the second language because they give priority to their own language first, whereas pragmatic competence is the ability beyond the understanding of the grammar and to understand the clear levels of any l anguage. This short research thesis basically discusses few issues and tribulations that are faced in the studies of pragmatic in order to create the idea of clear understanding of the communication and the politeness factor into it (Cook, & Liddicoat, 2002, Introduction, Para. 1). It also discuses the inter language issues that are faced by all of those for whom English is not their first language and due to this they do face threatening acts and unable to use appropriate strategies and politeness into their speech (Chen, 2006, Brown and Levinson’s Concept of Face and Politeness Theory, Para. 3). As for Iraqi students, English is the second language and for them it creates difficulty in communicating and following requests strategies with the teachers and the instructors there in Australia. The use of pragmatic inter language is used for all those who want to learn and to use L2 pragmatic knowledge (Kasper, 1996, Introduction, p. 147). The speaker should create the politenes s factor in order to build strong perception of the listener for understanding the context. To overcome various gaps between the communication and general pragmatics knowledge in order to understand English as second language the process of acculturation facilitates because bilingualism always helps students to understand the environment and helps in learning when such students like Iraqi’s go to some other place to acquire education. Now the pragmatic competence and knowledge of the learner is obligatory then the grammatical competence of any student. Pragmatics involve all the important factors including the style, conversational structure and various aspects that helps in building communication effectively (Quraishi, 1994, Personal Experience with L2 Politeness, p. 1). The importance of using and learning request strategies is that it helps the bilingual and monolingual learners to bring politeness into inter cultural communications so that it gets easier for others to fee l comfortable while dealing with them (Quraishi, 1994, The importance of Politeness Strategies in Effective Communication, p. 2). For those who are monolinguals it gets difficult for them to communicate if they are not polite or rude, therefore there are certain techniques and strategies that are important for them to learn which includes the politeness and request strategies and the certain pragmatics also help them in understanding the intercultural communication(Chen, 2006, Sociolinguistic Competence & Transfer, Para. 1). Rationale of the study The purpose of the study is to identify two things: How Iraqi learners of English realize their request strategies in relation to the social dimensions of power (P) and distance (D)?   How Australian native speakers and Vietnamese learners of Engli

Sociological Contexts Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sociological Contexts - Coursework Example Major corporations such as Revere copper and brass, Conmed, Fleet Bank, Utica National Insurance Group, Special Metals, Part Technology, etc. are the key elements to provide economic diversity in Oneida County. Before 1962, the board of supervisors used to govern the Oneida County. After 1962, Oneida County is governed by 29-seat county legislature and county executive. Industry is the essential part of every developing country to meet the growing needs and widen the development base. It is regarded as an indispensable motor of growth and the economies of modern society. Several domestic and multinational organizationshave been founded in the span of 5-10 years. Tumblr is a social networking website and micro-blogging platform launched to provide blogging platform for local of Ney York State and Oneida County. This platform helps users to post contents and other forms of multimedia files to a short-from blog. After two weeks, the service gained its popularity around the globe. Electric car industry gained its popularity in the early 20th century. It is an automobile which contains electric motors and energy storage battery to create smooth and strong acceleration. Since 2008, the advancement in power management technologies leads to the renaissance of electric vehicle. The charging station is created in Oneida County to charge energy storage device of electric car. Lot18 is one of the successful e-commerce organizations launched in October 2010. The website began with a similar business model to Gilt Groupe. The initial focus of the company was to provide access to less-known wine manufacturers. Eventually, it expanded its business by offering customer-produced wines and well-known brands. This new e-commerce industry has raised more than $30 million. People can order products via online from Oneida County and different parts of New York State. Lot18 has successfully implemented cost leadership strategy

Leonardo, Michelangelo and Titian Essay Example for Free

Leonardo, Michelangelo and Titian Essay His statement argues that the latest and unfinished works of the artist should be reassessed with more appreciation than the works completed during his mature period, as they enable the viewer to understand the trace of the under painting and the original intention of the artist, not necessarily because of the virtue of incompleteness and ultimo that they spellbound the viewer. Pliny the Elder’s statement seems to be valid explaining artists’ old-age style, especially for the ones who had a long career like Michelangelo and Titian. The old-age style is not necessarily limited to the aesthetic style, which the artists from the same period perhaps shared in common, but it also refers to the latest phase of the artistic career of the artists who were active for a long time. Therefore, each old-age style of them is obviously differentiated in terms of their perception, ideal, and background. However, Pliny’s statement is not thoroughly suitable, but sound feasible for reassessing their art historical values. He warns on the contradiction of giving the works the biased credits for only being latest and unfinished, which would be false impression on the contrary. Michelangelo and Titian, whose time frames partially overlap to each other, certainly built up the established fames based on the long artistic career incomparable to their contemporaries. The old-age style literally refers to the style of the artist in his old age, but we should not limit the meaning of this temporal phase as the word ‘old’ explicitly connotes. Apparently, the term gives a sense and expectation that those work will be somewhat less refined, polished, vital, perhaps aesthetically regress compared to the ‘mature’ style of the artist that established an honor to add the suffix ‘-schi’ to the end of their names. Although the works they created are static and permanent objects, their artistic styles that dominated the period are in flux. The old-age styles of the high Renaissance artists predict the forthcoming of the Maniera and Baroque generation, and demonstrate the senile sublime, freely emancipated from aesthetic vanity, emotionally touching, and revealing much enhanced psychological depth. The latest works of Michelangelo, the two frescoes at the Pollini chapel in Rome he worked for almost a decade, close the long painting career of him. Although these works were completed officially, they imply non-finito aspect enhanced by the medium, which began to be noticeable since the Last Judgment. The Conversion of Saul, executed first about two decades before his death, became the center of controversy immediately and got negative reception from the contemporaries. What Michelangelo depicted is far from the classical physical beauty and the artist engaged with his own perception to the episode. The vision of Christ is exclusively shown to the anti-Christian Saul, as he becomes temporarily blind and gains insight instead. The artist explicitly illustrated the very internal experience of Saul and placed it above the earthly space parallel to the troops who fear the unknown voice from the sky. A newly suggested diagonal along with light and darkness enhance the dramatic tension from the left top to the foreground center connected by the beam of the God. The compact figures shown in each zone are the continuation of Michelangelo’s terribilita. In the latter fresco, Crucifixion of Saint Peter begins to show the bold diagonal, which gives almost a proto Baroque aspect. Saint Peter with the upside down cross and the void surrounding him occupy the central picture plane. Although there is no strong suggestion of the light source other than sunset, the surrounding figures, especially their features, are in shade and less individualized. As they focus the center scene like mere spectators, the overall composition of the painting engages the viewer’s attention to be concentrated to the center as well. The heroic torso of Peter fights against the gravity by lifting himself up and delivers the pain caused by the four nails on each feet and hands. He throws a daring gaze to the outward, invites the viewers into the pictorial space. The shallow space, as if the figures would spill into our space, no more retains the high Renaissance balance and harmony, as well as the figures somber and gracelessness suggests the end of its era with the negation to the fixed beauty. The contrast of light and dark of Michelangelo is not as radical as the later phase of Leonardo foreshadowing the tenebroso of the next century but enough to inform that he as well acknowledge to the limit of the high Renaissance style and gradually shift to the new style. As these works are Michelangelo’s last effort in the art of painting finished about a decade before his death, they deserve Pliny the Elder’s statement as the example fits into the artist’s old-age style. Not necessarily the artist weakened physically, but crucial as the works suggest that the artist perhaps had reached the pinnacle of his mature style, being free from the obligation to maintain his signature style. Pieta, the last work of Titian, which was left unfinished due to the death of the artist in 1576, perhaps is more feasible for Pliny the Elder’s statement as the example which is unfinished, and delivers the ‘sorrow for the hand that perished at its work’ due to the physical deterioration of the artist. Titian’s mature style based on the Tuscan monumentality and Venetian colorito tradition enabled him to achieve international success from the early career. Titian’s figures, which were very palpable and articulated with sfumato begin to possess terribilita as he moves towards the later period, the tension and fear overwhelm in the pictorial space. His works executed in the last decade of his life, such as Flaying of Marsyas and Pieta, explicitly demonstrate the radical change in the artistic style. Despite the tragic subject, Titian narrates the scene without any pity. His brushstroke handling different textures are somewhat minimized, rather showing rough and hazy painterliness, and the conventional palette suggests the radical changed in its tonality, which is no longer vivid or individualized; these intense styles almost foreshadow the later style of Rubens and Rembrandt. The Pieta also conveys the same dramatic tension, not as much as overwhelming like the former work but represent the subdued grief and agony. Against the background architecture, marble nave with pediment, and two statues looking out of the pictorial space, four figures are arranged in almost like statues sculpted for a pediment. Moses and figures form a bold diagonal, balanced with a putto holding torchlight on the other side, yet conventional composition of Titian. Among the figures in a grief over the death of Christ, only Magdalena is stand out as a true protagonist whereas others are static and silent in subdued grief; she evokes the vivid drama into the painting with her explicit expression about to cry out and theatrical pose. However, the most striking changes in the latest Titian’s are the tonality and brushstrokes, which are totally different from the old-age style of Michelangelo in terms of its artistic style and later appear in the latest style of Rembrandt. Perhaps it is due to the old-age that caused the bold and hazy brush strokes and change in his palette. Nevertheless, Titian was able to sublime his physical defect into the artistic style that is more grandeur, and filled with dramatic tension. If Pliny’s ideal is the art in flux, these latest and unfinished works of old-aged masters should be praised more than the previous works in their oeuvre although the mature works reached the artistic pinnacle of the style of the time and the latest works with innovation suggested the foreshadowing of the later style. The artist’s work is a response to the style of the current and the great artists who we remember as old masters and whose styles never remained static. Their works suggest innovation, and the styles were in flux; they learned, influenced, and built their own styles. Especially Michelangelo and Titian had a long artistic career that enabled them to reach the pinnacle and experience limit of the high Renaissance style. We see the grace and virtue of the old-aged master, who lacks the strength to leave the refined brush strokes or represent the subtle tonality, but whose work is free from all the obligations of the long-time practiced convention.

