The Great ha-jin Essay Example

The Great ha-jin Essay Ha Jin has written many unique stories that have influenced a large number of readers. One of his more popular stories, The Bridegroom dealt with the controversial topic of homosexuality and how we, as humans, should deal with this important issue. Jins short stories, The Bridegroom were published in 2000 (Weich).There are twelve short stories in The Bridegroom and three of them were selected for The Best American Short Stories (Thomas).In the title story, he writes about the authors adopted daughter who gets married to a handsome guy but he turns out to be a homosexual (Jin). The Bridegroom is an interesting story because it keeps the reader wondering what will happen at the end of the story. Claire Messud of The New York Times believes that this story was a great pleasure.She also believes that Ha Jin has an excellent storytelling talent.I thought the story was different because of the cultural background.I like the way Jin narrated the story and then suddenly added a twist. The B ridegroom is a very unusual story.The story is based on the authors son-in-law and his adopted daughter.The story starts of with Beina (adopted daughter of the author), who is having a hard time finding a boyfriend (Jin 91).Then, all of a sudden a guy by the name of Huang asks her to marry him (Jin 91).Later in the story, Huang gets arrested for the crime of homosexuality (Jin 95).Huangs father in law decides to put him in a mental hospital with the hope of curing him but it turns out that he can never be cured. Jin describes Huang as very kind and handsome man (92).He also points out that Huang was so handsome that all the girls in the authors factory were jealous of Beina when Huang asked her to marry him (Jin 92). He says that Huang is so handsome that he was surprised when Huang asked his daughter, Bein

The Untold History of American Indian Slavery

The Untold History of American Indian Slavery Long before the transatlantic African slave trade was established in North America a transatlantic slave trade in Indians had been occurring since the very earliest European arrivals. It was used as a weapon of war among the European colonists and as a tactic for survival among Indians who participated in the slave trade as slavers. It contributed to the fierce decline in Indian populations after the coming of the Europeans along with devastating disease epidemics and lasted well into the eighteenth century when it was replaced by African slavery. It has left a legacy still felt among Native populations in the east, and it is also one of the most hidden narratives in American historical literature. Documentation The historical record of the Indian slave trade is based on many disparate and scattered sources including legislative notes, trade transactions, journals of slavers, government correspondence and especially church records, making it difficult to account for the entire history. It is well known by historians that the slave trade began with the Spanish incursions into the Caribbean and Christopher Columbus’s taking of slaves, as documented in his own journals. Every European nation that colonized North America utilized Indian slaves for construction, plantations, and mining on the North American continent but more frequently in their outposts in the Caribbean and in the metropoles of Europe. As the pieces of the puzzle come together in the scholarship, historians note that nowhere is there more documentation than in South Carolina, what was the original English colony of Carolina, established in 1670. It is estimated that between 1650 and 1730 at least 50,000 Indians (and likely more due to transactions hidden to avoid paying government tariffs and taxes) were exported by the English alone to their Caribbean outposts. Between 1670 and 1717 far more Indians were exported than Africans were imported. In southern coastal regions, entire tribes were exterminated through slavery compared to disease or war. In a law passed in 1704, Indian slaves were conscripted to fight in wars for the colony long before the American Revolution. Indian Complicity and Complex Relationships Indians found themselves caught in between colonial strategies for power and economic control. The fur trade in the Northeast, the English plantation system in the south and the Spanish mission system in Florida collided with major disruptions to Indian communities. Indians displaced from the fur trade in the north migrated south where plantation owners armed them to hunt for slaves living in the Spanish mission communities. The French, the English, and Spanish often capitalized on the slave trade in other ways; for example, they garnered diplomatic favor when they negotiated the freedom of slaves in exchange for peace, friendship and military alliance. In another instance of Indian and colonial complicity in the slave trade, the British had established ties with the Chickasaw who were surrounded by enemies on all sides in Georgia. They conducted extensive slave raids in the lower Mississippi Valley where the French had a foothold, which they sold to the English as a way to reduce In dian populations and keep the French from arming them first. Ironically, the English also saw it as a more effective way to civilize them compared to the efforts of the French missionaries. Extent of the Trade The Indian slave trade covered an area from as far west and south as New Mexico (then Spanish territory) northward to the Great Lakes. Historians believe that all tribes in this vast swath of land were caught up in the slave trade in one way or another, either as captives or as traders. Slavery was part of the larger strategy to depopulate the land to make way for European settlers. As early as 1636 after the Pequot war in which 300 Pequots were massacred, those who remained were sold into slavery and sent to Bermuda. Major slaving ports included Boston, Salem, Mobile and New Orleans. From those ports Indians were shipped to Barbados by the English, Martinique and Guadalupe by the French and the Antilles by the Dutch. Indian slaves were also sent to the Bahamas as the breaking grounds where they mightve been transported back to New York or Antigua. The historical record indicates a perception that Indians did not make good slaves. When they werent shipped far from their home territories they too easily escaped and were given refuge by other Indians if not in their own communities. They died in high numbers on the transatlantic journeys and succumbed easily to European diseases. By 1676 Barbados had banned Indian slavery citing too bloody and dangerous an inclination to remain here. Slavery’s Legacy of Obscured Identities As the Indian slave trade gave way to the African slave trade by the late 1700’s (by then over 300 years old) Native American women began to intermarry with imported Africans, producing mixed-race offspring whose native identities became obscured through time. In the colonial project to eliminate the landscape of Indians, these mixed-race people simply became known as colored people through bureaucratic erasure in public records. In some cases such as in Virginia, even when people were designated as Indians on birth or death certificates or other public records, their records were changed to reflect â€Å"colored.† Census takers, determining a person’s race by their looks, often recorded mixed-race people as simply black, not Indian. The result is that today there is a population of people of Native American heritage and identity (particularly in the Northeast) who are not recognized by society at large, sharing similar circumstances with the Freedmen of the Cher okee and other Five Civilized Tribes.

