Urban sprawl

The term â€Å"urban design† may have been coined in the mid-1950s but 20 years later it was still largely unused outside a small circle of people concerned with the four- dimensional development of precincts of cities. It has a wide, almost boundary-less definition with different connotations depending on professional discipline or the particular context within which the urban environment is being assessed. It is the process of making or shaping physical forms through cognitive perception (senses) (Arnheim, 1969)-it is not simply an intellectual process nor can it be.Design is not linear and constitutes a sensual engagement with reality (not virtual reality). Elements of Urban design: Urban Design involves the design and coordination of all that makes up cities and towns: a. Buildings, b. Public spaces, c. Streets, d. Transport and e. Landscape. Urban Design weaves together these elements into a coherent, organized design structure. The urban design structure defines the urba n form and the building form. Design is also making of things through indirect or unintentional actions.It is the physical and geometric manifestation of underlying forces generated by human ehavior and its interactions with the environment. The way you arrange your furniture in the living room to be â€Å"comfortable† is an act of design that has behind it significant underlying (cultural) forces and determinants (Hall, 1966). Consequently, as we approach design in our culture, we have basic approaches and conventions for interpreting human behavior and needs into design form. 0 People: need, want, aspiration, passion. Program: what and how much of something satisfies the stated need. 0 Context: bio-physical, cultural, Jurisdictional, historic/time, interrelationships. Organization, structure, and process. 0 Design elements, principles, and relationships or compositions (art): space, enclosure, movement, and circulation. 0 Structure, manufacturing, and economy. References an d source: Urban Design. org. Books: Jon Lang – , Urban Design: A typology of procedures and products, Ron Kasprisin – Urban Design, the composition of complexity. 4. Short notes: a.URBAN SPRAWL: The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas. Poorly planned development that spreads a citys population over a wider and wider the land between them and the city fills in as well. Examples: . A Northern Virginia housing development encroaches on farmland. Population growth and relocation is threatening rural environments across the world. Photograph by Sarah Leen Written by John G. Mitchell Republished from the pages of National Geographic magazine. 2. In the United States, urban sprawl is becoming a matter of increasing concern.From 1970 to 1990, people who worked in U. S. cities moved farther and farther from urban centers. The population density of cities in the United States decreased by more than 20 percent as people in cities moved to suburbs and outlying areas. About 0,000 square miles of rural lands were gobbled up by housing developments. For example, the population of the city of Chicago decreased during this period from 3. 4 million people to 2. 8 million. But the Chicago metropolitan area grew from about 7. 0 million persons to 7. 3 million.Sprawl occurs in metropolitan areas that allow unrestricted growth or that have no plans to contain it. Other factors include the widespread use of automobiles and the building of expressways. Example: Mexico City. References and Source: Unbelievable aerial photographs of Mexico City show how the urban landscape preads over mountains while maintaining a remarkable 25,400 people per square mile. â€Å"In a megalopolis like Mexico City,† Mail, â€Å"the relationship between man and space is ever so apparent. ww. pearlandisd. com† National geographic. com – By John G. Mitchell in July 2001, Fraser Sherman – Demand media. b. URBANIZATION: Urbanization is the physical growth of urban ar eas which result in rural migration and even suburban concentration into cities, particularly the very large ones. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008. By 2050 it is predicted that 64. 1% and 85. 9% of the developing and developed world respectively will be urbanized.Urbanization is closely linked to modernization, industrialization, and the sociological process of rationalization. Urbanization can describe a specific condition at a set time, i. e. the proportion of total population or area in cities or towns, or the term can describe the increase of this proportion over time. So the term urbanization can represent the level of urban development relative to overall population, or it can represent the rate at which the urban proportion is increasing. Example:Chicago 1854 1898 Graphs: Source: United Nations, World urbanization prospects: The 2003 revision, population division of department of economic and social affairs of the United Nations secretariat. c. URBANITY: Urbanity refers to the characteristics, personality traits, and viewpoints associated with cities and urban areas. People who can be described as having urbanity are also referred to as citified. Example: They seek papers and panels that investigate elements of urbanism and urbanity during' the long nineteenth century, such as: urbanites (the flaneur, the prostitute, the detective, the criminal, etc. urbanites and the rise of consumer culture; immigrants and urban communities: urban domesticity in literature and culture; architecture, urban design, and city planning; urban spaces and the gothic imagination; motilities and forms of urban transport; the politics of urban space; the city and the natural environment; urban cartographies; urban crime and violence; urban spaces and urban peripheries (Suburbs; ghettos, wastelands, industrial zones, dumps and other hybrid spaces); urbanism and public health; animals and urban environm ents; concert halls, opera houses, and other urban entertainment venues; estaurants, cafes, and urban eating and drinking; leisure and urbanism; city/country divides; and the anti-urban tradition in art and literature.Typology (in urban planning and architecture) is the taxonomic classification of (usually physical) characteristics commonly found in buildings and urban places, according to their association with different categories, such as intensity of development (from natural or rural to highly urban), degrees of formality, and school of thought (for example, modernist or traditional). Individual characteristics form patterns. The word type has been derived from the Greek word ‘Typos' which means ‘impression'.A type in urban design is a characteristic set of form properties of a building, a space or combinations of both (groupings of buildings or spaces, combinations of buildings and spaces). A type is not a concrete example that can be copied. It is a means of estab lishing a relation between a large numbers of comparable objects. Keeping that in mind it can be seen as a kind of ‘generalized model'. In contrast to a category that has a sharp delineation, the delineation of a type is vague and it is multiple interpretable. This makes it pre-eminently suitable to be used in a design process because it occupies a position in between abstract ideas measures than to the modern measure. The type incorporates quality and quantity, but it is not necessary to revert to pre-rational scientific ideas to use it.Buildings have been classified in many different ways, depending on the nature of the study, and the purpose of the classification. In building type studies, for example, buildings are classified according to their functions. The purpose of building type studies is to compare the methods by which different architects have responded to imilar client needs (building task), under different economic, social, technical and site constraints. Hospita ls are studied together, and so are schools, houses, office buildings, stadiums and so on. The differences in the design approach among the designers can be very instructive. References and Sources: Books: Urban Design: A typology of procedures and products, Urban sprawl The term â€Å"urban design† may have been coined in the mid-1950s but 20 years later it was still largely unused outside a small circle of people concerned with the four- dimensional development of precincts of cities. It has a wide, almost boundary-less definition with different connotations depending on professional discipline or the particular context within which the urban environment is being assessed. It is the process of making or shaping physical forms through cognitive perception (senses) (Arnheim, 1969)-it is not simply an intellectual process nor can it be.Design is not linear and constitutes a sensual engagement with reality (not virtual reality). Elements of Urban design: Urban Design involves the design and coordination of all that makes up cities and towns: a. Buildings, b. Public spaces, c. Streets, d. Transport and e. Landscape. Urban Design weaves together these elements into a coherent, organized design structure. The urban design structure defines the urba n form and the building form. Design is also making of things through indirect or unintentional actions.It is the physical and geometric manifestation of underlying forces generated by human ehavior and its interactions with the environment. The way you arrange your furniture in the living room to be â€Å"comfortable† is an act of design that has behind it significant underlying (cultural) forces and determinants (Hall, 1966). Consequently, as we approach design in our culture, we have basic approaches and conventions for interpreting human behavior and needs into design form. 0 People: need, want, aspiration, passion. Program: what and how much of something satisfies the stated need. 0 Context: bio-physical, cultural, Jurisdictional, historic/time, interrelationships. Organization, structure, and process. 0 Design elements, principles, and relationships or compositions (art): space, enclosure, movement, and circulation. 0 Structure, manufacturing, and economy. References an d source: Urban Design. org. Books: Jon Lang – , Urban Design: A typology of procedures and products, Ron Kasprisin – Urban Design, the composition of complexity. 4. Short notes: a.URBAN SPRAWL: The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas. Poorly planned development that spreads a citys population over a wider and wider the land between them and the city fills in as well. Examples: . A Northern Virginia housing development encroaches on farmland. Population growth and relocation is threatening rural environments across the world. Photograph by Sarah Leen Written by John G. Mitchell Republished from the pages of National Geographic magazine. 2. In the United States, urban sprawl is becoming a matter of increasing concern.From 1970 to 1990, people who worked in U. S. cities moved farther and farther from urban centers. The population density of cities in the United States decreased by more than 20 percent as people in cities moved to suburbs and outlying areas. About 0,000 square miles of rural lands were gobbled up by housing developments. For example, the population of the city of Chicago decreased during this period from 3. 4 million people to 2. 8 million. But the Chicago metropolitan area grew from about 7. 0 million persons to 7. 3 million.Sprawl occurs in metropolitan areas that allow unrestricted growth or that have no plans to contain it. Other factors include the widespread use of automobiles and the building of expressways. Example: Mexico City. References and Source: Unbelievable aerial photographs of Mexico City show how the urban landscape preads over mountains while maintaining a remarkable 25,400 people per square mile. â€Å"In a megalopolis like Mexico City,† Mail, â€Å"the relationship between man and space is ever so apparent. ww. pearlandisd. com† National geographic. com – By John G. Mitchell in July 2001, Fraser Sherman – Demand media. b. URBANIZATION: Urbanization is the physical growth of urban ar eas which result in rural migration and even suburban concentration into cities, particularly the very large ones. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008. By 2050 it is predicted that 64. 1% and 85. 9% of the developing and developed world respectively will be urbanized.Urbanization is closely linked to modernization, industrialization, and the sociological process of rationalization. Urbanization can describe a specific condition at a set time, i. e. the proportion of total population or area in cities or towns, or the term can describe the increase of this proportion over time. So the term urbanization can represent the level of urban development relative to overall population, or it can represent the rate at which the urban proportion is increasing. Example:Chicago 1854 1898 Graphs: Source: United Nations, World urbanization prospects: The 2003 revision, population division of department of economic and social affairs of the United Nations secretariat. c. URBANITY: Urbanity refers to the characteristics, personality traits, and viewpoints associated with cities and urban areas. People who can be described as having urbanity are also referred to as citified. Example: They seek papers and panels that investigate elements of urbanism and urbanity during' the long nineteenth century, such as: urbanites (the flaneur, the prostitute, the detective, the criminal, etc. urbanites and the rise of consumer culture; immigrants and urban communities: urban domesticity in literature and culture; architecture, urban design, and city planning; urban spaces and the gothic imagination; motilities and forms of urban transport; the politics of urban space; the city and the natural environment; urban cartographies; urban crime and violence; urban spaces and urban peripheries (Suburbs; ghettos, wastelands, industrial zones, dumps and other hybrid spaces); urbanism and public health; animals and urban environm ents; concert halls, opera houses, and other urban entertainment venues; estaurants, cafes, and urban eating and drinking; leisure and urbanism; city/country divides; and the anti-urban tradition in art and literature.Typology (in urban planning and architecture) is the taxonomic classification of (usually physical) characteristics commonly found in buildings and urban places, according to their association with different categories, such as intensity of development (from natural or rural to highly urban), degrees of formality, and school of thought (for example, modernist or traditional). Individual characteristics form patterns. The word type has been derived from the Greek word ‘Typos' which means ‘impression'.A type in urban design is a characteristic set of form properties of a building, a space or combinations of both (groupings of buildings or spaces, combinations of buildings and spaces). A type is not a concrete example that can be copied. It is a means of estab lishing a relation between a large numbers of comparable objects. Keeping that in mind it can be seen as a kind of ‘generalized model'. In contrast to a category that has a sharp delineation, the delineation of a type is vague and it is multiple interpretable. This makes it pre-eminently suitable to be used in a design process because it occupies a position in between abstract ideas measures than to the modern measure. The type incorporates quality and quantity, but it is not necessary to revert to pre-rational scientific ideas to use it.Buildings have been classified in many different ways, depending on the nature of the study, and the purpose of the classification. In building type studies, for example, buildings are classified according to their functions. The purpose of building type studies is to compare the methods by which different architects have responded to imilar client needs (building task), under different economic, social, technical and site constraints. Hospita ls are studied together, and so are schools, houses, office buildings, stadiums and so on. The differences in the design approach among the designers can be very instructive. References and Sources: Books: Urban Design: A typology of procedures and products,