Green Walls: Benefits in the Contemporary City

Green Walls: Benefits in the Contemporary City INTRODUCTION Green wall and its necessity The living, organic systems characterized by green walls, are integrated with the inorganic and lifeless structures are dominating modern architecture and holds the promise of a new type of living architecture. Green walls are generally walls that are part of the Building covered with vegetation. They are like vertical garden mostly formed with creeper system on the exterior wall with the roots on the ground or with free standing vertically framed wall with different native plants grown on the surface. They are also termed as bio walls or living walls since they act as natural air-conditioner as they purifies and cools the ambient air to a large extent creating a healthy environment. The deepest threat of global warming is the rapid urbanization and deforestation. There is a considerable increase of co2 emission and heat transfer. This impact is extreme in the urban condition where the vegetation/ greenery are sparse. Also in the urban conditions mostly all the buildings are glazed and air-conditioned with out any ways of neither thermal insulation, nor are they shaded with thick surrounding landscape. This is basically due to the space constraints and optimization. In such challenging cases Green wall is the best alternative which acts as a good shading device against heat gain and energy losses, pollution etc. Hence, Green walls are must in urban conditions. Economic and Environmental benefits of Green walls The economic and environmental benefits are many. They result in substantial energy savings, extension of building life, CO2 capture, acoustics and Aesthetics. Energy Conservation: Vegetation on walls can assist in cooling buildings in summer and insulating them in winter. Reduction of thermal loading to buildings results lower heating and cooling costs which in turn lowers carbon emissions. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) Health: These climbing plants on green walls filter out dust and other pollutants. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) Reduction of heat island effect results in less reflected heat. Air purification: plants filter pollution especially when used inside buildings. Noise attenuation: It acts as sound barrier resulting in quieter buildings and streets. Green walls can collect over 30kgs per m2 of rainwater. Increased urban biomass. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) clears the fact that There is a widespread belief that plants are inimical to built structures, ripping out mortar and prising apart joints with their roots. The evidence suggests that these problems have been greatly exaggerated, except where decay has already set in and then plants can indeed accelerate the process of deterioration. There is little evidence that plants damage walls. In fact in most of the cases the exact opposite is true, with plants covering the wall helps in protecting the wall from harmful elements, solar radiation which in turn reduces the thermic tensions within the structure. Indigenous sustainable elements and their benefits Indigenous sustainable elements are the simple elements which are locally available and considered as waste or least prioritized. For example, the coconut shells in the country like India which are available in abundance are just disposed or burnt to ashes even though they have high thermal coefficient and suitability for insulation/ acoustics. Similarly, materials like Clay, Bamboo, Jungle/ Pine/Rubber wood, Cork etc carry untarnishing effect in the field of sustainable Architecture when used appropriately. Apart from their interesting characteristic they are also economic. RESEARCH QUESTION/OBJECTIVE: Does green wall need to be green? The realistic objective of this research is to create more enjoyable greener cities which in turn bring numerous benefits to the surrounding environment. In the almost all the Urban locations of the world where the CO2 emission is extremely high due to various factors have hardly any good vegetation to control environmental pollution. Unfortunately, in such locations the concept of sustainability like Green wall gets relegated to the second spot due to construction and maintenance cost. The idea is to address to these areas and also to enhance the benefits of Green walls with some medicinal value. This needs to be achieved by identifying native herbal plants and also, to study and innovate in the area of low cost indigenous elements like coconut shells, bamboo, cane, Jute, cork, ect as construction materials to supplement to sustainable design. LITERATURE REVIEW: Green walls are slowly gaining value and are considered valuable for cooling the Urban space than green roofs in countries like Japan. But the green wall is still new to countries like India and china. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) states that This is a great pity, because even in those cities relatively well endowed with greenspace many areas can justifiably be regarded as deserts in biological terms. Nigel Dunnett and Noel Kingsbury (2004) Green wall is widely practiced in Europe and it is quite common in France and Germany to see house covered in Virginia creeper or vines which are influenced by Mediterranean climate. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) states that We need appropriate development which incorporates an ecological approach to building and landscape. This means that the land lost in the construction of buildings and roads should be replaced with a layer of plants on the hard surfaces. By this way green skin can be strategically added to create a new net work of vegetation linking roofs, courtyards, walls and open spaces. Different types of green walls There are two different types: Green facades and Living walls Green faà §ades: are wall systems where plants cover supporting structures rooted at the base of the structure. Supporting structure can either be a existing wall or built as freestanding structures. Living walls: (also called bio walls or vertical gardens) composed of pre-vegetated modular panels that are fixed to a structural wall or freestanding frame. Modular panels comprises of polypropylene plastic containers, geotextiles, irrigation system, growing medium and vegetation. Living walls can be installed on the exterior of a building in full sun, shade, and interior of a building. They grow well in both tropical and temperate climate. Due to huge variety of plants used, living walls require more intensive maintenance than green facades like regular watering, adding nutrients and fertilizers. Different types of green faà §ade support structures The two primary types are Modular trellis systems: Panels which are rigid and lightweight are installed vertically as wall-mounted or freestanding. They can also be used on tall buildings along side with intermediate planters. Modular trellis systems are essential where the physical growth of climbing plants is restricted. Freestanding structures: are rigid panels such as green columns or canopy forms that can be placed on either on building walls where either the space is limited or load is restricted. The panels can also be used as shading devices for a open parking area. Cable and rope wire systems: this system consist high-tensile steel cables, wire trellises, spacers, and additional equipment. Vertical and horizontal wires are connected through cross clamps to form a trellis system of desired sizes and patterns. Stainless steel wire-rope net is supported on flexible or rigid frames to cover large areas. Best plant types to use for green walls Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) Considering the relationship between the types of plant used and the aspect of the walls where they will grow is also a very important aspect. Deciduous plants are the most suitable on the south side of a building. In the summer their dense foliage shields the building from sunlight and creates cooling effect. In winter leaves are shed, allowing sunlight to reach the surface of the wall so helping to warm the interior of the building. Similarly on a west-facing wall it is sensible to use evergreens to protect the building from rain and provide a cushion of air to help insulation. North facing walls are best for supporting native herbs and wider ranges of plants. East walls may fall into either category. Plants used on exterior building walls are exposed to harsher climactic surroundings than those of indoors. Hence for building that intend to reach great heights, more hardy species of plants should be selected. Similarly, for less plant friendly climates, climbers that are tolerant for wind and heat should be selected. Nigel Dunnett and Noel Kingsbury (2004) On wooden walls and other structures, species with very heavy growth or a thick branching habit should be avoided, as the structure may not be able to support the weight. Plant selection will have major impact on the design of the supporting system. For instance, a denser and faster growing plant will require a larger space between supports than less aggressive plant species. The density of plant life further impacts the underlying structure. Greater the leaf surface area, the more impact rain will have on the weight of the system. Green wall installation and maintenance Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) Small herbaceous species are able to grow on walls by taking root in the substance of the wall itself. But other species are naturally adapted to climbing up and over obstacles such as rock faces, trees and shrubs. Some kind of support structure is essential for these plants to grow successfully. For example, climbers such as hops support themselves by spiralling upwards around an object. They will require timber battens, trellis work, steel cables or plastic ropes. Although some creeper can cling directly onto walls by their roots, they require a rough surface to enable them to do so. Rambling plants such as bramble and climbing rose need wide-meshed grid structures to which they can be attached. A 50x50cm latticework of treated timber mounted on wooden posts (or an equivalent structure using cables, rope or netting) will provide an adequate support for a range of species. Whenever possible it is sensible to leave little gap between the faà § ade of the building and the supporting structure to maximise the effects of summer cooling and winter insulation. The structures help in distributing the weight of the plants across the supporting structure and wall. In cable and rope wire systems, anchors and turnbuckles have to be installed at the end of each cable for tightening and adjustments as and when required. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) Polypropylene cladding tiles incorporates waterproof membranes and their own irrigation system. Plants could be established on these and then hung on the outside of a building. Depending on species, climbing plants generally require a good supply of water and occasional pruning. Supporting structures require less maintenance, with only occasional monitoring of the supporting structure. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) For climbing plants the ground should be prepared just like for any tree or shrub by creating a pit and adding in some compost to the top 30cm.Pre-grown panels for living walls needs 6-12 months for plants to grow prior to delivery and installation. The panels are grown horizontally until it is shipped to the site after which it can be mounted vertically. Climbing plants should be selected that do not provide a food source for unwanted pests and insects. Excessive growth or dead wood should be removed periodically and standing water should be avoided. LEED points for using green walls LEED has several credits for green walls when used in buildings. Sustainable Sites Credit 7.1: Landscape Design that Reduces Urban Heat Islands (1 point). Solar reflectance of a building is greatly reduced by exterior green walls, thus reducing the urban heat island effect. Water Efficiency Credits 1.1, 1.2: Water Efficient Landscaping (1 to 2 points). Harvested stormwater can be used for watering the plants of the green walls. Usage only collected, recycled, or nonpotable water may also add on to this credit. Water Efficiency Credit 2: Innovative Wastewater Technologies (1 point). Green walls can act as a medium for utilizing wastewater treatment. Energy and Atmosphere Credit 1: Optimize Energy Performance (1 to 10 points). Buildings mechanical systems usage can be reduced greatly by green walls which acts as additional insulation for the structure and also provides natural cooling. Innovation in Design Credits 1-4: Innovation in Design (1 to 4 points). Green walls can contribute to innovative wastewater management or ventilation systems. KNOWLEDGES AND GAPS What is the awareness on Green walls in the countries like India? Green Building Movement in India Catalysts and Course India is witnessing incredible growth in infrastructure and construction sector. The construction industry in India happens to be one of the largest economic activities. As this sector is growing speedily, preserving the environment poses lot of challenges and at the same time presents opportunities. The construction sector therefore needs to contribute towards environmental responsibility. Green wall concepts are at emerging stage in India primarily due to high initial cost and lack of a native product to address the same. But still it offers great potential which asks for greater understanding and evolving an indigenous product by Indian Architects/ Landscape designers. How cost conscious developed countries are and how it is important? Most of the developed countries are focused on the technology of future and the art of modern architecture plays vital role where the value of simple indigenous elements gets neglected. In that case, even in the name of modernization most of the developing countries are also getting inspired by the developed countries. Cost effective design always carries value at the time of crisis and recession. It also speaks its untouched charm as they are formed mostly with natural elements. INNOVATION: An Indian based Agriculturalist who tried organic farming elunkathir pannai with the protection of bio fence created with the native herbals and plants. The result proved to be astonishing and achieved good yield. The interesting secrete behind it is, all the air born pests are filtered and killed by naturally available herbal predators. This inspires and even strengthens the concept of Green walls for the urban spaces also. And that is one of my initiative and part of the research using native herbals to achieve medicinal benefits. Sustainability is largely being practised in various fields. But in most of the cases they are not cost effective. The other part of my innovation is to adapt low cost sustainable design with simple indigenous elements like Coconut shell, Clay plaster, Cork, Bamboo, Jungle/pine wood etc. at appropriate areas. DATA AND INFORMATION TO BE COLLECTED: Details of Green wall construction/installation Supports and frames Plants species for indoor and out door Irrigation system details Lighting details Maintenance Samples How to collect data and How to analyse it? Already gathering information from the service providers of various places on green wall construction and maintenance aspects. In the process of getting associated with a Horticulturalist/ Agriculturalist to get details on the plants species and their behaviour. Apart from the above, I have collected sufficient literature to move forward. Also, analysis of each element will be carried out through models and tools by collecting all the required samples from the mentioned resources. PLANNING The concept of green wall has to be incorporated in design and the same will be detailed and fine-tuned towards the research topic as a study model. As part of innovative design the usage of indigenous sustainable elements will also be adopted. Characteristics of the indigenous elements available in the developing countries like India are enormous. Will plan them appropriately in design specification based on their characteristics and also, complying with ergonomic standards. POSSIBLE OUTCOME Considering all the urban spaces which are completely responsible for the curse Global warming on this mother earth, as a responsible Architect would work towards through my dissertation to manifest and prove Green walls and other simple indigenous materials as affordable solution for all the Urban conditions and justify