Ethics Game Simulation Reflective Journal

Ethics Game Simulation Reflective Journal Ethics Game Simulation Reflective Journal Ethics is defined as â€Å"the branch of philosophy concerned with evaluating human action†¦ meaning character, customs, or habitual uses, ethics encompasses a process of determining right conduct from wrong. † (Guido, 2010, p. 3). Nurses are confronted with numerous ethical dilemmas that are intertwined with legal issues. Concepts of ethical and legal concepts are frequently interplayed and decisions between the two are often intricate.One must go through steps of the critical decision process and contemplation among the four lenses for the best solution. The four lenses include the Rights and Responsibility lens, the Results lens, the Relationships lens, and the Reputation lens. (Ethicgame, 2012). Based on moral, value and virtual one can come to the best decision going through each lens. Two scenarios were presented in the ethic simulation game. The first one involved a 16- year- old gi rl in active labor, whose parents are adamant on limiting medical assistance and pain relief.Their decision was based on bad premise of religious belief to â€Å"punish† the patient for premarital pregnancy. The ethical dilemma in this case is that the patient is a minor, and legally the parents are entitled to make decisions regarding her care. Ethically, as nurse we are in a position to do no harm and provide adequate care to the patient. In the simulation, question of many aspect of decision- making were raised. Course of action to take, stakeholders and how their perspective role will be influence by my decision were analyzed.Rights and responsibility and the result lens were used to make the decision in the simulation. The ethical thing to do in this situation is to advocate for the most vulnerable, which in this case is the patient who is a miner. Although her parents have the legal right, their intention was to â€Å"punish† and not for the patient’s best interest. Appeasing the parents would result in defying our duty as a nurse of nonmaleficence but going against their wishes may result in lawsuit. Additionally to challenge the parents of their intentions may introduce negative feelings and violate their right to autonomy.Although the parents disapprove of their daughter's premarital pregnancy, they would not want any harm to come to her. Through educating the parents on the severity of the circumstances they can be guided, and not forced, to make the right decision. The second scenario presents an unconscious patient whose same-sex domestic partner was denied access for visitation. The written policy of the hospital is to treat domestic partners like married couples. The supervisor that made the call used their own interpretation of the policy clouded by their own agenda.The ethical dilemma in this situation is that equal rights that allow the same accessibility for domestic partner should be provided without discrimination to ge nder. The organization’s core value was clearly violated here, and interventions need to be made. Relationship lens and the Reputation lens were used in this scenario along with nurse’s duty to treat everyone as equals. It is basic human rights to have their own support system in a time of need. Especially in the case where the patient is unconscious, their domestic partner would be the one person who understands their wants and needs.It is unethical to deny visitation privileges based on race, religion, sexual orientation, color, or disability. In cases where it is medical appropriate, visitation privileges should not be restricted. Advocating for an unconscious patient of their domestic partner’s visitation rights would be in our ethical principle of beneficence. Concepts in the simulation jolt recalls of various scenarios in my workplace where ethical decision had to be made. Working in a long-term acute care facility, I encounter numerous patients who are un conscious or are pronounce medically incapable of making their own decisions.As a trusted health care professional, we are the patients’ voice who cannot speak for themselves. My second job I work as a supervisor for a convalescent hospital. Working in this modern day with very culturally diverse population as a supervisor I would need to set the tone for my organization. Legal, medical, and ethical ramifications are considered and carefully analyzed for situations in both of my jobs. Struggling with complex ethical decisions is frequent as nurses. The model in the ethics simulation game provides the importance of assessment needed by utilizing the four lenses.The most ethical decision is often not the easiest one to make. Ethics has personal value attached and varies upon each individual. Working for leaders who values ethics and staff who understands the same values is a must for the best outcome. Advocating for the patient at times means jumping through hoops. Setting our personal agenda and interest aside is a basic requirement as a healthcare professional. The team needs a leader that can assess a situation and use appropriate judgments to come up with the best solution.Medical, legal, ethical consequences must be considered in complicated situations regardless of different values. As one with authority, it is important to be committed to inspire and motivate others based on the organization's core value. To have the knowledge and tools to assess and the best course of action proves to be crucial to generate the best solution. References EthicsGame. com (2012). Ethics Lens Inventory. Retrieved August 30, 2012 from http://www. ethicsgame. com/Exec/Doorway/List. aspx Guido. G. W. (2010). Legal & ethical issues in nursing (5th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

The Palace of Versailles and Contemporary Art: Takashi Murakami

The Palace of Versailles located approximately twelve miles outside Paris, France and is viewed as a place to showcase modern art. Much of the art that the palace has put on exhibitions over the years has brought a lot of controversy including the most recent one by Japanese artist Takashi Murakimi. Looking back at the 400 years of history at the Palace of Versailles it was once a home for the French royal family, a center for political power and today is a symbol of absolute monarchy. King Louis XIV viewed Versailles also as a showcase for the artists he supported. Louis and his successors were passionate about contemporary art and were constantly having parts of the palace demolished and rebuilt and redecorated by the newest and finest artists of their day. Versailles serves as a place where the newest ideas in art are showcased and served as a trendsetter for other palaces as well such as The Louvre; with it’s over the top decorations showing the monarchy’s wealth. Today, the palace is constantly having some of the currently most popular artists showcase their work at Versailles for the public to view. The most recent exhibit at the palace by Takashi Murakami ran from September 14, 2010 to December 12, 2010 has sparked a lot of controversy. This exhibition is called Murakami Versailles features 15 statues placed in different rooms of the palace. Murakami is a contemporary artist from Japan and has been billed as the new Andy Warhol, who is also Murakami’s mentor. The showcase features big, brightly colored cartoonish figures, flowers, globes and other inanimate objects. The style is far from the Baroque style of the palace, leaving most critics to deem the show inappropriate. Some groups visiting the Chateau complained that Murakami’s work has no place in rooms once residence to historical figures such as King Louis XIV, France’s Sun King and Marie Antoinette. Prince Charles-Emmanual de Bourbon-Parme, an heir of Louis XIV, tried to get the exhibit banned stating that it dishonored his family and their past but the courts dismissed his bid. One of his most tasteless pieces is a sculpture titled Hiropon, a large-breasted girl in a bikini who is skipping through a â€Å"rope† made of breast milk, this piece is not included in the exposition but it shows that Mr. Murakami is undeserving of Versailles. Muarakami spoke at a news conference and discussed the controversy. â€Å"When I hear such things, I say to myself that when a (sports) team scores a goal, there are always people who aren’t happy about it and who express that discontent†¦ The exhibit’s meant to be a sort of face-off between the Baroque period and postwar Japan, and I hope it will create in visitors a sort of shock, an aesthetic feeling† (Barchfield). Jean-Jacques Aillagon, president of the Chateau de Versailles defended the showcase saying he believes it is â€Å"‘his duty to open the palace to the artistic creation of our times’† (Barchfield). He also stated it gives the â€Å"visitors to historic monuments the chance to discover art that is less familiar to them† He added that the protests â€Å"come from far-right fundamentalists circles and from very conservative circles who see the museum as a reliquary of nostalgia of Ancient Regime France, of a France, that is turned in itself and hostile to modernity† (â€Å"Protesters†). Aillagon also stated â€Å"the palace and Murakami’s work are both joyful- the palace was not a place of penitence, not a place to be sad† (â€Å"Takashi Murakami's Versailles†). Versailles curator, Laurent Le Bon, stated â€Å"most of the visitors come for the chateau, not for Murakami, and are unfamiliar with contemporary art† (Von Uthmann). Several online petitions gathered thousands of names online even before the exhibition opened to the public. Two years ago a similar controversy occurred when Aillagon brought in contemporary American artist Jeff Koons. Call me a far right fundamentalist and conservative but I agree with all of the criticism surrounding this issue. This past November I got the privilege of traveling to Paris and visiting the Palace of Versailles. I had not heard anything about this exhibit occurring until getting to the Palace, walking into one of the first rooms and seeing it firsthand. I was appalled when seeing the first statue, my family and I thought the statues took a lot away from the beauty of the chateau. It also prevented us from seeing parts of the rooms and taking pictures of ceilings, walls, specific architecture that was being blocked from the statues. One visitor stated â€Å"[w]e are in a historic place, we want to see how history happened here, but every time you see a doll or a crazy monster it takes you completely out of the climax of the place† (â€Å"Takashi Murakami's Versailles†). Another stated, â€Å" it totally detracts from everything that’s here. It’s almost insulting to the palace and to visitors† (â€Å"Takashi Murakami's Versailles †) My least favorite was a piece called Tongari-Kun, also known as Mr. Pointy, inside one of the state rooms because it was so tall it blocked me from seeing the entire ceiling. Moreover, another piece called Flower Matango in the Hall of Mirrors was just awful in this room. The hall of mirrors is one of the most famous and beautiful rooms in the entire palace rich in beauty and history but it was all masked because of this statue. The sculpture of a bunch of bright, animated, ugly flowers. We could not step back and see the entire hall in its original beauty without seeing this statue smack in the center and the beauty of the mirrors was taken away because this statue was being reflected off of almost every one at that end of the hall. The statues were too brightly colored and too in your face from the mood of the rest of the palace. I have no personal pictures of the artwork because I, along with everyone else in my family, made sure Murakami’s art was out of every picture frame. I can understand why they have the exposition and the cultural exchange, the fact that they want to keep the tradition of showing the world modern art but unlike when the palace was being used for residence and power today the palace is an enormous historical landmark and is visited by over three million people per year. People do not go to the Parthenon in Greece or the Colosseum in Rome to see other artists or even have other artists intruding on its beauty. Likewise, these visitors do not go to see modern art but to see the old beauty of the palace and walk into a bit of history for a day. There are so many other museums in Paris that show modern art that the Palace of Versailles does not need to be one of them. The Palace is a piece of art on its own and does not need to have these controversial exhibits constantly demolishing its beauty. After seeing this overall I was disappointed with the exhibit and I wish I could go back another time when there will not be such a distraction.