Concert Essay

For this concert report I chose to go to a performance of student composers held at YUANZE UNIVERSITY auditorium in building 6. I chose this one because I wanted to see some of the talent that my peers have in the music realm, and also it was one of the only concerts I have been able to attend because of religious restrictions. It was impressive to hear pieces composed by students. I cannot imagine creating something as complex as a musical composition, much less actually performing it, so this aspect of the concert was particularly awe-inspiring. There was a large attendance, and I think that much of the audience consisted of friends of the performers and some of the university students. I went with two friends, who weren’t so eager to go; I had to convince them by telling it would be interesting to see student performers/composers. The first piece was called Oblique/musique composed by Patrick Swanson. This piece instantly stood out among the others because of the instruments involved. The piece was performed by two people: one playing a vibraphone and the other playing a large drum/cymbal/gong. However, the piece also contained prerecorded sounds of static, bass, and an incoherent voice. In this piece the melody was repeated many times. It was similar to the works of John Adams because of its repetitions, background recording, and minimalistic sounds. The second piece was a piano composition called something Afternoon; I didn’t really get the title. This piece had a very relaxing melody and a mild tempo. It was not fast and not slow. It was an experience of a lifetime. I listened to a genre of music I never had listened to. At the concert two people performed already leaving the audience wanting for more. I also noticed that in the back of the auditorium there was a camera crew filming the whole performance. The auditorium was very elegant looking. The majority of the people in the audience were young people in their twenties. That’s what I expected, it being in a college and all. The hall was rather big for such a small performance. It could fit approximately three hundred people and in the performance floor there was a piano a chair for the pianist and a table with a jar and a glass of water. The songs performed in the concert were all mixed up between andante and allegro. Most of the songs went from andante to allegro. It was divided into five acts. Four of the five acts were homophonic and the other act was polyphonic. The performers were dressed very elegantly. There was about thirty people in attendance and they were dressed in there normal attire. Also the majority of the concert was in the dissonant form. Very rarely I saw a consonant song playing. The behavior of the performers was that they were very concentrated in their work. Keeping aware and avoiding all mistakes if possible The pianist was really young for his professionalism, he was really professional, played spectacularly well. He gave the audience feelings of anger, sadness, and joy. The flutist also played brilliantly. Lastly the vocalist was the best part. She had a very high pitched voice sang both high and low parts. Sang both happy and sad parts. Gave the crowd mixed up feelings.

Human Resources-Benefits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Resources-Benefits - Essay Example There have been many efforts to implement pay-for-performance programs in the health care industry ever since 2003. However, these incentive systems in the past either focused on outcome measures or process measures in healthcare. While the outcome measures rewarded health care providers based on the health outcomes of patients the process measures assessment took into account whether the hospitals have followed the recommended clinical guidelines. As such, both these measures had their own drawbacks. On the other hand, the advantage of HIVBP is that it follows a mixture of both outcome and process measures. The author also advocates that the salient feature of HIVBP is that it rewards hospitals based on improvements upon their past performance. As a result, the hospitals need to improve the quality of their healthcare to compete against themselves rather than against their competitors. One of the major drawbacks of the previously employed outcomes measures was that it failed to acco mmodate such acute health care centers where patients with least chances of survival were treated. As a result, mortality rates in such hospitals grew higher than hospitals that treat comparatively healthy patients. Thus, the incentive system of rewarding hospitals based on outcome measures proved to be unfair and the introduction of HIVBP could effectively address these drawbacks of earlier reward systems in healthcare. Similarly, HIVBP also seeks to reward hospitals based on process measures such as adherence to certain standard practices of healthcare. The HIVBP also has provisions to bring about timely revisions to its standards by continually adding more of relevant process measures assessment indicators. However, the HIVBP Medicare has its own limitations too. As HIVBP incentive system rewards both achievement and improvement it is easier for high performing hospitals with lots of resources to get rewarded compared to low performing hospitals that lack both resources and infra structural facilities. There is also the danger of hospitals turning their face away from hard-to-treat patients. In spite of these shortcomings, the author argues that pay-for-performance programs will reward quality over quantity and that the current Medicare program (HIVBP) is competent enough to address most of the shortcomings of the previous incentive systems in the healthcare system of the nation. Marcus’ article on the concept of pay-for-performance has larger implications on the healthcare benefits of the workforce of the nation. It is sure that the passage of the Affordable Care Act would bring about a radical restructuring of employer-sponsored health benefits in the United States. Researchers such as Singhal, Stueland & Ungerman (2011, p. 2) predict that â€Å"overall, 30 percent of employers will definitely or probably stop offering ESI in the years after 2014.† The authors also pinpoint that Employer Sponsored Health Insurance will pave way for other bene fit offerings or higher salaries which will be more beneficial for the employers. The researchers are of the opinion that most of the employees will continue their jobs even if the employer stops providing ESI. On the other hand, every employee will be seeking for

Zara Case IT for Fast Fashion Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Zara IT for Fast Fashion - Case Study Example From this paper it is clear that information technology has enabled Zara to disrupt existing technology applied in the clothing retail industry by other companies such as Inditex. Zara applies point on sale (POS) to serve its client instead of normal tallying of products at the counter. Zara switched DOS operating system to mouse technique in order to speed up its transaction at the counter. This approach made Zara compete other exiting companies such Gap, H&M, and Inditex among other clothing companies. The idea was to penetrate the market using a technology, which was not existing. Largely, Zara was able to serve clients in markets, which had competitors.This study highlights that  Zara was able to acquire more customers in a flooded market. Introduction of unique technology outweigh the preexisting technology thus reducing efficiency of the technology in comparison to the modern technology. For instance, introduction of point on sale operating system influenced the speed of comp leting transactions at the counter. Its application influences the number of clients willing to buy product from the store because many clients would like to spare time. Disruptive companies introduce products, which increase efficiency and effectiveness. Point on sale is effective because it interpret the price of the product at a glance. It redeems time because it can handle many clients at very short time. Uniqueness in product delivery usually influences consumer behavior in the market.... Point on sale is effective because it interpret the price of the product at a glance. It redeems time because it can handle many clients at very short time. Uniqueness in product delivery usually influences consumer behavior in the market. Queuing in a large store such as Zara is hectic because of large volume of clients served. Efficiency of the service provided would influence clients to buy products from the store. Apparel Industry Model Gap spends much money on advertisement because its products do not command large market share or influence. The objective of advertising is to create awareness about the existence of the product in the market and to influence consumers to buy the products (Businessweek. 2007). Gap takes long before introducing new apparel in the market. The month of August dominates the period when Gap introduced its product in the market. Gap primarily manufactures its goods in San Francisco, United States (Engler, 2004). Gap primary sources of risk in manufactur ing include delay in logistics, which influences the time a product arrives in the market. The company risks introducing out of fashion products because of the shipping time. Fashion influences retailing of clothing apparel. Gap makes money by selling its products in various markets. Gap competitive advantage is production of anti-sweat products, which many clients seem to like. Zara customer characteristics Zara’s customer characteristic consists of you people who are quick to respond to fashions in the market (Inditex 2011). Age influence demand and taste for products. Zara directs its product to young people who dwell in cities. City dwellers like responding to change in fashion by buying new products introduced. This consumer behavior has influenced

