Panic Attack Outline Essay

I. Introduction A. Panic Attacks are a form of Anxiety characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms. B. Panic Attack disorder affects about 6 million American adults and is twice as common in women as men. (Huppert) C. Panic Attacks often begin in late adolescence or early adulthood, but not everyone who experiences panic attacks will develop panic disorder. II. Thesis Statement A. Panic Attacks can occur at any time, even while sleeping. B. I would like to discuss this disabling condition and how most people go undiagnosed and untreated. (Ebell) III. Body A. Many people have just one or two panic attacks in their lifetimes, and the problem goes away, perhaps when a stressful situation ends. 1. But if you’ve had recurrent, unexpected panic attacks and spent long periods in constant fear of another attack, you may have a condition called panic disorder. 2. Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia, in which people experience seemingly out-of-the-blue panic attacks. a. Sometimes they develop a fear of going into places where they have had previous panic attacks. About one in three people with panic disorder develops agoraphobia. b. They stick to places they consider safe, and avoid public places (such as malls, trains, and stadiums) where escape may be difficult. c. Some people develop a fixed route or territory, and it may become impossible for them to travel beyond their safety zones without suffering severe anxiety. (A.P.A.) B. Panic attacks were once dismissed as nerves or stress, but they’re now realized as a real medical condition. 1. Although can significantly affect your quality of life, treatment can be very effective. 2. A person with panic disorder may become discouraged and feel ashamed because he or she cannot carry out normal routines like going to the grocery store or driving. Having panic disorder can also interfere with school or work. C. Panic attacks typically begin suddenly, without warning. 1. They can strike at almost any time — when you’re driving the car, at the mall, sound asleep or in the middle of a business meeting. 2. Panic attacks have many variations, but symptoms usually peak within 10 minutes. You may feel fatigued and worn out after a panic attack subsides. a. Panic attacks typically include a few or many of these symptoms: Sense of impending doom or danger, fear of loss of control or death, rapid heart rate, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, hyperventilation, chills, hot flashes, nausea, abdominal cramping, chest pain, headache, dizziness, faintness, tightness in your throat, and trouble swallowing. b. One of the worst things about panic attacks is the intense fear that you’ll have another one. You may fear having a panic attack so much that you avoid situations where they may occur. You may even feel unable to leave your home (agoraphobia) because no place feels safe. (Iacoviello) IV. When to see a doctor. A. If you have any panic attack symptoms, seek medical help as soon as possible. 1. Panic attacks are hard to manage on your own, and they may get worse without treatment. 2. And because panic attack symptoms can also resemble other serious health problems, such as a heart attack, it’s important to get evaluated by your health care provider if you aren’t sure what’s causing your symptoms. B. Early treatment can often prevent agoraphobia, but people with panic disorder may sometimes go from doctor to doctor for years and visit the emergency room repeatedly before someone correctly diagnoses their condition. 1. This is unfortunate, because panic disorder is one of the most treatable of all the anxiety disorders, responding in most cases to certain kinds of medication or certain kinds of cognitive psychotherapy, which help change thinking patterns that lead to fear and anxiety. (Ebell) 2. First, talk to your doctor about your symptoms. Your doctor should do an exam to make sure that another physical problem isn’t causing the symptoms. The doctor may refer you to a mental health specialist. V. Causes A. It’s not known what causes panic attacks or panic disorder, but these factors may play a role: 1. Genetics. 2. Major stress. 3. Temperament that is more susceptible to stress. 4. Certain changes in the way parts of your brain function. B. Some research suggests that your body’s natural fight-or-flight response to danger is involved in panic attacks. 1. For example, if a grizzly bear  came after you, your body would react instinctively. Your heart rate and breathing would speed up as your body prepared itself for a life-threatening situation. 2. Many of the same reactions occur in a panic attack. But it’s not known why a panic attack occurs when there’s no obvious danger present. VI. Risk Factors A. Symptoms of panic disorder often start in the late teens or early adulthood and affect more women than men. B. Factors that may increase the risk of developing panic attacks or panic disorder include: 1. Family history of panic attacks or panic disorder. 2. Significant stress. 3. Death or serious illness of a loved one. 4. Major changes in your life, such as the addition of a baby. 5. History of childhood physical or sexual abuse. 6. Experiencing a traumatic event, such as an accident or sexual assault. (A.P.A) VII. Treatment. A. Psychotherapy, also called talk or behavior therapy, is considered an effective first choice treatment for panic attacks and panic disorder. 1. Psychotherapy can help you understand panic attacks and panic disorder and learn how to cope with them. 2. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help you learn through your own experience that panic symptoms are not dangerous. a. During therapy sessions, your therapist will help you gradually re-create the symptoms of a panic attack in a safe, supportive setting. b. Once the physical sensations of panic no longer seem threatening, the attacks begin to resolve. c. Successful treatment can also help you overcome fears of situations that you’ve been avoiding because of panic attacks. B. Medications (US DH&HS) 1. Medications can help reduce symptoms associated with panic attacks as well as depression if that’s an issue for you. Several types of medication have been shown to be effective in managing symptoms of panic attacks, including: a. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). b. Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). c.  Benzodiazepines. VIII. Prevention. A. There’s no sure way to prevent panic attacks or panic disorder. However, these recommendations may help. B. Get treatment for panic attacks as soon as possible to help stop them from getting worse or becoming more frequent. C. Stick with your treatment plan to help prevent relapses or worsening of panic attack symptoms. D. Get regular physical activity, which may play a role in protecting against anxiety. IX. In Conclusion A. Panic Attacks are very real and can happen to anyone at any given time. B. Be aware of yourself and everyone around you; never know when a panic attack can occur. Any Questions? Bibliography American Psychiatric Association (2009). Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with panic disorder. Available online: http://psychiatryonline.org/guidelines.aspx. Ebell MH. Diagnosis of anxiety disorders in primary care. Am Fam Physician. 2008 Aug 15;78(4):501-2. Huppert JC, et al. (2009). Anxiety disorders: Cognitive-behavioral therapy. In BJ Sadock et al., eds., Kaplan and Sadock’s Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 9th ed., vol. 1, pp. 1915–1926. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Iacoviello BM, Mathew SJ (2010). Anxiety disorder. In EG Nabel, ed., ACP Medicine, section 13, chap. 1. Hamilton, ON: BC Decker. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2008). 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (ODPHP Publication No. U0036). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Website: http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/default.aspx.

Difference Multiculturalism: Diversified, Not Unified

Multiculturalism connotes diversity in culture and society. In realization of the diversity in American culture, multiculturalism has its roots in the things that separate people from each other. Varieties of multiculturalism go in different directions; but whether radical or liberal, whether emphasizing power or weakness and the distinct contributions of each ethnic group, multiculturalism keeps coming back to its roots in the word â€Å"difference†. The ideal of diversity, the mixing of things up, spreading the wealth, creating a new concept of â€Å"us†, never quite ensued rapidly. In relating to racial, ethnic and sexual identity, multiculturalism carved out discrete areas of high visibility but kept those areas self-contained. Since the middle of the 1990's, dissatisfaction with this situation has been widespread, especially as the very concept of race has been forcefully called into question. Black may have been beautiful in the 1960's, and powerful in the 1970's, but it has also become increasingly viewed by cultural historians as a social construct, one fixed in place only by racism itself (Cotter, 2001). In fostering positive relationships across the â€Å"difference multiculturalism† reveal a classic problem of traditional American individualism. This means people come without a strong bond to the community the individual can pursue his or her own ideas and values without check by the views of other people. A multiculturalism rooted in difference exaggerates the individualist’s tendency to let one’s personal feeling become the norm for judging the rest of the world. Most people assume the correctness of their own views, and they find confirmation in their own experience. This is a universal human tendency, but one that needs to be somewhat reigned in for a society to survive. As it magnifies ethnocentricity, Charles Taylor criticized â€Å"difference multiculturalism† as he proposed a resolution of the conflict between the politics of universal dignity and the ethnocentric type of multiculturalist politics of difference. Parens (1994) believed that it is less a compromise than an attempt to compel ethnocentrists to achieve universal dignity. Rather than bestowing all cultures equal respect, â€Å"difference multiculturalism† risks essentializing the idea of culture as the property of an ethnic group or race; it risks reifying cultures as separate entities by overemphasizing the internal homogeneity of cultures in terms that potentially legitimize repressive demands for communal conformity As Henry Louis Gates has written, â€Å"mixing and hybridity are the rule, not the exception.† This way of understanding â€Å"difference multiculturalism† obscures the concept of hybridization by magnifying on differences, which clearly raises the same problems associated with the melting pot. Multiculturalism†¦is a theory (albeit vague) about the foundations of a culture rather than a practice which subsumes cultural ideas (Harrison, 1984). As a widely-scoped concept, the term is often used to describe societies (especially nations) which have many distinct cultural groups, usually as a result of immigration. This can lead to anxiety about the stability of national identity, yet can also lead to cultural exchanges that benefit the cultural groups. By including all differences, one cannot help but exclude those who do not respect the difference of others. Apart from its original concept, even multiculturalism must exclude. By acquiring the universal culture of willing universal laws, all human beings were to become included in the human family. Thus, cultural practices that emanate from some source other than our own; it has perhaps made us forgetful of the ineradicable character of exclusion and attachment to â€Å"one's own† in politics. In his analysis, Terence Turner (1993) cites the explicit use of culture in politics, he advocates â€Å"critical multiculturalism† instead as a means to avoid essentialist notions of culture embedded within â€Å"difference multiculturalism†. In this, Turner approvingly quotes Stam and Shohat (n.d.): critical multiculturalism, they say, â€Å"rejects a unified, essentialist concept of identity . . . Rather, it sees the self as polycentric, multiple, unstable, historically situated, the product of ongoing differentiation and polymorphous identifications† (Turner 1993, p. 418). Thus, as â€Å"difference muliticulturalism† magnifies differences through identity politics, â€Å"critical multiculturalism† seems to be a better alternative as it pluralizes groups and cuts across them, thereby encouraging diverse voices to participate in democratic debate. Works Cited Cotter, H. Beyond Multiculturalism, Freedom?   New York Times.  (Late Edition, East Coast). New York, N.Y., 29 July 2001, p.  2.1 Parens, J. Multiculturalism and the Probglem of Particularism, The American Political Science Review, vol.88, no.1, 1994. Taylor, Charles. Comparison, History, Truth In F.E. Reynolds and D. Trang. (eds.) Myth and Philosophy. Albany: NY, 1990. Turner, T. Anthropology and Multiculturalism: What is anthropology that multiculturalists should be mindful of it? Cultural Anthropology, 1993, Vol.8, No.4   