ETHICAL DECISIONS IN LEADERSHIP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ETHICAL DECISIONS IN LEADERSHIP - Research Paper Example In her present job Lael Mathews faces this glass ceiling, people higher up the hierarchy are trying to interfere with her job. She must promote one of three managers, and all of her choices have disadvantages and advantages. She must decide from Liz, Roy, or Quang. Although she has a soft spot for Liz and knows that Liz can really use the money provided by the promotion but also knows that being a single mother she can not show full commitment and an above average performance. Promoting Liz will however bring positive PR to the company as she is an African American. Lael’s boss is also favoring Liz for the job. The other choice Roy although old, has been up for a promotion for a long time, and many employees think that he deserves it. Further more a senior manager had made a personal request for his promotion. The final candidate for the job is Quang. She is an intensive hardworking Asian. Always among the top students of her class she has provided the company with record perf ormances in the past. Moreover she is engaged to an upper management person’s son, who is intent on getting her promoted. Narrowing it down, the problem that Lael faces is: As Lael is a woman she is pressurized by everyone with power. The main reason upper management employees keep pushing her for their respective favorites in case of this promotion, is because they all think they can bend her according to their will, as she is a woman. If she goes against their will, they can do great harm to her career in the future. The greatest threat can be from her supervisor who wants Liz to be promoted. His request is though of a less personal nature as compared to the supporter of Quang. He is much more intense in his support as she is a relative to him. Lael as a human being is also effected by her personal emotions. Her association with Liz can severely impact her promotion decision. Moreover in light of the recent accident

Voice traffic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Voice traffic - Essay Example The acceptance by the telecommunications industry to converge mobile concept aims at facilitating for the incorporation of voice over WiFi (Fathi, Chakraborty, & Prasad, 2011). Nonetheless, a number of benefits and issues are evident while sending voice over a typical wireless network as depicted by the paper. There are various benefits associated with sending voice over a wireless network. For instance, the major benefit of sending voice over wireless networks is saving costs. For instance, companies have managed to save billions of dollars by making calls over wireless networks. Furthermore, it is possible to deploy voice communication over a wireless network, creating room for flexible communication. As such, it is true that sending voice over wireless networks plays a vital role in realizing cost savings, particularly because it mobilizes the workforce. Here, they can manage to address the needs of clients in an efficient manner while in the facility being served by the wireless network. Regardless of the benefits affiliated with sending voice over a wireless network, a number of issues prevail, hindering companies from utilizing the full potential sending voice over wireless networks (Geier & Geier, 2010). For instance, sending voice over wireless networks is sensitive to technology. In this case, calls should be set up as well as authenticated, while voice packets are required to reach their destination without interruption and in a timely manner. As such, companies experience challenges when designing a network stream in a continuous manner, making it prone to interruptions by data transmissions that are less sensitive. As such, in a typical wireless network voice calls suffer from weird sounds, delays, echo, and noise (Geier & Geier, 2010). Sending voice over wireless networks is also highly dependent on bandwidth. As such,

Relation of learning styles and business training Statistics Project

Relation of learning styles and business training - Statistics Project Example This chapter presents the results of analysis of the data that have been collected through sample survey. The data have been edited and coded using Micro Soft Excel and analyzed with popular statistical package- SPSS. The analysis has been undertaken in conformity with the research objectives and hypotheses set. The chapter also discusses and justifies the proof/rebuttal of any hypotheses. The major findings of the study are also demonstrated after analysis of each relevant question. Figures are exhibited wherever appropriate to make it more readable and comprehensible for readers. The above table exhibits the number of workers employed across departments. It is clear that operations department has largest number of workers and project department has only 9 workers out of the sample 74. It is also evident that department project and operations employ no female workers and the entire female employees working with the organisation belong to support department. The Table No. 2 shows the work experience of employees. Among the sample respondents, 27 percent have got experience in between 3 and 5 years. It is also clear that of the total; only 19 percent employees have experience of more than 9 years. Employees having less than 1 year experience accounts for only 20 percent, which is backed by 16 percent with 5 to 9 years experience. Table No. 3 Employee Opinion on Training Effectiveness Response Frequency Percent Strongly Agree 13 17.6 Agree 39 52.7 Neither Agree nor Disagree 8 10.8 Disagree 8 10.8 Strongly Disagree 6 8.1 Total 74 100.0 This table depicts the employee opinion on the effectiveness of training programme undertaken by the firm. Majority of the employee support the training programme that they believe training programme is effective. Among the supporters around 18 percent strongly agree, while 53 percent agree with the present system of training. However, those who do not support the present system accounts for around 19 percent, which does not sound to be a negligible one. Table No. 4 Employee Response to Mentor Method Response Frequency Percent Strongly Agree 5 6.8 Agree 5 6.8 Neither Agree nor Disagree 22 29.7 Disagree 31 41.9 Strongly Disagree 11 14.9 Total 74 100.0 Table No. 4 is intended to present the employee response to mentor method of training. It is clear that majority of the employees do not support the innovative method. Employees who support account for a meager percent when compared to that of non-supporters. Non-supporters come to around 57 percent, while those who reluctant to opine on this is around 30 percent. Table No. 5 Employee Response to Benefits of External Training Response Frequency Percent Agree 14 18.9 Neither Agree nor Disagree 31 41.9 Disagree 18 24.3 Strongly Disagree 11 14.9 Total 74 100.0 Table No. 5 shows the response of employee to External training arranged by the firm. It is evident