the usage of green wall for a space which is non-Air-conditioned. The other issue which is threatening the world is the recession which also calls for innovative cost effective practise in the construction and specification. Initiative to achieve the same with cost effective indigenous materials is a challenge yet it will be proven possible. It is always better to plan and protect, rather than repent and repair Bibliography: Property World- August 2009 The Hindu-Elunkathirpannai- Arunachlam-Thursday,2008 The Architects Journal, Building Library Starting with Plants-Dougherty, David Green walls Austrialia Pvt ltd. www.greenscreen.com http://www.greenscreen.com/home.html http://www.bdcnetwork.com/article/379033-6_Things_You_Need_to_Know_About_Green_Walls.php Green Building Movement in India Catalysts and Course Was the League of Nations a Success or Failure? Was the League of Nations a Success or Failure? In what ways was the League of Nations a predecessor to the UN? Was the League successful in its goal of protecting minorities throughout Europe in the wake of WWI? While the League of Nations was created after the end of World War One to prevent war from ever breaking out again, a few years later World War Two broke out shocking the world with its lack of response to defuse the situation. Though many people only discuss the epic failure of the League of Nations it is important to realize that the League of Nations was semi-successful in its goal of protecting minorities throughout Europe after World War One and was a predecessor to the United Nations. To understand the League of Nations it is important to go over the reasons why it was created and its organizational structure. Based on President Woodrow Wilsons, 1918 address to the United States Congress, where he spoke of his desire to create a world dedicated to justice and fair dealing(Wilson 1918) which later became the Fourteen Points program. This program included explicit references to the rights to self-determination and statehoods for nations seeking freedom (Wilson 1918). The League of Nations was created after the end of World War One to prevent war from ever breaking out again. After the turmoil, the Versailles Treaty in 1919 established the League of Nations to bring stability to the world. The world was horrified by the slaughter that had taken place in what was meant to be in the civilized part of the world. The only way to avoid having such atrocities to repeat, a need for an international body whose sole purpose was to maintain world peace and sort out internation al dilemmas when and if they ever occurred again was needed (Clapham 2007). Other than the United States, who was too busy with the root of isolationism, support for the League of Nations was strong. The League of Nations was to be based in Geneva, Switzerland as it was a neutral county and had not been involved in World War One. With its establishment the League of Nations and its Covenant, addressed the rights of minorities, workers rights, right of women and children, refugees and slavery (Freeman 2005). Also according to the League of Nations Covenant there were three things that could be done to resolve a dispute. One way it states to resolve this dispute is to have the states in the dispute sit and discuss their problems in an orderly fashion in the Leagues Assembly, which is similar to a parliament or the current United Nations parliament. If there is an aggressor then the League would and can verbally warn the aggressor nation. If nothing came from the Assemblys decision then the League of Nations could propose to introduce economic sanctions against the aggressor nation (Covenant 1919). The logic behind this action was to financially aggravate the aggressor country so th ey would follow and give into the League of Nations and their requirements. The League of Nations could order other League Members to not trade with an aggressor nation and if this failed as well then militarily force would be used to put the aggressor nation into place. The only problem with this concept was that the League of Nations did not have a military force that they could use and no member of the new League of Nations was required to provide any military help under the terms of joining which is different from the current United Nations where if joined with the United Nations military help is a requirement. This lead to the League not being able to carry out any of its threats. Due to the atrocities and severe depletion of many major armies it was hard for even first world nations such as Great Britain and France to provide military strength to help the League of Nations. Another weakness that the League of Nations had was the lack of support from the founding fathers country; the United States. Though Woodrow Wilson came up with the the foundation of the League of Nations with his Fourteen Points speech, he refused to join the League of Nations as the United States was fulling its desire for isolation. This was a serious blow to the prestige of the League. A few other problems with the League of Nations was that Germany was not allowed to join because it had started World War One, according to the Versailles treaty. This was a great low point for both the League of Nations and Germany, as they both could not help each other out again other aggressor nations such as Russia and Japan. Russia was not allowed to join because in 1917 there was a communist government that created fear in western Europe. This also created a hole in the League of Nations because this depleted them of another potential military power to help keep order in the world. Though the weaknesses were mentioned earlier in the paper is it important to remember the successes that the League of Nations also had. The League aimed to promote international cooperation in economic and social affairs. Under the League of Nations the council was active in the protection of workers rights. Their goal of fair and humane conditions of labor for all men, women and children (Covenant 1919) became the central focus of the International Labor Organization (ILO) which still continues to be one of the United Nations specialized agencies (Clapham 2007). Workers rights were to be recognized and protected even though they were in place by governments for their own state interests rather than individual interests. Some governments feared their population would turn communist and thus recognized workers rights. The League of Nations was also successful in setting up a commission on slavery and adopted the 1926 Slavery convention, putting an end to slavery. They also developed conventions on the traffic of women and children (Clapham 2007) A few of the League of Nations decisions protected the rights of minorities in Europe while it was in existence. In the Aaland Islands, 1921, near Finland and Sweden, most of the islanders wanted to be governed by Sweden even though traditionally it had always been governed by Finland. Neither Sweden nor Finland could come to a decision as to who owned the islands and in 1921 they asked the League to adjudicate. The Leagues decision was that they should remain with Finland but that no weapons should ever be kept there. Both countries accepted the decision and it remains in force to this day. Though the minorities did not get as they wanted they were given the opportunity to speak up to the League and help make a decision peacefully. The face that the decision is still in force today is a wonderful concept. Though the League of Nations was a political failure it established a groundwork for the current United Nations and its strong commitment to Human Rights. Turkey (1923) The League failed to stop a bloody war in Turkey (see League failures) but it did respond to the humanitarian crisis caused by this war. 1,400,000 refugees had been created by this war with 80% of them being women and children. Typhoid and cholera were rampant. The League sent doctors from the Health Organisation to check the spread of disease and it spent  £10 million on building farms, homes etc for the refugees. Money was also invested in seeds, wells and digging tools and by 1926, work was found for 600,000 people. A member of the League called this work the greatest work of mercy which mankind has undertaken. Greece and Bulgaria (1925) Both these nations have a common border. In 1925, sentries patrolling this border fired on one another and a Greek soldier was killed. The Greek army invaded Bulgaria as a result. The Bulgarians asked the League for help and the League ordered both armies to stop fighting and that the Greeks should pull out of Bulgaria. The League then sent experts to the area and decided that Greece was to blame and fined her  £45,000. Both nations accepted the decision. The failures of the League of Nations Article 11 of the Leagues Covenant stated: Any war of threat of war is a matter of concern to the whole League and the League shall take action that may safe guard peace. Therefore, any conflict between nations which ended in war and the victor of one over the other must be considered a League failure. Italy (1919) In 1919, Italian nationalists, angered that the Big Three had, in their opinion, broken promises to Italy at the Treaty of Versailles, captured the small port of Fiume. This port had been given to Yugoslavia by the Treaty of Versailles. For 15 months, Fiume was governed by an Italian nationalist called dAnnunzio. The newly created League did nothing. The situation was solved by the Italian government who could not accept that dAnnunzio was seemingly more popular than they were so they bombarded the port of Fiume and enforced a surrender. In all this the League played no part despite the fact that it had just been set up with the specific task of maintaining peace. Teschen (1919) Teschen was a small town between Poland and Czechoslovakia. Its main importance was that it had valuable coal mines there which both the Poles and the Czechs wanted. As both were newly created nations, both wanted to make their respective economies as strong as possible and the acquisition of rich coal mines would certainly help in this respect. In January 1919, Polish and Czech troops fought in the streets of Teschen. Many died. The League was called on to help and decided that the bulk of the town should go to Poland while Czechoslovakia should have one of Teschens suburbs. This suburb contained the most valuable coal mines and the Poles refused to accept this decision. Though no more wholesale violence took place, the two countries continued to argue over the issue for the next twenty years. Vilna (1920) Many years before 1920, Vilna had been taken over by Russia. Historically, Vilna had been the capital of Lithuania when the state had existed in the Middle Ages. After World War One, Lithuania had been re-established and Vilna seemed the natural choice for its capital. However, by 1920, 30% of the population was from Poland with Lithuanians only making up 2% of the citys population. In 1920, the Poles seized Vilna. Lithuania asked for League help but the Poles could not be persuaded to leave the city. Vilna stayed in Polish hands until the outbreak of World War Two. The use of force by the Poles had won. War between Russia and Poland (1920 to 1921) In 1920, Poland invaded land held by the Russians. The Poles quickly overwhelmed the Russian army and made a swift advance into Russia. By 1921, the Russians had no choice but to sign the Treaty of Riga which handed over to Poland nearly 80,000 square kilometres of Russian land. This one treaty all but doubled the size of Poland. What did the League do about this violation of another country by Poland? The answer is simple nothing. Russia by 1919 was communist and this plague from the East was greatly feared by the West. In fact, Britain, France and America sent troops to attack Russia after the League had been set up. Winston Churchill, the British War Minister, stated openly that the plan was to strangle Communist Russia at birth. Once again, to outsiders, it seemed as if League members were selecting which countries were acceptable and ones which were not. The Allied invasion of Russia was a failure and it only served to make Communist Russia even more antagonistic to the West. The invasion of the Ruhr (1923) The Treaty of Versailles had ordered Weimar Germany to pay reparations for war damages. These could either be paid in money or in kind (goods to the value of a set amount) In 1922, the Germans failed to pay an installment. They claimed that they simply could not rather than did not want to. The Allies refused to accept this and the anti-German feeling at this time was still strong. Both the French and the Belgiums believed that some form of strong action was needed to teach Germany a lesson. In 1923, contrary to League rules, the French and the Belgiums invaded the Ruhr Germanys most important industrial zone. Within Europe, France was seen as a senior League member like Britain and the anti-German feeling that was felt throughout Europe allowed both France and Belgium to break their own rules as were introduced by the League. Here were two League members clearly breaking League rules and nothing was done about it. For the League to enforce its will, it needed the support of its major backers in Europe, Britain and France. Yet France was one of the invaders and Britain was a major supporter of her. To other nations, it seemed that if you wanted to break League rules, you could. Few countries criticised what France and Belgium did. But the example they set for others in future years was obvious. The League clearly failed on this occasion, primarily because it was seen to be involved in breaking its own rules. Italy and Albania (1923) The border between Italy and Albania was far from clear and the Treaty of Versailles had never really addressed this issue. It was a constant source of irritation between both nations. In 1923, a mixed nationality survey team was sent out to settle the issue. Whilst travelling to the disputed area, the Italian section of the survey team, became separated from the main party. The five Italians were shot by gunmen who had been in hiding. Italy accused Greece of planning the whole incident and demanded payment of a large fine. Greece refused to pay up. In response, the Italians sent its navy to the Greek island of Corfu and bombarded the coastline. Greece appealed to the League for help but Italy, lead by Benito Mussolini, persuaded the League via the Conference of Ambassadors, to fine Greece 50 million lire. To follow up this success, Mussolini invited the Yugoslavian government to discuss ownership of Fiume. The Treaty of Versailles had given Fiume to Yugoslavia but with the evidence of a bombarded Corfu, the Yugoslavs handed over the port to Italy with little argument The social successes of the League of Nations At a social level the League did have success and most of this is easily forgotten with its failure at a political level. Many of the groups that work for the United Nations now, grew out of what was established by the League. Teams were sent to the Third World to dig fresh water wells, the Health Organisation started a campaign to wipe out leprosy. This idea of wiping out from the world a disease was taken up by the United Nations with its smallpox campaign. Work was done in the Third World to improve the status of women there and child slave labour was also targeted. Drug addiction and drug smuggling were also attacked. These problems are still with us in the C21st so it would be wrong to criticise the League for failing to eradicate them. If we cannot do this now, the League had a far more difficult task then with more limited resources. The greatest success the League had involving these social issues, was simply informing the world at large that these problems did exist and that they should be tackled. No organisation had done this before the League. These social problems may have continued but the fact that they were now being actively investigated by the League and were then taken onboard by the United Nations must be viewed as a success. In order to promote international cooperation and to achieve international peace and security by the acceptance of obligations not to resort to war, by the prescription of open, just and honourable relations between nations, by the firm establishment of the understandings of international law as the actual rule of conduct among Governments, and by the maintenance of justice and a scrupulous respect for all treaty obligations in the dealings of organised peoples with one another, Agree to this Covenant of the League of Nations.