A Working Community – Ellen Goodman

Goodman quotes from her dictionary that geographically a community is defined as a â€Å"body of people who live in one place† and that in the past we â€Å"were members of precincts or parishes or school districts.†Perhaps if people in the past were asked what â€Å"a community† was to them, this would be the definition they would give. Over the years however, people have been increasingly spending more time in their place of employment rather than in their home.Goodman points out that in today’s societies many of us only use the community in which we live – our home – in order to sleep. Communities are becoming more a group of people who get to know each other and interact regularly. They gather around a concept or common goal or interest. Rather than belonging to a community in which we live, we increasingly create â€Å"a sense of belonging† in the workplace – within the community in which we find ourselves most of the time. 2.   Goodman also points out that not only has our â€Å"sense of community †¦ moved from office house to office building† but that â€Å"the labels we wear connect us with the members† and that â€Å"we assume we have something in common† with them. In modern society this notion of assigning labels to oneself and others is becoming more evident.People do this because they want to feel a sense of belonging, a sense that they have things in common with others. A problem not mentioned in Goodman’s article however, is that not only do we assign labels in the workplace, but we tend to describe most people by assigning labels. These labels most often contain assumptions, which in turn become stereotypes3. According to Goodman, in the same way that we have â€Å"replaced our neighborhoods with the workplace,† we have replaced our â€Å"ethnic identity with professional identity.†She goes on to state that the most obvious â€Å"realignment of community† is in the â€Å"mobile professions.† In today’s society many professionals are required to move from city to city in order to fulfill their work. They are able to â€Å"put roots down in their profession† rather than in their place of residence (residential community). This intensifies the shift from home communities to workplace communities and the sense of identifying oneself in terms of profession rather than self.4. Goodman begins her article by providing a few scenarios of people she knows and how they belong to different communities. Most readers would be able to associate with somebody or some community, so by doing this she is setting the scene for her readers; she is appealing to their sense of belonging from the onset and involving them emotionally from the beginning.In fact, she continues to do this throughout the article, especially by using the first person plural pronoun â€Å"we†. She does however, attempt to rationally appeal to her readers by presenting many scenarios and examples to support her arguments but she provides no real facts or figures in support.Her examples need to be extended to give real examples rather than continually referring to issues in general terms. She makes reference to researchers asking Americans what they like best about work but again only in general terms; she doesn’t provide any real evidence of what Americans say.Ethically, she appears to be knowledgeable and reasonable and she certainly tries to establish common ground with her readers but she falls short in not providing any consideration of opposing views.5.   â€Å"Bi-cultural collision† as discussed by Nhu in â€Å"Becoming American in a Constant Cultural Collision† is similar to a â€Å"loss of community,† in that they both refer to a movement of people – a realignment from one â€Å"sense of belonging† to another.

Henry Thoreaus View on the Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Henry Thoreaus View on the Economy - Essay Example Theodore had been a mathematician and an economist whose philosophy had been based on finding the alternative to harsh lifestyle. His writing on Walden discovered that with the natural lifestyle preserved, the advantage is presented on the need to offer solutions to uphold humanity through the changing environment. The longest of his chapters on his writings had been based on the measures needed to preserve the economy. The economy had been driven by the struggle by individuals to present the efforts needed to achieve a higher lifestyle and struggling with fluctuation in market prices. The solution in simple living and application of cheap alternative measures that utilize minimal raw materials from the environment had been the proven solution. Thoreau led a comfortable lifestyle with the advantage offered in applying readily available materials. He had calculated the expenses to be used and sought to utilize the alternative cheap measures that would limit the exploitation of the nat ural reserve. ... His philosophy presented that the natural compositions to be left untouched and away from the development in the society. He explained that though people saw him to be alone, he did not feel abandoned and gained satisfaction from the space created (Thoreau and Blake 40). The chapter discloses his venture to lead a differentiated lifestyle from those who work hard to achieve the luxury of the society as compared to his ideology that meant preservation of the wild and lead a basic lifestyle. Theodore had been a mathematician and an economist whose philosophy had been based on finding the alternative to harsh lifestyle. His writing on Walden discovered that with the natural lifestyle preserved, the advantage is presented on the need to offer solutions to uphold humanity through the changing environment. The longest of his chapters on his writings had been based on the measures needed to preserve the economy. The economy had been driven by the struggle by individuals to present the effor ts needed to achieve a higher lifestyle and struggling with fluctuation in market prices. The solution in simple living and application of cheap alternative measures that utilize minimal raw materials from the environment had been the proven solution. Thoreau led a comfortable lifestyle with the advantage offered in applying readily available materials. He had calculated the expenses to be used and sought to utilizing the alternative cheap measures that would limit the exploitation of the natural reserve. Thoreau explained that humanity had been accorded the challenge of relating to the lifestyle that had been admired by the society, and the authority presented in the

A research about Moses Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

A about Moses - Research Paper Example Baby Moses was found by Pharaoh’s daughter who brought him and raised him in the palace. She named him Moses saying: â€Å"Because I drew him out of the water.† 1 When he grew up, he started helping his brethren until one day when an Egyptian was killed by his hand as he was beating an innocent Hebrew. Fearing the punishment, he slipped away and lived in desert for forty years until God called upon him. During his stay in the desert, he worked for a man named Jethro, helped him looking after his herd, later, he was married to Jethro’s daughter.2 God Calls Upon Moses. It has been stated in the Bible that God appeared in the form of a burning bush in front of Moses. â€Å"But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?† 3 God instructed Moses to go to the Pharaoh and convince him to let th e people live in harmony and to let them move to the land of Canaanites and Hittites, which is the land of flowing milk and honey and the land of prosperity and happiness. He then told him that if he does not agree God will strike Egypt with all his wonders. Moses was gifted a few miracles by God which included the following: Miracles bestowed on Moses God tells Moses to grab the rod that he was carrying and drop it to the ground. The rod turned into a snake. Then, He tells Moses to pick it up from his tail, the snake transformed into the rod again. And He said, â€Å"Cast it on the ground.† So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.4 God instructed Moses to put his hand into his bosom which miraculously turned into snow. He then told Moses to place his hand again to his bosom; the hand was back to the original condition. Despite of these miracles Moses questioned God again if he was the right person to be called upon for the people as he fo und himself not fluent enough in speech. â€Å"But Moses said to God, â€Å"Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?† 5 Moses was still perplexed if he was the right person for such a great task. God then ordered him to take his brother Aaron with him who will help him in calling upon the people of Egypt. God says: And God said to Moses, â€Å"I AM WHO I AM.† And He said, â€Å"Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’† 6 God’s Strike: the ten plagues in Egypt The Bible says Moses was 80 years old when he went into Egypt. When they appeared in front of the Pharaoh and asked him to let the people go and live in tranquility. â€Å"Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, â€Å"Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’†7 On refusal, Aaron dropped the rod of Moses in front of the Pharaoh which then turned into a snake. However, the magicians of Pharaoh did the same. God then showed his power by ordering the snake from Moses’ rod to demolish all other snakes formed by the vicious magicians and sorcerers. Pharaoh refused again to let the children of Israel go which resulted in God’s fury and He strike Egypt with ten different plagues.8 1. Water turned into blood 2. Swarming frogs 3.

1 page for Leaflet about Bikesharing system already prodived your Assignment

1 page for Leaflet about Bikesharing system already prodived your examples - Assignment Example The message will be delivered to the market in different venues. This tends to aid in event awareness, on the healthy wise, the bikes are simple way of exercising they are propelled manually, this give a rider work out. This is advisable since its makes muscles flexible and burn out unwanted fats in the body. Our biking systems are so simple, easier and convenient way. They don’t disrupt pollution is either way neither through air nor land. This system is environmental friendly. It’s also requiring less skills and knowledge in its operation. This makes the user feel easier and smoother while using the system. It gives the free service on its users. Affordability is a major bit in this system. The prices are meant to suit different consumers financial capabilities. Its spare parts are also readily accessible, leading to easier and faster maintenance. Consumers are able to acquire the bikes at their best prices in the current market, enabling even lower and middle leveled class to enjoy the system. The bikes come with full package. Including, free registration numbers. These minimize bureaucracy involved in the process of registration, saving time and the extra costs occurred in the process. It gives riders free time to start enjoying its products on immediate basis. It enables the user to get full access of the holding documents, to provide full ownership of the bike. The authority will have the knowhow about the legal owner of the products, in case of

Management and Supervision Today Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management and Supervision Today - Assignment Example A supervisor is the person responsible for managing the assigned team and to ensure enough productivity (Management help, n.d.). A supervisor is also a part of the management of an organization. However they are also employees of the organization but hold some power and authority to facilitate some courses of action. A supervisor in general has the following authority within the organization. Provide instruction as well as orders to the team members in order to accomplish a task or carrying out a particular course of action. A supervisor is also held responsible for any under performance of the team members. He / She is also liable to answer the higher authorities about the issues related to work. In the context of the project an article has been chosen, which will demonstrate the dilemmas faced by the supervisors and how they manage employees. The article is by Laurie Weiss, Ph.D. and titled as ‘A Tricky Supervision Challenge’. The article was published in CRM Learning in the year 2012. The article offers a real scenario about how a supervisor has able to overcome a complicated situation. Hence this article is regarded as the most appropriate one purpose of conducting the study. A Tricky Supervision Challenge: A brief Overview The author feels that many managers or supervisors think that treating their team members as responsible will help to exhibit superior standard of work. However this is not the scenario for every manager. In this article the author stresses about a real incident which revolves around an Ellen, supervisor of a rehabilitation hospital unit and one of his team members namely Angelique. The supervisor point out the problems she is facing to direct Angelique due to her lack of seriousness. The supervisor describes that whenever she gives her some direction, she pretends to understand it, but does the work when she wishes to do so. This is a serious violation of the rules and regulation. The supervisor also emphasized that Angeliq ue frequently remains absent from her duties. Even on verbal warnings she did not even bother to feel sorry and assure to rectify it. However after getting the written notice she cried and assured to put it right, but still the story remains same. This has given rise to the power struggle between both of them. Such situation has given rise to micro management. However later Ellen revealed that Angelique was already on micro management. It is about close observation and managing the employees with more control. The supervisor then tried many different ways for guiding Angelique to work properly, but all the attempts were fall down. Finally Ellen developed a plan, which was the only way out to resolve the issue. Ellen decided to warn Angelique that if she does not maintain the working rules and regulations i.e. working forty hours in a week will lead to termination from work. Now it was all in the hands of Angelique and the manager could feel relaxed (CRM Learning, 2012). Relationship of the article with supervision and management The article has a strong view point in respect with supervision and managerial capabilities. It states that only treating the employees as responsible always does not work. Some employees need stiff consequences for carrying out their task. Some employees like to work according to their wish, but even working according to thei