Evaluation of UK Legislation and Policy on Fracking

Evaluation of UK Legislation and Policy on Fracking AN EVALUATION OF CURRENT UK PLANNING LEGISLATION AND POLICY MEASURES TO CONTROL THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF FRACKING ON WILDLIFE CONSERVATION Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction The pace of the development of Britains Shale-gas industry is accelerating due to the current governments policy to progress the extraction of shale-gas, or fracking as commonly known, to provide energy security, growth and jobs (DBEI. 2017). Commercial extraction of shale-gas is not yet in production, but exploration of the recoverable amount available is occurring. Shale-gas could potentially be a resource that transforms the UK energy market and contribute to the national security of supply. However, whilst the economic potential is apparent, the environmental and social implications are unknown. There have been reports of earthquakes (in Lancashire) (DECC 2013), leakage of fracking chemicals and gas (methane) into the water table, where fracking has occurred, most typically in the United States of America (Finkel and Hays 2016). There has also been campaigning by community groups opposed to fracking because of the environmental concerns. Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting a viscous fracturing fluid carrying a proppant, usually select sand, which is left in fractures to hold them open and promote substance migration to wellbores but advances in directional drilling with a greater horizontal reach means that multiple wells can be drilled from a single pad. (Zillman et al. 2015). However, this could include horizontal drilling beneath Nature Reserves, Country Parks, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) etc. Some of the concerns by these new technologies are: (a) Air emissions. (b) Water quality and quantity (aquifer and surface water contamination by fracturing fluid chemicals). (c) Potential seismic activity, particularly in major fault areas. (d) Public participation in regulatory decisions concerning fracturing activities. (e) Transparency, including public disclosure of chemicals and toxicity information. (f) Disturbance creating dust, noise, and congestion in communities that host fracturing operations. (Zillman et al. 2014.) All of which have potential to impact upon humans and wildlife conservation. Consequently, the Law and Policy surrounding fracking and the environment to conserve wildlife will be evaluated. Aims and Objectives This study aims to evaluate current UK planning legislation and policy with regard to the potential impacts of fracking on wildlife conservation. An analysis of the controls available for the protection of wildlife and the compensation procedures that are currently in place will be discussed within this report. The analyses of concerns and opinions of the businesses involved, government policy, wildlife organisations, public and media opinions which may have an impact on future planning policies and procedures, habitat degradation, human health, and wildlife conservation will be undertaken. Case studies, government articles, fracking company media statement and media reports used to illustrate current approach. An analysis and evaluation comparison of two shale gas companies within the two counties of Nottinghamshire and Lancashire, both of which have had planning permission granted for fracking exploration sites. In the county of Lancashire, planning permission was refused not only for an exploration site but for extraction of shales gas. The company turned to the government to appeal this decision which was overturned. Preston New Road Action Group (a group of local residents) has subsequently appealed and the hearing is set for 15 March 2017. Therefore, are the strategies that are currently in place sufficient to meet all needs from both companies, the conservationists, the public and the government? To investigate and evaluate the policies and procedures required by the Shale gas companies to obtain planning permission to include Environmental Impact Assessments, are these effective, detailed sufficiently and acceptable? What are the procedures post damage or accident? Is this acceptable? Critical analyse of each perspective. Methods Materials This evaluation analysis is a desktop review and will therefore not require the participation of human, animal, and environmental subjects. Information will be sourced from scientific and law books, scientific journals, media reports and websites (such as governmental, legal and the companys websites). European Law will not be taken into consideration due to the imminent exit from the European Union. Therefore, only the Laws and policies currently in place for England and Wales are to be included. Some of the topics covered in this study will be: Environmental Law; Law Commission Report 2012; National Planning Policy Framework; Environmental Impact Assessments of the sites in the two Counties; Company information of the two companies involved Caudrilla Resources and IGas plc. The criteria used when searching for information was based upon: Environmental Law; Fracking in the UK; Legislation and policy with regard to planning in the UK; Fracking in Lancashire; Fracking in Nottinghamsh ire; Hydraulic Fracturing; Shale Gas; UK Shale Gas Fracking House of Commons 2017; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. to be completed. Not quite sure how to finish this off Chapter 2: Shale-gas Fracking 2.1 Overview of fracking. Extraction of a natural gas known as shale gas is found in shale rock formations that can be extracted by Hydraulic fracturing (fracking). The gas is mined by drilling a well down vertically until it hits the shale, then horizontally. This involves inserting high volumes of water mixed with chemicals into the rock to cause it to fracture and release the gas. See Figure 1. Currently the UK government supports fracking although concerns remain about the adequacy of current UK regulation of groundwater and surface water contamination and the assessment of the environmental impact. Figure 1. Hydraulic Fracturing and environmental concerns (Carbon Brief 2013). 2.2 Legislation and policy relevant to fracking, and wildlife conservation. Environmental regulation is intended to protect the environment. The impact and effectiveness of the legislation can be considered from several perspectives which seem to be fragmented and haphazard at best. Some of the law statutes for environmental protection include: Clean Air Act 1956 Clean Neighbourhood and Environmental Act 2005 Control of Pollution Act 1974 as amended in 1989 Environment Act 1995 Environmental Protection Act 1990 Freedom of Information Act 2000 Law of Property Act 1925 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 Nature Conservancy Council Act 1973 Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 Town Country Planning Act 1990 Water Resources Act 1991 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Case Law will also be included where relevant. The principles under common law governing property rights to the subsurface and to minerals are necessary to understand the law governing activities using geological developments. The general rule (with some exceptions) is that the rights deriving from the possession or ownership of an estate in land extends upwards and downwards. The Latin phrase that expresses this rule is cujus est solum ejus est usque ad coelum et ad inferos; to whom the soil belongs, to that person it belongs all the way to the sky and the depths (Zillman et al. 2014). Therefore, permission from the land owner must be sort to enable permission for fracking to take place on privately owned land. In the case of Bocardo v Star Energy UK Onshore Ltd in 2010 the land owner sued the oil company for trespass for three wells made under its land for directional drilling. In the case Star Energy Weald Basin Limited (and another) v Bocardo SA (Supreme Court Judgment, 28 July 2010). There is no depth limit after which geolo gical formations are owned by the state and that any invasion of it must have a physical effect on the surface. It could be said therefore that considering the risks associated with fracking and public opinion generally against fracking, land owners would not allow fracking upon their land but government incentives and fracking companies payments to allow access can be a high incentive to land owners. This could influence the conservation of wildlife if directional drilling undermines a special conservation site alongside a landowner that has agreed permission. Who owns shale gas? Shale gas counts as petroleum within the meaning of the Petroleum Act 1998 and the rights are vested in Her Majesty. By section 2(1) of that Act. The Crown has the exclusive right of searching for and getting petroleum in its natural condition within Great Britain. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) issues licenses to companies for exploration and for mining. The Oil and Gas Authority (a department within the government) is responsible for awarding onshore oil and gas licenses, which include exploratory fracking operations. On 17 December 2015, the Oil Gas Authority (OGA) announced that licences for a total of 159 blocks were formally offered to successful applicants under the 14th Onshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round (OGA 2017). Proposals for shale gas exploration or extraction in England Wales are subject to the requirements of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 administered by the Minerals Planning Authority (MPA) for the area in which the development is located. Individual town and city planners face a difficult task, they are required to consider the future economic and social needs of the community and provide the best possible environment in which to live and work (Evans, Stephenson, and Shaw 2009). Public and conservation charities opinion and opposition to the proximity of the well sites. The legal framework for land use planning and relevant legislation will be discussed individually for Lancashire and Nottinghamshire later. In May 2015, the government issued a statement regarding sustainable development making decisions now to realise our vision of stimulating economic growth and tackling the deficit, maximising wellbeing and protecting the environment, without affecting the ability of future generations to do the same (DEFRA 2015). Each department within the government is responsible for their own policies and activities to create sustainable development with DEFRA overseeing decisions. As you will see from the statement: development, economic growth and tackling the deficit, comes as a priority before wellbeing and protecting the environment. In June 2012, the government commissioned The Royal Society to compile a Review of Hydraulic Fracturing and their initial findings concludedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The health, safety and environmental risks associated with hydraulic fracturing (often termed fracking) as a means to extract shale gas can be managed effectively in the UK as long as operational best practices are implemented and enforced through regulation (RS and RAE 2012). However, they also made ten recommendations summarised as: to detect groundwater contamination, to ensure well integrity, to mitigate induced seismicity, to detect potential leakages of gas, water usage and wastewater should be managed in an integrated way, an Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) should be mandatory for all shale gas operations, best practice for risk management should be implemented. (RS and RAE 2012). These recommendations should be included within the planning and licensing applications. On the 6 April 2016, section 50 of the Infrastructure Act 2015 came into effect introducing amendments to the Petroleum Act 1998 regarding when and how consent can be issued for hydraulic fracturing in relation to the exploration and production of shale gas. The changes to the Infrastructure Act 2015 gives the shale gas companies in England Wales the means to access deep level land at least 300 metres underground for deep geothermal energy, one of which is shale gas. It also imposes a formal consent from the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. It also originally stated that there would be a ban on fracking in National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) but SSSIs have been excluded and now allow for underground fracking. It should be noted that some regulators whom approve licenses for fracking, such as the Environment Agency, view prosecution as a last resort and prefer to adopt a compliance strategy. The Environment Agency is a government run organisation who work to create better places for people and wildlife, and support sustainable development. (Environment Agency 2017). Environmental permitting regulations cover: protecting water resources, including groundwater (aquifers), assessing and approving the use of chemicals which form part of the hydraulic fracturing fluid appropriate treatment and disposal of mining waste produced during the borehole drilling and hydraulic fracturing process suitable treatment and management of any naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) disposal of waste gases through flaring In the planning process the Environment Agency can be a statutory consultee and provides local planning authorities (county or unitary local authority) with advice on the potential risks to the environment from individual gas exploration and extraction sites (DBEIS 2017). The government publish documentation to convince the public of the strict processes companies have to adhere to before obtaining approval, operators pass rigorous health and safety, environmental and planning permission processes before any shale operation can begin in the UK (DBEIS 2017). See figure 2. Figure 2. Infographic: What happens before a company can explore for shale gas? (DBEIS 2017) 2.2 Impact on Wildlife Conservation, the concerns and public opinion. The first resource for environmental implication impact to consider is water. The quality, quantity used, accessibility of the resource and waste water disposal. Vast quantities of water mixed with proppant and chemical additives, for example: gelling and foaming agents, friction reducers, crosslinkers, breakers, pH adjusters, biocides, corrosion inhibitors, scale inhibitors, and surfactants are injected under pressure to release the shale gas and enable the gas to return to the surface. One third of them lack mammalian toxicity data (Stringfellow et al., 2014). The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) 2013, states that it is likely to involve the use of large quantities of clean water, typically 10,000 to 30,000 m3 water per well (10,000 to 30,000 tonnes). The water may be obtained from the local water supply company sources or by abstraction from surface or groundwater (if permitted by the relevant environment agency under licence). Loss of well integrity has led to contamination of surrounding strata by fracking fluid and/or methane (Jenner and Lamadid, 2013). Most water used is locked away underground and never returned to the natural hydrological cycle. Impacts on water quality have a potential to impact on contamination of groundwater aquifer layers with either the fracking fluid used to dislodge gas, or the methane gas itself (which is of course poisonous). As you will see from the following map of Great Britain this shows drilling sites and aquafers. See figure 3. Also, to be considered is the potential surface discharges of contaminated produced water (water drawn from the formation to initiate production, which flows to the surface for life of the well) and flowback water (predominantly fracturing fluids, which comes to surface after fracking is completed and before production begins) from shale gas production that could contaminate natural surface waters. Not only is this a risk to public health but als o the biodiversity or loss of biodiversity in the relevant environment. A permit, under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010 (EPR), from the Environment Agency is required where fluids containing pollutants are injected into ground, where they may enter groundwater. To date there is no evidence that such a contamination has occurred in any site currently in Great Britain, but is it only a matter of time before an accident does occur which will affect the biodiversity of that area. Figure 3.(a) Map of UK showing location of onshore wells drilled for exploration or production and productive aquifers. (b) Map of UK showing location of potential shale gas and oil reservoirs and productive aquifers. Aquifer base map reproduced with the permission of the British Geological Survey.  ©NERC. All rights Reserved. (Davies et al. 2014). High pressure injection of water into shale formations has been linked to seismic events in Lancashire which will be discussed later. Public participation and consultation has become fundamental for energy regulators due to the intensity and immediacy of public engagement. The intense media scrutiny and broader public knowledge, as well as increased public organizations (local action groups) and the development of social media have contributed to improved citizen communication and often made local issues national and international (Zillman at al. 2015). This has resulted in public demonstrations against fracking in each local community to which fracking licensing have been granted. It would seem that much of public opinion is against fracking. The Infrastructure Bill (Jan 2015) originally said there would be a ban on fracking in National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest and introduced mandatory Environmental Impact Assessments. But just eight months later, a major U-turn on this commitment has placed some of the countrys most sensitive and precious wildlife sites at risk by excluding SSSIs from the ban and allowing licences for underground activity in highly protected wildlife sites. 