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Ethics - Essay Example A third system of ethics is the deontological theory that lays emphasis on self-rule, acts of kindness, and universal justice. The fourth ethical theory is the virtue ethics. This theory contends that morals exist internally, laying more emphasis on the production of individuals who act ethically because they are naturally good people. Utilitarianism is the fifth widely accepted system of ethics. According to this theory, utilitarianism as a theory of ethics contends that actions need to be considered as wrong or right with regards to the consequences that the actions have. The theory makes an argument that good actions are those that give great happiness to as many individuals as possible (Wundt, 2010). Despite the fact that utilitarianism as an ethical theory has come in for some criticism, especially from the philosophical side, the theory is the most convincing of all the other mentioned ethical systems. Utilitarian Ethical System Utilitarianism as an ethical theory can be dated as far back as the 17th century. The theory is attributed to Thomas Hobbes, who was an ancient student of philosophy before it was reviewed Bentham in the 18th century and Stuart Mill reviewed it later (Ekland-Olson & Dirks, 2011). Stuart mill is regarded as the utilitarian theory’s father with research showing that, following his review of the theory, the theory became part of modern thought. Many people view the theory as a viable alternative to the more accepted Christianity. The reason that it is the most convincing of all the other ethical theories is because it tends to make a judgment on an act as either wrong or right depending on the act’s outcome (Ekland-Olson & Dirks, 2011). The implication of this is that, the utilitarian theory enables people to consider what consequence the act has before they elect to pursue a policy or action over other options that are available to them. When an individual considers the consequences of their individual actions, the the ory allows them to take other persons’ interests into account, rather than just their own personal interests. This is highly convincing when considered as an ethical system. Ethics involves doing what is right with regards to the interest of other individuals instead of doing it to suit one’s own interests. Thus, it is clear that the utilitarian ethical system is focused on the creation of a happier existence for as many persons in the society as possible (Ekland-Olson & Dirks, 2011). This factor makes the theory more convincing than others do. Utilitarianism is also made more convincing as a system of ethics by yet another factor that is its practicability and rationality. The utilitarianism ethics have their basis on a balanced calculation on how many persons can have their happiness and satisfaction maximized by the actions taken and their consequences (Smart, 2011). This is simple and clear, and through the application of utilitarianism as a fundamental standard fo r the judgment of what is wrong and what is right, it avoids the contamination of the moral of morality with perceptions that are irrational, feelings, as well as prejudices. The most essential factor that conveys the highly convincing status to this particular system of ethics is the fact that there is practicality in the rational computation principle (Smart, 2011). As an ethical system, the utilitarian t

Strategic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic - Essay Example An example of a sustainable competitive advantage that has stood the test of time for uniqueness is Coca Cola. Many competitors have tried to replicate or duplicate the Coca Cola formula, with no success. Most people can tell the difference between a Coca Cola and a generic cola. Coca Cola is unique. A company can also create a product that cannot be replicate or difficult to do so. An example of a product difficult to replicate would be Microsoft Windows. Due to copyright laws Microsoft Windows can never be replicated exactly with out Microsoft’s permission. A product superior to the competition can also be controlled internally. Company’s are in charge of what is used to make their products. Using a lower standard can make a product cheaper, but not have the same quality. Examples can be found in the difference between name brands and store brands. Store brands can be cheaper, but a name brand will have more quality. Sustainability is vital for a product’s succ ess. A sustainable product will address needs for a long period of time. An example would be Nike. Nike makes tennis shoes. Until there is a time when shoes are no longer needed, which is probably not in the near future, Nike will have a sustainable product. Gasoline is not a sustainable product. There is a limited supply, which will someday no longer be around. A product that can work in multiple situations is also a must. Coke can be drunk anytime, for a meal, on the road, or for no reason at all. Nike and Microsoft can also be used for multiple situations. A product like can only work in one situation, might sell, but not as well. All of these factors to make a company or organization have sustainability of competitive are internally controlled. Internal decisions are what make the company’s there own. 2. What are the main features of the rational planning approach to Strategic Marketing? Highlight some of the problems associated with

European Discovery of the Americas in 1492-1650 Assignment

European Discovery of the Americas in 1492-1650 - Assignment Example Trade started booming as English merchants got raw materials for their industries and the farmers and settlers found land to cultivate and a large land to put their large population. The lack of religious persecutions also made them opt to stay and start to develop this previously â€Å"bare and underdeveloped land.† With peace and stability prevailing in this new land while there was an increasing instability in the old one (at least the Europe part of it) and lack of political shenanigans, the new world‘s development soared and started even surpassing that of the old world (Elliot 25).The arrival of the Europeans in the Americas brought both negative and positive effects. The Colombian Exchange brought in animals (specifically livestock which were previously lacking in the Americas), some different varieties of crops and pets. These included cattle, horses, pigs and crops such as sugarcane which were planted in the southern part of the new world (which is now South Ame rica specifically the Dominican Republic and even Haiti). Since the new world also had its own unique products in the form of raw materials which were transported to Europe, trade began to grow which benefitted the new world more since its proceeds were used to invest more in their nation (Crosby 64).The negative effect brought by the arrival of the Europeans was that they brought with them diseases (these diseases included smallpox) that were previously nonexistent in that land. These strange diseases had no cure and they killed much of the population of the new world. They also brought much stronger weapons like the guns which could not be compared to the swords and arrows and they, therefore, killed many native Americans that tried to fight them much easier and faster. There was also an introduction of religion and new cultures which was both positive and negative (positive in that there was an emergence of religious diversity and negative as it led to the abolishment of the trad itional beliefs and cultures).

Self Portrait analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self Portrait analysis - Essay Example Exactly sparkles in my eyes make my smile sincere that can be seen in the photo. I have chosen this picture not by chance as at this moment I am associating myself with this image. Not knowing myself, I would say about a woman from the photo that she cannot hide her emotions and she is not shy of expressing them to the full. It is written on a face and can be understood from a pose which is free and relaxed. Such a description is leading to a conclusion of sociability which is helping at work bringing relief to the patients. My easy-goingness is also expressed in a choice of casual cloths that additionally means that I have such a preference due to the rhythm of my life, always active and vivid. I do enjoy this state because I need to move ahead and this is exactly what I am doing. Life is full of surprises and only my attitude is able to paint them into positive or negative emotions, and I use different vectors learning from both. Not by chance there is a shadow on this picture as it characterizes a part of my life when I was in a shadow and had to learn how to bring light relying on my inner sources. Sure, my daughters are the main characters for my inspiration and a constant wish to move on that is why I keep on studying to obtain my BSN in Nursing. I need it to touch lives of more people and to provide my daughters and myself with more opportunities to investigate the world and ourselves. Im making steps towards success and i feel how it starts moving towards me to teach my girls that the world is always answering when you asking for something and then act. My 2014 Dodge Journey is proving this theory because I have just bought it several months ago and it was one of the aims that I have acheived. Its color represents style and some male strength which can be assocciated with my personality combined with female nature making me being me. The background of the photo can be explained

Dunkin Donuts case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dunkin Donuts case - Essay Example With this concern, the essay will qualitatively along with financially analyze and recommend better implementation strategies for DD in addressing and mitigating the aforementioned issues. II. DUNKIN DONUTS AND TOMMY’S FRANCHISE STORE ANALYSIS Tommy can be apparently observed as serving a franchise owner of DD for more than 17 years. However, as days passed, the performance of Tommy’s store declined as per the standard of Customer Satisfaction Guide (CSG). This eventually resulted in deteriorating the franchisee standard of DD. Besides, DD has also been making complaints against Tommy about his non-payment of fees to DD within the stipulated time period. Thus, considering the aforementioned situation, it can be affirmed that DD should disenfranchise its affiliation with Tommy and restructure the store into a company-owned establishment. The company-owned store would certainly assist DD towards making greater sales through having greater control over the operational func tions (Trefis, â€Å"How Important Are Company Owned Stores to Mcdonald’s Stock ?†). However, prior to making this decision, certain options that have been provided to this situation require to be analyzed. These options have been elaborated hereunder. 1) Maintaining Tommy as Franchisee. The initial option, which has been provided to DD in this situation, is keeping Tommy as the franchise owner till the end of the contract. It can be affirmed that this particular option would not be appropriate for DD owing to Tommy’s bad performance in maintaining the standards of his franchise store, which in turn, affected the brand image of DD at large. In addition, the non-payment of fees in a fixed time period by Tommy might also generate certain potential problems between him and DD. Thus, this option would not be relevant for DD in the situation of buying the store of Tommy with the lowest probable price. 2) Royce as a New Franchisee Replacing Tommy’s Position. Th e second option of replacing Tommy with another franchise named Royce has been given to DD. It is strongly believed that Royce will not only be able to meet the industry standards, but would also deliver significant profits to DD. Therefore, this particular option can be justified on the grounds that DD will get 4.5 and 4.9% variable fee along with additional rental fee above sales of $165,000. 3) Company Owned Store at Tommy’s Franchise. The third option is to form a company owned store at Tommy’s franchise. This could be a favorable option for DD in terms of making significant profits. Assuming that this particular store would generate a sale of $ 290,000 and the total profit margin of a company owned store is of 13%, the total cash flow and the profit margin of a company owned store would be more as compared to a franchise store. This can be better understood with the help of the following tabular representation. Apart from attaining substantial profitability, DD ca n also be benefitted from this option i.e. setting up a company owned store at Tommy’s franchise in terms of effectively monitoring the store, scrutinizing customers’ voice and controlling various operational functions of the store efficiently contributing further to its well-built brand image (Chabaud and Saussier, â€Å"Incentives and Control In Company-Owned Vs. Franchised Outlets: An Empirical Study At The Chain