Communication and patient safety( Literature Review) Research Paper

Communication and patient safety( Literature Review) - Research Paper Example It has also been found that there is a decrease in the number of medical errors made concerning patients. Furthermore, adequate communication also has an impact on nurses because they become more motivated in their work, which increases their efficiency. This efficiency helps the patient as it improves the care that they are given, and this leads to the patient’s swift recovery. In addition, various factors influence communication between nurses and patients, one of the factors is the complexity of the hospital and nursing systems; thus, the larger and more complex they are, the higher the risk that the potential for patient errors will be increased. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that adequate communication between the various hospital systems is instituted so that the number of such errors can be reduced or done away with. Moreover, the value of care depends completely on the accuracy and completeness of information being available to the nurses who care for the patien ts. While this is important, it should be noted that the accuracy of the information becomes outdated over time and this is the reason why more, up to date information has to be collected to ensure that the caregivers provide the best service possible to the patient (Manojlovich, Antonakos and Ronis, 2009). On the other hand, Turkoski (2009) states that errors tend to occur when during the communication of a patient’s medication. This usually happens when there is a misinterpretation of the various abbreviations or acronyms to the drugs, which have been prescribed to the patient. This creates a situation where there is the potential of a patient taking the wrong drugs, taking the drugs at the wrong time of the day, or even worse, taking an overdose of the prescribed drugs. It is therefore necessary to ensure that errors in the writing down of instructions for the patient or caregiver are avoided and that the person writing the said instructions is alert at all times to the po tential of making mistakes. Among the recommendations made in Turkoski’s article is that there must be a standardization of all the abbreviations and acronyms for the drugs used in the medical field so that there can be no confusion over the type of drugs that have been prescribed. It has been found that many drugs have similar names that may lead to the nurse giving the patient the wrong medicine. To prevent such incidences, it has been recommended that capital and small letters be used to differentiate the drugs with similar names to avoid confusion. This will work to ensure that there is uniformity in the communication of medication and this will ultimately promote the safety of the patients to whom the medication is prescribed. With uniformity in communication, the work of the nurses will become less cumbersome because they will be able to be accurate in their administration of medication. Frankel (2008) states that in many hospital systems, there is always a breakdown in communication, this isbecause the nursing staff is usually afraid to report errors because of the potential of being punished. This fear has made it difficult for errors to be corrected and has ensured that the outcome for patients is greatly diminished. The lack of adequate communication has created a scenario where nurses are not able to conduct their activities efficiently and this has come to have a devastating impact on the safety of the

Antiplagiarism in Education Annotated Bibliography

Antiplagiarism in Education - Annotated Bibliography Example Anyanwu recommended that universities take an early and pro-active stance against plagiarism. The author contends that first year students should be adequately prepared to write original material and be able to quote and paraphrase with the correct citations. The International Education Journal is a peer reviewed publication and the author is a university faculty member which gives the article expert credibility. The author offered several first hand quotes from students and educators in an effort to cover several aspects of plagiarism with fairness. The author went to great length to analyse the factual information she presented. The article's information is of particular importance because it takes a level headed view of the topic without the emotional charge that often accompanies the issue. It does not take sides with either the administrators or students, but rather uncovers the motivations that they have. The author also offers several issues and recommendations for universities to consider when confronted with plagiarism. The article "Avoiding Plagiarism" is an informative publication that presents the situations that constitute plagiarism. In addition there is considerable content devoted on how to avoid plagiarism. The article provides information on what sources need to be cited, when they need to be cited, and how to correctly cite them. It includes a short section that warns students against purchasing material online. It also has a section on how to paraphrase and use other people's material in conjunction with your own. The publication has information on the correct use of quotations and the importance of keeping detailed notes to assure accuracy. The article concludes with a reference list that would point the reader to expert websites and sources on the correct methods and format for the different citation styles. Evaluation The information was presented by a major university on their website, which adds to the confidence in the accuracy of the information. However, there were no author credits and the piece was not dated which could have added to its value. The article was objective and factual as well as adequately covering the steps a student needs to take to avoid plagiarism. Because the publication is meant to be used for student information and education, it serves its purpose. The information was accurate and was presented as a concise source of knowledge for students. Though the article was not dated, the information is timely and still valid. The guidelines for plagiarism are not as date sensitive as other research might be. Read, Brock. "The Pros and Cons of Turnitin." The Chronicle of Higher Education. 15 Nov. 2006. The Chronicle of Higher Education. 23 Oct. 2007 . Summary Read's article contends that the perception of Turnitin is the subject of controversy. The author points out both sides of the argument. One side argues that Turnitin is an integral part of the education agreement and is fair and objective.

Why College Football Should Be Banned Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why College Football Should Be Banned - Essay Example â€Å"The Wall Street Journal reported. New Mexico State University's athletic department needed a 70% subsidy in 2009-2010, largely because Aggie football hasn't gotten to a bowl game in 51 years. Outside of Las Cruces, where New Mexico State is located, how many people even know that the school has a football program? None, except maybe for some savvy contestants on "Jeopardy." What purpose does it serve on a university campus? None.† (Why college football should be banned) Football is so popular that college presidents are cutting on other major sports to accommodate college football and this is extremely bad for the students, who are interested in varsity sports such as swimming, track and field events and so on. This goes to show that the authorities want college football to be one of the most popular sports in the country if it already is not. A lot of money is being spent on modern stadiums and even more on coaches who benefit heavily because they get a great pay package, where does the money come from? It comes from the fees paid by students who do not benefit even a wee bit out of all this. The author of the article also presents the several medical dangers involved in playing college football, repetitive hits to the body is arguably the most dangerous of all yet college football continues to thrive. To conclude it is fair to say that college football is risky, it does not help the students even a wee bit and this is exactly why it should be banned.

View of Class Essay Example for Free

View of Class Essay Karl Marx’s view of class as exposed in his Communist Manifesto suggests firstly the existence of two distinct classes with irreconcilable differences. These are the proletarian and the bourgeoisie. The proletarian or proletariat was initially a derogatory term used for people who had no other wealth aside from their children. Marx’s sociological take on the term refers it to the working class. True to its derogatory origin, the proletariat is the class in society that does not own the means of production (Martin, 1998). In short, they are those who are employed to do work and get paid by salaries. The bourgeoisie or capitalist is a term to connote the owning class. They are considered the upper class of society who owns the means of production. They are the merchants, landowners, and other capitalists. Marx’s theory in class revolves around the interactions between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie and the inevitable consequences thereof. Marx argued that the bourgeoisie constantly exploits the proletariat. Since the workers do not own any means of production like their own farm or business, they must seek employment from the bourgeoisie in order to survive. They are hired by capitalists to work on making goods or providing services. These fruits of production then become the property of the capitalist, who sells them and gets a certain amount of money in exchange. Some of the money earned from the selling of the products or services is used to pay the workers wages, while the rest called surplus value is used to pay for other expenses of the capitalist and his profits. This gives the capitalist the ability to earn money out of work done by his employees with very minimal effort on his part (Martin, 1998). Since obviously, new wealth or profit was created through work done by the employees; the capitalist gained wealth or an excess of wealth which he did not work for. If that happened, then that means that other people, that is the laborers did not receive the full wealth which they should be receiving as just compensation for the work they did. In other words, the workers were exploited by the capitalists. On the other hand, Scott and Leonhardt (2005) argued that society cannot actually have the distinct perception of classes that is proposed in Marxist doctrine. They base this on the fact that people regardless of race or social stature are experiencing luxuries that were not as equally distributed just a few decades ago. Marxist principle usually claimed that the normal, everyday worker is of an inferior class to the capitalist. This principle was based on external markers that connote poverty in one and wealth in the other. Scott and Leonhardt’s article makes an attack on the markers of such a principle, arguing that at present, it has become very difficult to know a person’s class from the color of his skin or the gods they worship, much less on the clothes they wear or whether they’re employed or are running heir own business. However, the article itself does not belittle the concept of distinct classes and in fact moves on to argue that class is actually still a very powerful factor in society. What the article simply argues is that this difference in classes can no longer be seen in Marx’s idea of proletariat – bourgeoisie dynamics but has transferred to other aspects such as meritocracy, where a man who starts out poor can actually strike it rich if he had what it takes. It is my stand to agree with Scott and Leonhardt that the concept of class has shifted into from hereditary wealth to the idea of meritocracy. On the first level of argumentation, I say that the assumption of untouchability of the upper class no longer applies today, where big companies such as Enron can be brought to its knees by the public and where several big business tycoons such as Bernard Ebbers of Worldcom can actually be put behind bars for a good long time. This means that both worker and capitalist stand on equal footing where the law is concerned which implies that the supposed unfair, overwhelming power that big companies hold over its employees has been reduced to a memory. On the second level of argumentation, I believe that meritocracy has transcended barriers between countries and provided an avenue by which worth is determined by what a person can do rather than what his heritage is. The first support to this is the advent of public corporations. These entities build an administrative base that is dependent on meritocracy. A public corporation is owned by all the people who invest in it which can be considered as capitalists, but the top notch directors that they hire don’t need to be stockholders, nor do these executives get hired because they are relatives of the shareholders. More so they get hired because their credentials, from educational background to previous work experiences, says that they can get the job done better than anyone who has money in the company, and that if they should be handsomely compensated if they are expected to work for that particular company. The top CEOs’ incomes usually surpass the lot of a public corporation’s investors. I disagree with Marx’s portrayal of class and class struggle on two levels. The first level is that workers have at present various protections against exploitation by their employers. Labor unions lobby for progressive compensation based on the company’s own profits. This means that laborers today are actually getting their wages based on their company’s progress. The more profits they bring in, the better leverage their union has in negotiating wage increases. On the second level, even today’s capitalists recognize the importance of obtaining and maintaining an efficient labor force. Corporations consistently compete for worker bases in the country and abroad, trying to outdo each other with better benefits, more convenient working conditions, and higher salaries. This indicates that the capitalist can no longer be viewed as the laborers’ enemy. Rather, quality labor itself has become the product of laborers that makes them capitalists in their own right, since the demand for quality labor has become so that capitalists are willing to purchase their labor at their price. In conclusion, class is a concept that has evolved through the years. Situations that may have been applicable during Marx’s time may no longer be effectively used to describe what is apparent in today’s economic world. We must reflect on the value of labor today and see our own worth that for us to market, making us all equitably equipped for life’s challenges ahead. Sources: Martin, Malia. (1998). The Communist Manifest of Marx and Engels. New York: Penguin group. Scott, Janny Leonhardt, David (2005). Shadowy Lines That Still Divide. Retrieved May 6, 2007 from New York Times Website: http://www. nytimes. com/2005/05/15/national/class/OVERVIEW-FINAL. html? ex=1273809600en=2fb756e388191419ei=5088partner=rssnytemc=rss