2.4 Controls currently in place. In the UK, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) followed the recommendations of the joint report of the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering and developed a stop light protocol whereby thresholds for different acceptable levels of seismicity are defined, and if a level is breached during the hydraulic fracturing process the entire operation is to be terminated (DBEIS 2017). This procedure was implemented after seismic activity in Preston in the Lancashire shale gas area. See Figure 4. Figure 4.Infographic: Seismic activity traffic light monitoring system (DBEIS 2017) Chapter 3: Comparison of Fracking planning procedures for two Counties 3.1 Current fracking in the UK In January 2017, the House of Commons produced a Briefing Paper titled, Shale gas and fracking, which states that there has been recent approval of two planning decisions in Lancashire and North Yorkshire suggesting that commercial fracking is getting closer. 3.2 Nottinghamshire County Council Further public consultation is required before Nottinghamshire County Councils Planning and Licensing Committee can consider a planning application for an exploratory shale gas well-site on land off the A634 between Barnby Moor and Blyth. Dart Energy is seeking planning permission to undertake exploratory drilling for shale gas at the site, known as Tinker Lane. The application is for exploratory drilling, to check the suitability of the rock for shale gas extraction. Nottinghamshire County Councillors will consider the countys second planning application to undertake exploratory drilling for shale gas at the Planning and Licensing Committee meeting on Tuesday 21 March. The application was submitted by Dart Energy in May last year to drill one exploratory vertical well 3,300 metres deep and three sets of groundwater monitoring boreholes on land off the A634 between Barnby Moor and Blyth The application is not seeking permission to carry out any hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking. The application site, which is currently open farm land, is around one mile north of Barnby Moor and 1.5 miles south east of Blyth. Permission is sought for a temporary period of up to three years, with the drilling taking place for approximately four months. The County Council has received over 800 representations from the local community and a petition. (NCC) 3.3 Lancashire County Council On 1 April and 27 May 2011 two earthquakes with magnitudes 2.3 and 1.5 were felt in the Blackpool area. These earthquakes were suspected to be linked to hydraulic fracture treatments at the Preese Hall well operated by Cuadrilla Resources Ltd. Thus, operations were suspended at Preese Hall and Cuadrilla Resources Ltd were requested to undertake a full technical study into the relationship between the earthquakes and their operations. Cuadrilla submitted to DECC a synthesis report with a number of technical appendices on 2 November 2011, and published this material on their website. These reports examine seismological and geomechanical aspects of the seismicity in relation to the hydraulic fracture treatments, along with detailed background material on the regional geology and rock physics. They also estimated future seismic hazard and proposed recommendations for future operations to mitigate seismic risk. Further information supplied by Cuadrilla in the course of this assessment is available as Annexes below. The independent experts have now made recommendations to DECC for mitigating the risk of induced seismicity resulting from continued hydraulic fracturing at Preese Hall, Lancashire and elsewhere in Great Britain. (OGA 2017) 3.4 Organisation responses; Igas and Caudrilla 3.5 General public and conservationists responses (Wildlife Trust etc.) Chapter 4 : Discussion 4.1 Comparison of the two counties policies and procedures. 4.2 Proposed further exploration sites and possible impacts, compensation etc. Interpretation of the literature generally and in relation to the two counties. Analogy with mining and the collapse of the industry in the UK. Political party in government and their views. Limitations of the study Chapter 5 : Conclusion and Suggestions for further research A summary. Critically evaluate the dissertation. Is there enough protection for wildlife conservation? Recommendations for further research. REFERENCES Carbon Brief. 2013. Carbon Briefing: what does extracting shale gas mean for the local environment?Science. Available at: https://www.carbonbrief.org/carbon-briefing-what-does-extracting-shale-gas-mean-for-the-local-environment. Davies, R.J., Almond, S., Ward, R.S., Jackson, R.B., Adams, C., Worrall, F., Herringshaw, L.G., Gluyas, J.G., and Whitehead, M.A. 2014. Oil and gas wells and their integrity: Implications for shale and unconventional resource exploitation. Marine and Petroleum Geology. 1-16. Delebarre, J., Ares, E., and Smith, L. 4 January 2017. House of Commons Library Briefing. Number 6073. Shale gas and fracking. Evans, D., Stephenson, M, and Shaw, R. 2009. The present and future use of land below ground. Land Use Policy 26S. S302-S316. Finkel M.L., and Hays J. 2016. Environmental and health impacts of fracking: why epidemiological studies are necessary. J Epidemiol Community Health. Vol 70. No 3. Great Britain. Department for Business, Energy Industrial Strategy (DBEIS). 2017. Guidance on fracking: developing shale gas in the UK [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/about-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking/developing-shale-oil-and-gas-in-the-uk. [Accessed: 27 February 2017]. Great Britain. Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). 2013. Oil and gas: onshore exploration and production [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas-onshore-exploration-and-production. [Accessed: 28 February 2017]. Great Britain. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). 2015. 2010 to 2015 government policy: sustainable development. [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-sustainable-development/2010-to-2015-government-policy-sustainable-development#issue. [Accessed: 7 March 2017]. Great Britain. Environment Agency (EA). 2017. [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency. [Accessed: 15 March 2017]. Great Britain. Oil Gas Authority (OGA). 2017. Exploration and Production Onshore. [Online]. Available at: https://www.ogauthority.co.uk/exploration-production/onshore/. [Accessed: 15 March 2017]. Great Britain. The Royal Society and The Royal Academy of Engineering (RS RAE). 2012. Shale gas extraction in the UK: a review of hydraulic fracturing [Online]. Available at: https://royalsociety.org/~/media/policy/projects/shale-gas-extraction/2012-06-28-shale-gas.pdf. [Accessed: 7 March 2017]. Jenner, S. and Lamadrid, A.J. 2013. Shale gas vs. coal: policy implications for environmental impact comparisons of shale gas, conventional gas and coal on air, water and land in the United States, Energy Policy, 53, 442-53. Jones P., Hillier D., and Comfort D. 2015. Contested perspectives on fracking in the UK. Geography. 100. Part 1. Small. J. QC. 2013. Fracking Liability. The Estates Gazette; Sutton. 92-94. Stringfellow, W.T., Domen, J.K., Camarillo, M.K., Sandrillo, W.L., and Borglin, S. 2014. Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of compounds used in hydraulic fracturing. Journal of Hazardous Materials. Volume 275, 37-54. a Ecological Engineering Research Program, School of Engineering Computer Science, University of the Pacific, 3601 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA 95211, USA b Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Zillman, D.N., Lucas, A., and Beirne, S. (2015) 2014: An eventful year for energy law and policy, Journal of Energy Natural Resources Law, 33:1, 82-105 Zillman, D.N., McHarg, A., and Bradbrook, A. 2014. The Law of Energy Underground: Understanding New Developments in Subsurface Production, Transmission, and Storage. [eBook type]. Oxford Scholarship Online. Available from: NTU Library One Search. [Accessed: 9 March 2017] Shale Wealth Fund PM Gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-rewrites-plan-to-put-money-from-infrastructure-in-the-hands-of-local-people BBC Politics. 2016. Fracking moratorium rejected by MPs. [Online]. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30993915. [Accessed January 2017]. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/498160/160204_FINAL_letter_to_Mineral_Planning_Authorities.pdf Impact Assessment http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/384/resources Accessed 27 February 2017 Briefing Arrangements for fracking operations clarified. 2015. Planning, , pp. 32. APPENDIX 1.