Ahp-Analyzing the Ahp Method with Exercise

1. Abstracts (with objective) By carrying out this home assignment, we can recognize the importance of AHP methods and master the way that how AHP would be used in actual exercises. 2. Introduction The AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) is a structured technique for organizing and analyzing complex decisions. Based on mathematics and psychology, it was developed by Thomas L. Saaty in the 1970s and has been extensively studied and refined since then.It has particular application in group decision making, and is used around the world in a wide variety of decision situations, in fields such as government, business, industry, healthcare, and education. Rather than prescribing a â€Å"correct† decision, the AHP helps decision makers find one that best suits their goal and their understanding of the problem. It provides a comprehensive and rational framework for structuring a decision problem, for representing and quantifying its elements, for relating those elements to overall goals, and for evaluating alternative solutions.Users of the AHP first decompose their decision problem into a hierarchy of more easily comprehended sub-problems, each of which can be analyzed independently. The elements of the hierarchy can relate to any aspect of the decision problem—tangible or intangible, carefully measured or roughly estimated, well- or poorly-understood—anything at all that applies to the decision at hand. Once the hierarchy is built, the decision makers systematically evaluate its various elements by comparing them to one another two at a time, with respect to their impact on an element above them in the hierarchy.In making the comparisons, the decision makers can use concrete data about the elements, but they typically use their judgments about the elements' relative meaning and importance. It is the essence of the AHP that human judgments, and not just the underlying information, can be used in performing the evaluations. The AHP converts these eval uations to numerical values that can be processed and compared over the entire range of the problem. A numerical weight or priority is derived for each element of the hierarchy, allowing diverse and often incommensurable elements to be compared to one another in a rational and consistent way.This capability distinguishes the AHP from other decision making techniques. In the final step of the process, numerical priorities are calculated for each of the decision alternatives. These numbers represent the alternatives' relative ability to achieve the decision goal, so they allow a straightforward consideration of the various courses of action. Several firms supply computer software to assist in using the process. 3. Data & Results ? Assuming the choice of MBA course / Selecting 4 alternative models / Characteristics We are considering applying domestic MBA.To make various important elements of decision easier, we want to apply our decision situations to AHP. We selected 4 possible alter natives which have top name value in Korea. So we considered 4 alternatives which is Yonsei, Korea, Sung Kyun Kwan (SKK) and Sogang MBA. Each MBA course has a specified characteristics and it is reflected in criteria and subcriteria which is selected by our team. In general, The Master of Business Administration (MBA or M. B. A. ) is a master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines.The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out scientific approaches to management. The core courses in the MBA program are designed to introduce students to the various areas of business such as accounting, finance, marketing, human resources, operations management, etc. Students in MBA programs have the option of taking general business courses throughout the program or can select an area of concentration and focus approximately one-fourth of their studies in this subject. From now on, let’s study the each MBA course characteristics.University| Categories| Characteristics| Yonsei| Corporate MBA| ? Periods : 2 years (22 months) ? Credits to graduate : 45 credits? Sections : Finance / Marketing / Strategy ; Management? Focus on middle class managers who has a working experience| Korea| Korea MBA| ? Periods : 2 years (4semesters)? Credits to graduate : 45 credits? Sections : 8 specialized majors? Focus on educating workers with concept of consumers| SKK| Asia MBA| ? Periods : 2 years (4semesters)? Credits to graduate : 45 credits? Focus on education being based on globalization| Sogang| SIMBA| ? Periods : 2 years (4semesters)? Credits to graduate : 45 credits?Sections : Management / Finance? Subdivide the 3 tracks when applicants enter? Focus on getting a deep knowledge ; applying it to exercise| *Each graduated school has a lot of MBA course. But we choose the one course which is main categories ? Setting own criteria ; cubcriteria The first step is to model the problem as a hierarchy. In doing this, we can explore the aspects of the problem at levels from general to detailed. And to evaluate the each MBA course, we select 4 criteria and subcriteria which is NO. | Criteria| Subcriteria| 1. | Competition ratio| No subcriteria| 2. | Supporting| # of foreign professor| | # of dual degree with graduated school| 3. | Tuition| Tuition| | | Admission Fee| 4. | Curriculum| # of Lectures| | | # of English Lectures| – Competition ratio (represent the name value of school) In Korea, when applicants choose the university, the name value and traditionality of school is main factors. We think that competition ratio represent the name value of school. So it is deserved to rank in 1st. – Supporting (# of foreign professor / # of dual degree with graduated school) Of course, supporting option has to be considered in important factor. But this factor is not a main option to choosing the school.So we ra nk it in 4th. And in the aspects of subcriteria, we think that # of dual degree can be considered more heavily than # of foreign professor. So, we attach bigger weighted factor to # of dual degree than # of foreign professor. – Tuition (Tuition / Admission Fee) In financial situation of applicants, tuition of MBA course is very expensive. So, it can be a main factor of choosing the school. But it isn’t deserved to rank upper than competition ratio. So, we rank it in 2nd. Furthermore, in the aspects of subcriteria, we think that tuition can be considered more heavily than admission fee.Because admission fee have to be paid just one time when the applicants enter the school. So, we attach bigger weighted factor to tuition than admission fee. – Curriculum (# of Lectures / # of English Lectures) When applicants select the school, curriculum is serious factor that have to be concerned. But, as usual, each MBA course open the subject in similar. It means that it canâ €™t be a main factor. So, we rank it 3rd. Furthermore, in the aspects of subcriteria, we think that # of lecture can be considered more seriously than # of English lecture. Of course, in globalization is realized widely, English is needed whatever we do.But, diversity of subjects can be considered more important than # of English lectures. So, we attach bigger weighted factor to # of lecture than # of English lecture. So, we rank the each criteria ; subcriteria like Ranking (Scoring)| Criteria| Subcriteria| 1st| Competition ratio| No subcriteria| 2nd| Tuition| 1st| Tuition| | | 2nd| Admission Fee| 3rd| Curriculum| 1st| # of Lecture| | | 2nd| # of English Lecture| 4th| Supporting| 1st| # of dual degree| | | 2nd| # of foreign professor| ? Collecting the basic data of criteria ; subcriteria 1. Competition ratioUniversity| Categories| # of Recruitment| # of Applicant| # of Successful Candidate| Competitiveness ratio| Yonsei| Corporate MBA| 128| 502| 128| 3. 9 : 1| Korea| Korea MBA| 187| 920| 187| 4. 9 : 1| SKK| Asia MBA| 18| 39| 23| 2. 2 : 1| Sogang| SIMBA| 60| 127| 42| 2. 1 : 1| *Seoul University didn’t recruit the student in 2012. So, it is excluded. 2. Supporting (# of foreign professor / # of dual degree with graduated school) University| Categories| # of foreign professor| # of dual degree| Yonsei| Corporate MBA| 9| 2| Korea| Korea MBA| 14| 3| SKK| Asia MBA| 39| 4| Sogang| SIMBA| 2| 5| 3.Tuition (Tuition / Admission Fee, unit : ) University| Categories| Tuition| Admission Fee| Yonsei| Corporate MBA| 4000| 120| Korea| Korea MBA| 4200| 120| SKK| Asia MBA| 5000| 100| Sogang| SIMBA| 3700| 110| 4. Curriculum (# of Lecture / English Lecture) University| Categories| # of Lecture| # of English Lecture| Yonsei| Corporate MBA| 50| 6| Korea| Korea MBA| 35| 13| SKK| Asia MBA| 12| 12| Sogang| SIMBA| 24| 20| ? Applying AHP to choose a final model So, we determine the weighted factors like | Weighted factor of criteria| Weighted factor of subcriteria| Competitio n ratio| 0. 360| No subcriteria| Supporting| 0. 55| # of foreign professor| 0. 303| | | # of dual degree| 0. 697| Tuition| 0. 265| Tuition| 0. 909| | | Admission Fee| 0. 091| Curriculum| 0. 220| # of Lecture| 0. 602| | | # of English Lecture| 0. 398| 4. Discussion By using a AHP method, we can get a objective information which can make for us a wise decision in selecting the MBA school. Of course, it provides the verified standard in making a choice. But applicants’ preference can pass over that data. Furthermore, applicants’ specifications are different. So, choice is depending on own their decision. The AHP method is the only tool that can provide the objective data.

Journal Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journal - Coursework Example While some people exhibited high level of self-management as a result of supportive workplace and family along with personal capabilities, there are others who showed psychological problems like denial and also were constrained by socio-economic problems. According to the authors, self-management is â€Å"hard work, and is enabled or constrained by economic, material and socio-cultural conditions within the family, workplace and community† (p.83). The study concluded that different factors influence the self-management of people ranging from personal capabilities at micro level, accessibility of healthcare services at meso level to socio-economic conditions at macro level. The importance of self-management for diabetes patients cannot be ignored. For its effectiveness, the need is that people remain aware of the negatives impacts of the disease along with knowledge about available healthcare resources. It is necessary that clinicians prepare the patients to deal with chronic disease on daily basis so that they can accordingly change their behavior for positive outcomes. One common issue associated with older adults is falls, and although this can be the result of multiple factors, Deborah Mayne, Nigel R. Stout and Terry J. Aspray (2010) in their article have studied the extent of the impact of diabetes and associated complications on falls of older patients. In UK, it has been estimated that 40 percent of older diabetic patients who are over 65 years suffer from falls every year, and in Scotland almost 86 percent of fractures occur due to falls. It has been further estimated that diabetic patients have 1.5 to 12 times more possibility of hip fracture than non-diabetic patients. According to the authors, orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a principle factor for falls, and this phenomenon is common among 10 percent of diabetic patients.

Finance Course Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Finance Course Work - Essay Example (Gitman, 2011) Finance is often defined as the art of managing financial resources, which includes activities such as arranging these resources in the least expensive manner and, investing any surplus resources in order to reap extra margins. (Gitman, 2012) Moreover, it also includes the understanding of the basic operations in order to ensure the best management of the funds that are available to the manager. Finance also helps in assessing the financial strength of the company through the use of ratio analysis that helps one understanding various aspects of the firm such as liquidity, efficiency, profitability and leverage, while the most important principle of finance is based upon discounting the value of financial resources such as money, bonds and expected cash-flows with respect to time. (Brigham, 1998) The collapse of Lehman Brothers on 15th September 2008 had devastating impact on the confidence of the general investor throughout the world that led many financial managers to question the rules and regulation that dictate the environment of the business (The Guardian, 2011) Financial crisis have hardly known to be isolated to themselves, in fact they spread like any contagious disease that often triggers the collapse throughout the world. ... However, the scope of financial environment is not limited to technical institutions only as it also includes various other organizations with which one may enter in any kind of financial transaction, as financing and investment activities are never limited to the listed companies only. (Gitman, 2012) TIME VALUE OF MONEY Suppose that Mr. B borrowed an amount of ?100 from Mr. A in the year 1987. Today, Mr. B came back and returned that ?100 to A and exclaimed that he had finally paid off all his old debts. Would one consider the act of Mr. B as just and sound? The answer would be negative as the same amount of money is more worth than it would tomorrow. (Van Horne, 2008) Thus the concept of time value of money is based on the fact that money loses its worth every second due to factors such as inflation and reinvestment risk, therefore a ?1 of today is lesser worth of ?1 of yesterday. (Brigham, 1998) Future Value of a Sum As we already mentioned above about the reinvestment risk, it is the rate at which money can be reinvested for a specific period of time. (Brigham, 1998) Therefore, future value is the nominal amount of money that one will possess after a certain period at a given reinvestment rate, usually an interest rate. To illustrate with an example, consider that A invests ?100 at 10% interest rate for two years. In the first year A will earn ?10 on ?100, however at the start of the second year, the balance in A’s account will be ?110, therefore the interest that A will earn in the 2nd year will be on ?110 which should come out as 11. Thus A’s account balance at the end of the 2nd year will be ?121. This nominal value of ?121 is the future value of ?100 at the interest of 10% after the period of 2

The concept of globalisation and assess if globalistion brings Essay

The concept of globalisation and assess if globalistion brings economic success to all countries - Essay Example To underline the influence of the aspect of globalisation, it should be noted that globalisation manifests itself under different dimensions in the economic, cultural, health, social, political, environmental, security, and even in other spheres of the world. Nonetheless, the focus of this expose will discuss globalisation within an economic perspective with globalisation defined as the process of economic integration based on the exchanging of products, worldviews, various aspects of culture, and ideas within an economic perspective (Margalit, 2012). Advancements in technological, transportation, and communication infrastructure have promoted an interconnection between nations in the world. Hence, trade activities have intensified across the world leading to a new phenomenon known as international trade, which is a result of globalisation. International trade underlines a situation whereby various jurisdictions exchange each other in the exchange of services and goods across international territorial boundaries (Ingham, 2004). In this case, international trade has become synonymous with globalisation as nations increasingly engage in business with each other at the international front. Each nation has a unique domestic market. Hence, the effects of globalisation on each market vary due to its uniqueness and various determining factors. Some national markets are filled with products from other countries with domestic products suffering especially in instances whereby the cost of production in a specific country is high. These effects are due to the integration of global markets with each nation’s market incorporating various aspects of the global market with producers focusing not only on the domestic markets, but also expanding their production to reach the global markets (Intriligator, 2003).. Integration of markets within the global economy has occurred through various approaches. Among them, Mussa (2000) identifies interactions between individuals as the