Power in of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Power in of Mice and Men Essay The theme of power is prevalent throughout the novel Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck uses various methods and techniques to establish the dynamics of power on the ranch. In the first extract, George and Lennie are in the brush and we get a strong sense of George’s parental control over Lennie, but it also shows how Lennie’s physical stature gives him a degree of power over George. In extract two we meet Curley for the first time, and his authority over the ranch workers is clearly asserted through the various ways in which Steinbeck describes him. And finally, in extract three, we see the first fight of the novel. The fight is very diverse in how it portrays power. At different stages in the fight some people have more authority over others and we see how the workers feel more powerful together as opposed to individually. In this extract the ‘hierarchy’ of power on the ranch is very shaken up. Extract one focuses on George and Lennie’s relationship. Even from the onset words such as ‘’timidly’’, ‘’softly’’, and ‘’gently’’ help to establish the dynamics of their relationship. These words portray Lennie as a weak, almost fragile character in contrast to words such as ‘’jerked’’, ‘’scowled’’, and ‘’bastard’’ which portray George as impatient and annoyed, almost like an exasperated parent. Steinbeck uses a multitude of exclamation marks to emphasise George’s frustration. Ellipses are also used throughout the extract to show how Lennie hesitates and stutters though his sentences. This clearly shows that he is unable to recall information and is, at times, very nervous. This reiterates the fact that George holds the reins of power in the relationship. It is significant, maybe, that Steinbeck describes George as a ‘’little man’’. It points out that physical stature does not equate power in this relationship. If this was not true the tables would be turned as Lennie towers over George, which is why it is strange that he is so reliant on George. This really shows how Lennie is less powerful. Lennie’s metal disability makes him vulnerable because he is unable to retain information. This is shown through Lennie’s very simple language. â€Å"..But it didn’t do no good† Steinbeck also uses many question marks to show how Lennie is constantly asking questions and therefore constantly seeking guidance from George, and again, that’s what gives George the edge over Lennie. When discussion moves to the bus tickets and work cards Lennie realises that he doesn’t have his. â€Å"He looked down at the ground in despair† which shows that he is ashamed and perhaps a little frightened of George’s reaction, but Steinbeck then goes on to say that George took responsibility for both of the work cards, knowing that Lennie could not be trusted. This, again, demonstrates the balance of power and shows that both George and Lennie are aware of how much power the other possesses. After looking for his work card in his pocket, Lennie take out a mouse to which George replies sharply. â€Å"What’d you take outta that pocket?† George’s tone is accusatory which shows that he is astute. He then continues to bombard Lennie with questions, which gives Lennie the chance to demonstrate another type of power – his cunning. He attempts to deceive George. â€Å"Ain’t a thing in my pocket† Although childlike, this sentence shows that Lennie’s mind is able to think of plans. How would he keep the mouse? By attempting to deceive George. Eventually, George’s patience wears thin and he exclaims â€Å"Give it here!† shouting at Lennie like a parent. Throughout the extract George issues a multitude of orders to Lennie. â€Å"You ain’t gonna say a word†, â€Å"We’re gonna work†, â€Å"You jus’ stand there†. These commands show just how pliable Lennie is and how George uses his power to make Lennie comply. George also uses idle threats to manipulate Lennie. â€Å"†¦if I didn’t have you on my tail†. This, again, shows George’s parental control over Lennie and goes hand in hand with his use of the dream to make Lennie work. Just as a child would get no presents at Christmas, Lennie would not be allowed to tend the rabbits if he steps out of line. But, as much as George chastises Lennie, he does give him appropriate encouragement. â€Å"Good boy. That’s swell.† Extract two focuses on Curley. When he enters the bunkhouse his authority over the ranch workers becomes very apparent. Steinbeck says that â€Å"he wore a work glove† and â€Å"he wore high-heeled boots†. The simple fact that Curley has to wear certain items of clothing suggests that his authority is somewhat artificial as opposed to Slim, whose power comes naturally. It is important to note how Curley’s body language changes when he notices the new men. He â€Å"glanced coldly†, â€Å"his hands closed into fists† and â€Å"his glance was at once calculating and pugnacious†. This kind of body language is very aggressive and he uses it to dominate the men. â€Å"Lennie squirmed under the look and shifted nervously on his feet† which shows that Curley’s power is very obvious and he continues to assert his power by invading Lennie’s personal space and speaking to him with a very brusque tone. Curley is quick to confront Len nie, as he feels like Lennie will be a threat dure to his size. â€Å"Let the big guy talk.† Lennie is unsure of how to respond to this and â€Å"twisted with embarrassment† which shows just how debilitated he is. As usual, George stands up for him and challenges Curley’s power. George has a very monosyllabic tone of voice when speaking to Curley which shows that he does not feel the need to elaborate and is perhaps being defiant. â€Å"Yeah, it’s that way.† Lennie looks helplessly to George for instruction when given the chance to talk which again demonstrates George’s power over him. Eventually, when Lennie does speak, he speaks â€Å"softly† which suggests a lack of power and perhaps a degree of uncertainty. Curley starts to get aggressive with Lennie, but the anger is totally unprovoked. Even Candy is wary of Curley’s power and â€Å"looked cautiously at the door to make sure no one was listening† before telling George that Curley is the boss’s son and that he is â€Å"pretty handy†. In this role, authority is implicit and Curley evidently has a lot of physical power if he is being described as â€Å"handy† by the other ranch workers. This is important to note in extract three when Lennie and Curley have a fight. At the beginning of extract three, Curley feels his power is being threatened by Carlson. He uses very authorial body language to regain this power but it is in vein as the ra nch workers feel comfortable standing up for themselves when they are together. Carlson lectures Curley on how he isn’t as powerful as he likes to think. Candy â€Å"joined [Carlson’s attack] with joy† and this is far from how Candy was acting at the end of extract two. Again, the ranch workers feel safer in large groups. Perhaps Curley decides to fight Lennie because he wants to demonstrate his strength and feels that Lennie is the weakest of the workers, therefore, the easiest to fight. Curley â€Å"stepped over to Lennie like a terrier†. Here Steinbeck, yet again, uses a simile to describe the invasion of Lennie’s personal space. â€Å"Then Curley’s rage exploded† and he uses a lot of expletives to provoke Lennie. This can be compared to George’s language and how he curses at Lennie calling him a â€Å"big bastard†. Perhaps Curley’s reaction is so vicious because he is afraid of being humiliated in front of the workers. â€Å"Lennie looked helplessly at George† which shows that he is weak, but more so vulnerable. Yet again, he looks to George for direction. At first, Lennie doesn’t fight back because he knows that if he gets himself into trouble he won’t be allowed to tend the rabbits, although when Curley starts getting very violent George encourages Lennie to fight back. â€Å"Get him, Lennie. Don’t let him do it.† The fact that Lennie has to be told by George to protect himself shows just how much leadership George has when it comes to Lennie. The line â€Å"I said get him† also emphasises George’s control. Lennie, however, redeems himself and crushes Curley’s hand. Lennie is so adamant to do what George has told him to do that he stills holds on to Curley’s fist even though George is slapping him and telling him to stop. â€Å"George slapped him in the face again and again, and still Lennie held on to the closed fist.† In conclusion, I think it is difficult to define the most powerful man on the ranch as Steinbeck presents so many different types of power; innate, physical, implicit, parental etc. Throughout all three of the extracts the balance of power shifts frequently, but authority is always evident. Steinbeck shows it very cleverly and subtly, almost manipulating the reader to anticipate certain reactions from certain characters which is why I find these extracts so engaging to read.