Graduation Speech :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

As you look back on the last four years I'm sure you'll all remember them differently. Some of you will think of them as the best four years of your life and others, the worst. Some of you will think of them as the most fun you've ever had. Some of you will remember the friendships you've created, or all the things you've learned and will carry with you wherever you go. Most of all I think we should remember and be thankful for the fact they've been a relatively safe four years. We've had our share of bumps and bruises, but nothing really major. I am saying this mainly because in the past few months, especially, other schools have not been so fortunate. When they look back on their high school years, their memories shall forever be tainted by unspeakable acts of violence and rage. As you know, I'm referring to the 12 students and one teacher killed by two crazed gunmen. In the aftermath of these tragedies people have searched for someone or something to blame. They've gone from video games to the availability of guns, to the lack of attention by parents, teachers, and counselors, and even to the Internet, but finger pointing will not solve the problem. I can't say that I have all the answers but I know there are some things we can do. The problem, I believe, starts and ends with us. Those two students, from Columbine High School were outcasts and constantly teased. The sad truth about that tragedy is that it could have happened here. Honestly, we've all made fun of someone at some time, but toward the end of the year it seems as though we're all being nicer to each other, mainly because we're not going to be here much longer and we realize it simply isn't worth it. I think it would have been much better to have had this attitude at the beginning of high school instead of at the end. As we go through our lives we should not forget what we've learned. We are the future and we're responsible for the next generation. It is our job to teach them to be nicer to each other and more tolerant of their differences. We have to teach them not to solve their problems through guns or violence. That truly is the only way to prevent these senseless tragedies from occurring.