Dingo :: essays research papers

Nobody is exactly sure where the dingo Ã’Canis familiaris dingoÓ came from, it isnÕt originally from Austrailia but arrived between 3,500 to 4,000 years ago. The oldest dingo fossil is dated at about 3,400 years old. It is thought that the dingo is from the same family as the Indian Wolf, like many domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), but it has enough of its ancestors charachteristics that it has its own variety.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are two theories about where the dingo came from. One is that its relatives lived in India and were brought there by indian traders. The other is that its relatives were from south east Asia and was brought there by people traveling the sea. However it happened dingoes did very well in Australia. Their only competition was the Tasmanian devil, the thylacine, and the tiger cat. That competition is pobably what made these animals move to Tasmania which the dingo never reached.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dingoes donÕt form packs like other wild dogs, they either live alone or in small families. Dingoes mate for life and mate once a year. The families have home territories that they rarely leave. Dingo families may co-operate to catch large animals. Dingoes chase their prey. They wear them out in a long chase because they arenÕt very fast runners. Large animals are chased until the dingoes can catch them or until the weaker ones drop back. Dingoes donÕt always get their prey, however kangaroos can lean back on their tails and kick hard enough to rip open a dingoÕs stomach.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The gestation period of the dingo is about 63 days, and the litters average about 5 to 8 pups. After 2 weeks, the mother will throw up food for the pups to eat. After 3 weeks, both parents will bring food to the den. Prey around the den is left for the pups to practice hunting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The usual color of dingoes is yellow-ginger. However other colors have appeared. In northern and central Austrailia, 88.6% of the dingoes are yellow-ginger, 3.8% are black and tan, and 1.9% are white. In southern Austrailia, yellow-ginger dingoes have decreased by 45.9%, but black and tan have increased dy 19.1%, and white dingoes have almost dissapeared.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since Europeans came to Austrailia to farm, dingoes have been nothing but a problem for them. Dingoes kill thousands of sheep and cattle each year. A familiy of dingoes can kill over twenty a night for no reason but blood lust or the young dingoes getting excited. Dingo :: essays research papers Nobody is exactly sure where the dingo Ã’Canis familiaris dingoÓ came from, it isnÕt originally from Austrailia but arrived between 3,500 to 4,000 years ago. The oldest dingo fossil is dated at about 3,400 years old. It is thought that the dingo is from the same family as the Indian Wolf, like many domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), but it has enough of its ancestors charachteristics that it has its own variety.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are two theories about where the dingo came from. One is that its relatives lived in India and were brought there by indian traders. The other is that its relatives were from south east Asia and was brought there by people traveling the sea. However it happened dingoes did very well in Australia. Their only competition was the Tasmanian devil, the thylacine, and the tiger cat. That competition is pobably what made these animals move to Tasmania which the dingo never reached.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dingoes donÕt form packs like other wild dogs, they either live alone or in small families. Dingoes mate for life and mate once a year. The families have home territories that they rarely leave. Dingo families may co-operate to catch large animals. Dingoes chase their prey. They wear them out in a long chase because they arenÕt very fast runners. Large animals are chased until the dingoes can catch them or until the weaker ones drop back. Dingoes donÕt always get their prey, however kangaroos can lean back on their tails and kick hard enough to rip open a dingoÕs stomach.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The gestation period of the dingo is about 63 days, and the litters average about 5 to 8 pups. After 2 weeks, the mother will throw up food for the pups to eat. After 3 weeks, both parents will bring food to the den. Prey around the den is left for the pups to practice hunting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The usual color of dingoes is yellow-ginger. However other colors have appeared. In northern and central Austrailia, 88.6% of the dingoes are yellow-ginger, 3.8% are black and tan, and 1.9% are white. In southern Austrailia, yellow-ginger dingoes have decreased by 45.9%, but black and tan have increased dy 19.1%, and white dingoes have almost dissapeared.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since Europeans came to Austrailia to farm, dingoes have been nothing but a problem for them. Dingoes kill thousands of sheep and cattle each year. A familiy of dingoes can kill over twenty a night for no reason but blood lust or the young dingoes getting excited.