Company Analysis J Sainsbury Ltd Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Company Analysis J Sainsbury Ltd - Essay Example Analysis and evaluation of the business strategy that J Sainsbury Ltd has pursued using Bowman’s strategic clock Bowman’s strategic clock, as presented in Figure 1, Appendix is used for the identification of strategies that promote effectively the organizational goals (Rosenhauer 2008,p.11). One of the key challenges in regard to the use of the Bowman’s strategic clock is the following one: the identification of the appropriate strategy, among the strategies included in the above model, is often difficult, especially if the priorities of the organizations are not clear. According to Muller (2011) organizations can use the Bowman’s strategic clock for identifying strategies that are most feasible having in mind the resources available and each organization’s internal and external environment. The Bowman’s strategic clock is based on the following principle: each organization should choose strategies that most respond to the plans of the organizations in regard to the value and price of its products/ services (Needle 2010, p.281). Using the Bowman’s strategic clock, the strategic choices of Sainsbury’s could be analysed as follows: as noted in the case study, the firm is among the four key players in the British grocery retail sector (case study, p.1). ... ne: the identification of the appropriate strategy, among the strategies included in the above model, is often difficult, especially if the priorities of the organizations are not clear. According to Muller (2011) organizations can use the Bowman’s strategic clock for identifying strategies that are most feasible having in mind the resources available and each organization’s internal and external environment. The Bowman’s strategic clock is based on the following principle: each organization should choose strategies that most respond to the plans of the organizations in regard to the value and price of its products/ services (Needle 2010, p.281). Using the Bowman’s strategic clock, the strategic choices of Sainsbury’s could be analysed as follows: as noted in the case study, the firm is among the four key players in the British grocery retail sector (case study, p.1). The above fact can lead to the following assumption: the particular sector in Brit ain can be characterized as oligopolistic, allowing the growth of specific firms. From this point of view, the parts no 6, 7 and 8 of the Bowman’s strategic clock cannot be applied in Sainsbury’s, since the strategies incorporated in these parts are feasible in monopolistic industries (Figure 1, Appendix). The potential use of the other parts of the strategic clock would be further explored. Part 1 is characterized by both low price and added value. Such strategy would lead to the decrease of quality of the firm’s products towards its competitors that have managed to promote products of satisfactory value at a low price. It is made clear that the strategy that most responds to the firm’s strategic choices is that of the second part of Bowman’s clock. The specific strategy is based on the following two

The report is write about Poma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The report is write about Poma - Essay Example The analysis concludes that essential for management to lead the change process through setting the trend rather than simply giving instructions. The contemporary business community faces a myriad of changes most in various sectors ranging from economic, political, and technological development. These have forced many companies to initiate change accordingly in order to remain competitive and relevant. One of the companies that have been on the forefront of change implementation is Poma; a cable transport company established in 1936. Throughout its extensive history, Poma has developed a reputation for being a reliable partner in the cable transport industry with bases of operations every continent (Poma, n.d). Because of its diversified operative portfolio, this company has had to undergo numerous changes to ensure that, it not only keeps up with the changes taking place across the globe, but also is also always capable of fulfilling the needs of its customers. Despite its determination to remain flexible, Poma has faced numerous handicaps since change is neither easy spontaneous to achieve. Consequently, it is always necess ary to make a study of the change process to ensure that all the variables affecting it have been taken into consideration. This paper seeks to consider a wide range of factors that are likely to affect the effective implementation of change at Poma, and determine whether it is possible for this company to continue its evolution through direct engagement with its employees and other stakeholders. Poma is an international company that has to deal with individuals from diverse cultures and this creates a situation where it has to be as flexible as possible in order to ensure that all the changes necessary for its continued progress are effectively implemented. To this end, establishing an understanding of the company position in the global market is

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 37

Case Study Example As a teacher, I can engage the students in the session twice in two consecutive days. The session involves students in handling bean bags with their hands and throwing them to their partners. They, therefore, end up taking part in a movement pattern of throwing and catching. The session has instructional strategies where the teacher takes a bean bag and demonstrates the movement with one of the students. He or she remains stationary and does an overhand throw of the bean bag to the travelling student. The student also uses an overhand movement pattern to throw the bean bag back to the teacher but with increased accuracy. All students in the physical education engage in the activity in pairs and do what they are instructed by the teacher. The two partners engage in a two-handed catch of a thrown bean bag and reciprocate with one remaining stationary while the other travels and vice versa. The physical exercise of throwing and catching a bean bag improves the developmental needs of students involved in the 45-minute session. It increases their attention span and interest in the physical exercise. In addition, a student is able to mingle with another colleague from outside his or her group of friends and experience fun together. The overhand throws movement pattern also increases the manipulative and motor skills of the students. This develops their muscles and other body

Internet Use in the classroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Internet Use in the classroom - Essay Example There are changes that are taking in the design and delivery of the curriculum. There has also been change in the way classrooms are designed in light of the new emerging technology in the market. The design of the class room has been greatly affected by the ICT tools that are currently being used. There is redesigning of the space available for student. The arrival of more computers has complicated the design of the earlier classroom and the profound use of these computers in the learning process has required teachers to up with new classroom designs that will ensure that all students acre given the attention that they require. Creating of space in the classroom for the computer and the peripherals like printer and network connection, large monitors and other gadgets is one of the factors in the adoption of classroom space to the use of computers. This has necessitated the reevaluation of the how classroom activities and the learning experiences will work best in the course of learning. In the early year of use of ICT in school, there was creation of computers laboratory where acted as technology center or building which were dedicated of house to computer and their peripheral alone. This was different from the classroom atmosphere and therefore their management was different. Although this arrangement is slowly being done away with and new methods of integrated use of computer in the classroom adopted, there are still some schools which have remained to use it due to the challenge in the use of ICT in the classroom. The creation of 3D classroom reflects the new arrangement in the use of ICT in the classroom. This necessitates provision of central access facilities and a distribution network that is highly effective. There is a change that has started and that is ongoing on the design of the classroom and the adoption of ICT in the classroom. The integration o ICT material in the learning process has necessitated a

Chart and Reflection Essay Example for Free

Chart and Reflection Essay The Somebody-Wanted-But-So chart is an excellent way to summarize important information from history. In it, you identify a person or group of people; their goal, need, or want; what conflict of interest stood in the way; and the outcome. This strategy works great because history depends on the needs, wants, and actions of humans. Part 1 – Complete the following chart using information from the lesson. One example appears for you. Somebody Wanted But So President Abraham Lincoln the nation to heal as quickly as possible from the Civil War and planned to reunify the nation quickly he was assassinated in 1865 only days after Robert E. Lee’s surrender plans for Reconstruction were taken over by Vice President Andrew Johnson, who became president after Lincoln’s death President Andrew Johnson To continue the Reconstruction Congress kept over-riding his request Radical Republicans started the Radical Reconstruction. Radical Republicans Southerners to be punished for re-unifying with the Union. President Hayes took office and removed the federal troops from the south Federal protection for African American voters and pro-republicans, including freedmen, was over. Southern Democrats To have federal troops removed from the south and to have a southern Democrat named in the cabinet. Hayes accepted this request and removed the federal troops while also naming a southern democrat in his office. The reconstruction policy came to an end after the federal troops were removed from the south. Part 2 – Answer the following questions in a complete paragraph of your own words. What was the  main issue relating to Reconstruction that divided Republicans at the end of the Civil War? If you had been a member of Congress at the time, what type of plan for Reconstruction would you have supported and why? There were many different opinions which had divided Republicans at the end of the Civil War. One of these opinions was about the punishment that confederate leaders should receive. Whether the confederate leaders should be punished as traitors or just pay for damages was the main topic of interest. I probably would have supported Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson’s plan for Reconstruction. They sought a perfect unification of America which was the ideal way to end things. It wasn’t their fault that the plan didn’t work either, if it wasn’t for Lincolns assassination and the Radical Republicans taking the policy from Johnson, all would have been well.

African American vs. Caucasian Americans Essay Example for Free

African American vs. Caucasian Americans Essay At first glance some people might consider this paper to be on the racial side, however it was all written by observations made. There are many differences between African Americans and Caucasians, some people dont see the differences because of ignorance . You must read the paper with an open mind and take none of this to heart. African American and Caucasians function differently in public surroundings. When you see a young African American you usually see them in groups of four of more. However, when one of them gets into a disagreement five to ten more show up in their defense. They are a very close knit group of individuals. I have also noticed that when you see a young African American walking around they are usually singing, talking very loud or running around. Also when they are in groups they are very loud and take over the area that they occupy. On the other hand when you see Caucasians they are rarely in groups of three or more. To top it off when someone in one of their groups gets in trouble the rest of the group is nowhere to be found. Most times when you see young Caucasian people in a group they are for the most part within a normal speaking level. These two groups tend to act differently in the public due to their cultural differences. There are a number of differences between the churches of African Americans and Caucasians. At most typical African American churches there are no true sermons. The African American churches tend to do more entertaining rather than teaching. They also do a great deal of singing and dancing involved in there praising of God. They emphasize fellowship in their churches especially after church when they all gather and close the celebration with a meal together. However at a typical Caucasian church there are a few differences. To start it off when you first walk in you get a program detailing what will be happening through the service. They tend to structure the whole service around a sermon or story. The service every week is very predictable as to what will happen. The Caucasian churches are more there to teach the ways of the lord as they have interpreted it. Although not all the African American and Caucasian churches are along this line a majority of the main stream ones are.