1960’s course work the Beatles

Source A can tell us many things about the impact of the Beatles in the 1960's; they were considered new fresh and an extremely â€Å"cool† band. They were a nation wide love, everyone seemed to be watching then as their first priority, with shops and stalls all closed when the Beatles were on television. Even in rush hour, when many people were normally trying to make their way home or get to their destinations, the streets were deserted, everyone knew where and what time the Beatles were playing. It was as though the nation was put on to pause when the Beatles were about to perform. Joanna Lumley herself remembers being in a hurry to get home in order to not miss the Beatles playing on TV. The fans watched eagerly as though the Beatles were a drug many people were addicted to. The Beatles seemed to have caught every ones hearts and eyes; they had a new approach to music which seemed to be able to attract almost everyone. Many people saw the Beatles as icons; they were ‘cool, hip, smart, lippy, charming and funny.' Definite icon qualities attractive to the young and the general public felt they could relate to them, often being called by their first names. The Beatles new approach to music , however , was not only loved by the public but was also highly influential in the entertainment and music industry providing inspiration to many bands and changing the face of music forever. For some people the 60's was seen to be the best times of the life's due to the new entertainment and what the Beatles brought in the way of fresh new music -‘it was very heaven to be alive'. Question 2 The effects of pop music in the 1960's are shown in source A, B and C, however all in slightly different ways. Source C is a description of a Beatles concert by Paul Macartney in 1984, he talks of there being a lot of screaming- therefore implying more screaming than in 1984, when people must have been more held back and more reserved than the 60's when at concerts seeing the live bands fans went crazy for seeing their star. This point was supported by source B, a description of a concert at which the stones were playing. However the audience is described a ‘maniacal, screaming mob'. They both talk of an extremely load and energetic crowd. However Paul Macartney believed many people exaggerated the crowds so they seemed like a manic mob when all they really wanted was to see their idols and the possibility of getting an autograph. It seems Macartney really knows what he is talking about and comes across as being nice and genuine to his fans talking of him chatting to his fans instead of running away from them in the manner of Jonny Ray. The way the Beatles were with their fans, being so friendly and willing to talk to them, may have been one of the reasons why the Beatles became so big. Source A really supports this fact, and tells us a lot of how big and popular they really were describing it as though they were everyone's purpose to get home when they were performing on television. Source A does support source C on this point however I don't think it supports it in any other way. Source B on the other hand doesn't really support source C as they are extremely contradictory about what is said about the effects of pop music on fans being harmful or just very enthusiastic. Macartney knew that the fan crowds were completely harmless and controllable. Where as some stars such as the stones saw them as being dangerous, when all they really wanted was to be as close as possible to their pop star. The sources were all written some time after the 1960's period, leaving time for exaggeration, source B is written closer to the 1960's than sources A and C, and to me seems to be less likely to be exaggerated and more truthful about the facts and information that is given to us in the source. Although the sources do support each other on certain aspects, they don't really give us a broad view of the effects of pop music in the 1960's telling us very little apart from how big some bands were and how the fans reacting to them. Question 3 Sources D and E are not particularly useful in helping you to understand why many young people believed that the 1960's gave them opportunities they had never had before. I think that the source were not particularly useful as they tell us only one aspect of young peoples lives at the time. However source D, and advert fro a popular music show ‘Ready, Steady, GO' in the TV times in 1965 does tell us some useful points. The presenter, Cathy McGowan, was at the time an extremely popular model and an idol for many girls in Britain. They would copy her hair styles and dress sense. So fro many people it was the one show to see if u had an idol as they were likely to be shown on this show. It was the only show at the time which showed the public their music stars performing without them having to go to a concert. People were fanatical about seeing the show, it was compulsory viewing and the one and only time in the week the public got to hear and see popular music. Although very popular the show tended to represent older tastes in music and did not cater fro teenagers. The source is good in showing that music and popular culture had a great impact upon how people viewed television and how celebrities became real stars, and were able to become idolised by the young. Source E, a description of radio in the 1960's, was written in the 1990's and there fore like some of the other source has the possibility of being exaggerated. However the source does tell us some useful point whether exaggerated or not. Radio before the 1960's did not cater to the teenage audience and the source implies that many teenagers had nothing much to listen to that was provided on the radio for them, before the invention of ‘Radio Luxembourg'saying that many teenagers were stuck with their parents. The new channel provided precisely what the young wanted, and because of that, would have been extremely popular providing a channel that played popular new music which no other radio station had done before. It was a great opportunity in the eyes of the young and the channel which was specifically directed towards them played nothing but pop music and was very commercial, the older generation were not so fond of it. But it helped music to become a much more dominant talking point for the young. Even thought reception was dismal and faded out every minute or so it was the only way to hear pop music on the radio at the time and many people now remember it fondly. The two sources both support the fact that music and celebrities were more broadcast and that for them was a huge opportunity, however neither of them tells us anything of other aspects of opportunity in teenagers' lives and are therefore not very useful in helping us to understand why many young people believed they had more opportunities. Question 4 The 1960's was a period of great changes, some for the better and others consider by some people for the worst. Some people did not like the changes that occurred and came to see the 1960'd as a period of bad influences on British society. Source F is part of an article from the Daily Mail, a conservative newspaper, reflecting right-wing political views. This shows how Mrs Whitehouse had traditional views and values and it is portrayed in the article that she was not pleased by the changes in the 1960's. The source talks about Mrs White house launching ‘a national campaign' to help writers who she believed deserved to have their work shown on television rather than the television shows she obviously disapproved of such as ‘Coronation Street' which started on ITV in the 1960's and showed everyday life. She obviously believed many programmes unsuitable to viewers and thought that they should be replaced with more Christian viewed programmes, replacing the scenes of sex, drugs and violence with more traditional valued programmes. Mrs Whitehouse would have also been a different generation, a teenager in the 1920's with less power than that of the teens of the 1960's.the 1920's were different for social Values, with a far more traditional type of society were teenagers had less freedom of expression and more responsibilities. In source G we are told of a singer, Janis Joplin who was extremely popular and at a time where music played an important part in social life popular singers were idolised. Many bands at the time were taking drugs, drinking, and staying out late in popular clubs and at the time there was a huge drug culture. Many other bands and musicians such as the top Mod band, The Who, wrote and performed what appeared to be socially dangerous music. They were also part of the ‘Psychedelia movement', encouraging experimentation with drugs. It was these people , Janis Joplin and The Who , which the young idolised and had great influence over, to people like Mrs Whitehouse they were bed role models and set the scene of drugs to seem ‘cool' and acceptable. Although Janis Joplin was a worse case scenario, she died of a drug over dose this at least showed teenagers the problems of drugs. Teenagers appeared to be following in their idols footsteps and it somewhat seemed as tough they were being encouraged to be rebellious and have freedom of expression rather than have responsibility and obligation. Many saw the introduction of the contraceptive pill and the legalisation of abortions as an increase in sexual immorality and were seen with disaprovement. The combined effect of the pill and abortion however did allow women to plan their lives with more ease and effectiveness. They could then limit the number of children and decide when they wanted them. This provided many women with more control over their lives. However Mrs Mary Whitehouse would have and I am sure did believe that they would encourage immorality and sex before marriage which were both against the Christian beliefs. Some also believed that it could lead to a break down of social values. Some people began to believe that these changes were not a good thing for society, and that the changes were undermining the family and as a result creating a weaker society, it would have been people such as Mrs Whitehouse who would have seen things in this way, people who believed in more traditional views and values. Whether this is correct I do not know, however even though something's such as drugs were more than likely a bad influence on society, without many of the changes the world would have become a very different place and women would possibly lead very different lives. Things such as the pill and abortion were definitely in my opinion great movement in science and a huge advantage fro women, however I can see why people with Christian views were opposed to it and how they later become to se the 60's as a period of bad influences with a higher rate of teenage pregnancies it is possible to blame it on the changes and a possible increase in sexual immorality. I think that many people who thought it was a period of bad influence were possibly mostly the older generation – Mrs Whitehouse's generation who felt afraid of the dramatic change in society and the behaviour of the young in the 1960 in comparison to their day. They would have also been the right age to have children of teenage to twenties who would have been experiencing all the changes the society now allowed them. Such as drugs and even dramatic changed in fashion with the introduction of the mini skirt, a huge thing at that time to be wearing a skirt 8 inches above the knee and it was so new and different. For many people change is scary and this was a period of huge change some good some bad however it is always easy to look back and see only the bad and not what was good from the 60's also. Question 5 The quote ‘Popular culture in the 1960's did more harm than good' I believe to be untrue. The 1960's did have some bad points which were possibly bad at that in that period and have not continued through to this day whereas most of the good things that were brought about in the 1960's such a new fresh exciting music ‘rock ‘n' roll' and new bands such as the Beatles, the new fashions and social ways of life have been continued and adapted to the way of life which we lead nowadays. The 1960's was highly dominated by teenagers, they had more money from a new affluence and were able to buy more music records and clothing and were respected by the entertainment industry (source H) for what they did for music and television. Source A tells us of ‘Beatle Mania' the Beatles were one of the most popular bands and were highly influential upon teenagers and the music industry. Source A is useful in telling us the extent of the effect of the Beatles upon the general public and how popular they really were. However the source is possibly exaggerated as the writer Joanna Lumley looks back on her past. I believe the public chose the Beatles to be their number one band because of their sheer personality on and off stage, but was equally as much to do with their musical style and material, and with the British youth with far more control over what was popular and what wasn't, they decided the Beatles were the best, taking the rest of the country with them. The Beatles pioneered the British cultural invasion of the states and the world and allowed many other bands and creative people to follow in their footsteps and show the world what they could do. The fact the Beatles music is still known and liked today shows they were an extraordinary band, and the way they saw their fans and audiences differently too many other bands would have help in their success. In source B a concert is described and The Stones were playing, the writer of the source ‘doubts if the stones ever played so close to their audience again.' and describes The Stones being surrounded by ‘a heaving maniacal mob'. This was not how Paul Macartney described his audiences, yes they were usually hysterical but never harmful. He describes them as screaming a lot but not appearing to be scary or in any way threatening. I believe that the Beatles and the many other bands of the sixties made the way for the way our music is now, so many bands are influenced from bands from the sixties and many bands today which try to invent their own individual style like the Beatles had. The Beatles seemed to sum up the sixties with the music they wrote, their clothes, hair, accents, and their off hand attitudes they were a recipe fro success. However their impact upon teenagers was unbelievable, they became not just performers, they were heroes. I think this type of idolising someone was harmful however, what with the drug culture in the 1960's many bands including the Beatles were taking drugs. Source G, a extract form a biography of Janis Joplin, a rebellious teenager with a powerful blues voice became highly successful and lived a life of ‘sex, dugs, and rock ‘n' roll' always taking things to excess she died of a drug over dose in 1970. It was people like these who were obviously highly covered in the media through their popularity and the drug habits and the way that all of them were doing it made it seem socially acceptable. These people were the young's idols they looked up to them and copied what they did, the example they set was not the right one and that it was probably one of the reasons some people came to see the sixties popular culture as doing harm, and I probably agree with that. However I do think that the popularity of drugs died out as the years went past and although people still take them today by no means are they considered at all socially acceptable. Television and radio were also greatly changed due to the new market of teenagers wanting to hear pop music. New radio stations were set up, such as the start of ‘Radio Luxembourg (source E) after producers realised that teenagers were the way of the future. And the teens didn't even mind if the reception was lousy and faded out every minute or so it was the only radio station that gave them the chance to hear the music they wanted to listen to, and there was nothing like that before. Then in 1964 ‘Radio Caroline' began broadcasting, this was pirate radio but was extremely popular with teenagers who could hear non stop pop music for the first time. However was extremely unpopular with the BBC and the government who tried to have them banned. The new shows introduced on to TV such as, ‘Ready, Steady, Go' (source D) and ‘Top of the Pops' showing the pop music stars performing in front of their very eyes without having to go to a concert. ‘Ready Steady Go' was compulsory viewing and had a wonderfully catchy cry,' the weekend starts here!', giving the feeling of excitement and freedom. The presenter at the time was a popular model and with fashion being very influential upon the young it was yet another reason to watch the show. To most people the music industry was just as case of the young having fun but some people saw the young losing their sense of responsibility and obligation. Others saw other programmes as being morally un-suitable such as the new programmes showing life as it really was and more scenes of sex, alcohol, and drugs. People such as Mrs Mary Whitehouse believed this (source F). She believed that the traditional family values were being lost through the wrong and influential shows on television and that they should be replaced with more Christian shows which had a sense of purpose. However the 60's didn't sacrifice things such as education as there were nearly twice as many people in full time education in 1969 than in 1961. Showing that the young were just having a good social life and were being better educated as a generation. I think overall the 60's did more good than harm, the period brought in many new and exciting things and gave women more control over their life with the introduction of the pill and legalisation of abortion. Fashion was new and exciting and always changing with the invention of the mini skirt which was controversial to say the least. I do think that young people were encouraged to act irresponsibly and it somewhat seemed almost expected of them. However I don't think it has done any real harm to society in the long run. However I think without all the changes that took place society would have been a worse place of less freedom and more constriction, I don't think the changes that took place have done any real harm and that the changes would have probably taken place in some other period if they had not happen it the 60's.