Critical analysis on A good man is hard to find Essay -- essays rese

Religious Symbolism in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find† This paper will present a rhetorical context for the use of violence in the short story, â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† as she presented in her essay â€Å"The Element of Suspense.† The form of classical tragedy in this story will also be analyzed from the critical theories of Aristotle and Longinus. Tolstoy will be used to examine the use Christian symbolism. Nietzsche will provide a more well-rounded universal conclusion to the uses of tragedy and spiritual elements in this classic story. Flannery O’Connor gave a talk about â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† in 1963 at Hollins College, Virginia, which was published as the essay, â€Å"The Element of Suspense In ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find.’† In this essay, O’Connor defined the reasons for using violence in her stories. To establish a basis of reason within the story, O’Connor stated â€Å"Much of my fiction takes its character from a reasonable use of the unreasonable, though the reasonableness may not always be apparent. The assumptions that underlie . . . are those of the central Christian mysteries† ("Suspense" 803). O’Connor placed her characters in seemingly unreasonable situations as a means of creating a sublime experience. Her beliefs were strongly evident in the collected body of her fiction. She commented that, â€Å"Belief, in my own case, is the engine that makes perception operate† ("Suspense" 803). Perhaps the stronge st influence on her writing was her illness with lupus. O’Connor’s struggles with being ill and facing death certainly affected the creation of the characters who awaited a moment of grace. To justify the use of violence in her fiction, O’Connor stated â€Å"in my own stories I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace† ("Suspense" 804). Her characters were closed-minded and self-centered. â€Å"Their heads are so hard that nothing else will for the work,† was her justification for using violent means to awaken the characters to reality ("Suspense" 804). Although she employed terror and death in many of her stories, she stated that violence was not the ultimate goal of the stories. â€Å"It is in the extreme situation that best reveals what we are essentially† ("Suspense" 805). O’Connor believed the violent situations her char... ...vior as a means of coping with the tragedy of existence (422). â€Å"The gods show us how there is a need for a whole world of torment in order for the individual to produce the redemptive vision† (422). O’Connor employed Christian beliefs to create cathartic works of fiction in the same way Greek writers used their gods and heroes in tragic literature. â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† has spiritual meaning which transcends exclusively Christian ideals. O’Connor intended for the audience to become aware of what traits were essential for living and were â€Å"taken into eternity† ("Suspense" 805). The actions of the characters could be viewed through a more open minded screen which, actions that demonstrated the â€Å"real heart of the story† on a level which deals with â€Å"the Divine life and our participation in it† ("Suspense" 803). O’Connor intended for the story to â€Å"transcend any neat allegory† or â€Å"pat moral categories a reader could make† (803). The true heart of the story â€Å"must have somehow made contact with mystery† (803). Readers of diverse spiritual beliefs could still derive meaning from this story, since the unifying feeling of brotherhood is common among major religions.

Banking System and Management Project Proposal

THE UNIVERSITY OF LAHORE CS 2135- OBJECT ORIENTED PROGRAMMING | Semester Project Proposal| | | Course InstructorAbid Bashirabid. [email  protected] uol. edu. pk| Guidelines for Project Proposal 1. Title Page: | Day| | Month| | Year| DATE| | | –| | | –| | | | | PROJECT TITLE:| | STUDENT INFORMATIONWrite down the detail of all group members in BLOCK LETTERS ONLY. | GROUP LEADER: | Sr No. | Student ID| Name| Program| Email id (Optional):| 1. | | | | | 2. | | | | | 3. | | | | | 4. | | | | | Course Instructor’s Remarks:| | Course Instructor’s Signature:| | Date:| | 2. Project Summary (should not be more than half a page):The goal of this section is to present the reasons for doing this project as well as stating all of the project's objectives. In this section in particular it is very important to write concisely and clearly.. Before you begin writing you should be able to answer the following questions: * Why are you doing this project? * What will you be do ing? * How will you be doing it? * Who will be doing it (Describes the roles of individual group members in the project? * How long will it take? 3. Project Objectives: State the major goals to be acquired at the end of the project.Moreover, this section should further highlight the final outcomes achieved at successful development of the project. The overall objective should be as follows: The explanation would include a discussion of not only what you intend to do, but also a justification of what you will not do (in other words, what your audience might assume that you will do). You might consider having a paragraph for each objective. 4. Project Methodology: This sections details the plan for how the project objectives will be achieved. It usually starts with a description of the overall approach.Then it provides details on methodology, the target audience, and how major problems will be managed. 4. 1 The Project Approach Summary: Write a few short paragraphs or bullet points on your overall approach to the project. Include how the project team will be organized, what development and collaboration languages will be used, and how the plan will be updated along the way. 4. 3. Work Breakdown: Make a list of tasks and major functionalities that will be performed for this project, make sure the list is detailed enough to cover the major features to be involved within the project.Therefore, make a comprehensive list of detailed functionalities that would be performed in the relevant project. In technical terms, you are also required to include the names of possible classes to be involved within the project. The following sample table can be used to identify the major sections/features that would be performed in the project: Section No. | Section Name:| Section Description (includes major functions to be performed):| Deployment Status | Remarks| | | | | | * Keep the Deployment Status ; Remarks column empty.IMPORTANT NOTE: You would be finally evaluated against th e mentioned and approved sections along with the relevant functions associated with each section. Therefore, try to be precise and realistic in highlighting the relevant functionalities of the related project. 5. Responsibilities of Team members: In a paragraph for each person, establish the team responsibilities for the project. Highlight any specific sections or tasks related with the project that would be performed by each group member.