The Channel Tunnel Engineering Project

The Channel Tunnel Engineering Project The Channel Tunnel (French: le tunnel sous la Manche), widely recognized as one of the worlds greatest civil engineering projects, is a 50.5km underwater rail tunnel connecting Folkestone, Kent in the UK with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais in France under the English Channel. Even though it began construction in 1988 and was opened in 1994, the idea to have a cross-channel tunnel was first mooted more than 200 years ago but did not materialize due to political, national security and cost considerations. However, with the tremendous increase in traffic growth, better and alternative means of communication, convenience and speed was necessary and hence the need for an alternative transport route was clearly evident. The need for such tunnel was further compounded with Britain joining the European Community and the cross-channel traffic doubling in the last 20 years (leading to the project), reflecting improved trading between the Britain and rest of Europe. The Channel Tunnel would also be a ble to provide an alternative competitive link between the transportation systems of the UK and France, providing both speed and reliability to freight deliveries. With the strong endorsement from the governments of both sovereigns, the decision to build the Channel Tunnel was thus made. In April 1985, the British and French governments issued a formal invitation to potential tenderers for the fixed Channel link and eventually the contract was awarded to the consortium Channel Tunnel Group Limited- France Manche S.A. (CTG/FM) (later renamed Eurotunnel). The Channel Tunnel, with the governments intention that it be privately funded and there would not be any government assistance or undertaking, was a build-own-operate-transfer (B-O-O-T) project with a concession. The project organization is shown in Figure 1. In this contract arrangement, Eurotunnel would be the owner cum operator, which was being funded by the banks and shareholders. The governments of UK and France were represented by the Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC), to which the Safety Authority and the Maitre dOeuvre (an independent technical auditor) would report to. The IGC would then make final engineering and safety decisions. TML (essentially split from CTG/FM so as to separate the roles of owner/operator and contractor) consisted mainly of five British contractors (Translink Joint Venture) and five French contractors (G.I.E Transmanche Construction) and would carry out the construction works for the Channel Tunnel in a design and build contract. Upon completion of the project, the British and French governments would award Eurotunnel a 55 (which was later revised to 65) year operating concession to repay the banks and shareholders. The Contract was officially signed on 13 August 1986 and the fixed rail was to be fully commissioned in 1993. The services offered by the Channel Tunnel include the Eurotunnel Shuttle (a shuttle service for vehicles), Eurostar passenger trains and freight delivery trains. TMLs contract was to design, build, and test and commission the fixed rail tunnel. The Channel Tunnel (Figure 2) was designed to have three concrete-lined bores approximately 50km long, with 37.9km undersea and the rest under land at either ends of the English (Cheriton near Folkstone) and French (Pas-de-Calais village of Frethun) terminals (Figure 3). Two of the running tunnels were designed to have an internal diameter of 7.6m while the third was a 4.8m service tunnel running midway between the two and connected to them via 3.3m diameter cross passages at 375m intervals. 2m diameter piston relief ducts connecting the main tunnels at 250m spacing were built to prevent the accumulation of differential air pressures and aerodynamic resistance. To facilitate operations and maintenance, four crossover caverns were built between the two terminals to allow trains to cross between the running tunnels. Two crossovers were laid close to the terminals while the other two were under the seabed , effectively dividing the tunnel into three approximately equal lengths. Figure 4 below shows the main phases of the project. Two separate rail tunnels were chosen instead of a single large twin-track rail tunnel because this could minimize construction risk while at the same time enhance operations, maintenance and safety. The diameters were finalized after design analysis, development and optimization studies, taking into consideration the operation and support, speed and cost of construction. The service tunnel provided access between the running tunnels during normal and emergency situations and was equipped with a guided transport system. It was also where the water and pumping mains run and functioned as a fresh air supply duct to the tunnels in normal working condition. In addition, the service tunnel would function as a lead tunnel during construction which allowed the workers and engineers to assess and ascertain the uncharted ground conditions before advancing the main tunnels. Basing on the existing geotechnical investigations, past tunneling expeditions and two additional geotechnical and geophysical surveys carried out by TML on the English Channel along the proposed tunnel line, it was ascertained that there was a distinct sub-unit of the Lower Chalk layer known as the Chalk Marl running continuously between the two terminals. Chalk Marl, made up of alternating bands of marly chalk and limestone, was found to be the best tunneling medium as it was essentially impermeable (due to its high clay content) and provided good short term stability under excavation, thus minimizing the number of supports required (Figure 5). It was designed to be bored in the bottom 15m of the Chalk Marl layer to minimize the ingress of water from the fractures and joints, but above the Gault clay which is susceptible to swelling when wet, imposing high stresses on the tunnel lining. The chalk marl strata dipped gently at less than 5o with smaller displacements of less than 2m d ue to faulting towards the UK side; whereas the strata dipped severely towards the French side (up to 20o) with much larger displacements of up to 15m (Gueterbock, 1992). Chalk at the French side was also harder, more brittle and fractured. This thus led to the use of different tunneling methods on the English and French sides. The seaward and landward bores for all three tunnels on the UK side began at Shakespeare Cliff. Construction traffic would enter the tunnel via a new inclined access (Adit A2) at the Lower Shakespeare site, while worker access was built via a shaft driven to the tunnel level from the Upper Shakespeare site (Gueterbock, 1992). Due to the fast construction time required and the relatively dry chalk marl at the UK side, it was assessed that the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) was most suitable for the UK tunnels. One feature of the NATM was the interlinking of design, construction method, sequence and plant and the success of this method depended on the continuous integration of these elements by the tunneling engineers. Six TBMs were used to drive the UK tunnels spanning a total distance of 84km. The TBMs were operated on an open-face mode with a front excavating section and a rear gripper unit which acted as a temporary anchor point when the cutting head drove forward at 1.5m inc rements (Anderson Roskrow, 1994). Excavation of the tunnel and erection of the tunnel linings were carried out concurrently. Depending on ground conditions, the thickness of the linings ranged between 380mm and 500mm. Expanded concrete lining was used for the UK tunnels where the unbolted lining was expanded against the excavated ground. Pads on the back of the lining allowed the formation of an annulus to be filled with grout to prevent water ingress (Byrd, 1996). Each 1.5m lining ring was made up of eight precast concrete segments with a key segment. Cast iron lining segments were only used in poor ground conditions. Over at the other side, the tunnel drives started at the shaft in Sangatte in France. Due to the highly fissured ground resulting in very wet conditions on the French side, a different type of TBM known as the Earth Pressure Balance Machine was used. The TBMs were designed to operate both in open and closed modes. Close mode is characterized by the sealing off of the machine from the spoil around it and the cutting head, thus keeping pressure on the dirt in front as it excavated and allowing the machine to work in the dry as the pressure in the machine was higher than the outside. The arrangement of seals on the TBM allowed it to withstand up to 10 atmospheric pressures. When the TBMs reached dryer and more favourable grounds, they could then switch to open mode. While precast sections were also used on the French side, the materials used were different owing to the different soil conditions: neoprene and grout sealed bolted linings made of cast-iron and high strength concrete (Ander son Roskrow, 1994). The French tunnels were made of six 1.4 to 1.6m wide segments plus a key segment. A total of 5 TBMs were employed on the French side, and the bores from the UK and France were to finally meet in the middle of the English Channel in the tunnel breakthrough phase. The Channel Tunnel project was huge by any standard, with a number of key factors that could potentially impact the parties involved: bi-nationality, private funding (thereby effectively transferring most of the financial risks to the contractors), schedule and cost. To stay attractive to investors and banks alike, the project had to meet the following priorities: minimum risk of cost overrun, minimum operating cost and maximum traffic revenue. It was recognized, from the outset, that the main challenge of the project was to resolve the logistical support associated with large scale tunneling and the fast-track nature of this project. The management, finance and technical challenges related to this project would be explored in the subsequent paragraphs. The first management problem encountered was the sourcing of the large number of manpower required for the construction of the Channel Tunnel. This was conducted against the backdrop of the booming construction industry where there was stiff competition for labour. As a result, TML scoured beyond France and UK for skilled labour including experienced engineers and tunnel miners. TML also set up a training scheme with Kent County Council and the Manpower Services Commission to prepare workers for the myriad of jobs available as the project progressed. The main constraint for sourcing talent was the high remuneration that accompanied them The second management challenge was to find a solution to dispose the huge quantities of spoil that boring 150km of tunnels would produce. The problem at Sangatte was solved quite easily as there was a suitable land dump near the construction site and spoil disposal was done by converting the tunnel spoil into a 50% slurry and then pumping it to the Ford Pignon dam above the site 3km away. However, there was very little space at Shakespeare Cliff and there was no suitable land dump nearby. Despite the fact that backfill amounting to 3.6M cubic meters of British spoil would be required at the later stage of construction, there was still a remaining 1.8M cubic meters of spoil that had to be disposed. Eurotunnel eventually found a solution which was to use the spoil to provide a flat area of land at the foot of the Shakespeare Cliff which would be landscaped and used for recreational activities. When environmentalists raised strong objections, Eurotunnel argued that huge logistical and traffic problems would result if the spoil were to be transported elsewhere. In addition, the spoil would be contained behind an expensive seawall of sheet piles and concrete designed to prevent the chalk fines from leaching into the sea. The constructed seawall, spanning 1795m long and up to 11.36m thick, was designed as a short term breakwater and a long term retaining structure. This land (made of spoil) was subsequently transformed into the Samphire Hoe Country Park. Another aspect of concern was the delivery of materials to the site. Whenever practicable, delivery was done mostly by rail (for speed and convenience) and the materials delivered include the precast concrete linings, sheet piles and aggregates. Next, another management challenge was the method of obtaining the large volume of concrete required. 