Effect of Diluted Thyroxine on Highland Amphibians

Effect of Diluted Thyroxine on Highland Amphibians 1.1. Replication of an experiment on extremely diluted thyroxine and highland amphibians (Study 1) A key issue in science is the reproducibility of experiements. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the initial experiment using diluted thyroxine and highland amphibians was reproducible. One particular experiment was reported as being reproducible by the initial researchers as well as independent researchers. This experiment tested fouty-eight hourly applications of Thyroxine 30X against Water 30X on the development of highland amphibians. Treatment commenced from the two-legged stage on. Parameters measured were the number of frogs that reached the 4-legged stage and the number that reached the tail-reduction stage. The initial study published results in 1990, the study was replicated and the results published in 2000 and after reanalysing the results, published again in 2010. All 3 studies reported that metamorphosis occurred more slowly in those treated with Thyroxine 30X compared to Water 30X. The author replicated the study again, reanalysed and combined the results of the initial team and the independent researchers with his own results. The methods as set out by the initial study were followed as closely as possible. 8 basins were randomly divided between each group, giving each group 4 basins, each with 20 frogs, totalling 80 frogs per group. A handling error caused cross-contamination of two basins which were subsequently excluded from the study. Therefore 60 frogs across 3 basins per group were considered. The Thyroxine 30X frogs showed a clear trend of delayed metamorphosis into the 4-legged stage as well as for the tail-reduction stage. However, due to the small sample size, the results were not statistically significant. The author’s conclusion was that the results of his own replication experiment, though not statistically significant, were in line with those of the initial study, as well the other independent researchers. 1.2. The effect of homoeopathically prepared thyroxine on highland frogs: influence of electromagnetic fields (Study 2) One of the principles of homoeopathy, the law of similars, can be demonstrated by hyper-stimulating frogs by immersing them in a thyroxine solution (10à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ¸ parts by weight, unsuccussed) and then inducing the reverse reaction by subjecting them to a homoeopathically prepared solution (10à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ³) of thyroxine. The study used the amphibian model to investigate the effects of various electromagnetic fields on homoeopathically prepared thyroxine solution. A microwave, mobile phone, x-ray luggage inspection device and a red light barcode scanner were used. A replication of the basic experiment conducted previously was used as a control group. All experiments were performed blind. The starting point was defined as the point at which the 2-legged stage begins. The experiment continued until the 4-legged stage. 149 basins were used, each containing 20 frogs. From this, 21 groups were formed according to treatment. 6 different experiments were performed. In each experiment one group (100-200 frogs) were treated with the control substance and the other group (100-200 frogs) were treated with standard test solution. This part of the study serves as a pilot study to the influence of environmental factors on homoeopathic preparations. With each experiment, the control group was compared to the standard test solution as well as to test solutions exposed to the various electromagnetic fields. In total, 860 frogs were treated with homoeopathically prepared thyroxine and 860 frogs were treated with standard control solution. In addition, 1160 frogs were treated with the various solutions exposed to electromagnetic fields. The findings suggest that homoeopathically prepared thyroxine 30D has an inhibitory effect on the metamorphosis of frogs while this effect is blocked when exposed to the microwave oven or the mobile phone. This is in agreement with the assumptions of manufacturers of homoeopathic preparations. Noted/Noticeable Flaws Study 1: Methods as set out by the original researcher were followed as closely as possible to replicate the study, however, there was a slight deviation in that the amphibians were stored at dimmed daylight at a temperature of eight degrees Celsius for a period of three days to prevent the tadpoles from developing beyond the designated starting stage before the experiment scheduled to start. This may have delayed the onset of the two-legged stage and in turn may have affected the sensitivity of the larvae to the thyroxine 30X. Even thought they have produced interesting findings, the highland amphibian Rana temporaria is not easily available for further research. This particular species is not available from breeders, permits need to be obtained and then collected from the field. Proffesional expertise and experience is required for collection, transportation and handling. The numbers in each study are too small to be statistically significant until they are pooled together. Even though the study was replicated as closely as possible, individual factors may have influenced the findings and so pooling the results may not be as accurate as expected. Study 2: Using water solutions exposed to electromagnetic fields could serve as an additional control group. The natural environment of the amphibian should try and be mimicked as far as possible. It may be hypothesised that the increase in temperature in a laboratory environment compared to that of the natural biotope may be the stimulus that make the highland amphibian sensitive to the homoeopathically prepared thyroxine. In both studies, the results are statistically significant only when the results are pooled together and an adequate number of animals are included. Special efforts should be made to increase the size of homoeopathic studies in general to make the results more reliable and credible. More Valid and Credible Findings Ideally the natural habitat of the amphibians should be mimicked as far as possible to avoid influencing developmental stages. Future experiments should be conducted on a species that is more readily available. An expert on amphibians should be employed to supervise the study and offer advice on the handling and management of the animals. Given that the study was reproducible on numerous occasions, I think the findings are valid and credible. Thyroxine 30X, a dilution beyond avogardo’s number, produced a clear trend by slowing down metamorphosis. Contribution Towards Evidence Based Homoeopathy These studies do contribute towards evidence based homoeopathy. They are scientific, quantitative designs and are confirmatory of the law of similars. Thyroxine is stimulatory in crude form when exposed to an amphibian. Without thyroxine, amphibians would not undergo metamorphosis from tadpole to juvenile frog. Thyroxine in homoeopathic preparation had an inhibitory effect and was confirmed on numerous occasions by reproducing the same experiments by independent researchers.

Privilege And Justice :: essays research papers

Privilege & Justice Privilege, like a beautiful gift, comes in many shapes and sizes. The value of a privilege is infinite depending on who the recipient is. The privilege of luxury bestowed upon a wealthy person may not be as greatly cherished as the privilege of health insurance given to a person of a lower economic class. In our world today, privilege is dispersed in many forms and among many social classes. However, privilege seems to favor the wealthy as they seem to promote from within their own groups. Social and economical privileges are necessary among the elite to maintain their status among the Jones’; where as a privilege granted to the poor, simply allows a more stable existence. Two examples of privilege that are not material, but are equally as important, are justice and piece of mind. Unfortunately, these two privileges are likely to be less attainable to the lower class. Wealth and privilege seem to go hand in hand in today’s society; great advantages come with being wealthy. For example, material items are abundant for people with money. Wealth allows people to own anything they desire, from finest clothes and furnishings to the automobile of their dream. Those who posses these items are already at an advantage, they have what the latest magazines say you need and what everybody else wants. I find it a bit discerning that these material items dictate the social order, but the fact is, they do. Along with material items, beauty also determines your place in society. Once again, money allows for people to make necessary adjustment to become beautiful if they were not born â€Å"beautiful†. It not only cost money to make physical changes in order to stay beautiful, but it also takes money to keep your wardrobe up to date with the ever changing fashion world. It is my opinion that the greatest advantage of wealth would be the opportunity for educational and technological enrichment. Being blessed with the finest education and most up to date technology only solidifies the foundation for growth and further advancement in life. Nearly everything that exists on the planet can now be researched through a web site; that literally puts the world at your fingertips if you are lucky enough to have a computer. In addition, high school and college students are being prepared for professional career situations where it is likely they will be tested on their computer knowledge. Privilege And Justice :: essays research papers Privilege & Justice Privilege, like a beautiful gift, comes in many shapes and sizes. The value of a privilege is infinite depending on who the recipient is. The privilege of luxury bestowed upon a wealthy person may not be as greatly cherished as the privilege of health insurance given to a person of a lower economic class. In our world today, privilege is dispersed in many forms and among many social classes. However, privilege seems to favor the wealthy as they seem to promote from within their own groups. Social and economical privileges are necessary among the elite to maintain their status among the Jones’; where as a privilege granted to the poor, simply allows a more stable existence. Two examples of privilege that are not material, but are equally as important, are justice and piece of mind. Unfortunately, these two privileges are likely to be less attainable to the lower class. Wealth and privilege seem to go hand in hand in today’s society; great advantages come with being wealthy. For example, material items are abundant for people with money. Wealth allows people to own anything they desire, from finest clothes and furnishings to the automobile of their dream. Those who posses these items are already at an advantage, they have what the latest magazines say you need and what everybody else wants. I find it a bit discerning that these material items dictate the social order, but the fact is, they do. Along with material items, beauty also determines your place in society. Once again, money allows for people to make necessary adjustment to become beautiful if they were not born â€Å"beautiful†. It not only cost money to make physical changes in order to stay beautiful, but it also takes money to keep your wardrobe up to date with the ever changing fashion world. It is my opinion that the greatest advantage of wealth would be the opportunity for educational and technological enrichment. Being blessed with the finest education and most up to date technology only solidifies the foundation for growth and further advancement in life. Nearly everything that exists on the planet can now be researched through a web site; that literally puts the world at your fingertips if you are lucky enough to have a computer. In addition, high school and college students are being prepared for professional career situations where it is likely they will be tested on their computer knowledge.

Did Israel Cause the Events of September 11? :: Threats to World Peace

I will never forget the strange mix of terror and happiness in my fathers voice the afternoon of September 11, 2001. Knowing his proximity to the World Trade Center(3 blocks), and seeing the terrifying images of the attack on the television screen, I rushed to a phone after class and tried desperately to make contact. The moments that followed seemed like forever. Because of the tie-up in the phone lines, it took about 15 minutes to get through to New York. When I finally did get through, I was relieved to hear his familiar voice. He seemed to feel lucky that he had been fortunate enough to make it out of the terror alive. At the same time, he talked about the difficulty he was already having in getting the horrific events he had witnessed out of his mind. He recounted seeing both Towers fall and the searing images of groups of human beings jumping out of burning buildings hand in hand. Those indelible images will surely stay with him and with us for a lifetime. This story illustrates just how personally the catastrophe has hit home for me. As an American, I believe it has changed the course of our lives, and there are several ways I see America going from here. Many individuals have called for peace, while others for an all out retaliatory strike. I don’t think the question is that simple. It is now up to our leaders to make these difficult choices which may change our way of life as we know it, and we are going to have to make some strong decisions as citizens in order to let them know what we believe needs to get done. I think we have to acknowledge that this event was not an isolated incident. It has made a direct impact on the way each and every American born in this era will live their life. I will never again feel safe while riding in an airplane and that prospect frightens me. If we are no longer safe to do the simple things such as take a trip or go to a ballgame, how can we feel that we are free? In the end, the point of all this seems not only to be an attack on our country, but rather an attack on our freedom.

The 19th Century Aesthetic Movement Essay example -- Art History Essay

The 19th Century Aesthetic Movement The Arts and Crafts Movement is the main line of reform design in the 19th century that defines the period of its greatest development, roughly between 1875-1920. The Aesthetic Movement and Art Nouveau, whose roots were in the reaction to the Industrial Revolution in England in the middle of the 19th century, are the two major stylistic developments of this Movement’s philosophy (A Thing of Beauty 9). The term "Aesthetic Movement" refers to the introduction of principles that emphasized art in the production of furniture, metalwork, ceramics, stained glass, textiles, wallpapers, and books. The catalyst for its widespread popularity was the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876. There, in numerous displays, many Americans, artists and craftsmen as well as the general public, were exposed to art objects from a great variety of nations and periods (Bolger Burke et al. 19). Most writers on the Aesthetic Movement agree that its roots lie in the reaction to Industrialization in mid-19th century England The movement incorporated both exotic and historical sources of design generally, the Japanese influence became the strongest and best known. However, not all Aesthetic Movement design is in a Japanese style and vice versa. Today relatively little remains of the highest expressions of Aesthetic Movement design. Never inexpensive and therefore never plentiful, few objects and very few intact interiors, particularly the domestic interior, survive to suggest their richness and beauty (A Thing of Beauty 11-12). The Aesthetic movement in Britain began as a reform impulse. It was a part of a larger critique of the Industrial Revolution, which had radically altered Britain following the Napoleon... ... oriented away from ritual and visual symbols and more towards social and community ideals, it reinforced the social nature of the movement (A Thing of Beauty 9). Thus, although the Movement definitely had its stylistic expressions, it was not simply an art movement but had a rather complex structure of social, political and moral ideas of the British life in during that period. Works Cited A Thing of Beauty (Catalog of an exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, February 1-April 6, 1980). Atlanta: The High Museum of Art. 1980. Bolger Burke, et al. In Pursuit of Beauty. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1986. Kaplan, Wendy. The Art That Is Life: The Arts & Crafts Movement in America, 1875- 1920. New York: Little, Brown and Company. 1987. Klein, Dan. Aspects of the Aesthetic Movement. London: Gordon House/Hillingdon Press. 1978.

Animal Farm: Equality of Animal Among Others Essay

â€Å"All animals are equal†¦ but some animals are more equal than others.† The largest single struggle throughout the entire story of Animal Farm would have to be the animals struggle for equality. The animals are forced to suffer through terrible conditions under the leadership of Mr. Jones. The brainwashing effect the pigs had on the farm caused many of the animals to forget the principles of equality and accept the hypocritical nature of Napoleon and his minions. A time when the animals had the least amount of rights and the least amount of equality was during the reign of Mr. Jones. Under the leadership of Mr. Jones, the animals had to suffer through terrible conditions while the humans got to stay in warm and comfortable beds. The animals also had to supply for not only themselves, but also the gluttonous humans who were constantly mooching off the animals and eating most of the food. Finally the animals suffered a terrible amount of neglect during the time of Mr. Jones and were all beaten savagely. Although the humans were far more prosperous than the animals, the animals were all equal among one another. The greatest time of equality among the animals would be during the time of their great leader Snowball. Snowball proved to be the best leader the farm ever had and constantly campaigned to make animals equal. Snowball displayed his lust for equality by creating weekly meetings were the animals had time to discuss what was happening on the farm and argue points. Snowball also made every animal work to their own capacity and no animal took on a harder work load than they could handle. Finally Snowball pushed to have a windmill that would bring electricity to each animals stall. With the passing of Snowball and rise of Napoleon, the animals found themselves back to suffering under the same conditions that they faced during the reign of Mr. Jones. For one the pigs decided to sleep in the beds of the farmhouse where none of the other animals were allowed. Also the pigs started slaughtering other animals seemingly at random due to ludicrous conspiracy theories. Finally the common everyday animals were killed if they tried to retire while the pigs were rewarded a long and peaceful retirement. The government of the farm had made a complete circle during the course of its three prominent leaders. The government went from total dictatorship to a democracy and then back to a dictatorship. It is uncertain as to what the animals lives would have been like with Snowball but one thing is certain. The animals are not equal. The only thing that remains true under the leadership of Napoleon is the hypocritical oxymoron that is, â€Å"All animals are equal†¦ but some animals are more equal than others.†