The importance of speaking and writing in the Field of study dealing Essay

The importance of speaking and writing in the Field of study dealing with Cisco Systems - Essay Example Today Cisco is considered to be the largest computer information systems corporation of the world. It generates revenue of approximately 41 billion USD per annum. Cisco, apart from developing, designing and selling computer technology products, also offers a series of IT professional certifications. Entry, Associate, Professional, Expert and recently Architect are categorized under the levels of certification that the corporation offers. Apart from the levels, there are 8 paths that are also present in the certification program which include service provider, routing and switching, design, network security, service provider operations, storage networking, voice and wireless. These well known and valuable IT professional certification programs held at Cisco certifications are highly beneficial for the professionals, managers and the corporation staff itself. Importance of writing in the field of study dealing with Cisco systems: Writing is one of the most important factors in every fi eld of study. Be it the field of science, medicine, managerial sciences, commerce, law, humanities, in all sorts of field, researches are being done. This is to improve the fields of study and to update the students with the latest and accurate information in their fields and also to correct the wrong research works and theories which were made in the past. This is why writing is very important for every field because only good writing will put down the research work more vividly in front of the world. Without a good writing capability, the research worker will not be able to illustrate his/her research work clearly and will not be able to make others understand what the research work actually is all about. Cisco, being the world’s largest computer and networking corporation, needs to update itself with the new computer techniques and technologies and also to introduce new designs and technologies in the world of computer systems. As we advance into the new era and are living in a very fast moving world, where every technology, every theory, every scientific research and everything is changing its state day by day because of more and more research done on every tiny particle worldwide. Therefore, it is important for Cisco as well to hunt for new and unique technologies in the computer and networking operations. Therefore, a student who is studying IT professional certification dealing with Cisco should also constantly make researches. For writing down a research paper, a student must have good writing abilities and skills, without which a good piece of work cannot be written as the student will not be able to clearly elaborate the research which he has made and will not be able to explain his research work, his points of view and the benefits which he thinks he can provide to the computer and networking systems through his research work. Therefore, researching and writing in the field of study, especially dealing with Cisco systems is very important now adays. Writing in the field of Cisco involves qualitative research work. A qualitative research work includes a good quality of data, documents and evidences to understand the research and rely on it. Qualitative research work dealing with Cisco systems is done with a great variety of methodologies, logics and techniques. In Cisco systems, the

Corrosion Pillowing in Aircraft Fuselage Lap Joints Essay Example for Free

Corrosion Pillowing in Aircraft Fuselage Lap Joints Essay Nicholas C. Bellinger,âˆâ€" Jerzy P. Komorowski,†  and Ronald W. Gould†¡ National Research Council Canada, Institute for Aerospace Research, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada DOI: 10.2514/1.18589 This paper presents the results of studies that have been carried out at the National Research Council Canada on the effect that corrosion pillowing has on the structural integrity of fuselage lap joints. Modeling of corrosion pillowing using ï ¬ nite element techniques showed that the stress near the rivet holes increased to the material (Al 2024T3) yield strength when the corrosion present was above 6% thickness loss. In addition, the analysis showed that pillowing resulted in a stress gradient through the skin thickness, which suggested that semi-elliptical cracks with high aspect ratios could form. During teardowns of service-exposed lap joints, these types of cracks were found at numerous holes and a closer examination of the fracture surfaces revealed the presence of fatigue striations. Therefore, a new source of multisite damage, other than fatigue, was identiï ¬ ed. I. Introduction N THE 1980s, it became apparent that commercial transports would remain in service well beyond their original design life, which raised concerns that corrosion combined with fatigue could lead to catastrophic failures of fuselage lap joints. Although there are multiple lap joint designs present in a single fuselage, for older aircraft the majority of them consist of an outer and inner skin fabricated from aluminum 2024-T3 joined together with multiple rows of countersunk rivets (Fig. 1), as well as an adhesive layer. During the operation of an aircraft, the adhesive layer can deteriorate and disbond allowing moisture to migrate between the skins. This moisture can, in turn, breakdown the material protective system resulting in the formation of crevice corrosion. As the corrosion forms, the skins between the rivets are forced apart due to the presence of the corrosion products resulting in a bulging or â€Å"pillowing† of the skins. This phenomenon is referred to as corrosion pillowing and is the feature used to detect corrosion in lap joints using visual (ï ¬â€šashlight) nondestructive inspection techniques. This paper reviews the results to-date of studies that were carried out to determine the effect that corrosion pillowing has on the structural integrity of fuselage lap joints. The results indicate that corrosion pillowing can cause the formation of semi-elliptical cracks with high aspect ratios, which were found in a number of serviceexposed corroded lap joints. These cracks formed at a number of different rivet holes and thus are considered to be a new source of multisite damage (other than fatigue), which could signiï ¬ cantly affect the residual life and strength of a lap joint. II. Corrosion Pillowing Analysis A. Mathematical Model Presented as Paper 2023 at the 46th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics Materials Conference, 13th AIAA/ ASME/AHS Adaptive Structures Conference, 7th AIAA Non-Deterministic Approaches Forum, 6th AIAA Gossamer Spacecraft Forum, and 1st AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Specialist Conference, Austin, Texas, 18–21 April 2005; received 5 July 2005; revision received 17 February 2006; accepted for publication 17 March 2006. Copyright  © 2007 by National Research Council of Canada. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., with permission. Copies of this paper may be made for personal or internal use, on condition that the copier pay the $10.00 per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923; include the code 0021-8669/07 $10.00 in correspondence with the CCC. âˆâ€" Structures Group Leader, Structures and Materials Performance Laboratory, 1200 Montreal Road, Building M14. †  Director General, Institute for Aerospace Research, 1200 Montreal Road, Building M3. †¡ Senior Technical Ofï ¬ cer, Structures and Materials Performance Laboratory, 1200 Montreal Road, Building M3. 758 The visual nondestructive inspections used to detect corrosion pillowing in fuselage lap joints are not capable of determining the level of corrosion that is present within a joint. Therefore, to determine if a correlation existed between the amplitude of the pillowing deformation of the outer skin of a lap joint to the degree of corrosion inside the joint, a mathematical model was developed. This model presumed that after the lap joint disbonds the aircraft skin between the rivets deforms perpendicularly to the lap joint surface to accommodate the additional volume required by the corrosion product. A chemical analysis on corrosion samples taken from service-exposed lap joints indicated that the insoluble product mainly consisted of aluminum oxide trihydrate (aluminum hydroxide), which has a molecular volume ratio of 6.454 times that of pure aluminum [1]. The model assumed that the corrosion product was distributed within the joint so as to exert a uniform lateral pressure on the fuselage skins. It was also assumed that the joint was symmetrical about its midplane and thus only the outer skin was modeled. The closed-form classical plate theory of Timoshenko and Krieger was used to calculate the deformation of the outer skin supported by equidistant rivets and subjected to a uniform lateral pressure [2]. This deformation was used to calculate the pillowing ratio given by the ratio of the central deï ¬â€šection to the volume under the deformed plate [3]. From this model, the central deï ¬â€šection was determined to be approximately 3.3 times the thickness loss for a rivet spacing ratio of one. To better understand the effect that the rivet spacing ratio had on corrosion pillowing, the deformed shapes of plates with various rivet spacing ratios were calculated and the results are plotted in Fig. 2. The results showed that as the rivet spacing increased, the relative deï ¬â€šections at the shorter edges decreased, whereas those at the longer edges increased, which can signiï ¬ cantly reduce the probability of detecting the corrosion visually. This suggests that the detection limit for joints with a high rivet spacing ratio, may be signiï ¬ cantly larger than the maximum allowed 10% thickness loss. B. Stress Analysis Because actual lap joints contain free edges and stiffeners, which cannot be modeled using the closed-form solution, ï ¬ nite element techniques were developed to model an actual aircraft lap joint (Fig. 1). This model included the effects of the hoop stress from the pressurization of the fuselage, the rivet prestress caused by the rivet installation as well as the corrosion pillowing stress. The fuselage curvature was ignored for all the analyses that were performed during this program.