442,755 concrete segments of the highest quality mixed from strong, un-reactive materials in 35 different sizes were required. They were designed to last 120 years subjected to loadings in the worst case scenarios under two separate limit states and had to resist seismic activities, be watertight and to maintain its structural integrity regardless of the loading type (Byrd, 1996). As it was apparent that no precast company could supply such segments to fulfill TMLs requirements, TML had to create its own precast yard at the Isle of Grain in Kent, producing segments of the strongest concrete. In addition, the decision to drive all the UK tunnels from a single worksite gave rise to complex logistics problems because it had to support five TBMs at any one time. They required 1000 precast concrete segments daily, together with other materials such as track, cables, pipes and vent ducts. Also, at least 18000m3 of excavated spoil had to be removed daily. This challenge was solved by the process of separation: personnel would enter the tunnel via the 110m deep shaft; spoil removed through Adit A1 on a 2400T/hr capacity conveyor and other materials transported on the five-line railway in Adit A2. Moreover, the three 50km-long tunnels had to be made an operational railway through the installation of catenary systems, cooling pipes, drainage, tracks among many others. Given the myriad of systems that had to be installed (e.g. 550km of drainage, fire and cooling system pipes, 1330km of cable fitted on the cable trays), TML had to manage more than 40 subcontractors competing for space on the tunnel delivery trains. The right equipment had to be supplied to the exact location at the right time; especially when the delivery trains take more than an hour to negotiate the deep ends of the tunnels and a missing item would have caused delay to the works. TML resolved this issue by running the tunnel works akin to a production line a materials controller was employed from the motor industry to ensure smooth work processes and led the coordination and planning efforts (Anderson Roskrow, 1993). Also, TML constructed 4 diagonal cross tunnels connecting the three main tunnels to allow the delivery trains to switch between the three during the services installation phase, thereby alleviating the difficulty of moving the materials and spoil to and fro the tunnel. Sourcing finances for the mega project was also one of the management challenges faced. Given that the initial estimation of the project cost to be around 5 billion pounds, a large amount of money was required to see the project through to completion. As the project had to be privately funded, Eurotunnel had to source beyond the national boundaries to secure investments. They therefore devised a financing scheme to help them tide the crisis: the scheme would provide for the cost of the tunnel to be financed by  £5 billion worth of bank loans, with additional  £1 billion equity from the owner, institutional investors and public offering. Preliminary equity financing would be raised in two stages (known as Equity 1 and Equity 2). Equity 1 worth  £47 million was raised by cash placement by the founding shareholders. Equity 2, worth  £206 million, came from both British and French investment institutions. They later came up with Equity 3, worth  £770 million, and raised it by w ay of public share offering through the Paris and London stock exchanges concurrently. The Channel Tunnel project was thus able to proceed. Perhaps one of the greatest management challenges was how to enable the French and British work closely together. Separated by 34km of sea, their cultures are very different. Moreover, the building codes and training (and thus the limit states of design) were different. It was a challenge bringing two different engineering styles together. To overcome this challenge, it was decided that both countries use their own design codes for their part of the channel. Gordon Crighton, a Scot, was brought in to lead the engineering team so that both the British and French would not have disagreements since both countries had good relations with Scotland. This enabled the engineering team to work cohesively together. When it came to the design parameters, both the French and the British had to compromise. For instance, the English wanted the service bore to be 4.5m in diameter, but the French wanted 5m. In the end they agreed to a diameter of 4.8m. Besides the need to overcome the challenges faced in project management, a number of technical challenges also had to be overcome. Firstly, keeping the machines on course was one of the most complicated technical challenges faced. While most tunnel miners use a high-tech satellite mapping system to chart the tunnel route, this system was not effective for the Channel Tunnel as it was too far underwater. Excellent and exact mapping was essential for if the British and French tunnels were to be misaligned even by a small margin, they would not be able to meet up as planned in the middle of the English Channel. Therefore, the engineers developed a high-tech laser guidance system. A red laser on the cutting head of the TBM would send a beam forward; hitting a control point which would relay the information to the computers onboard the service trains located behind the cutting head to help them stay on course. This system enabled both teams of TBMs to successfully stay on the intended cou rse and meet each other in the tunnel breakthrough. Another technical challenge was that the locomotives that were used to pull the tunnel lining segments and spoil trains broke down frequently under wet conditions. Under such conditions, the wheels of the locomotives lost traction and span on the slopes; and their electric systems were laden with salt moisture and often leading to malfunction and power failure (Byrd, 1996). Even though the locomotives were designed to be powered by a 500V DC overhead supply and the batteries were supposed to be recharged while moving in the underground development, they did not charge up due to the presence of water. This challenge was overcome by redesigning the locos. The locos weight was increased for better traction and much larger capacity batteries were installed. Improvements to the pantographs design were made. The increase in efficiency and lesser loco breakdowns made up for the corresponding increase in costs. Another technical challenge arose when the tunnels emerged from the underground tunnels up to the surface approximately 900 meters short of the terminals at the UK side. This was resolved where engineers employed three different tunneling methods to complete the tunnels via the difficult gault clay at Castle Hill. First, the NATM took the tunnel through the geologically challenging strata at Castle Hill; while at either side of the hill, cut-and-cover construction and top-down construction were used. Cut-and-cover work involved excavating the area and building the tunnel using RC boxes. Top-down construction (usually used in tight spaces) involved building the roof of the tunnel first before excavating the ground below it. The use of 3 different methods of tunneling within a short 900m stretch reflected the excellent engineering concepts used in this project. Fourth, following the geophysical and geotechnical surveys, the British anticipated that the soil stratum was mostly dry. They thus configured the TBM in open mode. However, they tunneled into unexpected micro-fissured chalk which was very permeable and very quickly incapacitated the TBM. Dry chalk started to give way to moist chalk and chunks of rocks started to fall from the crown and sides of the newly excavated bore (Andrew Roskrow, 1994). The circle was not sufficiently accurate from which the concrete lining could expand. Work was then stopped to ensure worker safety. Eventually, the TBM was modified in situ. A series of trailing fingers were installed behind the cutting head and spanned across the lap between the head and the last section of the lining (Gueterbock, 1992). These fingers, when sliding forward during boring, restrained the chalk while at the same time allowed the segments to be erected and grouted quickly. TML also applied extensive waterproofing to the machiner y and hoses to prevent them from further saltwater attack. Hence, the TBM started to make better progress and the delay was minimized. Other technical challenges and innovations include the removal of the TBMs that have completed the service tunnel. Stuck in the middle of the tunnel and under the sea, these TBMs were not able to move back up. While they could have been taken apart and removed piece-wise from the tunnel, it was undesired as this would incur high costs. This challenge was overcome by driving one of the TBMs slightly off the course of the tunnel and burying it into the chalk rock. This way, the other opposing TBM could drive forward out of the tunnel. The British TBM was the one chosen to drive off-course and buried. After it drove into the rock, it was sealed off and the tunnel wall was covered with concrete slab. The French TBM was thus able to move forward to the other side of the coast and be removed. This construction innovation enabled the contractor to save costs. For a project of this gigantic scale there was bound to be budget overrun and delays. The project entailed designing; building and commissioning the entire project in just seven years and be ready for opening in May 1993. This was not to be, as at the end of the project, the estimated budget overrun was 80% (total project cost reaching  £9.2 billion) and the official opening of the Channel Tunnel was May 1994, one year later then the contractual completion date. One cause of the delay was due to the passing of the Parliamentary Bill which was required for the commencement of the works. This was due to the objecting voices towards the building of the Channel Tunnel and the Bill could not be passed quickly enough. The delay took up most of the float that TML initially had and any further delay could severely impede the construction schedule. To overcome this difficulty, TML started preliminary site works like constructing the precast yard at the Isle of Grain and placing orders for the materials even before the Parliamentary Bill was passed. It also started a global search for manpower and engineering talents. Another cause of delay during the early days of construction on the French part was due to the financial collapse of one of the firms involved in building the TBM. However, the delay was reduced with the quick mobilization of the TBM at the huge Sangatte shaft which allowed the 400T TBM body to be lowered in one piece into the tunnel. On the British side, it was the unexpected wet ground conditions that caused the slowdown in tunneling works and resulted in a delay of more than 3 months. However, the engineers modified the TBMS by installing the trailing fingers behind the cutting head. Very soon the TBMs started to drive at record speeds. Third, the major cause of schedule delay was the dispute between TML and Eurotunnel. The contractors claim that Eurotunnel owed it  £1.45 billion for the ME systems installed in the tunnel was the main cause of dispute. This figure was more than twice the figure stated in the Contract, which Eurotunnel insisted that the sum owed was less than  £900 million (Byrd, 1996). The protracted legal battle between the two entities delayed the project. TML decided to finance its own works while Eurotunnel sourced for funds, which potentially would push the project completion date further back. In the end, Eurotunnel struck a deal with TML where TML would need to hit a series of milestones over the months in 1993 to handover the project to Eurotunnel by Dec 1993. In return, Eurotunnel would give an advance payment of  £235million to TML so that the latter would not run out of funds. This incentive enabled TML to push for progress and minimize delay. There were few causes of budget overruns. Firstly, the original start to completion duration was a mere 7 years, meaning that the project had to move from design development to completion in that length of time. As a result, many design problems (e.g. open mode TBMs used by the British) were not identified and resolved at the start of the project and no provisions were made for these provisions in the initial cost estimates. Eurotunnel thus had to source for additional funds for the project. Secondly, due to the competitive nature of the project, CTG/FM had to cut their cost estimates to the bare minimum in order to make a successful bid. This was made with the knowledge that the competing consortia would be evaluated on financial standing thus the rationale for lowering the profit margins. The subsequent cost increase was blamed on delays from the parliamentary process and early financing problems. Thirdly, the budget overrun was caused by the increase in costs and number of materials required for the project. Even though TML had planned to line the tunnel with cast iron segments rather than concrete in wet ground as they were more watertight, they had not expected the UK TBMs to also hit poor ground (contrary to geotechnical analysis results). The required amount of cast iron had already exceeded the total amount of cast iron originally estimated when this happened and cost increase was inevitable. TML tried to reduce costs by hastening the tunneling process and modifying the TBMs. While the project was delayed many times due to boardroom disputes and unexpected site conditions, innovative ideas were put into practice that helped to increase productivity. For instance, due to the poor ground conditions and water ingress at the UK side, TML had wanted to use cast-iron linings which at that time were already over-budgeted. However, innovative ideas led to the modification of the tunnel linings, known as hybrid linings where areas of high stresses would be taken by the iron while the bulk of the lining ring was still made of concrete. Not only did these linings save TML close to  £20million, it also reduced three months on the critical path. In addition, improvements and modifications to the TBMs were made, their lining erectors and spoil removal systems extensively changed, their electronic systems simplified and waterproofed. The TBMs performance improved tremendously and soon they were breaking world records for tunneling rates. Miners and workers were also i ncentivized for good work progress so that their morale remained high. Their pay was reviewed to remain market- competitive. Eurotunnel also formed a policing arm known as the Project Implementation Division to keep check on the construction progress and on TML to do more to stay on the scheduled timetable. The total death toll for this project was increasing at an alarming rate towards 1990. Safety at the construction sites were put under intense scrutiny. This prompted TML to embrace DuPonts safety practices and principles, and made a few innovations to its safety plan. Firstly, a series of mainly one-to-one audits were carried out by the foremen and supervisors on the workers at work. These were no-risk audits, and the auditee was encouraged to tell the auditor of his observed actions that were less safe than desired and was also encouraged to make safety suggestions. Completed audits identifying the auditor (but not the auditee) were analyzed by a senior line manager and summarized for the local line manager to identify trends and plan follow up actions (Byrd, 1996). As a result, many previously unidentified safety issues were found and subsequently resolved or mitigated. Secondly, safety prizes were awarded, through lottery, to individuals or team of personnel who managed to achiev e 25000 of accident-free work activity. Thirdly, poster campaigns were carried out to address safety issues such as track safety and proper PPE. These campaigns were complemented by other form of media such as safety notes in payslips, on site video presentations and toolbox briefings to all employees. These safety practices resulted in zero deaths for the next two years of construction. To conclude, the Channel Tunnel was a mammoth privately-funded project in its own right. It was of no mean feat for the completion of a project involving 2 countries separated by a sea 34km long and both being traditionally rivals. Even though it was completed a year late and at least cost overrun of at least 80%, the Channel Tunnel can still be considered a success, this in view of the management, technical and financing challenges faced by the parties throughout the project. Apart from the famous senior management battles and arbitration between the owner and contractor, it must be noted that the management and technical innovations led to an increase in productivity and should be used as a reference for future projects.