Sony Research Paper

Journey of SONY : A Revolution of Walkman to I-Pod 1981 Walkman II Sony is arguably Japan's best known company and one of the world's largest and most well respected consumer-product manufacturers. Its products are world famous and sold everywhere around the globe. Surveys in early 2000s have showed that Sony was the most recognized and esteemed brand name in the United States (ahead of Coca Cola, General Motors and General Electric) and is third coolest global brand after Nike and Tommy Hilfinger among American teens. Although Sony has some of its luster since then it is still a remarkable company.Sony is the world’s No. 2 consumer electronic maker after Panasonic with around $70 billion in worldwide sales. One of Japan’s first internationally-minded companies, it has relied heavily on exports and was among the first Japanese firms to build a U. S. factory. In the 1960s, 70s and 80s it helped turned â€Å"Made in Japan† from a joke into a symbol in unsurpassed q uality. Sony has traditionally been known as a great innovator that transformed entire categories of electronics with products like the Walkman music player and PlayStation game console, and was able command premium prices for its top-quality products.Sony not only changed business and the electronic industry it also changed the world. Before it came along electronics were large bulky products that kept people sequestered in their homes. After Sony, they became small products that people they could to take with them to enhance their surroundings wherever they went. Sony topped a Harris poll for best brands for the 7th consecutive year in 2006. Dell and Coca Cola were 2nd and 3rd respectively. In 2004, it was ranked by Forbes as the 72nd largest company in the world. Sony placed 35th in the 2011 Interbrand Best Global Brands ranking. Coca Cola and IBM were No. and 2. Sony had 160,000 employees and 57 manufacturing sites as of September 2008. It has traditionally been regarded as one of the top transnational companies in terms of foreign assets and foreign employees. The goal of the company has been to apply the most advanced technology to consumer products for fun and enjoyment rather than just practical uses. Sony Walkman Walkman prototype The Walkman miniature cassette player first went on sale in July, 1979. Inspired by pocket cassette recorders designed for dictation, it changed the way we lived by making music and electronics portable, personal and mobile.It changed the lifestyles and listening habits of millions and was particularly embraced by young people, commuters and joggers. In 1986, â€Å"Walkman† was added to the Oxford English dictionary. For a while it was used as a generic term for all portable music devices. The Walkman was originally made as a prototype so that Sony co-founder Akio Morita could listen to opera on long-distance flights. The device, which was original marketed in Britain as the Stowaway, almost didn’t happen. â₠¬Å"Everybody gave me a hard time,† Morita said in his memoirs.Sony engineers and executive said it was ludicrous to sell a tape-player without a recording function. It took a while for the Walkman to catch on. Sales initially were sluggish. The Walkman has been described as Morita’s product and his greatest contribution to Sony. It was Ibuka who came up with the idea for product but Morita was the one who overcame resistance of senior Sony executives to bring the product to market. The Walkman was the right product for the right time. It was the prefect device for the me generation era and the fitness craze.Its headphone output jack was originally named â€Å"guy† and input hole â€Å"doll. † A famous Walkman ad from the 1980s featured a monkey (a Japanese macaque) listening to a Walkman with a very human-like relaxed, content expression on its face. The Walkman was followed by Watchman mini television (1982) and Discman compact disc player (1984) and hund red of imitations by competitors. As of 2004, 340 million Walkman had been sold and130 different Walkman models had been released. They included models that ran MDs and memory sticks. The first device to gain as much attention as Sony’s Walkman was Apple Ipod, released in 2004.In response to that Sony introduced a hard disk Vaio pocket and a hard disk Walkman. In October 2010, Sony announced it was cease producing conventional Walkman cassette players. They were done in by competition from MP2 players and Ipods. They lasted for 31 years. Sony and Sweden’s Ericsson produce cell phones together, mainly making mid- and high-range handsets, In recent years sales have suffered. It has profits have been around $300 million on around $4. 5 billion in sales Sony and KDDI developed a Walkman brand cell phone that downloads music Sony: How did the former gadget king lose its mojo?Before the iPod, everyone's headphones were plugged into the Sony Walkman. But as the Walkman lost i ts relevance, Sony seemed to, as well posted on April 2, 2012, at 6:25 AM Sony has faded since its classic '80s-era Walkman went out of style, but a new CEO is trying to change that. Photo: DK Limited/CORBIS Like Xerox, Kleenex, and Google, Sony's Walkman was the rare brand that was so popular it became the thing itself. The Japanese electronics giant was ubiquitous in other ways, too, and there was a time when it seemed as if everyone owned a Sony device, whether it was a television, a camcorder, or a stereo.But in the iPad age, Sony seems to have all but disappeared from the marketplace for must-have gadgets. What happened? And how can its new CEO, Kazuo Hirai, turn the company around? Here, a guide to Sony's woes: How badly is Sony struggling? It's not pretty. The company is set to post a loss of $2. 7 billion for the current fiscal year. It was worth $100 billion in 2000, but since then has lost 80 percent of its value. And it's even struggling in its native Japan, where Apple f or the first time was just voted the country's top consumer brand. Where did Sony go wrong?Sony is an enormous company, and its movie unit (which produced the Spiderman movies) and music business (which distributes Adele and Taylor Swift) post profits. In fact, its biggest moneymaker is Sony Life, an insurance company. The problem is lackluster gadgets. Consumer electronics still account for half of Sony's sales, and the company's once-unrivaled television division, for example, â€Å"is drowning in red ink,† says Matt Burns at TechCrunch. Why can't it make another Walkman? Sony's â€Å"gift for innovation† came more easily when the company was â€Å"young and streamlined, not sprawling,† says Chico Harlan at The Washington Post.Sony has become an â€Å"unwieldy multiheaded beast,† says Burns, and is simply less focused on product development. Furthermore, Sony is reluctant to take the draconian steps — firing workers, for example — that are often necessary to make companies more nimble. Like other struggling Japanese companies, Sony still adheres â€Å"to cultural expectations of lifetime employment,† says Harlan. What is Sony's new CEO planning to do? Hirai, who took the helm on April 1, is proposing a new business structure called â€Å"Sony One,† which will see the company focus on gaming, mobile devices, and digital imaging.For a company that missed out â€Å"completely on the iPod era of portable music devices,† it's hoping to â€Å"make up for lost time† with a big splash in the smartphone industry, says Devindra Hardawar at VentureBeat. Gaming is still a â€Å"cash cow† for Sony, and its digital cameras are â€Å"better† than most, so the Sony One plan seems solid. Can it make a comeback? Hirai says he's willing to take the â€Å"painful† steps it will take, says Cliff Edwards at Bloomberg Businessweek, including cutting costs. But Sony will also have to do a bet ter job of wedding its gadgets with the vast music and movie content at its disposal.Sony's â€Å"engineers were slow to weave it all together, as Apple did seamlessly with its iPod and iTunes,† says Harlan. It's an ironic twist of fate for the reigning company â€Å"Apple and Steve Jobs were aiming to dethrone 15 years ago,† says Burns. Sony's Walkman Disappears With a Whimper Few tears were shed as Sony announced plans to shelve most editions of its once ubiquitous Walkman cassette player. The now-unwieldy device, which debuted in 1979, was credited with beginning the portable music player craze and ushering the transition of music fans â€Å"from listeners into users. But many columnists, instead of penning fond farewells to the iPod's ancestor, are bidding the device good riddance, asking why it wasn't discontinued â€Å"years ago. † Still, there were a more than a few who waxed nostalgic about those tinny headphones blaring their favorite '80s tunes. A Ver y Subdued Goodbye for the Device The Wall Street Journal's Daisuke Wakabayashi wonders how the iconic device managed to disappear so inconspicuously, especially in Japan. â€Å"Perhaps there was no raucous send-off in Japan, because the Walkman has come to symbolize, fairly or unfairly, how Sony relinquished its portable music player lead to Apple Inc. s iPod on its ways to taking a backseat to Steve Job’s seemingly endless string of hits†¦. To be sure, most consumer electronics products disappear with barely a whimper†¦. However, one can not help but think the Walkman and its incredible success deserved more than a gadget’s equivalent of a gold watch and a pat on the back. † ‘The Best Symbol of the Demise of Sony' Douglas A. McIntyre at 24/7 Wall Street pens a eulogy for the Walkman and, in turn, Sony. â€Å"There will be many histories of Sony written and most will question why the company was not more aggressive to court music companies and c reate its own iTunes store. Unfortunately, McIntyre argues, â€Å"Its digital version of the Walkman came to market too late†¦. The burial of the Walkman signals the death of Sony’s own ambitions in the portable multimedia device industry. It will be a case study at business schools for decades to teach how a company can lose a market it has dominated. † It Used to Be Amazing, Today It's ‘Kind of a Joke' Talking Points Memo editor Josh Marshall briefly recalls 1979. â€Å"It wasn't just that the device was small, though it was — not that much bigger than the size of a cassette itself.It was that the headphones were so small and managed to provide — right up against your ear — a surprising degree of audio fidelity. Remember, holding a boombox up on your shoulder wasn't just an affectation. It was the only real way to listen to music on the go. † We Wouldn't Have the iPod Without It After making the requisite quips about the Walkman (â€Å"at least it outlived disco†) CNet's Greg Sandoval notes that the devices designers â€Å"likely influenced† the eventual concept of the iPod. â€Å"[Steve] Jobs took portable music to a new level, one where even [Sony] couldn't compete.Jobs wrapped his offering around a cohesive and as yet unbeatable combination of hardware, software, and digital retail. Sony knew hardware but was at best so-so in retail and a total disaster at developing software (see Sony Connect). Some have speculated that Sony's failure to keep up in a segment that the company created was one of the reasons it has given the Walkman such a quiet send off. † ‘Enough Nostalgia. Let's Recall the Bad Times. ‘ NPR's Jacob Ganz remembers the music players with little fondness. Walkman was all about smaller and cheaper: headphones were light, but breakable. You could hear your music on the go; so could everyone else, since the speakers in the headphones were so bad that you had t o crank the volume. † It also had the interesting effect of turning â€Å"music into a drug, boiled down into capsules that were lower in purity but easier to acquire and manipulate. The device itself may have been too rigid and flawed to survive changing times, but the Walkman changed us from listeners into users. † 30 facts from 30 years of the Sony WalkmanThe first Walkman was launched 30 years ago today Related stories Three decades ago today, Sony launched the Walkman in Japan. It changed how and where we listened to music and its legacy and name still continue today. To celebrate the anniversary of the launch, we've gathered together 30 facts from the last 30 years of one of tech's biggest product icons. 1. The idea for the Walkman came from Masaru Ibuka, the founder of Sony. He was a regular user of the 1978 TC-D5 portable tape recorder, but found it too heavy.He and Sony's Executive Deputy President Norio Oga challenged Nobutoshi Kihara to come up with a simple, playback-only stereo version of the small Pressman tape recorder. 2. Despite initial troubles with batteries and the strangeness of a large pair of headphones teamed with a small device, Ibuka said to Sony's Chairman Akio Morita â€Å"Don't you think a stereo cassette player that you can listen to while walking around is a good idea? † 3. Over 300 different Walkman models have now been produced. 4. Walkman was chosen as a name partly because of the popularity of Superman in 1979. 5.In early 1979, Morita held a meeting in which he held up the prototype Pressman-derived device and said the product should be manufactured and would be a hit among the young. He gave the engineering team less than four months to produce the model, which needed to launch in June. 6. Due to the short time frame, members of the engineering team had to work through the night two or three times a week. 7. The first H-AIR MDR3 headphones weighed just 50 grams at a time when most headphones were 300-400 grams. They were being developed in Sony's research labs at the time of the Walkman project. . By June 1989, a decade after the original, 50 million units had been shipped. 9. Morita ordered an initial production run of 30,000 Walkman units to be made – double the montly sales of the best-selling tape recorder. Poor initial response and sales 10. The first TPS-L2 model was shown to the press on 22 June 1979. Journalists were driven to a park, given a Walkman and were told to walk around while listening to an explanation of the Walkman in stereo. 11. However, initial press responses were very lukewarm. They believed it wouldn't take off. 2. By the end of the first month on sale only 3,000 units had been sold. 13. Retailers weren't keen on the product as they didn't think they could sell something that wouldn't record. 14. Yet, the word of the Walkman spread quickly among the young in Summer 1979. So much so that Marui Department Store placed an order for 10,000 units – even though major Japanese retail was still ignoring it. 15. The initial batch of 30,000 units sold out by the end of August and Sony had problems fulfilling orders for the rest of the year. 6. A worldwide launch was planned for six months after the Walkman's Japanese launch, but Sony subsidiaries didn't like the Walkman name. 17. Other proposed names were Soundabout in the US, Freestyle in Sweden and Stowaway in the UK. 18. But Morita went on a business trip and in both France and the UK people asked him when they would be able to get a Walkman. The name was already set in stone. 19. The latest Walkman line is the X-Series portable video player. A complete success 20.To emphasise the nature of the product, the 1979 launch event was held outside with Walkman demos in the form of people roller skating or cycling while listening to the device. 21. 100 million units were shipped by 1992. 22. In 1986 the name Walkman was included in the Oxford English Dictionary. 23. Many at Sony initia lly felt that the Walkman should be able to record, but Morita was determined to produce a playback-only unit. 24. Again, due to the short time frame, the development team was told not to worry too much about what the original Walkman looked like. 25.In the UK, the first Walkman in the UK came with stereo and two mini headphone jacks – even though it only had one pair of MDR-3L2 headphones. 26. Sony does not like Walkman to be pluralised in the traditional form – either as Walkmans or Walkmen. 27. The first Discman was launched as early as 1984 – the D-50 or D-5. Later models included ESP for shock protection. 28. 1992 saw the launch of the digital re-recordable, MiniDisc Walkman. 29. The Sports line of waterproof players was introduced in 1983. 30. Incredibly, Sony still manufacturers cassette-based Walkman players today.