Call Center Sample Sheet

Call Center and Online Advertising Offer Sheet Needed: Seeking Experienced Centers for the following offers: Reverse Mortgage – $12 per call and PayChex (B2B) $18 per call. If you can do these offers let us know and we’ll set the offers up on our network. Service Majic: WE ARE LOOKING FOR CALLERS INTERESTED IN BEING MATCHED UP WITH A HOME IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTOR. Various home repair areas of interest. Let us know if you have experience in this vertical. The Scooter Store: Live call transfer, pay per call campaign. The leading provider of power chairs and scooters for people with limited mobility, with a strong tradition of customer service.Payout: $12 per lead, 2 minute min call (120 seconds). Live Campaigns ready to go: The Scooter Store: Live call transfer, pay per call campaign. The leading provider of power chairs and scooters for people with limited mobility, with a strong tradition of customer service. Payout: $12 per lead, 2 minute min call (120 seconds). RateChec ker. com: Mortgage Refinance campaign. Exclusive Leads Only. Online Form: $15 per lead 24/7 operation, USA target, Refinance loan over $100,000. Good credit or better LTV less than 90% . Call Center (ftp voice files) or Web Traffic Leads Accepted.No Incentives No coregs Leads cannot be sold to other entities. Loan Modification Live Call Transfer Campaign: $15 per lead if call is longer than 1 min 30 seconds. Target: USA Hours: Mon-Fri: 9am to 9pm EST. Quicken Loans: Call transfer campaign. 24/7 operation, USA target. WE ARE LOOKING FOR CALLERS INTERESTED IN REFINANCE, HOME EQUITY OR HOME PURCHASE LOANS, WITH GOOD TO EXCELLENT CREDIT – MINIMUM CREDIT SCORE OF 620+. Payouts: Customer must be on the phone with Quicken Loans for at least 90 seconds. $11. 00 per call if duration > 1 min 30 sec.Note: There is no IVR, you are doing a live transfer to Quicken Loans. Payments are monthly net 20. 100DayLoans Pay Per Call Campaign: Live call transfer campaign. It's that easy! We search more banks, Financial Companies, and Payday Lenders for the highest loan amounts and the lowest interest rates available. Our automated system can search over 122 Credit Loan providers to lend you the funds you need. Payout: $5. 00 per call if connect_duration ; 90 sec. Hours: Mon-Fri: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Arizona Time) Auto Insurance Quote: Fill out online form at StartAutoLoan. om: This car insurance quote campaign is pure lead gen. Call Center to make outbound call and get customer on the phone. Customer must be interested in getting free car insurance quotes from multiple companies that will compete for the business. Record calls for quality assurance and fill out the quick form online†¦. $4 per lead. Payments are Monthly, net 20. Auto Warranty Expired pay per call offer: Avoid Unnecessary Auto Costs! Is your manufacturers auto warranty about to expire or expired? Is Your Car Under 10 Years Old with Less than 100k Miles? CALL NOW to Get an Extended Auto Protection Plan!Payou t: $10. 00 per call if in_region and during_hours and connect_duration ; 1 min 30 sec. Devry University: pay per call campaign: Get customer on the phone and give them the 800# to call. Customer must call the 800# themselves†¦. this is not a live transfer, customer must dial the 800#. Payout: $15 per lead where customer is on the phone with Devry for at least 2 min (120 seconds) or more. Payments are monthly net 20. Hours: Mon-Fri 😠   Ã‚  8:00 am to 9:00 pm| (all times Central)| CollegeandTuition. com Education Call Transfer: Campaign 1 (Feb 20 Launch date): EDU live call transfer campaign.Get paid $15-$20 per lead. Each student could be submitted up to 4 schools so you get paid each time their information is submitted to a school. Overall you should average 1. 5-1. 8 schools per lead. Call center to get customer on the phone and prequalify they have graduated high school. Payments are monthly net 30 Campaign 2: EDU live call transfer. Interested in Continuing Your Edu cation to Further Your Career, Get a Promotion, or Maybe Even Change Your Profession? Get a Free Education Counseling Session to Quickly Help You Find the Best School for Your Studies and Financial Situation.All online and Campus based schools, very large portfolio of schools for leads. Payout: $7. 00 per call if in_region and during_hours and duration ; 45 sec Target: USA, Calling Hours: Mon-Fri: 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, Sat:10:00 am-5:00 pm, (all times Eastern) Campaign 3: EDU live call transfer. If You're A High School Graduate and are Looking for a Better Paying Job, Getting Your College Degree will Help Increase Your Earning Potential. Our inbound transfers are focused on the following degrees and programs: business, criminal justice, IT, health administration (not Nursing), and medical billing. Online and Campus. Target: USA Payout: $9. 00 per call if connect_duration > 1 min. Hours: Mon-Fri : 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Sat : 9:00 am to 2:00 pm (all times Mountain) Lawsuit Cash Advance Ca mpaign: People who are involved in a lawsuit but have not settled lawsuit. Great for subprime data. Get 5% of cash advance loan amount. Most loans are $2,000 to $5,000 and get funded within 72 hours. Paid weekly. Direct TV campaign: Outbound call then Live Call transfer to Direct TV, 24/7 operation. Base: $1. 00 per call if in_region and pressed[1] and connect_duration > 3 min Bonus: $6. 00 per call if connect_duration > 15 minBonus: $7. 00 per call if connect_duration > 20 min DIRECTV packages start at $29. 99/month for 12 months and a Free Whole Home Upgrade with a two year agreement. Free HD (requires choice Xtra package or above and auto bill pay. ) DIRECTV delivers satellite-based television and broadband services to over 18 million US customers in homes and businesses. With our electronic program guide, digital video recorder (DVR) services, interactive features, HD programming and quality customer service, DIRECTV continues to offer consumers a superior alternative to cable a nd a superior offering for affiliate partners.DIRECTV subscribers enjoy access to over 285 channels of 100% digital picture and sound, exclusive programming and the most comprehensive collection of sports programming available anywhere, including NFL SUNDAY TICKETâ„ ¢ To-Go and MLB EXTRA INNINGS ®. Payments are monthly net 20. DISH Network Campaign: Live call transfers. $7 per call if over 2 minutes. Take advantage of the best value in entertainment with DISH Network from DISH 2 U! Reach your customer base with all the latest promotions, including: FREE Movie Channels FREE Multi-Sport Pack Featuring Red Zone Blockbuster Movies IncludedFREE HD for Life FREE DVR FREE Installation up to 6 Rooms Switch to DISH Network and Save Over $800! With packages starting as low as $19. 99/mo and next day installs available, there is something for everyone from DISH Network! Payments are monthly net 20. www. iCheckLoan. com: payday loan outbound campaign, rev-share 70% to the call center. Get customer on the phone, give customer a pin number and have the customer go to iCheckLoan. com to complete the loan application. Payments are weekly net 7. www. 2500CreditLine. com: Get paid $10 per sign up. No credit checks and No turndowns.Payments are weekly net 7. Customer get a $2,500 shopping line of credit and a Dollar for Dollar Rewards Prepaid MasterCard. If customer put $100 on their MasterCard, they will get another $100 put on the card = $200!!! The instant credit line costs the customer $99. 95 one-time sign up fee. Credit line has 0% interest, no APR, no finance charges or late fees. Debt Settlement Campaign: No Up Front Fees to Customers. Inbound campaign†¦yes inbound campaign. Experienced Debt Settlement call centers only. Take our inbound live calls where customer is on phone and wants more info on Debt Settlement services.Get customer to eSign contract. $100 payout per customer who’s first payment clears. Commissions Paid Weekly. Psychic Live Reading Cam paign: $20 per sign up. Target is all English and Spanish speaking countries. Call center get customer on the phone and fill out form online. Customer then must check their email to confirm registration and minimum payment of $27. 99 to join. Payments are monthly net 30. Credit Repair: Call Transfer Campaign: customers have $10,000 or less in Debt, not considering Bankruptcy, typically have been declined for some type of loan recently.Payments are Monthly. Mon-Fri : 6:00 am to 10:00 pm Sat : 7:00 am to 2:00 pm (all times Mountain) Base: $3. 00 per call if duration >= 10 min and during_hours and in_region Bonus: $6. 00 per call if duration > 20 min and during_hours Bonus: $50. 00 per call if = â€Å"Funded Sale† Payments are monthly net 20 TheLawyerDirectory. com – Free Legal Case Review – $10 per lead for Bankruptcy, Divorce, DUI/DWI, Criminal Defense. $20 per lead for Personal Injury. Fill out forms online. Payments are monthly, net 20. The Car Donation Pay Per Call Affiliate Program: Base: $10. 0 per call if during_hours and in_region and connect_duration > 2 min and pressed[1] Bonus: $10. 00 per call if during_hours and in_region and connect_duration > 4 min and pressed[1] Bonus: $10. 00 per call if during_hours and in_region and connect_duration > 6 min and pressed[1] Call Transfer Hours: Mon-Fri: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm (all times Eastern) Target Regions: All US A car donation is one of the most effective ways to get the most value out of your old or disused vehicles. At Car Donations Charity we can help you maximize your tax deduction and make sure your car does the most good.The process is simple and convenient, and we will help you through every step of the process, from the pickup to the delivery of the tax deductible receipt. It’s never been easier to donate your car to a charitable organization. Payments are monthly net 20 Health Insurance Pay Per Call Campaign: Outbound call then live transfer. Let us find you the right insur ance plan. We are able to find the best rates from Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Humana,   Aetna and other insurance providers. Payout: Base: $3. 00 per call if during_hours and in_region and connect_duration > 1 min 30 sec, Bonus: $15. 0 per call if connect_duration > 5 min 30 sec. Target Regions: California, Colorado, Nevada Hours: Mon-Fri: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm pst. California Home Insurance Pay per call: Let us find you the right home insurance plan. We are able to find the best rates from Mercury, Progressive, Safeco, Travelers, and other insurance providers. We are taking calls from California residents looking for homeowner's insurance. Payout: $10. 00 per call if connect_duration ; 2 min and during_hours Hours: Mon-Fri: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (all times Pacific)Target Regions: California Canda Life Insurance PayPer call: Call now to receive your free, no obligation, no medical exam life insurance quote! LSM Insurance is Canada’s leading provider of no medical life insurance. We have been in business over 18 years and work with the largest insurance carriers in Canada including Manulife Financial, Canada Life, RBC Insurance and BMO Insurance. Payout: $5. 00 per call if in_region and during_hours and connect_duration ; 1 min and pressed [ 1] Target Region: Canada Debt Collection Harassment Phone Verified Leads:Call center will fill out form online and submit leads during hours of operation listed. Payout: $5 per lead USA Residents Offers Coming Soon RateChecker. com: Complete Free Quote Portal offering all types of loans, insurance, and other types of financial information. Pure Lead Gen campaigns for online, offline and call centers. DiabeticCareTaker. com – Diabetic Medicare Lead Gen Campaign: Auto Warranty: Lead gen live call transfer. Call center makes outbound calls to potential customers who want to extend their auto warranty that is expiring or will expire soon.Payments are twice a month. Home Security Campaign – Lead gen live call t ransfer campaign where people are interested in getting a Free home security system installed. Customer only pays monthly fee, the equipment is free. Payments are once a month. Don’t see something you already have data for Please let me know 1. What campaigns you are interested in 2. I have the scripts and guidelines to assist with each program. 3. Send your company info as well for an Insertion order. Thank you, Scott Thompson, CEO Astoria Company, LLC. [email  protected] com Skype: affiliatescott