A Comparative Study of Evolution and Religion in Education in the United States and China :: Compare Contrast Religious Essays

A Comparative Study of Evolution and Religion in Education in the United States and China Buddhism does not believe in a creator god. It accepts modern ideas about the universe. Hinduism believes that the universe existed first, and then the divine spirit awoke within it and seeded itself and formed Brahma, who is the God. Hinduism, similar to Buddhism, has an evolutionary perspective of life. Both religions accept Darwin’s evolution theory. Islam, Christianity and Judaism all share the same Mesopotamian mythologies (http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/sosteacher/re/37690.shtml). Over half of the world’s population believes in these religions. They believe the world was created by God in six days, which was recorded in the first chapter of Genesis of the Bible. God created the heaven and earth in the beginning and He created day and night on the first day. Then He separated water from the sky on the second day. On the third day God created vegetation, and on the fourth day He created the Sun, the moon and stars to govern day and night. On the fifth day, God created living creatures that live in the water and fly in the sky. One the sixth day, God made the land to produce living creatures on land, and He said â€Å"let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and overall the creatures that move along the ground.† God created man in his own image, and He told man to be fruitful and multiply. On the seventh day, God rested from all the creation he had done. What is evolution? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has many definition of the term â€Å"evolution† (http://www.m-w.com/). The one definition that this paper is mainly referring to is as follows: â€Å"a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations.† Evolution is tightly associated with Charles Darwin. The British naturalist was under the influence of Charles Lyell, who argued in his book Principles of Geology that the Earth was shaped by accumulative, gradual changes instead of great catastrophes. Darwin traveled with the Beagle around the world and collected specimen. He published his book Origin of species in 1859. The two major themes or Darwin’s theory are â€Å"Descent with Modification† and â€Å"Natural selection and adaptation. A Comparative Study of Evolution and Religion in Education in the United States and China :: Compare Contrast Religious Essays A Comparative Study of Evolution and Religion in Education in the United States and China Buddhism does not believe in a creator god. It accepts modern ideas about the universe. Hinduism believes that the universe existed first, and then the divine spirit awoke within it and seeded itself and formed Brahma, who is the God. Hinduism, similar to Buddhism, has an evolutionary perspective of life. Both religions accept Darwin’s evolution theory. Islam, Christianity and Judaism all share the same Mesopotamian mythologies (http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/sosteacher/re/37690.shtml). Over half of the world’s population believes in these religions. They believe the world was created by God in six days, which was recorded in the first chapter of Genesis of the Bible. God created the heaven and earth in the beginning and He created day and night on the first day. Then He separated water from the sky on the second day. On the third day God created vegetation, and on the fourth day He created the Sun, the moon and stars to govern day and night. On the fifth day, God created living creatures that live in the water and fly in the sky. One the sixth day, God made the land to produce living creatures on land, and He said â€Å"let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and overall the creatures that move along the ground.† God created man in his own image, and He told man to be fruitful and multiply. On the seventh day, God rested from all the creation he had done. What is evolution? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has many definition of the term â€Å"evolution† (http://www.m-w.com/). The one definition that this paper is mainly referring to is as follows: â€Å"a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations.† Evolution is tightly associated with Charles Darwin. The British naturalist was under the influence of Charles Lyell, who argued in his book Principles of Geology that the Earth was shaped by accumulative, gradual changes instead of great catastrophes. Darwin traveled with the Beagle around the world and collected specimen. He published his book Origin of species in 1859. The two major themes or Darwin’s theory are â€Å"Descent with Modification† and â€Å"Natural selection and adaptation.

Comparing Heroines in Anna Karenina and War and Peace Essay -- Literary

Women of the nineteenth century represented the image of the real woman. Their beauty, charm, and rich spiritual world were the inspiration of the poetical muse in all times. Many great writers and poets reflected the images of women in their works. The image of Anna Karenina, the main character of the novel, according to Tolstoy represents both a woman, who lost herself. She stepped away from her sacred duties of being a mother and a wife, but she does not have another choice. Tolstoy tries to justify the behavior of his heroine, but at the same time her tragical destiny appears to be unavoidable. Some very poetic motives of â€Å"War and Peace† develop in the character of Anna Karenina. In particular reflects the image of Natasha Rostova. Comparing "War and peace" with "Anna Karenina," Tolstoy has noticed that in the first novel he loved thought of society and in the second the thought of a family. The world of good and beauty in "Anna Karenina" intertwines with the world of evil much more closely than in "War and peace." Anna appears in the novel as a woman both searching for and giving love. In her quest for happiness many evil forces stand in her way. There are times when it might seem that happiness is possible for Anna. However, evil forces take over in the end and eventually Anna is lead to her tragic end. Anna's destiny is full of deep dramatic nature, and its elements are present throughout the novel. Tolstoy shows Anna as an equally loving mother and wife. Yet soon she meets Vronsky, and another element is added to her character. Anna’s romantic love and the love towards her child are the two great feelings that start out and remain forever separate for her. With Vronsky she presents herself as a lover, and with Karenin ... ...the society and decides to move away, to be and meet different people. Russian literature has always differed in its depth of the ideological maintenance, in many literary works writes mainly try to resolve questions of the meaning of life and how it humanely relate to people with its truth of the image. Russian writers try to show the best images of women that can be related to real women in life. None of the other world literature we can see such fine and pure women as we can see in Russian literature. Russian writers show true loving heart and unique beauty in the women. Only in Russian literature writers addresses so much attention to the image of private world and difficult experiences of women’s soul. Since the twelve’s century, Russian literature shows the image of the Russian heroic women who has generous heart, ardent soul and is ready for great feats.

Foreign Language Learning Essay -- Education, English, Anxiety

Second/foreign language learning can be a demanding task for many language learners. One of the factors that make such process difficult is the existence of anxiety. Most language learners experience a feeling of anxiety in the process of language learning. Although the degree and severity of this feeling may vary from one individual to another, it cannot be claimed that it does not exist at all. The number of students who report that they feel anxious while learning a second/foreign language is surprising. According to [1], more than half of foreign language learners experience some degree of anxiety. It is also argued that language learning anxiety may pose potential problems for language learners [2]. Learners who feel anxious in their foreign language learning may find their study less enjoyable [3], which will in turn have a negative impact on their performance. Such being the case, it is crucial to investigate language learners’ perspectives on language learning anxiety in order to figure out what factors make them feel anxious. It is hoped that by omitting or at least reducing those factors, teachers and educators can create a more relaxing environment, so that more effective language learning would take place. Problem Statement With the increasing number of people who are willing to learn English as a second/foreign language, it is really necessary to find out the factors which may hinder or negatively affect language learning. One of these factors which has not been paid due attention to in academic settings is language learners’ anxiety. Most teachers are not aware of the fact that their students are not able to fully exhibit their potential because of the stressful situation they are in, or even if they know the stu... ...ed the cause of anxiety to the teacher or other people. Most students felt frustrated and helpless, although students who perceived themselves as having higher ability indicated a greater sense of resilience. Other findings were that the effect of and response to anxiety were associated with gender and perceived ability level. Andrade and William [17] reported Japanese university students’ reactions to anxiety-provoking situations in English-as-a-foreign language (EFL) classes. Overall, the findings indicate that some degree of anxiety affected 75% of the learners and that the debilitating aspects of anxiety strongly hindered about 11% of them. Another important finding is that many students enter their university EFL classes expecting to experience an anxiety-provoking situation and that anxiety is likely to significantly hinder the performance of some students.

Cyrus the Shepherd

Sorie Kargbo AP World 1A 10-9-12 In  Persia  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Cyrus  the Shepherd† invited a newer, more sophisticated government that distinguished it from the previous foundation civilization. In this new government, a centralized bureaucracy ruled, meaning that while Cyrus was the king and Persepolis was the capital a highly staffed team helped run the empire. Since the Persian Empire was so large, Cyrus broke it up into many distinct sections called satraps, which had considerable local autonomy (power).In other words, not only was there a strong central government but there was also bureaucrats who helped rule and maintain order in provinces throughout the empire. The Persian Empire, in addition, was very diverse, containing many different religions and ethnicities. Overall, the Persian Emperors were very tolerant and respected all peoples. The big religion you should know, however, is Zoroastrianism. Many historians consider this the first Monotheistic faith.Technologically, the Persians had Qantas which were sophisticated irrigation dams. Of course, metallurgy was still an integral part of technological life. In China, as you may know, the foundations period ended with the fall of the Zhou Dynasty and the commencement of Warring States Period, a time of great strife and civil war in China. Finally, however, the  Qin Dynasty  gained power. Qin Huangde (sp) was the emperor of the Qin and he was very, very power-hungry and intolerant.He made his people complete many public works project, pay high taxes, and he even ordered the burnings of thousands of books. If someone disagreed with him, they would die – no questions asked! Of course, not all bad came out of this period. First of all, the Qin Dynasty marked the return to stable rule after centuries of ravaging civil war. Also, magnificent structures like The Great Wall of China were commenced at this time. Later, after the fall of the Qin (which only lasted 10 years due to peasant unrest †“ I wonder why†¦.. the Han Dynasty took over. The Han was much more similar to the Persians. It was centralized and bureaucratic. One important distinction, however, is that the leaders practiced Confucianism and had to pass a civil-service examination to serve as a government leader. While religion formed the backbone of culture in Persia, Confucianism was the cultural hallmark of China. Like Persia, China used progressively more advanced irrigation techniques to stop the flooding of the Yellow River and metallurgy