Catcher in the Rye Essay on Holden’s Inconsistencies Essay

‘It is his inconsistencies that make Holden compelling as a character. ’ I completely agree with this statement, as Holden’s significant inconsistencies are what make him an insightful, genuine and compelling character. A world without inconsistencies would be very boring. As humans we are all drawn to the odd/ interesting things in life to some extent. This is why Holden is so compelling as a character; it is because he is different from the conformists of the world he lives in. As we can see in chapter 2 when Mr. Spencer says ‘life is a game boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules. We may think at first Holden thinks life is a game, however he believes the opposite, he is deathly serious about life, but he doesn’t accept the rules set before him by ‘phony’ adults. Another way that Holden is inconsistent with the world around him that makes him a compelling character is that he demands authenticity. For example in Ernie’s piano bar he believes Ernie is a ‘phony as he makes his music fake with trills and fancy technical display to impress the crowed (‘terrific snob’) As Holden demands authenticity he also doesn’t want art to be an occasion for egotistic exhibition. He thinks to himself, ‘I was surrounded by jerks. ’ Another inconsistency that makes him a compelling character is his hypercritical tendency to lie, however be always true to the reader: ‘im always sayin glad to’ve met you to some one I’m not at all glad to meet, if you want to stay alive you have to say that stuff though. ’ This quote also underscores his entire philosophy of life. He attempts not to keep himself alive but, but to keep the innocence of those around him. He also wants them to think he is really glad to meet them in order to preserve their innocence. Another example of many, is in the train talking to Morrows mother, he tells us, ‘her some was doughtless the biggest basted that ever went to Pency, in the whole crumby history of the school. ’ He tells her, ‘he adapts himself very well to things,’ and ‘he’s a very sensitive boy. ’ He concludes I’m the most terrific liar. ’ This quote sums up his hypercritical nature as he thinks liars are phonies. I feel that the inconsistency that makes him most compelling and empathisable is his attachment to Allie. The main cause of Holden’s depression and inconsistencies was Allie’s death. Through out the novel he talks about Allie very admiringly: ‘my brother Allie, the one that died was a wizard. ’ And,’ 50 times more intelligent,’ and,’ people with red hair are supposed to get mad very easily, but Allie never did. ’ Due to all this upraised talk about Allie in the past, it forces us to sympathize with him, which forges a relationship between Holden and the reader thus making him more compelling. Also, Holden’s subconscious battle between innocence and adulthood make him very interesting to the reader. Holden believes himself to be the protector of innocence. ‘ The catcher in the rye. ’ Which incorrectly derives its meaning from Robert burns’ song ‘comin thro the rye. ’ Which correctly interpreted is song about adultery and sex. Holden misinterprets the song as catching kid innocently running through a rye field about to fall off a cliff into adulthood. Holden is on the edge of this cliff, drawn to the adult world by sex but pulled back by Allie, as Holden connects him with innocence, and to lose his innocence would mean to forget Allie. We can see in chapter 13, this battle between adulthood and innocence that make him such an interesting character. In this chapter Holden is very keen to meet the prostitute: ‘put some water on my hair,’ he’ ‘tested to see if [his] breath stank. ’ He also, ‘brushed [his] teeth†¦ then [he] put on another clean shirt. ’ He said, ‘ I was started to feel pretty sex and all. It is obvious here that Holden is ready to lose his virginity and plunge into adulthood with no second thoughts. However his mind set changes when he realizes she is ‘young as hell. ’ His persona of the protector of innocence kicks in, ‘sexy was the last think I was feeling, I felt much more depressed than sexy. ’ Here his innocence overcomes adulthood and pulls him away from the cliff. Therefore it is Holden’s inconsistencies that make him such an interesting and compelling character to the reader.