Mechanical Engineering Essay

Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principle of engineering, physics and material science for analysis, design, manufacturing , and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering, that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the design, production, and operation of machines and tools.[1] It is one of the oldest and broadest engineering disciplines. The engineering field requires an understanding of core concepts including mechanics, thermodynamics, material science, structural analysis, and electricity. Mechanical engineers use computer aided engineering and product lifestyle management to design and analyze future manufacturing plants industrial equipment and machinery heating and cooling systems, transport systems, aircraft, watercraft, robotics, medical devices, weapons etc. mechanical engineering’s development can be traced back several thousand years around the world. Mechanical engineering science emerged in the 19th century as a result of developments in the field of physics. The field has continually evolved to incorporate advancements in technology, and mechanical engineers today are pursuing developments in such fields as composites ,mechatronics, and nanotechnology. Mechanical engineering overlaps with aerospace engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, petroleum engineering, and manufacturing so, all of these are encountered and cannot be avoided. There are other fields mechanical engineers have to do like, biomedical engineering and modeling of biological systems like, soft tissue mechanics. Mechanical engineers have to design and build engines and power plants, structures and vehicles of all sizes. Mechanical engineering requires a bachelors degree. The formal name for the degree is â€Å"Mechanical Engineer†, and the course work is based on five or six years of training, but in order to qualify as an Engineer you have to pass a state exam at the end of the course. Standards set participation to society and are intended to provide uniformity in fundamental subject material, promote competence among graduating engineers, and mostly to maintain confidence in the engineering profession as a whole. Students are required to show that they can â€Å"work professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas. Mechanical engineers are also expected to understand and be able to apply  basic concepts from chemistry, physics, chemical engineering etc. All mechanical engineering programs include multiple semesters of mathematical classes including calculus, and advanced mathematical concepts. Also most mechanical engineering programs also require varying amounts of research or community projects to gain practical problem-sol ving experience. Engineers may seek license by a state, provincial, or national government. The purpose of this process is to ensure that engineers possess the necessary technical knowledge, real-world experience, and knowledge of the local legal system to practice engineering at a professional level. Once certified, the engineer is given the title of professional engineer. The field of mechanical engineering can be thought of as a collection of many mechanical engineering science disciplines. Several of these disciplines which are typically taught at the undergraduate level are listed below, with a brief explanation and the most common application of each. Some of these disciplines are unique to mechanical engineering, while others are a combination of mechanical engineering and one or more other disciplines.