Multilateral Approach to Climate Change

Multilateral Approach to Climate Change MULTILATERALISM CLIMATE CHANGE What will it take for the US to embrace a multilateral approach to confront climate change? In your answer, please consider: Overall US attitudes toward multilateralism and global governance What terms for a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol might the US find acceptable? According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (n.d.) (UNFCCC), climate change is a complex problem. It touches all aspects of our lives, be it environmental or our very purpose in this world. We need to educate one another on the impacts of climate change globally. The centre of this environmental issue as agreed by everyone is the need to reduce emissions. In 2010, the countries in the UNFCCC had reached a consensus that the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be reduced and managed in such a way that global temperature does not see any hike by more than 2 degrees Celsius. It is clear that global warming is a serious issue. The American public and the rest of the world saw Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’. So why did the US fail to legislate a policy on climate change? According to Skjaerseth, Bang Schreurs, (2013), there are three possible explanations on this matter, namely, differences in agenda-setting privileges, potential for issue linkages and law-making procedures and formal leadership. Agenda-setting privileges refer to the setup of lawmakers in the US. The lawmakers have to tip the balance between promoting an agenda for greater good in the interest of the constituencies and getting a re-election. Issue linkages essentially involve a joint negotiation of two or more issues where it is believed that linkages can improve the chance of an agreement. Lastly, the law-making procedures, these are the political institution settings. The American setting is such that the bill sponsors or the leaders who champion the policy propo sal have to trade off rules, procedures and norms in the legislature with the home state economics, in order to arrive at a winning coalition. The US Senate is represented by states which have different interests individually. For instance, coal, agricultural and manufacturing states are commonly against carbon pricing as it adds to their production costs. One may tempt to accuse the US as pure selfish for not acting in concerted effort to stem global warming. The US is the world’s largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter and yet it refused to join the multilateral effort of the Kyoto Protocol (KP). 191 countries and the European Union signed the KP cooperation to curtail the average global temperature hikes and the consequential change in global climate. The developed member countries of the KP are legally bound to achieve a target in emission reduction in the KP’s first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012. In December 2012, the Doha Amendment to the KP was adopted which launched a second commitment period, starting on 1 January 2013 until 2020. KP was governed by the UNFCCC, see UNFCCC (1997). Because of the higher level of GHG emissions are caused by the developed countries, the KP is therefore binding on these countries to achieve those set target. The developed countries have contributed to more GHGs in the atmosphere since they have gone through more than 150 years of industrialisation, hence the heavier burden. Why was the US unable to embrace multilateralism? Multilateralism can be defined as the practice of coordinating national policies in groups of three or more states, through ad-hoc arrangements or by means of institutions (Keohane, 1990). Since the commencement of the KP, the European Union (EU) has been successful in legislating KP in its member states. According to Skjaerseth, Bang Schreurs, (2013), the EU, in December 2008, has passed a comprehensive legislation on the 20-20-20 targets. They called for a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emission, a 20% increase in the share of renewable energies in overall energy consumption and a 20% cut in primary energy consumption. So why didn’t the United States become a party to the KP? US President Bill Clinton signed the 1997 KP but never submitted it for Senate consideration. This example of a failure by the US to ratify an environmental treaty is not exceptional. The US Department of State (n.d.)’s website reported of many major multilateral environmental agreements that had failed to achieve ratification from the Senate. According to Hovi et.al. (2010), the way the KP was designed, it stood no chance of getting any ratification from US Senate. In 1997, five months before the KP meeting, the Senate passed the Byrd–Hagel resolution (Byrd–Hagel). In 2001, President Bush echoed the sentiments of Byrd–Hagel: ‘I oppose the Kyoto Protocol because it exempts 80% of the world, including major population centers such as China and India, from compliance, and would cause serious harm to the US economy. What would it take for the US to have a hand in the global governance of climate change? It has after all made itself the world’s policeman in some war-torn areas. It had negotiated responses to problems that affect more than one country. So clearly, the US has no qualm in embracing global governance then. Now, what would it take for the US to change its mind on joining KP in its second commitment period? Will it enter the fray if developing countries like China and India sign up? Or does it take an international embargo on these major GHGs to reduce their carbon footprints? Hovi Skodvin (2008) concludes that any efforts to seek the US to sign up with the successor of the KP are likely to fail. One main reason is that the US cannot be threatened to sign on any trade or technology cooperation as the threat would just be unbelievable. A common approach by the U.S. is â€Å"to act first at home and then to build on it at a global level†, see Purvis (2004). So instead of facing the divided government and upcoming elections, the US lawmakers can focus on its own internal environmental regime. This federal climate policy can mimic the KP’s requirement that is to reduce the GHG emissions to 7% below 1990. Successful policies were implemented nationwide on the renewable energy. While others agreed on cap-and-trade system aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emission from power plants. This way, perhaps the American public would be more inclined to push for the US’ role in international level. The key to the success of the implementation of the KP lies on its effective compliance commitment by the member countries. Therefore the world leaders have to come together and decide if confronting the issue of global warming is indeed a priority. If they are worried about the loss of economic bargaining chips, the same can be said about the potential from creating renewable energy sources and making them available to the world. So KP is an excellent platform for the world communities to embark on this green mission to preserve planet earth. References: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (n.d.). Background on the UNFCCC: The international response to climate change. Retrieved from: http://unfccc.int/essential_background/items/6031.php Skjaerseth J.B., Bang G Schreurs M.A. (2013). Explaining Growing Climate Policy Differences Between European Union and the United States. Global Environmental Politics Vol. 13, No.4. p. 61-80. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (1997). Kyoto Protocol. Retrieved from: http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php Keohane, R.O. (1990). Multilateralism: an agenda for research. International Journal Vol. 45, No. 4. p. 731-764.http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=sageltd Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/40202705?uid=3738672uid=2129uid=2uid=70uid=4sid=21103954165271 US Department of State. (n.d.) Treaties Pending in the Senate (updated as of May 7, 2014). Retrieved from: www.state.gov/s/l/treaty/pending/index.htm Hovi, J, Sprinz, D.F. and Bang, G. (2010). Why the United States did not become a party to the Kyoto Protocol: German, Norwegian, and US perspectives. European Journal of International Relations. DOI: 10.1177/1354066110380964 Hovi, J Skodvin, T. (2008). Which Way to U.S. Climate Cooperation? Issue Linkage versus a U.S.-Based Agreement. Review of Policy Research. Volume 25, Issue 2, p. 129–148. Purvis, N. (2004). The perspective of the United States on climate change and the Kyoto Protocol. International Review for Environmental Strategies 5(1). P. 169–178.

Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports

Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports In the world of sports there is much competition. There is so much that many sport players try to cheat their way through by using performance enhancing drugs. The players use steroids, human growth hormones and many more. All performance enhancing drugs should be banned from sports. The history of performance enhancing drugs goes back to the 1800s. There were two reported cases before the 1900s. The first known use was by a 24 year old cyclist named Arthur Linton in 1886. He died in a race from Bordeaux to Paris. The cause of death was said to be Typhoid Fever but he was believed to have taken trimethly which is a stimulant. The second known case happened in 1889. A French physician, Charles Edouard Brown-Sequard, extracted testicular fluid from dogs and guinea pigs and injected himself. At a scientific meeting in Paris he announced his findings saying that it made him feel younger and have more energy. In 1935 German scientists, led by Adolf Butenandt, developed the anabolic steroid. Between 1940 and 1945 the Nazis began testing the steroids on humans. They used prisoners, Gestapos, and Adolf Hitler himself. They found that it causes aggression and with enough use it causes people to go crazy. In 1954, the United States was given Performance- Enhancing drugs. When the Russians began to become good at powerlifting, a Soviet team doctor revealed his teams use of testosterone injections to an American weightlifting doctor named John Ziegler. Ziegler then began to work on creating a refined synthesis that would produce a compound with muscle-building benefits of testosterone but without bad side effects such as a prostate enlargement. The drug he created, called Methandrostenolone, was released by Ciba Pharmaceuticals under the name Dianabol. In 1973, the German womens swim team won 10 out of 14 gold medals in the inaugural swimming world championships in Belgrade. As a result, the Olympic committee in 1975 put anabolic steroids on a list of banned substances from the Olympics. Also, on the list, at that time, were any kinds of stimulants. In 1983, the governing body of Pan Am stripped 3 gold medals from American weightlifter Jeff Michels and they took gold medals from 3 other Latin Americans for testing positive of anabolic steroids. Thirteen other members of the American track and field team withdrew from the Olympics. Overall 23 medals were taken, 11 of them being gold. In 1988, sprinter Ben Johnson smashed the one hundred meter time by .14 seconds with a time of 9.79 seconds. He was then tested for anabolic steroids. He tested positive and his world record was deleted from the record books. In 1990 the government stepped in and Congress passed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act which classifies steroids as a Schedule III controlled substance. This means that the trafficking of Anabolic Steroids is no longer a misdemeanor but a felony. In 2000, Urinalysis tests are improved to detect EPO (erythropoietin). At this time though, blood doping was still undetectable. There are many dangerous risks around blood doping which consist of blood clots, strokes, and thrombosis. After retiring from baseball in 2002, Kem Caminiti admitted that he used steroids in his 1996 National League Most Valuable Player award winning season. He is quoted saying â€Å"I have made a ton of mistakes. I dont think using steroids is one of them.† In 2004 he died of a heart attack. He was only 41 years old.(Sports Illustrated) The most recent major case of steroid usage is with Barry Bonds. He was an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants and was first accused of using steroids in 2003 but denied ever using any. The government accused him when they went to his trainers house and took papers saying that Bonds had been using an undetectable steroid. He was found guilty on obstruction of justice on April 13, 2011 Performance enhancing drugs should not be used in any sports. They can be harmful to the human body, gives players an unfair advantage, and it does not show true skill. Many athletes, because of their drive to win, take too high a dose of Performance-Enhancing Drugs causing a high health risk. Both men and women can get bad side effects from them such as an increased risk of tendonitis, liver abnormalities and tumors, hypertension, heart and circulatory problems, prostate gland enlargement, aggressive behaviors, psychiatric disorders, and inhibited growth and development. Many of these are life threatening. Taking these drugs could be considered cheating as well. While there may be many players in sports taking Performance-Enhancing Drugs, there are still many who do not. For the ones who do not use them they put in hours and hours of hard work to get stronger for the sport they play. Athletes that do take them get the same effect in a much shorter time frame and many of the drugs they take gives them more energy to work out harder and longer. They also do not show the true skills a player may possess. For example, if a baseball hitter is a weak hitter but then takes steroids and works out while he is on them and gets really big and strong and starts crushing the baseball, he is showing the skills that the drugs helped him create. A Tuft University study showed that steroids can increase home run production by 50 percent showing that steroids are the reason why this weak hitter started crushing the baseball. Steroids help people get stronger a lot faster than if they did not take them. There are also some good things that come of Performance-Enhancing Drug use in sports. More world records are set, if it was legal then less time and would be used to enforce the drug policy, and the focus turns away from the drugs and back onto the sport that is being played. All of these reasons can all make the sport be more entertaining. Since these Performance-Enhancing drugs make athletes stronger, more records would be set. A study by a Tuft University physicist found that, on average, taking steroids increases the kinetic energy in a baseball players swing by about 10 percent, raises his bat speed by about 5 percent, and boosts the velocity of the hit ball by about 4 percent. These small increases all cause baseballs to travel farther and give players a 50 percent increase in homerun production which makes home run titles much easier to obtain. (Washington Post, Vedantam) Performance-Enhancing drugs dont only help baseball players break records, they help all sports. A sprinter by the name of Ben Johnson crushed the previous 100 meter dash record by .14 seconds with a time of 9.79 seconds. After the record breaking feat, he was tested for steroids and the results came back positive causing his record to not count. He would have had sole possession of the record if not for steroid bans. A weightlifter by the name Jeff Michels won 3 gold medals in the 1983 Olympics because of his use of steroids. His medals were stripped because he tested positive for steroids but that helps to show that steroids do help athletes become stronger and provide for tougher competition. This tougher competition would make people work harder to strive for their goals that they want to achieve. Money can also be saved if athletes could use Performance-Enhancing drugs. Instead of spending money on doctors to test players and investigators to investigate the players found using the drugs, they could just let it all go and save millions of dollars. With the money they save they could buy new equipment for each team. It would also give the leagues more time to decide on ways to make money. The focus of league officials would come back to the sport being played. Instead of them worrying about who has been taking Performance-Enhancing drugs and how long they need to suspend that person for, they could worry about who hit a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the 9th or who just won the gold in the Olympics all without worrying about what they did to get so good. Performance enhancing drugs should not be allowed in any sport ever and the government should stay out of the entire struggle with these drugs in sports. The problems with Performance-Enhancing drugs has increased over the years but if the government stepped in and tried to deal with it, it would just give them another responsibility that they may not be able to handle. They may also be able to take steps that are too drastic such as throwing people in jail. Performance enhancing drugs are very harmful to the human body and should never be used in sports. They cause many life threatening sicknesses such as heart attacks and heart disease. They also provide unfair advantages and do not show an athletes true skill. There are good sides to it as well such as the added strength it gives athletes causes better records, more home runs, faster people, if they were legal then less time would be used to enforce the drug policy, and they would turn the focus away from drugs and back to the sport being played. Even with the good that can come out of Performance Enhancing drugs they are not worth the fatal risks and being known as a cheater for the rest of an athletes career. Keep all Performance Enhancing drugs out of sports forever. Performance Enhancing Drugs In Sports Performance Enhancing Drugs In Sports Performance enhancing drugs have been used in sports for years. Professional athletes like Barry bonds, Mark McGuire, and Lance Armstrong have been using PEDs for years. Sjà ¶qvist, Garle, Rane, states, Notable examples include Ben Johnsons gold medal for the 100 m at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, and hundreds of other winning elite athletes who have been caught in doping tests (Sjà ¶qvist, Garle, Rane, 2008). Some athletes who take PEDs try not to get caught. There are some athletes who are unaware that they have used performance enhancing drugs. Performance enhancing drugs has caused a serious debate over whether or not to ban PEDs. Performance enhancing drugs damages the integrity of sports and is harmful to the health of the athletes. There are others who believe performance enhancing drugs provides an extra performance increase. Performance enhancing drugs are substance that is used by athletes or people to improve their performance. Some athletes believe it is necessary to us e performance enhancing drugs in order to excel in their performance in sports. . Young athletes are at risk of using performance enhancing drugs because of peer pressure. Also they are at risk because the need to win and to perform better. A debate about the NCAA drug test program is about how the program test athletes for drug use. One reason for the controversy is the program check for certain drugs when they should check for all drug types. It is a suitable moral problem because it is a controversial issue where people can disagree about legalizing or banning performance enhancing drugs in sports. Many people believe that athletes who use performance enhancing drugs are morally wrong, and it is cheating and harmful to the athlete health. One of the major justifications for banning performance enhancing drugs is the health risks to athletes. The second reason is performance enhancing drugs cause damage to the integrity to sports. The third reason is the performance enhancing drug s encourages cheating and dishonest behavior in athletes. Identify the Problem Performance enhancing drug destroy the integrity of sports and it harm the health of the athlete. Clarify Concepts The terms I am planning to define in my paper are performance enhancing drugs, doping, and fairness. Performance enhancing drug is defined as a substance that is used to provide athletes with advantage in athletic performance. An idea that needs clarification is doping can be define as substance that athletes takes in any unfamiliar form to the body used gain an advantage in athletic performance. Another idea needs clarification is that of fairness itself, especially the idea when an athlete is cheating. The accusation is that when athletes takes performance enhancing drugs it is a form of cheating, that is unfair to the athletes when do not use PEDs. Some of the performances enhancing drug use by athletes are stimulants and pain suppressions. Anabolic agents are used by athletes for muscle building. Anabolic agents are also used as training aids by athletes. Some athletes take anabolic agents to recovery from train loads. Athletes some time take several different types performance e nhancing drugs. Diuretics used to control weight and Peptides are taken by athletes for many different reason. Peptides are also used because it is difficult to detect. Athletes take diuretics when they want to lose weight quickly. Athletes have been aware of the benefits that come from blood doping. Some athletes use blood doping used to increase oxygen in tissue. The reason athletes like using blood doping because it is difficult to detect. There are also some side effects from using blood doping like renal failure. Athletes use B Blockers use to control anxiety. Amateur athletes such as football, basketball and baseball players are a lower level athlete than professional. Amateur athletes play in sports in college. Amateur athletes do not earn a paid salary. Professional athletes are higher level and they get paid a salary. Professional athletes can play for sports such as the NBA, NFL and MLB. Wiesing states, Sport is an artificial setting, created by human beings, in which the competitor is required to perform, at least according to current, widely prevalent belief, with a degree of naturalness (Wiesing, 2011). The different kinds of drugs being abuse by athletes are stimulants, pain suppressions, anabolic agents, diuretics, Peptide, blood doping and B Blockers. Identify Possible Solutions to the Problem Allowing performance enhancing drugs in sports is an ethically sound solution when having to deal with the fairness. One possible solution is to allow athletes to take performance enhancing drugs under medical supervision. Another possible solution is to administer drug testing among athletes. It performance enhancing drugs was to become legalized then those who chooses not to used them will not be able to compete. Banning performance enhancing drugs is the ethically sound solution when having to deal with the integrity of the sport, and cheating and it harms the health of the athlete. A final possible solution allows athletes to take performance enhancing drugs at their own risk. Gather Information An athlete who uses performance enhancing drugs is judged differently than student who uses substances. Athletes who use performance enhancing drugs will be judge as cheaters. They also find that students who use performance enhancing drugs are judge differently than athletes. Some athletes believe it is necessary to use performance enhancing drugs in order to excel in their performance in sports. Copeland, Peters, Dillon states, The strongest motives for misuse of AS are to improve athletic performance, to enhance muscle mass for purposes of bodybuilding, or to improve physical appearance (as cited in Dodge, Wiliams ect, 2012). The perception that athletes who uses performance enhancing drug is the unfairness. An athlete who takes performance enhance drugs is a form of cheating that is why it is unfair. The reason for the perception is athlete who takes performance enhancing drugs and wins is because of the drugs. Also the athletes success was achieved at the expense of another ath lete. The thesis is, the use of performance enhancing drugs in youth athletes. The article examines the use of PEDs by youth athletes. Young athletes are at risk of using performance enhancing drugs because of peer pressure. Also they are at risk because the need to win and to perform better. A third reason why young athletes are at risk of using performance enhancing drugs is because competing with pain. The thesis is the NCAA drug test of athletes uses performance enhancing drugs in sports. Athletes in all sports are given a drug test. The NCAA drug testing program has been debate since it started random drug testing athletes. Some of the athletes who were drug test do not use performance enhancing drugs. A second debate about the NCAA drug test program is about how the program test athletes for drug use. One reason for the controversy is the program check for certain drugs when they should check for all drug types. A third issue with the drug test program is the drug test untrustworthiness of the test results. The test results can come back positive even if the athletes are not using PEDs. For example if a female takes birth control it can cause the drug test come back positive. A positive drug test can cause problems for an athlete career. Critics of drug testing argue that it is unfair to pick certain athletes for inspection because it could tempt some to cheat. Athletes attitude toward athletes who uses PEDs feels it is unacceptable. Some athletes felt they did Performance enhancing drugs has been used in sports for years. During modern Olympic Games, the drugs athletes choose to use included strychnine, heroin, cocaine, and morphine. In the early 1950s performance enhancing drugs was used in sports before that it was used by soldiers in the war. Tour de France cyclist Tom Simpson died from amphetamine abused. Amphetamines became a popular stimulant among professional athletes. Amphetamines have side effects such an aggression and addiction. In 1960 the first doping accident was seen during the Olympics. In the early 1950s anabolic steroids was introduce in sports. During the tour de France a doping death took place. There has been evidence that suggest the growth hormones increase an athletes performance. It was not until the 1976 Olympics game was AAS was tested in athletes. Some performance enhancing drugs are harder to detect because it mimic the body natural chemicals. The use of PEDs by athletes has led to an increase of recreational drug use among athletes. Some athletes used PEDs to decreased fatigue during exercise, reduce inflammation and boost their mood. Noakes states, Increasing muscle size, these drugs increase strength, power, and sprinting speed; they also alter mood and speed the rate of recovery, permitting more intensive training and hence superior training adaptation (Noakes, 2004). Should performance enhance drugs in sports be legalized under medical supervision, the outcome and the risks will affect the athletes. Some of the most memorable moments achieved in sports were achieved by some professional athletes using performance enhancing drugs. Some argue performance enhance drugs should be legalized in sports. If performance enhance drugs was to become legalize in sports there needs to be rules and restrictions. The legalization performance enhancing drugs becomes under medical supervision means there will be a list of risks and side effects. Also there will be an introduction to the long term damage performance enhancing drugs causes to the athletes health. Even if performance enhance drugs was to become legal some PEDs will still remained banned. Some athletes lack understanding of the side effects of using PEDs especially when it comes to new PEDs. If performance enhance drugs were to become legalized under medical supervision who will decide how much can b e use or place limits on use. Some who support performance enhancing drug use under medical supervision believes if it was to become legal if would lead to an increase of drug testing on athletes. Wiesing states, Sport in general and the credibility of the doping control system in particular are suffering from the fact that not all doping activity can be verified because doping methods change (Wiesing, 2011). The impact of legalizing performance enhancing drugs in sports would lead to athletes taking more risks to their health using PEDs. Those who oppose the legalizing performance enhance drugs in sports believes the risk can be avoided by not allowing PEDs sports. If performance enhancing drugs was to become legal in sports it would change our view of sports. Also many believe that achievements in sports are accomplished through hard work, natural talent and not by using performance enhancing drugs. Sjà ¶qvist, Garle, Rane, states, Athletes commonly take mega doses of steroids-d oses 50-100 times the amount needed to replace physiological steroid concentrations (Sjà ¶qvist, Garle, Rane, 2008). Some athletes use blood doping used to increase oxygen in tissue. Examine Assumptions and Points of View There are some assumptions that are made about the moral acceptability of performance enhancing drugs in sports. What we believe is right determines our beliefs about what makes performance enhancing drugs acceptable or unacceptable in sports. Some people assume an answer to the problem is to fully accept performance enhancing drugs in sports. Performance enhancing drugs is considered illegal if it violates the spirits of sports. Those who support performance enhancing drugs in sports claim that performance enhancing drugs have been used for years. Those who favor the use of PEDs claim the reason many have fail to eliminate performance enhancing drugs in sports because of lack of evidence to support their claim. One argument in support of performance enhancing drugs claims that if they were made legal there would be no issue with cheating. In addition if performance enhancing drugs are made legal the playing field will be leveled. Those who favor claims performance enhancing drugs do not change the spirit of sports; instead they claim it helps the sport. Athletes who have use performance enhancing drugs have benefit from the advantage over other athletes. In addition they have also benefit from a salary increase as a result of taking steroids. There is the argument that the performance enhancing drugs that are safe should be allow and that those that are not should be banned. They also argue if safe performance enhancing drugs were allow then it will force companies to create safe PEDs for athletes to use. The opposing side claims performance enhancing drugs changes the fairness of the game. In addition, taking performance enhancing drugs it is considered cheating. There some who argues that when dealing with the unfair advantage some people have the ability to win. The athletes ability to win depend on how much oxygen is carried to the muscles. There is other who relies on performance enhancing drugs to compete. If performance enhancing drugs became legal in sports, it would take away the spirit of the sport. The opposing side claims performance enhancing drugs are dangerous as they put the health of the athlete at risk. It is unfair to the athletes who do not take PED because of the advantage that the cheater gains. It performance enhancing drugs were to become legalized, and then those who choose not to use them will not be able to compete. Moral Reasoning My solution to the problem is performance enhancing drugs should be banned because they damage the integrity of sports. The problem is to determine whether or not performance enhancing drugs is morally acceptable in sports. Because performance enhancing drugs involves athletes cheating or unfairness. This is the argument the opponents of performance enhancing drugs appeal to in their claim. Performance enhancing drugs harm the health of athletes and cause unfairness. Athletes can suffer long term side effects from using performance enhancing drugs. An athlete who takes performance enhancing drugs has an unfair advantage over athletes who do not take PEDs. Those who choose not to use performance enhancing drugs will be force out. Those who are in favor of performance enhancing drugs in sports often appeal to these arguments prevent unfairness and health. We must take into consideration the harm and the benefits of using performance enhancing drugs. Waller states. deontology ethics def ine as any ethical system that judges right and wrong acts in terms of principles or duties, rather than on the basis of the consequences of the acts; contrasted with consequentialism (Waller 2011, 343). Deontology would say using performance enhancing drugs is cheating and it is morally wrong. Athletes that value the integrity of sports would not use PEDs. Athletes have to consider duties or obligation they owe to the other athletes and others to treat others with respect. To cheat in sports by using PEDs or mislead someone by lying about the use of performance enhancing drugs is disrespectful and is wrong in the eyes of a deontologist. An athlete who takes performance enhancing drugs in sports is unethical. People should be treated as ends never as the means. Deontology places importance on the kinds of acts the athlete do and justice. Any athlete who uses PEDs is immoral and the uses PEDs by athletes should not be accepted. Conclusion and Consequences Sports have always been important to many people in society. The use of performance enhancing drugs in sports undermines the integrity of sports and creates an unfair advantage. An athlete who takes performance enhancing drug has an unfair advantage over other athletes who do not take PEDs. It is not fair to the athlete who chooses to obey the rules. PEDs are not only harmful to the health of the athletes but it is also a form of cheating. If my solution was to become law or policy it would bring fairness to sports and moral integrity as well. Also there will be the policy of the risk of performance enhancing drugs to the health of the athlete. The side effects can include renal failure, addiction, blood pressure increase and change in body temperature. One of the arguments is taking performance enhancing drugs are against the rules for athletes to use performance enhancing drugs. The second argument is the unfairness an athlete who uses PEDs has over an athlete who does not use drug s. The third argument is the harm performance enhancing drugs are to the athletes health. A final argument is the use of performance enhancing drugs in sports undermines the integrity of sports. The opposition objects to the harm of PEDs and unfairness. The risks that come from using PEDs should not be left up to the athlete. If an athlete is caught using performance enhancing drugs they could be suspended from the league.