Padma Bridge

1. Overview Padma Bridge is one of major outstanding infrastructure required for balanced economic development of Bangladesh. It is anticipated that the gross domestic product of the would increase by 2 percent once the bridge was constructed. The bridge, which would connect the southwest region with the rest of the country, could be used for the trans-Asian route; the minister said adding â€Å"The Bridge will help gear up industrialisation in the region too. Environmental impact of the bridge would be assessed during the preparation of design. Government is endeavouring to start construction of the proposed Padma Bridge in 2011 to comple it by 2014. The bridge to be built at an estimated more than twenty thousand crore TK would be, the longest bridge in the country with 6. 15km length and 25m width, he added. The bridge will have four lanes and a railroad in the middle. The bridge will also have a gas transmission pipeline, power transmission line and telecommunication cable. The Jamuna Multi-Purpose Bridge Authorities (JMBA) that looked after large bridge projects, in a study in 2005 estimated that 918. 76 hectares of land would be needed to be acquired on both the sides of Padma Bridge. The land acquisition cost is estimated at 3. 2 billion taka (about 46 million U. S. dollars), said the study. According to a survey by JICA, nearly 30,000 people will lose their lands due to land acquisition for construction of the bridge. The 6. 5 km long 22-metre wide, four lane bridge on the river Padma connecting Mawa (35km south of Dhaka) in Munshiganj with Jazira in Madaripur is also likely to contribute hugely to the functioning of the Mongla Port in Bagerhat, the second seaport of the country that fails to attract cargo ships owing to poor communications. The decision to construct the bridge was taken back in 2001 but dilly-dally over selecting the construction sites delayed the process. 2. INTRODUCTION The three major rivers of Bangladesh – the Padma, Brahmaputra-Jamuna and the Meghna divide the country into four principal regions such as north-west, north central, eastern and south-west regions. The Padma River separates the South-west region from the capital city and requires time consuming ferry crossings to major destinations. At present, transportation of passengers and freight across the river is by ferries and to a lesser extent by launches and manually-operated boats, but their services are grossly inadequate in both capacity and service level. The existing ferry services involve long and unpredictable waiting time at terminals lacking basic service facilities. They are prone to suspension orcancellation due to flood, fog and inclement weather conditions. The proposed Padma Bridge is expected to make cross-Padma transport more reliable and drastically reduce the travel time and cost across the river. The proposed bridge plans to build a multipurpose crossing with additional utilities like rail, telephone, gas and power lines across the Padma. It is designed to remove the last major physical barrier in the road connection between Dhaka and the South-west region of Bangladesh, where about one quarter of the population of Bangladesh is living. The bridge will shorten the distance from the South-west to Dhaka by 100 km and travelling time will considerably be reduced. The project is viewed as a very important infrastructure and transportation network, which will hugely facilitate social, economic and industrial development of this relatively underdeveloped region of the country. The padma Bridge will help to stimulate economic activity in the SW region by providing a reliable and rapid transport connection. It is estimated in the feasibility study that the project will increase the GDP by 1. 2% and that of South-West Region by 2. 3%. The Padma Bridge is on the Asian Highway Route A-1 and Trans-Asian Railway Route. When the railway will be effectively connected, the Padma Bridge will contribute to the multimodal international transport network for the Eastern Region of the Indian sub-continent and substantial benefit to GoB for bi-lateral cargo movement between India and Bangladesh. 3. PROJECT COMPONENTS Among the project components main bridge is by far the prime component of the project covering about 50% of the project cost. The main components of the Padma Multi-Purpose Bridge Project consist of: * A 6. 15km long two-level steel truss main bridge. (four-lane divided highway on top and single track rail on the bottom deck); * The Approach Road to the bridge consisting of a 12. 4 km four-lane divided highway and includes five minor bridges of 150~270m length over local waterways, 21 drainage box culvert and 8 local road underpasses. * Transition structures that includes the Approach Viaduct at Mawa length of 721. 50m and 756. 788m for the northbound and southbound carriageways respectively. The length of the Approach Viaduct at Janjira is 873. 250m and 797. 315m for the northbound and southbound carriageways respectively; * Bridge End Facilities on both sides of the river that includes Toll Plazas and Service Areas; * Access roads totaling about 8. 9 km and 14. 5 km of service road . * Four Resettlement villages (two on the Mawa side and two on the Janjira side). 4. MAIN BRIDGE The total length of the main bridge is 6150m and the main bridge is connected to approach viaducts on both ends and overall width of the bridge is 22. m. The main bridge is in the form of composite steel truss with two levels, railway at lower deck level and highway at upper deck level suitable for fast track construction. Longitudinally, the main truss is in the form of a continuous warren truss and the concrete roadway slab is connected to the top chord by shear stud. The railway deck comprises longitudinal steel beams spanning between lower cross beams and a concrete railway slab which is also compositely connected to the beams. The roadway slab is reinforced concrete in the transverse direction, and is a pre-stressed concrete structure in the longitudinal direction. There are 41 spans each 150 m in length optimized in the computer program. It is sub-divided into 7 continuous bridge modules, and each module is comprised of 5 or 6 spans. At the interface between adjacent modules, a movement joint is present to accommodate the movement due to various actions. The major portion of the bridge is flat (0% vertical gradient) except at the two ends the bridge level decreases with approximately 0. 5% vertical gradient to match with the adjacent approach viaducts. The horizontal alignment of the bridge consists of straight sections, curved sections with onstant radius and short transition curves. The tightest radius is found in Module 7, where the radius is 3000 metres. 5. CROSSING REQUIREMENTS The bridge is to carry the following facilities: Highway The bridge is required to carry a dual two-lane carriageway road with a design traffic speed of 100km/hr. Each carriageway shall comprise two 3. 5 meter wide traffic lanes plus a 2. 5 meter wide hard shoulder and 650mm wide median. The bridge is intended to carry motorized vehicles only. Railway Provision shall be made for future addition of a single track broad gauge railway along the bridge. The railway is proposed to be an extension of the Indian Railways Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) and is likely to be part of the Trans-Asian Railway. The design rail speed is 160km/hr for passenger trains and 125 km/hr for freight trains. Power Transmission Line The bridge will be required to carry a high voltage power transmission line with a capacity of 400kV as part of the developing power supply network in south west Bangladesh. High Pressure Gas Transmission Line A 30 inch (76 cm) diameter gas pipe is to be carried by the bridge, which is expected to operate at a pressure of. 1135 psi. The gas pipe shall be hydro tested to a pressure of 1710 psi in accordance with procedures approved by Petrobangla. The high pressure gas main shall be designed in accordance with the requirements of Petrobangla with reference to appropriate recognized international design standards such as the American 6. BRIDGE VIADUCTS The viaduct spans are separated into the approach road and the railway viaducts. The main bridge is a two level structure which required a challenging task in the arrangement of the viaducts to separate the railway from the highway and alternative options were considered during the Scheme Design Phase of the project. There are a total of four viaducts supporting the highway, two on each side of the river. The length of the approach road viaducts ranged from 720m to 875m long and consists of 38m spans. The superstructure consists of precast, pre-tensioned concrete Super-T girders which will become the first Super-T girder structure to be constructed in Bangladesh. The Super-T girder is an economical beam commonly used on highway bridges in Australia and is becoming more widespread on projects throughout Asia. The introduction of the Super-T girder to Bangladesh presents an opportunity for future use on other projects throughout the country. There is a total of two viaducts supporting the railway, one on each side of the river. The length of the railway viaducts ranged from 2. 36km to 2. 96km and consists of 38m spans similar to the approach road viaducts. The superstructure consists of precast, post-tensioned concrete I-girders. The detailed design of the viaduct structures posed some major challenges in bridge engineering specifically involving earthquakes under soil conditions highly susceptible to significant depths of liquefaction. A multi modal response spectra analysis was used to analyse and the design the viaducts for a seismic event with a return period of 475 years. This paper describes the dynamic analysis procedure and the design features of the structure to withstand these seismic events. A transition pier is located at the interface of the viaduct spans to the river spans and supports the end spans of the main bridge, the approach road viaduct structure and the railway viaduct structure. The transition pier also provided the location for the diversion of the gas pipe, power cables and telecommunication utilities located on the main bridge whilst also enclosing an access stairwell for inspection, maintenance and emergency evacuations. 7. SITE SELECTION Four alternative bridge sites were identified as alternative locations in the following areas: Site-1:Paturia-Goalundo Site-2 : Dohar-Charbhadrasan Site-3 : Mawa-Janjira Site-4 : Chandpur-Bhedarganj Four alternative locations were examined from the view points of existing transport of the project area, traffic demand forecast, preliminary river study and technical consideration in highway planning, preliminary bridge planning, environmental & social consideration. JICA study team considers site-1 and site-3 to be most advantageous for a new fixed crossing and recommends these sites for further study until Interim report. Survey Results Estimated amount of land to be acquired is almost same (about 1,250 ha ) in both cases The number of affected households / structure varies due to differences in population density Current estimate suggests:- Mawa – Janjira 70,000 to 80,000 Paturia – Goalundo 40,000 to 45,000 Traffic Study and Economic Analysis (Main Work Items) 1) Traffic Surveys (Traffic counts, OD Survey) 2) Establishment of Future Socioeconomic Framework (Population, GDP, GRDP) 3) Traffic Demand Forecast (Target year 2025) 4) Confirmation of Economic Feasibility 5) Economic Impacts of the Padma Bridge ) Improvement of Accessibility 2) Regional Economic Development 3) Formation of International Road Network Summary of Comparisons of Two Sites from traffic and Economic Point of View Evaluation Criteria| Paturia-Goalundo| Mawa-Janjira| Traffic Demand (2025)| 19,850 vehicles/day| 41,550 vehicles/day| Economic Feasibility| EIRR=9. 6%| EIRR=16. 9%| Financial Project Cost (Million US$)| 1,26 0| 1,074| Improvement of Accessibility| (Travel time) Dhaka – Mongla Dhaka – Benapole (Beneficiary Population) Within 3 hours from Dhaka Within 4 hours from Dhaka| 4. 5 hours 4. 6 hours ,791,000 (9%) 12,738,000 (42%)| 3. 6 hours 3. 6 hours 10,417,000 (35%) 22,247,000 (74%)| Density of Feeder Roads| No big difference| Formation of International Road Network| | Asian Highway A-1. Short distance to Benapole Land Port and Mongla Sea Port| Regional Economic Development| GDP of Southwest region will increase by 18% (1. 2% /year)| GDP of Southwest region will increase by 35% (2. 3% /year)| Growth centers around the bridge sites| No big difference| Indicative Cost Paturia – Goalundo| Mawa – Janjira| US$ 1,260 million| US$ 1,074 million| Evaluation of P-G & M-J sites Evaluation Criteria | Paturia – Goalundo| Mawa – Janjira| Economic Feasibility| EIRR| 9. 6%| 16. 9%| B/C Ratio| 0. 71| 1. 81| | NPV (Mil. Taka)| -9,857| 23,140| | Regional Development| Increase of GRDP of Southwest Region| 18% up (1. 2% per year)| 35% up (2. 3% per year)| Environmental Impact| Result of IEE| No big difference| Social impact and Resettlement Issues| Households requiring relocation| 1,842| 2,635| Community structures affected| 18| 60 `| | Total population affected (both direct and indirect)| 40,000-45,000| 70,000-80,000| Preliminary RAP cost| 23. 7 mil. US$| 38. 79 mil. US$| Traffic Demand Forecast of the Padma Bridge | Traffic Volumes across PadmaRiver (both ways 2003: From Traffic Survey)| | Paturia-Goalundo| Mawa-Jajira| Cross-Padma| Light Vehicle| 572| 128| 700| Bus| 687| 227| 914| Truck| 1,217| 78| 1,295| Total| 2,476| 433| 2,909| Launch Passenger| 15,559| 9,126| 24,685| Present Traffic Movement Pattern At present, traffic at Mawa is lower than Paturia due to the following reasons: 1)    Road condition of NH 8 is now very poor. 2)    A narrow approach road to the Mawa ghat. 3)    Quality of ferry services at Mawa is lower than Paturia in general. )    No sufficient parking space for trucks. 5)    Two hour river crossing time at Mawa is significantly longer than 35 minutes of Paturia. Future Traffic Movement Pattern Future traffic movement pattern will be drastically changed if the Padma Bridge is constructed at Mawa with following reasons: 1)    Improvement of NH 8 (Dhaka – Khulna Road Project by ADB) will be completed by the end of 2004. 2)    Direct road link from Dhaka for the largest traffic demands to Khulna and Jcssore. 3)    Elimination of two hour crossing time. Criteria for Final Site Selection Preliminary results shows greater impacts In Mawa-Janjira over Paturia site   Site selection should be more on technical – engineering grounds-future safety of the bridge infrastructure   Major Impacts of the project – Irrespective of    sites   Selection of Final site Is critical to set the next agenda preparation of RAP   Task would be to minimize Impact, develop Improved policy for mitigation of adverse Impacts, management and capacity building for resettlement management   Experience of the Jamuna and other donor-funded projects will be used In the planning and Implementation of RAP for Padma . CONCLUSION The Padma multipurpose bridge is a long cherished dream of the people of the entire southern region. The bridge will link the greater Khulna, Greater Faridpoor and Greater Barisal region with the rest of the country. It will give tremendous boost to national economy as the direct driving travel distance between Dhaka and this region will be greatly redu ced and hustles and harassment people face in moving tradeable commodities to and from this region will be removed. The agro rich region of Barisal and Khulna can feed the rest of the country much easily. Mongla port can make greater contribution. Tourism industry in the picturesque mangrove forest Sundarban and marvellous sea resort Kuakata will get massive boost. Nepal, Bhutan and 7 sisters around Bangladesh may utilise this bridge to use Mongla port which will give our economy a massive shot in the arm. Padma Bridge Padma Bridge Padma Multipurpose Bridge Carries| Motor vehicles, Railway| Crosses| Padma River| Locale| Louhajong, Munshiganj to Shariatpur and Madaripur,  Bangladesh| Maintained by| Bangladesh Bridge Authority| Designer| Maunsell AECOM| Design| Truss bridge| Material| Steel| Total length| 6,150  m (20,180 ft)| Width| 21. 10  m (69. 2  ft)| The Padma Bridge is a multipurpose road-rail bridge across the Padma River to be constructed in Bangladesh. When completed it will be the largest bridge in Bangladesh and the first fixed river crossing for road traffic.It will connect Louhajong, Munshiganj to Shariatpur and Madaripur, linking the south-west of the country, to northern and eastern regions. The project covers three districts — Munshiganj (Mawa Point/North bank), Shariatpur and Madaripur (Janjira/South bank). The total area of land to be acquired and required for its components is 918 hectares. The requisition of land for the construction yard will be for six years on a rental basis. As per the new design, an additional 144. 04 ha has been identified for acquisition, bringing the total to 1062. 14 hectares. Similar essay: Padma Bridge ParagraphThis additional land is required because project site lost significant land due to erosion, for transition structures and due to a change in railway alignment. The two-level steel truss bridge will carry a four-lane highway on the upper level and a single track railway on a lower level. The project will include 6. 15  km long and 21. 10 m wide bridge,15. 1  km of approach roads, toll plazas and service area. Previous Source of Financing Project cost is estimated to be US$3. 00 billion. Funding for the project is provided by the Asian Development Bank (US$615 m), the World Bank ($1. billion), Japan International Cooperation Agency ($415 m), Islamic Development Bank ($140 m). The government also signed another $14. 