Eat2Eat Strategy

Eat2Eat. com 27th of November 2012 Strategic Management – Questions 1. What are the key success factors for competing in the online restaurant booking industry ? 2. What are the fundamental aspects of Eat2Eat's strategy ? Which of the 5 generic strategies do you believe Eat2Eat is pursuing ? Has the strategy evolved since the company's conception ? 3. Perform a SWOT analysis for Eat2Eat. 4. What role have strategic alliances played in Eat2Eat's success ? What types of partners are most valuable to Eat2Eat ?Which partners does Eat2Eat have the greatest potential to benefit ? Which partnerships should Eat2Eat focus on forming in the immediate future ? 5. Provide recommendations concerning Eat2Eat's future strategy. 1. What are the key success factors for competing in the online restaurant booking industry? * Quality of restaurants contracted * A large network of restaurants in strategic places * Good interface with relevant criteria (Place, time, ambiance, cuisine price, rating, †¦) * Clever communication * Favorable reputation * Good knowledge of the market Ability to respond quickly to shifting market conditions * Technical capability to make innovative improvements * Fast, accurate, technical assistance * Superior information system * Access to financial capital 2. What are the fundamental aspects of Eat2Eat's strategy? Which of the 5 generic strategies do you believe Eat2Eat is pursuing? Has the strategy evolved since the company's conception? First let’s say that Eat2Eat. com is an internet based restaurant portal, promoting fine dining in Asia pacific region, through twelve cities.The website is a guide to the region’s best restaurants with an online reservation service. The founder of this website believed that there was a value proposition in connecting dinners both corporate and personal with restaurants, with the help of a highly automatic process like the airline bookings, hotel reservations or car rentals. He also believed tha t restaurants could benefit by having a presence on the internet. And we think it is important to precise also that the revenue generated by Eat2Eat is different from other restaurants portal on the internet. 0% of their total revenue came from their commissions on the restaurants (between 7% to 10% of the customer’s bill); 20% of the company total revenue are from banner advertising on the website, and the last 40% came from the preferred arrangements between credit cards companies and restaurants. Whereas most of other portals derive revenues from advertising alone. Therefore one of the major customers for Eat2Eat remains the restaurants’ owners (through the commission and the advertisements), Eat2Eat signed them up as suppliers, but also there can’t be any commission without any bookings. Corporate strategy Looking at Eat2Eat present corporate strategy, it is following a growth strategy and more specifically an internal growth. Eat2Eat strategy is to capitali se on its core competencies, expanding its existing resources. We have the example in the case when the company wants to increase its geographic coverage, launching in Kyoto, Melbourne and Phuket. We can also add that this choice of strategy follows Aggarwal’s desire to conserve full ownership and control on his company. * Generic strategyThe reason why we think Eat2Eat is following a broad differentiation strategy is the augmented services and their high quality. First, let’s say that comparing to other websites Eat2Eat is offering a wealth of supporting information, these extra features include: restaurants reviews, recipes, interviews with leading chief and list of tops establishments in various categories. To propose this service in a more convenient way, the restaurant can be search according to various criteria including location, ambiance and accessibility for disabled diners, smoking preference, cuisine, price range, quality rating and hotel affiliation.The lau nch of the content and the booking function through the WAP system improved also the accessibility of the service for the user. * Leader offensive strategy Eat2Eat can be considered as a leader because comparing to the other Asian pacific portals which are only city specific, Eat2Eat. com is offering regional coverage. Google and Yahoo! , search engines consistently ranked Eat2Eat. com first in search results for Asian restaurant reviews and reservations. And also the Smart Diners Organisation in the United-States has rated Eat2Eat. om as the top restaurant information and reservation site in the world. * A transnational strategy Because Eat2Eat is dealing with cross-country variations in buyer preferences and market conditions, it is very important to notice the differences between those markets (as market observations in exhibit 4) . Eat2Eat employed a combination of global local strategy. Eat2Eat has the same basic competitive strategy in all country market, but it is also able t o develop the capability to customise service offerings in different countries.To illustrate this point, the launch of equivalent sites in Japanese and Korean to cover the restaurants in Tokyo and Seoul is an example of this â€Å"think global, act local† strategy. Focusing on Tokyo again, another example could highlight this strategy: when Japanese corporations were reluctant to encourage their employee to sign up for the service and also because many first-tier restaurants in Japan had their own website but not the technology to support on-line reservations, Eat2Eat. com enabled the reservation for the restaurants’ website. This is clearly an example of a small adjustment for a specific market. Has the strategy evolved since the company conception? In a way, we could say, yes the strategy evolved, because first Eat2Eat was focusing its promotional efforts on corporate customers. It seems at the beginning the best way to reach customers, and this strategy worked well because both the corporation and Eat2Eat were wining (except in Japan as we observed previously, and the cultural adjustment were the first step to an increase in personal dinners booking in Tokyo). The strategy evolution from corporate customers to individual customers probably occurred with the success of the adaptation of Eat2Eat. om for mobile phones for Japanese and Korean customers. In order to reach its potential, Eat2Eat had to do all it can to increase the customer base in the personal market. The partnership with The Asian Wall Street Journal seemed the best way to reach the customer base. And even if the Eat! had little immediate impact on Eat2Eat. com reservations and revenue, it allowed the company to expand its restaurant base in current cities and established the business in new cities. With the same idea to reach more individual customers, Aggarwal thought of an agreement with credit card companies.We can also add that due to the lack of time and resources it may app ear now to Aggarwal’s mind, that an external strategic alliances might be taken into consideration and may be the best way to improve Eat2Eat efficiency. 3. Perform a SWOT Analysis. * * Strengths * Highly rated Eat2Eat. com was the most highly rated Internet based restaurant reservation service covering major cities in the Asia Pacific region. * Airline booking The airline booking is highly automated process. * 12. 000 customers After only five years of operations, the company already has 12. 00 customers from differents countries. Eat2Eat. com covered 823 restaurants in Bangkok, Hong Kong etc. * Team members Vikram Aggarwal hired 1 chief officer, 1 programmer, 2 other people in order to help with the workload. It was a little company, with competent personal and easy to manage. Moreover, the personnel costs should not be high. * Revenues The company makes 40% of total revenues with 7-10% of bill's customer. Then, in 2005, advertisements on the website contributed an addition al 20% of the revenues. * Recognition The company had received considerable recognition.A poll taken by the Smart Diners Organization in the United Staes had rated the company as the top restaurant information and reservation site the world. Moreover, Google and Yahoo ranked Eat2Eat. com first in search results for Asian restaurant reviews and reservations. * On mobile phone In 2004, the company was adapted to make its content and booking function accessible on mobile phones. This added accessibility would significantly extend the company's reach and utilization, considering the high penetrationof mobile phone in the region. * Weaknesses * Enable on certain cities The service became popular but lagged elsewhere.The service had not found greater acceptance in cities like Hong-Kong or Singapore. * Approach customers Vikram Aggarwal approached himself their customers but this technique is much too long. May be he can ask to professionals to make it A SA PLACE. * No time As we have just said before, Vikram Aggarwal had no time to convince all partners. * Second-tier restaurants Eat2Eat. com dealt exclusively for first-tier restaurants, there were moderately expensive or very popular and busy. Because second-tier restaurants did not accpet reservations and therefore were of no to Aggarwal. Resources The company did not have the employees or finanacial resources needed to pursue such a vast market. * Opportunities * Third party The company engaged in another complementary business : negotiated arrangment between credit card companies and restaurants for the benefit of credit card holder This third-party negotiations contributed the remaining 40% of revenues. And a partnership with a single credit card company might expose Eat2Eat. com to millions of new customers. * Discounts He negotiated discounts for corporate customers and commissions for Eat2Eat. Easy to access The website was an easy to access for secretaries and personal assistants. * Corporations Aggarwal fo cused his promotional efforts on corporate customers. Because he thought personal diners were too numerous and consequently, too dificult and expensive to reach. So, this approach would bring more value for Aggarwal efforts and would be the best way to reach customers. Roughly 80% of the companies he approached endorsed the program. * Partners Aggarwal wanted to find partners as hotels, local or regional newspapers and airlines companies. * Investment 0% of the new capital would be spent on public relationss and marketing activites to reach the personal dining market segmetn. And 10% would be spent on a technology upgrade. Only if the company raise $2 million in additional capital. * Threats * Equivalent sites There were other restaurants portals on the Internet, covering Adia Pacific and other regions but Eat2Eat. com was different, in fact the company offered regional coverage compare to competitors which derived revenue from advertising alone. * Languages The original website app eared in English. * Bank LoanEat2Eat had not yet established a profitable track record, so, it would be difficult to obtain bank loan. * Cost of maintenance The cost of maintenance of a website can be more and more expensive * Conclusion The situation of the company is quite good because the company is the most highly rated Internet based restaurant reservation service, and they have a real recognition. Moreover, they can find some partners to improve their service. Perhaps Vikram Aggawal has to be careful about potential new entrants, their resources and he has to find some solutions about his investment to improve his strategy. . What role have strategic alliances played in Eat2Eat's success? What types of partners are most valuable to Eat2Eat? Which partners does Eat2Eat have the greatest potential to benefit? Which partnerships should Eat2Eat focus on forming in the immediate future? * What role have strategic alliances played in Eat2Eat's success? First of all, strategic allian ces are short or long-term partnerships of two or more firms working on a specific project or cooperating in a specific business area. Those alliances can be in form of joint ventures, franchises or licensing agreements, which are the main alliances.Actually, Eat2Eat has made several strategic alliances. First, the core alliances, on which the business model is based, are the alliances made with each restaurant. Indeed, Eat2Eat brings customers to the restaurants and those latters pay a commission to Eat2Eat. Thus, this first type of alliance has played a key role on the revenue of Eat2Eat. Then, the second alliance was one with a regional newspaper : The Asian Wall Street Journal. In the long-run, it had a tremendous impact on Eat2Eat revenue. In addition, the number of the website users increased thanks to the Eat! romotion put in the well-known critics’ pages. Now, Eat2Eat needs a new strategic alliance. Indeed, the issue that Eat2Eat faces is to find a way to get an incre ase in the capital of the company : exactly, US$2 million more than actually. * What types of partners are most valuable to Eat2Eat? One of the most valuable partners would be an Internet company such as Yahoo. Indeed, it would provide the recognition needed for the growth of Eat2Eat. In addition, another valuable partner could be credit card companies. This alliance would allow Eat2Eat to get access to larges customer’s databases.That would have a great impact on the number of the website users. Even if it takes time to create a relationship, those types of companies would have a serious and positive impact on the Eat2Eat success. Then, given that no Internet company was interested in Eat2Eat, they had to think about potential venture. There were two possible types of ventures : venture with capital firms and one with entrepreneurial companies. In the first venture, the companies expect a return around 30% within 5 years, but with a minimum investment whereas in the second o ne, they only want to maximize their profit.Therefore, the most valuable partner between the two options above is the last one : the venture with entrepreneurial companies. Indeed, the main reason is that they have the same business expectation on the investment than Eat2Eat. Furthermore, this latter wants to do a venture with only entrepreneurial companies which cover the entire Asian region. * Which partners does Eat2Eat have the greatest potential to benefit ? Eat2Eat will probably make several partnerships. In fact, Eat2Eat knew that, in order to increase its success, they will need to do some partnerships with firms in other businesses.As an example, Eat2Eat wanted to work with firms such as hotels chains or airlines companies. However, they can continue working with other companies in the sector as themselves. In other words, it could be some other websites, but which cover only limited areas. In addition, we think that Eat2Eat will undoubtedly benefit from local Asian restaur ant website partners. Even if the Asian website partners cover a limited area, they are already implanted in a specific town. * Which partnership should Eat2Eat focus on forming in the immediate future?The current problem of Eat2Eat company is to get recognition. Indeed, this lack of recognition is a crucial issue for the company at the time being. It leads the companies to face problems in the process of making deals such as valuable partnerships with other corporations. Therefore, in the immediate future, Eat2Eat should focus on the partnership with all the Asian restaurant websites. Then, when Eat2Eat had covered enough key towns, their coverage provided from it will give them the credibility to do ventures with some banks.And then, in this way, they will get the database of customer needed to grow. 5. Provide recommendations concerning Eat2Eat's future strategy. Brigitte CISS As we could see, the company Eat2eat has a great concept which pleases a lot of consumers. The idea and the way it is implented is are good, and the only remaining issue, is the recognition. Indeed, Eat2eat has a problem being considered by â€Å"serious† companes such as banks, and trusted by businesses. Therefore, to be more recognized, the company needs to have contacts with big websites such as Yahoo! or Google, to be more available on the Internet, to increase the awareness and the knowledge of people. As the case said, also, Eat2eat has to be in a relationship with credit card companies to facilitate the online payment, and to create joint ventures with such companies. To increase the recognition, the company has to broaden its services to big cities, outside of Asia. Why not ? There are no infrastructures to take care of since it is an online operation, and it might be well known internationally. We would also recommend to the CEO to hire people specially for public relations.Going to every potential partner himself is a long process, and the opportunity cost is quite hi gh, with the amount of time lost. With more people available, the company could bring to her much more clients. After creating a more efficient network, maybe Eat2eat. com should now spend a bit on advertising. A quick ad on the Internet, not for businesses but directly destined to end consumers who are looking for restaurants, would increase the awareness and therefore the profits. On the long run, the company could even try to advertise on television.