Rama as an Empire Builder Essay -- essays research papers

Rama as an Empire Builder The story of the Ramayana reminds me much of the hard times that USA is in today. I see many similarities between Rama and the USA. Rama is a warrior against evil, and so the United States are claiming. He creates a strong army, which fights by his side until the end. He has allies that contains people such as Sugreeva whom he helped to retain his kingdom from his evil brother. So Sugreeva felt a strong feeling of loyalty towards Rama and it made him fight to the end by Rama’s side. Loyalty is the most important characteristics that an army can have. The ideological stand point here is good vs. evil. Rama and his allies are the good battling against evil. Rama had allies who understood his cause and went in to fight with him to the end. Since Rama was a hum...

Essays --

Sex- Based Migration in Black Bears (Ursus americanus) Introduction: Ursus americanus, the American black bear is the most common of the world’s bear species, about up to twelve times more abundant than grizzly or brown bears. They usually occupy forested areas but their habitats are highly variable— from the Louisiana Bayou to the Labrador Tundra, and the Northwestern rain forests in between. (Wilson & Ruff, 1999) American black bears are hunted legally seasonally due to their widespread population and distribution. However, with the increase in deforestation for industrialization in the Tri-State (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania) area, the habitat loss could have adverse effects on the black bear populations. An interference with their natural territory could lead to alteration in the dispersal patterns. (Dixon, Wooten, McCown, Oli, Eason, & Cunningham, 2007) Black bears are omnivorous and although a part of their diet consists of meat and insects, they primarily rely on fruits and nuts for their diet. Therefore, a plant’s annual cycle of fruiting is tied to a bear’s annual behavior and its physiological cycle. (Wilson & Ruff, 1999) Bears tend to congregate and gather in an area with an abundance of food and occasionally return time and again to areas with ease of access to foods- like dumpsters. (North American Bear Center) Despite this, black bear dispersal is not reliant on local food shortages in population densities that have been observed. (Rogers, 1987) There are other factors influencing the dispersal and migrations of black bears which have been studied. Urus americanus are not known to monogamous and mate promiscuously. (Rogers, 1987) Males mate with more than one female and disperse more, sometimes looking for oth... ... cubs will be expected to be found closer to or at their initial home range. If however, a larger number of female bear’s DNA is collected farther than their home ranges, it could imply that previous studies bases solely on observation or mark and recapture methods were inaccurate due to the limited populations that were sampled. An observation of this nature could imply that sows dispersed farther in search for new mates or safer dens for their cubs rather than males who were expected to wander away. More likely though, this observation could be an exception to the rule or just flawed collection and processing techniques. Providing that the study conducted is not faulty, it will supply important information regarding dispersal patters of the American black bear. Even the data gathered in the course of this study can be used for further research on Ursus americanus.

Much Ado About Nothing Essay -- essays research papers

	Much Ado About Nothing is a play that centers around the question and battle between deception and reality. One first notices of the image of deception as we witness the masking and unmasking at the masquerade. In the play, most overhear discussions are deceptions. It is through eavesdropping that we see the true battle between deception and reality as we look at the subplots of Benedick and Beatrice, Hero and Claudio, as well as the comedy of Dogberry and his crew. 	 The relationship between Benedick and Beatrice is one manufactured completely through deception on the behalf of their friends. Though the plot to unite them was planned, many of the problems that arose were because of things that were overheard accidentally or on purpose. In Act II, Scene 3 Benedick is deceived into thinking that Beatrice loves him because of the speech in the garden between Leonato, Claudio, and Don Pedro. Beatrice is sent to fetch Benedick for dinner, and Benedick notes "some marks of love in her," and he decides to take pity upon her and return her love. In Act III, Scene 1 Beatrice is deceived as she overhears Hero and Ursula talk of Benedick's affection for her. Beatrice then decides to allow herself to be tamed by Benedick's "loving hand," and return his love. Beatrice and Benedick re made to fall in love through the deception of those around them, and ironically find happiness more readily than Claudio and Hero. 	The relationship between Clau...

Brrokstone’s business Essay

Brookstone is a nationwide specialty retailer that sells a variety of consumer products with distinctive function, excellent quality and design, which are not available in other retailers. The company develops strong positioning as a specialty retailer selling the â€Å"hard-to-find tools† in Popular Mechanics Magazine in 1965. The main concerns of Brookstone is to provide customers with the quality of products and quality of services, which served by the quality of people. The company first catalog is printed in black-and-white in the 24 pages that present the detailed and no-nonsense information regarding the product features, materials, measurements, capabilities, and any other useful information to guide customers in buying the suitable products for them (Brookstone, 2009). The successful catalog-type company has encouraged Brookstone to open their first retail store in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Right now, the company is headquartered in Merrimack, New Hampshire, which backed up by vast distribution center and customer service department that handle mail and telephone orders that located in Mexico, Missouri (Brookstone, 2009). The company also has over 305 retail stores within the United States and Puerto Rico. Mostly, the retail stores are located in leading shopping malls, the nation’s busiest airport, and lifestyle center. In order to cope with the demands, the company, on average, opens 10 to 15 new stores each year (Brookstone, 2009). As a catalog company, Brookstone employ a multifaceted Direct-Marketing approach by using two catalogs and Internet operation (www. brookstone. com) to help boosting the orders. The two catalogs are Brookstone catalog and the Hard-to-Find Tools catalog. The Brookstone catalog presents the branded products that available at stores and merchandise from key vendors of Brookstone. Meanwhile, the Hard to Find Tools catalog features customers with high-quality and unique solutions for the home. In addition, the corporate website (www. brookstone. com) acts as the combine catalogs that features all offering that placed in the two printed catalogs. Figure 1 shows the current offering in the corporate website. Figure 1 Brookstone corporate website Source: www. brookstone. com 1. Market Attractiveness Assessment 1. 1. Environment Overview Qatar is actually the country who has the highest per-capita income in 2007. This however, was effect of its overwhelming petroleum resources. Its high level of income nevertheless, has been influencing other aspects of people’s lives also. In this chapter, I will display short elaboration on several aspects of Qatar’s environment. 1. 1. 1. Political Environment Qatar is a politically active nation. The country is home to many Islamic activist and pro-Islamic views. Country officials however, refused to the confirmed of any connections with terrorist groups. Nevertheless, the country maintained very good relationship with the US government. The country is home to the largest US airbase in Middle East, outside of Iraq and it also support a US Naval base. The country has a large magnitude of gas projects, converging with Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch/Shell. These businesses significantly enhanced Qatar’s importance to the vital Western Political interests and also economic interests. Many have said that Qatar’s ‘balancing’ political and economic programs are actually quite difficult to understand. However, analysts have also understood that this willingness to court both sides aggressively has given the country such a high political and economic profile compared to other nations in the Middle East. Despite the bomb attack that happened in 2005, Qatar’s political atmosphere is actually conducive for business. It is revealed that there are no ruling families holding control of the political activities, even though conservative elements of the society are still unease with recent foreign policy changes which have brought thousands of foreigners into the country. We should hold in our understanding however, that Qatar is still a eforming country. One of the good signs of positive developments is that the ruler of the country has been actively encouraging education and open political debates as key elements of his reform strategy. The latest banking environment also reveals that the country in overall, enjoy stable political conditions.