84 million agreement with the IDB for the implementation of the water-supply and sanitation project in cyclone-prone coastal areas, and Abu Dhabi Development Group ($30 m). Of the total amount, the government will provide Tk 50 millio n while the rest will come in the form of project aid. The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) invited the pre-qualification tender for the project in April 2010. Construction of the bridge was expected to commence by early 2011 and be ready for major completion in 2013 (and complete all sections by late 2015). The proposed Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project will provide direct connectivity between the central and southwestern part of the country through a fixed link on the Padma River at Mawa-Janjira points. The bridge will contribute significantly towards facilitating the social, economic and industrial development of this relatively underdeveloped region with a population of over 30 million.The area of influence of the direct benefit of the project is about 44,000  km2 or 29% of the total area of Bangladesh. Therefore, the project is viewed as very important infrastructure towards improving the transportation network and regional economic development of the country. The bridge has provisions for rail, gas, electric line and fibre optic cable for future expansion. The project will be co-financed by the government of Bangladesh, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Islamic Development Bank.The Bangladesh Bridge Authority is the executing agency of the project. Padma Bridge financing vs. word-of-mouth strategy THE Padma Bridge is a high priority national project of the Awami League government. It is a 6. 15-kilometre long and 21. 10-metre wide bridge with 15. 1-kilometre approach roads to connect the south-western districts with the capital. It will be a very important infrastructure for economic development of more than 30 million people. The construction work of the $2. 9 billion project was expected to begin in 2012 with financial assistance of the World Bank ($1. billion), the Asian Development Bank ($615 million), the Japan International Cooperation Agency ($400 million) and the Islamic Devel opment Bank ($140 million). The government is a co-financer that has already spent Tk  15 billion on land acquisition and rehabilitation projects. However, the construction work became uncertain when the World Bank suspended its $1. 2 billion credit line last year alleging corruption conspiracy against Bangladeshi officials and executives of a Canadian firm. Considering the uncertainty of the World Bank financing, the government looked for an alternative source and almost confirmed a $2. billion Malaysian fund. Meanwhile, the bank, after almost one year of unsuccessful dealings, cancelled the agreement on June 29. It was usual for the ministers and high officials to react against the bank’s accusation. However, the government standing was ambiguous when the finance minister kept the World Bank chapter open to get the decision reviewed. An alternative deal with a Malaysian company went out of the frame when the prime minister announced that the bridge would be built with dom estic fund, eight days after the World Bank decision.Meanwhile, the word-of-mouth strategy in political game became dominant to whip up nationalistic sentiments. Moreover, come business organisations congratulated the prime minister, advertising their commitment to investing in the project. Padma Bridge with Own Fund The government will build the Padma bridge with its own funds and construction work will begin in the current fiscal year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced in parliament. She said the mega project, estimated to cost around Tk 23,000 crore, would be completed within fiscal year 2015-16.The prime minister was delivering her concluding speech in the budget session of the House, which was prorogued last evening. She urged the global lenders not to put up â€Å"unnecessary obstacles† to Bangladesh's development efforts. Hasina's announcement came nine days after the World Bank pulled out of the bridge project, citing a corruption conspiracy. In her address, she sketched out how her government would arrange the money for the project from various sources.Terming â€Å"unprecedented† the response she had received from people in the last few days in support of the government's plan for building the bridge with local resources, Hasina said she was overwhelmed by the way they had expressed their enthusiasm. She added: â€Å"We will not bow to anybody. We can in no way accept the huge damage the World Bank has done to Bangladesh on lame excuses. No Bangalee can accept the allegation of corruption by the World Bank when not a single penny was released for the project. Criticising the WB for delaying her government's move to build the bridge, she said, â€Å"The construction cost has increased due to the delay. I will ask the finance minister to seek compensation from the World Bank. † Hasina also accused the global lender of instigating other lending agencies, including the Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank and Jica, not to provide funds for the Padma bridge project. HOW TO RAISE FUNDS The premier said the government had lately estimated the construction cost of the bridge on a year-to-year basis.According to the estimate, Tk 3,197 crore will be needed in the current fiscal year, Tk 7,868 crore in 2013-14, Tk 7,786 crore in 2014-15 and Tk 3,785 crore in 2015-16 to complete the project. Citing the allocation of Tk 55,000 crore in the ADP for this fiscal year, Hasina said she had already discussed the matter with some ministries, and they had said they would not take their entire allocations in the current year's budget. â€Å"It is possible to save Tk 24,000 crore from the ADP. For this, we will have to be economical and may have to cut some development work under different ministries.But again, construction of the Padma bridge is also development work and will generate employment for many,† she said. The government would be able to begin the construction work soon, and will not waste any more time. The prime minister said the government had earmarked Tk 1,500 crore for infrastructure development and Tk 3,000 crore in the public-private partnership fund. Besides, a certain amount of money had been allocated for the Padma bridge in the budget. The government had also decided to issue sovereign bonds to collect $750 million.Besides, her government might levy a surcharge as was done for the construction of the Jamuna bridge. â€Å"We will also welcome any foreign investment in this project,† she added. Giving a breakdown of the Padma bridge costs, Hasina said Tk 15,000 crore would be spent for construction of the main portion of the bridge; Tk 7,200 crore for river training; Tk 1,281 crore for building Jajira approach road; and Tk 310 crore for Mawa approach road. She said her government had already spent Tk 1, 500 crore on land acquisition and rehabilitation purposes. The Consequent Impact of Constructing Padma Bridge in Own FundBe that as it may, the question i s whether the prime minister’s plan to construct the Padma Bridge without external finance is realistic. According to the estimates, Tk  32 billion will be needed in 2012-13, Tk  79 billion in 2013-14, Tk  78 billion in 2014-15 and Tk  38 billion in 2015-16. The current year’s requirement, as announced, will be redirected from the annual development programme. The government also plans to issue sovereign bonds to collect $750 million and other accumulations will be defined in future. However, mobilisation of domestic resources has hardly been impressive in the past.Regardless of the government rhetoric, the public-private partnership has not yet taken off although Tk  30 billion was allocated three years ago. In such circumstances, if the government continues to redirect funds from the ADP for the Padma Bridge, other projects will certainly be crowded out. The government is already reeling under high subsidy burden and inadequate allocation for its thrust sec tors. Although the inflow of remittance has kept foreign exchange reserve adequate, foreign aid for public projects has dwindled over the years. As such, receipt of foreign direct investment is much needed.In fact, did we not welcome the World Bank’s credit line for the Padma bridge project? Was it not highlighted in the news media? Amidst the raging global economic crisis, the government needs to realise the necessity of the soft loan from the World Bank. It needs to also have a closer looks at the country’s institutional capacity to finance such a colossal project without import of materials and without a foreign company. We might be able to prove our national capacity bypassing the World Bank, but the domestic financing for the project is highly likely to have some negative impacts on the economy.The additional outflow of foreign currency for import of materials will raise the price of dollar for which the estimated cost of Tk  230 billion is expected to increase to up to Tk  300 billion. Moreover, fund accumulation from non-residents may not be steady because of downtrend in the current account balance. The current account balance, which was 3. 7 per cent of the gross domestic product in 2009-10 and is projected to decrease to 0. 3 per cent of the GDP in 2012-13, could slide to a negative value.On the other hand, devaluation of the local currency will raise the price of imported products and will contribute to inflation. In addition, it will continue to provide additional tax burden on the taxpayers. In this context, the government’s strategy to enrich domestic capacity needs to be complemented with a friendly compliance strategy to handle donors and foreign investors. It is reported that the Anti-Corruption Commission failed to comply with the World Bank’s requirement due to its limitation with domestic policy.However, what was the limitation for the ministers to control corruption of their personal secretary or officials. If and when domestic resources will be allocated for the multi-billion dollar project, will the designated officials and implementing agents hesitate to divert billions of taka to their personal accounts? Ultimately, the government needs to address the corruption-related problem first and foremost. To this end, mere assertions of commitment will not be enough; they have to be complemented with decisive and demonstrative actions.Meanwhile, people will look forward to the dream of Padma Bridge coming to reality. So, in shortly if we summarized all the disadvantages of own funding for Padma Bridge, we could get:- * Mobilization of domestic resources is not impressive in our country, so there must be a huge need of importing resources. * We would need more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), because foreign exchange is not adequate in Bangladesh. * Domestic funding would prove costly for the economy in the long run. * The additional outflow of foreign currency for import of materials will raise the price of dollar. Fund accumulation from non-residents may not be steady because of downtrend in the current account balance. * Devaluation of the local currency will raise the price of imported products and will contribute to inflation. We should not build the Padma Bridge just for the sake of building it. It has to be cost-effective, financially viable and above all economically rewarding. All of these depend on minimisation of direct and indirect costs of building the bridge with domestic finance as contemplated by the government.The first and foremost issue in this context is to be fully aware of the possible risks and costs involved in domestic financing, and find a way out to minimise them before starting the construction work. What are the possible risks that may escalate both direct and indirect costs of building the bridge with domestic funding? First comes the direct resource cost, which was estimated to be around US$ 3. 0 billion or nearly Tk 24,500 crore. Since the decision was taken to build the bridge on the basis of the feasibility study carried out by an independent agency, it can be assumed that it was found cost effective.The main indirect cost will be the impact on other economic activities and the balance of payments as a result of diverting resources, both in terms of local and foreign currency. Economists have already expressed their concern about these indirect costs. Although the private sector cannot grow adequately if the infrastructural inadequacies are not removed, they will not build infrastructure on their own as its benefit cannot be fully internalised and priced properly to recover the cost. This is what the economists call the market failure, which shifts the onus on the government.In principle, there is nothing wrong in diverting resources to build infrastructure by government which will ultimately help the private sector. The main point is to keep diversion of resources within tolerable limits so that it will not hur t the private sector significantly by squeezing the resources available to them. In the absence of sufficient sources for revenue earning, the government will have to borrow money from the banking sector to finance the bridge, limiting the resources available for the private sector to borrow from, which the economists call ‘crowding out effect. It will also increase the interest rate raising the cost of credit for the private sector. The size of government borrowings and the extent of private sector's reliance on the banking sector will determine the actual crowding out effect. Another potential indirect effect of government borrowings may work through the stock market. When the banks are faced with liquidity crisis to give loans to the private sector, they may decide to withdraw from the stock market causing another nose-dive of stock price, which has just started bottoming up after a major debacle.How government borrowing affects overall growth in a developing country, where the private sector is always constrained by infrastructural constraints, and government is the sole provider of infrastructure, is an empirical question. Unfortunately, this issue is not adequately researched in Bangladesh. There is only one study carried out by Bangladesh Bank a couple of years ago, which shows that private investment in Bangladesh is not affected significantly by rising interest rates. This finding makes it difficult to guesstimate crowding out effects of government borrowing in Bangladesh.Moreover, 6. 3 per cent GDP growth in the last fiscal in the midst of hue and cry about the crowding out effect does not provide any clear indication of how significantly government borrowing affects overall growth in the country. Yet, the government cannot and should not completely shrug-off the likely effects of its domestic borrowing. It should leave no stone unturned to keep its borrowing from domestic sources as low as possible. It should rethink a new strategy to keep the yearly requirement of resources to meet the cost at a tolerable level.One way of doing it would be to extend the construction period to five years from three years as currently envisioned. The total cost of Padma Bridge will have both local and foreign components; the former would require local currency, and the latter foreign currency. Let us review and compare the yearly requirement of taka and US dollar under different scenarios. No clear public information is available on the relative share of these two components. According to an expert, foreign component is about 40 per cent of the total cost.That means the government would need approximately US$1. 2 billion and Tk 148. 50 billion to construct the bridge, if the total cost is $3. 0 billion as originally estimated. Let us increase these amounts by 10 per cent, to $1. 32 billion and Tk 160. 38 billion, to account for inflation (as the start of the construction work has been delayed by more than a year. ) With this upward adjust ment, the yearly requirement in local currency will be about Tk 32. 08 billion if the bridge is constructed in five years. This amount will increase to Tk 53. 6 billion, if the bridge is constructed in three years. Similarly, the yearly requirement in foreign currency will be US$264 million if the construction period is five years, US$440 million in case of three years. If the total cost is equally divided between local and foreign components, yearly requirement will be Tk 44. 55 billion, if the bridge is constructed in three years and Tk 26. 73 billion in case of five years. Similarly, under this alternative scenario, yearly requirement will be US$550 million and $330 million respectably.Yearly requirements of taka and US dollar under different scenarios are shown in the table. As can be seen, yearly requirement of taka under any scenario does not exceed Tk 53. 46 billion. This should not be a very big problem to collect this money without any significant crowding effect in the eco nomy to negatively affect the growth. Also, even if there is some level of crowding out effect, part of it will be compensated by the multiplier effect of government spending in the construction of the bridge.Some adjustments in the annual development programmes (which always involve some inefficient and politically motivated projects) will also help reduce the negative effects on resource diversion. Besides, compromise with some level of growth in the construction phase of the Bridge which will foster regional equity and growth (as evidenced from Banghabandhu Bridge) will not be entirely unjustifiable from economic point of view. Inter-temporal optimisation of benefits always includes some trade-off between present and future benefits.The main problem that may become a concern is the availability of US dollar to finance the foreign component of the cost. The government has already expressed its optimism to be able to face this problem by using the forex reserve, which is currently in robust shape. However, this robustness may not sustain given the volatility of the global economy as well as our   export and import scenario. However, continued growth of remittances in the recent years is a plus point for the country.Yet, to minimise the risk of any probable foreign currency crisis and reduce pressure on the balance of payment, it will be prudent to extend the construction period of the bridge to five years, which will keep the yearly need of US dollar at a level of about $330 million. It is not easy for a developing and growing economy, which constantly operates under a stringent resource frontier, to invest in a huge infrastructure project like that of the Padma bridge. But the above numbers suggest that constructing the bridge in five years with domestic financing is very much doable contradicting the apprehension expressed by many. The End