Marc Jacobs Brand Analysis Essay

There has been much debate within the fashion industry about what kind of branding strategy to pursue. With the increasing democratization of fashion ushered in by globalization fashion designers have been able to create and/or transform their labels to have a strong and strategic world-wide presence. The two main schools of thought within branding strategies are globalization and adaptation. Thus a fashion company must traverse the terrain and select which strategy suits the company’s policies, aims and mission. Theodore Levitt launched the globalization debate in 1983 with his seminal essay in the Harvard Business Review ‘The Globalization of Markets† arguing that communication, transportation and travel created a new commercial reality where corporations did not cater to local differences in taste. He believed that the world, its various cultures and borders, were uniting, which resulted in the dissolution of multinational corporations, and the rise and domination of global corporations (Levitt, 1983). There have been many supporters toward this faction of thinking which include Elinder (1965), Fatt (1967), Buzzell (1968) and Dunne (1976) whom feel, as with Levitt that the globalization of markets has come about because of advances in transportation, and most importantly technology. This strategy believes that one marketing campaign can be used and translated to its customers world-wide, and is adequate for their purposes. Standardization also assumes that their target customer is completely homogenous and should be pursued in the same manner. The adaptation strategy and its supporters on the other hand, believe that the market and its customers are heterogeneous. The followers of adaption namely Anholt (2000), Kanso and Nelson (2002) and Kotler (1986), argue that marketers and branding professionals need to consider difference in economics, cultures, competition, technology, sociology, physicality, politics, infrastructure; as well as the level of customer similarity (Vrontis, 2003). This strategy is clearly opposite to that of standardization. What the managers of companies need to decide early on is, which strategy they will adopt acknowledging that both factions has positive and negative points. Another approach that is widely exploited is that of a  hybrid, adopting certain aspects of each strategy to obtain the greatest advantage whilst negating the negatives. This strategy is promoted by many since the late nineteen eighties namely Vrontis and Vronti, (2004), Kotler et al., (1996), as well as Douglas and Wind (198 7), With an abundance of strategies to choose from and the swift pace of the global fashion industry, which is becoming more competitive every day, it is of utmost importance to have a clear message and brand identity to launch to the fashion world. Using Marc Jacobs as a case study, this paper will investigate his labels approach to marketing and branding within the United Kingdom and the United States to demonstrate how Marc Jacobs uses standardization. This approach is illuminated through his product ranges, advertising, shop decoration, and marketing, which have been inherent since the beginning of the branding process. To keep up in today’s ever changing industry, fashion labels like Marc Jacobs, need to be highly differiented, customer-oriented, constantly innovative and create effective powerful brands (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000). Marc Jacobs has executed what Aaker and Joachimsthaler (2000) set out with sheer precision. Since graduating from Parsons School of Design in 1984, where Marc Jacobs won two Golden Thimble Awards, he has had a loyal following both with the media and customers alike who have backed him through his many ventures. His clothes have been described as uptown, downtown – and all around, chic eccentricity, edgy and chic, friendly downtown cool as well as breezy and discreet luxury (Foley, 2004 and Cohen, 2001). Jacobs has an innate perception of how women and men want to dress each season; a sense of the past and how the passage of time changes the definition of beauty and glamour (Shaw, 1993). Having his finger on the zeitgeist each season, year after year, has made his name synonymous with retro-chic cool urbanites and celebrities. On the one hand, Marc Jacobs, the person, his personality, are what his customers are buying into and what is being marketed. On the other, it is his association as head designer for ready-to-wear at Louis Vuitton and how he has transformed that company. This position propelled him to global fashion stardom making him a household name. His characteristics of charming, spirited, cool, arty, high, low and edgy all describe his designs  (Aaker, 1996) and his customers are buying into this personality and identity mix. This blend extends to the way Marc Jacobs dresses himself, and as an extension his clientele. â€Å"I buy very expensive clothes and very inexpensive clothes. People do not dress in designer clothes from head to toe. They may wear a $40 shirt with $600 shoes. That’s the way we’ve always shown the collection (Shaw, 1993).† This is how their younger, arty and celebrity customer dresses. They wear clothes that can traverse the polished sophistication of uptown and the edgy, hip, distressed chic of downtown. â€Å"Brand personality can help by enriching†¦ perceptions of and attributes toward the brand, contributing to a differentiating brand identity, guiding the communication effort and creating brand equity (Aaker, 1996, p.150)†. The brand personality, and its personality traits, are also created by various marketing variables such as user imagery, advertising style, packaging and logo, price, and product-related attributes (Levy 1959, Plummer 1985, Batra, Lehmann, and Singh 1993). All of which are extremely important to the Marc Jacobs branded image and lifestyle that is standardized in both the UK and USA. Though Marc Jacobs brand identity and marketing is driven by his own personality and has been a chosen strategy, there are negative’s to this approach. In this case, the personality is living and has their own life, which changes and acquires a dimension and symbolism, which may not always correspond with the brand’s strategic interests (Kapferer, 1997). For instance, it is commonly known that Marc Jacobs has been battling drug addiction for many years and has had a recent bought in a rehabilitation facility. This episode does not seem to have affected the brand’s image and personality, though it is a caution for adopting this strategy; especially with a personality that is in the public eye and imagination. Jacobs’s success has earned him five designer of the year awards in women’s wear, men’s wear and accessory design by the Council of Fashion Designers of America throughout the last fifteen years. These prestigious awards have assisted in leveraging his brand, which is worth 5 billion dollars according to Fortune magazine (Borden, 2007) and enabled Jacobs to expand the company. What has also assisted Jacobs and his business partner  Robert Duffy’s vision to build the brand architecture, is the stake that Moà «t-Hennessy-Louis-Vuitton (LVMH) owns, which is 96% of Marc Jacobs International L.P. but only 33% of trademarks, meaning that LVMH has power over the money, but Jacobs has creative control.[1] With the backing of LVMH using brand architecture as an organizing structure of the brand portfolio, which gives specific roles and relationships to various products has become a reality (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000). The Marc Jacobs brand portfolio has gro wn immensely since he first started the company with Duffy in 1993. That year saw the launch of his women’s collection and in 1995 the first full men’s collection was introduced. Expanding into the men’s market assisted in leveraging the brand assets, creating a synergy by generating brand exposures and more associations in different contexts (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000 and Kapferer, 1997). These two Marc Jacobs collection lines are the strategic brand as they represent the majority of sales and have become the driver role for other extensions and ranges within the portfolio (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000 and Kapferer, 1997). The women’s and men’s collection have thus expanded to include footwear, bags, eyewear and fragrance creating new line extensions in other product classes which is the ultimate way to leverage the brand (Aaker, 1996). The collection line extensions or sub-brands expands the user base, provides variety for the customer that would like to buy into a total image or lifestyle, energizes the br and as well as manages innovation within the brand (Aaker, 1996). Jacobs’s accessories and his fragrances for both men and women have become his cash cows. The cash cow has a significant customer base and its role is to generate margin resources that can then be invested back into other brands and extensions (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000). Utilizing this strategic approach assists customers who cannot afford the collection but can buy into the brand, starting with a perfume or a handbag in hopes of one day being able to purchase a variety of clothes and other product offerings. Cash cow roles help to build up the brand portfolio as well as create customer loyalty. With the success of his main collection line, Marc Jacobs launched Marc by Marc Jacobs (in 2001), a diffusion or secondary line/brand that made Jacobs more accessible to the very important middle retail market (Moore,  Fernie, and Bert, 2000). The movement into diffusion lines is completely linked to the drive of greater profits, which is linked to public demand. The trouble a brand faces in moving down vertically is risking the brand’s reputation, customer base, quality and credibility especially when coming from a luxury brand (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000, Kapferer, 1997 and Aaker, 1996). Luckily, Jacobs has avoided this successfully without cannibalizing his high-end brand. One explanation of this is that Jacobs’s designs lend themselves to being made in both expensive and moderate priced materials and do not lose their cool. For example, Marc Jacobs produces a thermal jumper in cashmere that sells for 300 pounds and the same design in less luxurious wool sells for 80 pounds in the Marc by Marc Jacobs range (Borden, 2007). Robert Duffy states â€Å"There is a huge difference in feel and quality, but there is a customer base for both (Borden, 2007, p. 3)†. In this case the diffusion line actually enhances the brand’s presence in this very different context not just from increased visibility but also the positive associations generated (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000). The response to this line was so encouraging a men’s Marc by Marc Jacobs line was added along with shoes, bags, eyewear, accessories as well as timepieces for both men and women. In effect the diffusion line and its extensions have been playing the role of the silver bullet brand by positively influencing the image of the strategic brand (Marc Jacobs) (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000). Strategically though the ready-to-wear collection provides the much needed PR but the diffusion lines and their extensions and the collection extensions horizontally drives and creates the revenue (Moore, Fernie and Burt, 2000). The linchpin brand of the Marc Jacobs portfolio and architecture is the accessories line which is housed in its own free-standing store in New York, as well as a multi-branded store in London. This line of accessories is priced even lower than the accessories offered in the Marc by Marc Jacobs lines and is cultivating new customers by the hundreds of thousands. Marc Jacobs staffers like to call this store and line the â€Å"junk store† but the results are anything but. The accessories line and store sells anything from $90 leather bags, to $20 T-shirts to $5 heart shaped make-up compacts as well as flip-flops, gloves, hats, scarves and wellington rain boots. The low  cost of the merchandise is the allure and initiates an even younger customer than the diffusion line into the cult of the brand. The idea of this line is to increase brand recognition and ultimately overall revenue. (Jana, 2006). This line is 70% of units sold in Marc Jacobs stores, which totals around $20 million (Borden, 2007). The accessories line and shop in New York City generates $25,000 per square foot, which exceeds the $4,032, which is earned by the average Apple store the highest in a study by Bernstein Research (Borden, 2007). Gail Zuader a manager of boutique investment bank Elixir Advisors states â€Å"Marc Jacobs has achieved that rare feat of creating a secondary line that doesn’t dilute the value of the high-end with a focus on tongue-in cheek design that allows people to mix it up (Borden, 2007, p. 3)†. This directly relates to Jacob’s comments back in 1993 about his customer wearing expensive and inexpensive clothes, this can now be done with his whole brand architecture. A Jacobs follower can wear a collection dress from the high-end ready-to-wear line and mix it up with shoes and sunglass from the Marc by Marc Jacobs diffusion line. Then accessorize with cheap accessor y handbag and a few bracelets. Again, the Marc Jacobs brand has been extended horizontally with the introduction of the luxury home wares sub-brand in 2003, which includes crystal (produced in Eastern Europe from some of the best known manufacturers), sterling silver, cashmere pillows and other luxuries. This extension is also a silver bullet brand as it both positively influences the strategic brand, and maintains the luxurious cool edge that the label stands for. Marc Jacobs brand architecture has been fuelled by the ever increasing money spent on luxury products throughout the world. According to Verdict research company the luxury retail sector is worth 263 billion dollars for October 2007 and is rapidly accelerating by 71% (Verdict and Thind, 2007). The factors that have contributed to this increase include higher net disposable income among middle to top earners, increased leisure time, as well as economic recovery within several major countries including the United States and the UK (Moore, Fernie, and Bert , 2000). A luxury company would be foolish not to expand in as many areas as possible without overextending its offerings to tap into the money being increasingly spent in this sector. Marc Jacobs success can be contributed to standardized  marketing, brand identity, image as well as product offerings between the US and the UK. The image and the identity of the brand are two different items and are not to be confused. The image deals with perceived notions from the customer’s side whilst the brand identity is the picture the organization wants to send out to the public at large and its customers (Kapferer, 1997). The identity is sent out through the Marc Jacobs logo, advertising, store design and products. The logo is the words Marc Jacobs in a black font that is classic yet retro, not too thin or too thick, a medium thickness that is bold behind the white page. (Fig. 1) This typeface is standardized on all product offerings, line extensions, sub-brands and advertising. The black and white palette is kept throughout. The words may change as well as the offerings but the typeface is always the same. In this sense the font has become an icon of the label like Jacobs himself. To compete in a global market, a global advertising and marketing strategy and product development strategy are integral to the luxury fashion brand. The average money spent on advertising is anywhere between 20-30 per cent of a company’s gross margin higher than it ever has been (Moore, Fernie, and Bert, 2000). â€Å"Every successful fashion brand is based upon an image; the way that you make that image is through your advertising. Fashion thrives on advertising. Advertising is what creates the identity and attraction (Moore, Fernie, and Bert, 2000, p. 932).† The Marc Jacobs advertising campaigns, which are all shot by world renowned photographer Juergen Teller since 1997, is integral to the brands standardized marketing campaign and has greatly contributed the Jacobs image of being arty, cool, hip and of the moment.[2] The images shot by Teller are normally of artists, directors, musicians, and actors in beautiful colours. Normally the product in the photograph is secondary to the poses, actions, background and expressions of the person(s) being photographed. The photograph is always in the middle of a stark white background the product name below it in the iconic Marc Jacobs font. The people that have been included in the advertising such as Sofia Coppola, Charlotte Rampling, Samantha Morton, Kristen MacMenamy, Meg White of the White Strips and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth have also contributed to the brands identity and image. (See Fig, 2) Bernd Schmitt states: Customers want products, communications and marketing campaigns that dazzle their senses, touch their hearts, and stimulate their minds [as well as] things they can relate to and that they can incorporate into their lifestyles. They want these things to be able to deliver a desirable customer experience (Schmitt, 1999, p.22). Thus he aligns the brand with people who are thought to be â€Å"cool†, â€Å"hip† or â€Å"of the moment† and in turn this has positive associations for the customer base and the brands offerings. These advertisements are seen both in American and UK high fashion magazines. For instance Vogue’s UK December 2007 issue features an advertisement for the Daisy perfume, the same ad is also in the December issue of Vogue in the US as well as Harper’s Bazaar in the US. This standardized marketing strategy is clearly chosen so the image and identity is not diluted between the countries; especially since the ideal Marc Jacobs customer has the income and luxurious lifestyle to fly between the two, and are the main markets for the brand. Though LVMH does not break down sales by brand, instead giving turnover by operating division, Table 1 clearly shows that Europe and the US are the biggest market for the luxury group, Europe generating 35% of group sales whi lst America is the largest single market. Table 1. LVMH: Group sales, by region, 2005 Source: LVMH/Mintel Though there are Marc Jacobs stores in six cities in America and only one in the UK, London, the product offerings are standardized between the two. This is evident by visiting the stores in both countries and visiting the website where all the products are displayed, along with videos of the runway shows as well as news and gossip, all contributing to the marketing. By choosing to standardize the products amongst the two markets, stores, and on-line Jacobs adopts Levitt’s strategy, â€Å"at a relative low cost – as if the entire world were a single entity; it sells the same thing in the same way everywhere (Levitt, 1983, p.292).† Standardization for the brand increases its profits and visibility in both market sectors. The store’s interior  design and window displays are also uniform. Jacobs and Duffy have enlisted designer Stephen Jaklitsch to design the store’s interiors, completing twenty one stores to date. He designs â€Å"hip but comfortab le environments that mix high-end residential furnishings with sleek finishes and cheeky detailing (Kim, 2004, p. 126).† Jaklitsch’s design for the Marc Jacobs shops represents an evolution of the brand concept and is mostly standardized though each space has its own challenges. â€Å"We do adhere to consistent color and materials palettes. We always use black-stained floors and luxurious materials like marble for the collection stores. I work to create backdrops that are as edgy as the clothing, yet a little more timeless (Kim, 2004, p.127).† Having harmony amongst the retail shops’ designs and the products offered customers in both countries ensures the same aesthetic experience, retail experience and service that the luxury brand is known for. The display windows are another extension of this standardization. During the month of June this year, the shop windows had a Blondie display theme with a large pop orientated portrait of Debbie Harry, with co-coordinating Blondie T-shirts on the mannequins; both in America and the UK. These windows are displayed on the website under featured windows and it is evident that the windows are an important part of the global marketing strategy, as it is presented on the website. The windows are also eye catching and creative, enticing the walker-by on the street, into the store placing special importance on them. The windows for September 2007, featured the newly launched Daisy perfume. Here the art direction allows for some creative flourishes as the mannequins and other decorative displays are specialized for the windows in both countries, though the theme and many elements are uniform. The importance of the window displays shows how the design can be standardized across countries, but equally innovative and exciting for the customer. Using Marc Jacobs as a case study, it is evident that a globalized strategy for products and marketing is still alive and used by global luxury companies as Levitt predicted in 1983. The markets have greatly increased, and drastically changed since this seminal article was written and in our postmodern society many consumers want greater differientation and customization. It will be interesting to see if Marc Jacobs can continue to  survive with a uniform marketing strategy and product offering, or if the brand will have to adapt their strategy for a hybrid one. [1] According to Mintel’s Luxury Good Retail Global report for July of 2006, LVMH was the leading global luxury goods company with 11% of the market in 2005. Mintel also states that they control the strongest and most dynamic luxury brands including Marc Jacobs. [2] For more information on Juergen Teller and his work see Juergen Teller edited by Cornel Windline, Koln, London: Taschen, 1996.