Do the Environmentalist Overstated Their Case Essay

From this article you will see that environmentalists are concern about the environmental catastrophe. Some of them claimed that world was in danger and we shouldn’t neglect about this issue. But Lomborg opposed in his article that the environmentalist have been overstated from the real situation. The author said that some of environmental organizations are using only selective information and also distort the truth. Also from the author research evidence shown that environment is in good condition In my opinion, l agreed with Lomborg that some organization overstate their case. Also one of the word he wrote in his article that â€Å"thing was better now but they are still not good enough†. It is true that nowadays we have more food per person than we need. In contrast food are in increasing in slow rate while the rate of population continue rising. If we don’t control the rate of child‘s birth. Moreover in my point of view the state that fewer people are starving is not true. Because nowadays there are a lot of people in the world suffer from malnutrition. Owning to quality of land, soil and fertility is important for production process but now in response to the increase using of pesticides. Also about deforestation even it is true as research said that globally forest has been reduced in very small portions even so we shouldn’t loss even more forest because forest is the most important resource for living things. Forest is not only providing valuable products but they also keep ecosystem in balance. They reduce problem about air pollution. So why don’t we trying to protect and increase in the forest. Last issue is about global warming. This is a long-term problem. It is true that doomsday not going to happened soon but if we keep ignoring about this issue. This might chase up global warming to happen faster. So for me it is time to concern about environment and plan for our next generation. Because as you see nowadays each of person prefer a high standard of living. But if we serve everybody demand the supply of environment resources must be lower and lower. This is the proper time to care about our earth use the environment resource in economize and benefit ways. Then the story that many environmental organizations keep telling us will not happen in the nearly future like them expected.

Common Core Standards Essay

Much like the runways of Paris with its changing fashion trends, the world of education follows trends as well. Educators cringe when they hear â€Å"No Child Left Behind† some ten years beyond its advent. Now, the phrases â€Å"Common Core† and â€Å"Student Learning Objectives† have teachers seeing red. However, despite the latest and greatest trends to boost student achievement, the very same students in the United States continue to underperform on a global scale in Mathematics. In 2012, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) bore out results that â€Å"29 nations and jurisdictions outperformed the United States by a statistically significant margin,† (Heiten, 2013). In order for our students to rise to a position high on the performance scale of nations, students must master the basics in all subjects, but more specifically in the area of Mathematics. In an effort to develop students with a deeper understanding of mathematical and language and reading concepts, forty-five states (my home state of Maryland being one of them) and the District of Columbia have adopted the Common Core Standards, a system of expected benchmarks for students in grades K-12. According to the Common Core State Standards Initiative website, the standards â€Å"define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs,† (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2014). The local statistics mirror the national data. Both present conditions which are symptomatic of a larger systemic problem; American students are not mastering mathematical concepts at any level. The learning environment is a fourth grade inclusion classroom in a neighborhood school in the suburban Washington, D.C. (Maryland) area. Students in the class are differently abled. The class has students with Individualized Learning Plans (IEP) to accommodate varying needs from Asperger’s Syndrome to mild intellectual disabilities. There are also students who have been tested and identified as Talented and Gifted (TAG), as well as on grade level learners. Students are taught in whole group, differentiated small groups, and occasional pull out sessions with specialists. Current Conditions There are twenty-one students in the fourth grade inclusion classroom. All students took a standardized unit test in October 2013 that tested the Common Core Standards taught in the first quarter of the 2013-2014 school year. Of these, Standard 4.OA.B – Find all factor pairs for a whole number in the range 1–100. Recognize that a whole number is a multiple of each of its factors. Determine whether a given whole number in the range 1–100 is a multiple of a given one-digit number. Determine whether a given whole number in the range 1–100 is prime or composite, (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2014), only 20% scored at a level of â€Å"proficient† on standardized (MUST Test Result Data, 2013). The lack of proficiency in this standard is symptomatic of the underlying condition I have encountered; students have not yet mastered basic multiplication facts. Without mastery of basic multiplication facts 0-12, students are unable to manipulate and perform operations on fractions and decimals and subsequent pre-algebra concepts in the latter half of fourth grade and continuing into following grades through high school. Desired Conditions The current conditions for the fourth grade class is at 20% of students who have performed at a â€Å"proficient† level of mastery in basic mathematical facts. This is equivalent to a grade of 80%, or a â€Å"B†, in traditional percentage and letter grading systems used in the US. The desired state of performance is the inverse of the current statistics; 80% should have mastery at a level of proficient or advanced and 20% performing at minimal or below grade level standards. After mastering basic facts, students will be able to not only identify multiples and factors of numbers 1-100, they will also be able to perform operations on fractions and later, algebraic statements. Data Collection Processes Discussion of Data Collection Instruments The designer developed a survey for teachers of grades three through five in order to help determine where problems or areas of deficiency are in current math. The first two questions asked the percentage of their students who are currently proficient in accuracy and automaticity in multiplication facts. In other questions, respondents ranked their responses using a Likert Scale,  which helped to identify their attitude on the necessity of students mastering basic multiplication facts currently in order to develop a deeper understanding of current and future mathematical concepts. In the questionnaire, respondents were asked to rank what they believe to be their students’ biggest challenges in mastering this specific standard. Questions also asked the extent to which computer aided instruction is used in helping aid in mastery of multiplication facts. In getting answers to these questions, I will use the data to identify several factors; impact of teacher’s attitude t oward remediating students in basic facts that should have been mastered in the previous grade, and time dedicated to instruction and practice in this particular standard. Discussion of Sources of Data Six intermediate elementary (grades three through five) classroom teachers who instruct students in mathematics answered the survey and questionnaire. Students of these teachers range from those with special needs, general education needs, and also students identified as â€Å"Talented and Gifted† (TAG). Data Gathered Through Other Sources Quantitative data was gathered from the Prince George’s County Public Schools Mandatory Unit Systems Test (MUST) in Mathematics administered countywide to fourth grade students in 146 elementary schools. Specific data used in this needs analysis was limited to one fourth grade inclusion classroom, Lake Arbor Elementary, where the designer is the teacher. The designer collected further quantitative data from the same inclusion class on timed multiplication tests where twenty-two students answered 100 multiplication facts (0-12) problems in five minutes. Data Analysis Techniques Used The survey and questionnaire were designed to gather data that would substantiate the need for students to master basic multiplication skills in intermediate elementary grades. The survey was used to gather both qualitative and quantitative data based on teachers giving percentage results of students’ current level of performance. Teachers also ranked what they believed would improve their teaching of mathematics in the classroom. The questionnaire was designed to gather data on teachers’  attitudes of the importance of student mastery of basic multiplication facts. The questionnaire also served as a tool to gain input on the challenges the believe limit their students from performing on grade level in mathematics, particularly in mastering basic multiplication facts. Finally, teachers were given the opportunity to answer an open-ended question, which gauged their attitude toward the importance of mastery of basic multiplication facts in the modern world and classroom . Results of Analysis Question one of the survey asked what percentage of your students can answer basic multiplication facts with accuracy on most occasions. Findings of Needs Analysis While a majority of respondents determined mastery of basic multiplication facts as â€Å"essential for success in their current grade,† it is of note that two teachers said mastery of basic facts are â€Å"desirable, but not as important as in past year.† This information would indicate teachers’ attitudes are moving away memorization of facts, possibly due to the  widespread availability of technological applications that students can or will use in the classroom and later in life. The attitude towards the lowering of importance of rote memory skills for facts reflects the larger societal dependence on technology. Applications on smartphones and mobile devices are becoming increasingly used in place of mental math and are utilized both by the current generation of students in elementary school now, but also by the newer generation of teachers who instruct them. To further deepen the understanding of the philosophical shift in importance of memorization of multiplication facts, teachers were asked if they administered timed multiplication tests in their classroom. Furthermore, teachers were asked if they encourage an atmosphere of healthy competition for mastery of the facts amongst their students. While all six respondents reported that they do administer timed multiplication tests, only one teacher stated that there was an atmosphere of â€Å"healthy competition† amongst her students where they challenge one another to higher levels of performance. The information suggests that while teachers are still administering the tests as part of regular instruction, the instructors’ attitude of the importance of them as a way to aid in student mastery of facts is evidenced in the lack of encouragement by both teacher and students to achieve at higher levels. Finally in the questionnaire, teachers were asked to rank factors they believe to be the biggest challenge(s) their students face that prevent them from performing on grade level in their current math instruction. The two most common responses amongst all respondents cited both a lack of support from parents in practice of math facts and a lack of basic understanding and mastery of basic mathematical facts from addition and subtraction up to division and multiplication as the biggest barriers to student success. Goal of Instruction Given practice in automaticity and accuracy, fourth grade students will be able to independently complete 100 multiplication problems of basic facts 0-12 in five minutes time with an increase in automaticity and accuracy of 50% over a ten-week period as measured by a pre-test and post-test assessments. Having this knowledge will enable students to manipulate and perform operations on fractions and mixed numbers, as well as deepen their knowledge of factors and multiples for future instruction.