Attendance Management System for Provincial Human Essay Example

Attendance Management System for Provincial Human Essay Example Attendance Management System for Provincial Human Essay Attendance Management System for Provincial Human Essay Each trainee must have a DART (Dally Time Record) from which their time-in and time-out Is they are assigned. The office encourages each of the trainees to go to the person-in- charge once a month for them to check, validate and track their total training hours. Statement of the Problem The current process of checking the attendance and the time of the trainees is time consuming and not reliable. The manual computation of training hours is inaccurate. The records of the trainees attendance are not secured. Note: The Daily Time Record has high probability of being lost because of misplacement and unexpected natural phenomena. General Objectives: The project is aimed to design and develop Attendance Management System for PROMO On-the-Job-Trainees. Specific Objectives: Specifically this project aims to: Help the Administrator/Secretary to manage the records of the trainees effectively. Compute the total hours of training accurately. Secure the records of the trainees attendance. Significance of the Study The finished system will be beneficial to the following: Trainee they are given assurance that the attendance recorded for them is accurate because the proposed system will automatically compute their training hours. Moreover, because human intervention is eradicated, the fear of losing their Daily Time Record is got rid of. Administrator/Secretary they will not be involved anymore in the checking of the attendance. All they have to do is to validate the attendance of the trainees on the system and print the computer generated attendance report to IEEE the performance of the trainees. Scope and Limitation: The proposed system will only be for the use of the Provincial Human Resource Management Office Bombing, Uneven Vicar. The system will only support the basic information of the trainees. The system is capable of recording the attendance of the trainees and computing the total hours rendered of the trainee. Furthermore, the system is able to generate the summary of capturing the fingerprint of the trainee before and after their training which serves as their identification. However, the system is not capable of recording the trainees absences and their tardiness. CHAPTER II Reviews and Related Literature Today, there is a wide use of computers in a various application; a computation of bank statements, the use of robotics machine to speed up some factory works, enrollment and grading system in school and universities, networking and others. Man gradually realized the importance of computer to speed up communication even in remote areas and as means of transferring data for business needs. Computer can store information in a mass storage device. It can recall information in a speed of microseconds or even in nanoseconds. Therefore, man can easily retrieved stored information, change it and then store it again. Attendance Management Based from an online resource ( Weeklies. Com/what-is-attendance- management. HTML), Attendance management is a term used to describe the various managerial tools and strategies that aid in improving the regular attendance of employees. When effective, this type of attendance control helps the employer to avoid experiencing any downtime that may occur due to the absence of an employee, as well as help to prevent overloading other employees with additional tasks in order o avoid those downtime. A number of tools are used in the process of attendance management, including time clocks; employee maintained time sheets, and even time tracking software that helps to provide a snapshot of employee attendance over a specified period of time. One of the major goals of attendance management is to reduce the amount of absenteeism that occurs in the workplace. Purpose of Attendance Management The purpose of attendance management is to develop a willingness on the part of all employees to attend work regularly and to assist them in motivating their co- workers to attend work regularly. This can be done through; 1 . Addressing the physical and emotional needs of employees 2. Communicating the attendance goals of the organization so employees can understand and identify with them 3. Dealing with cases of excessive absenteeism effectively and fairly to produce deterrence. Management System Morris Slogan stated in his book Network and Distributed Systems Management that management of a system is concerned with supervising and controlling the system so that it fulfills the requirement of both the owners and users of the system. The management of the system may be performed by a mixture of human or automated components. What is Biometric? Biometrics means life measurement associated with the use of unique physiological characteristics to identify an individual. It is an authentication technique that relies on measurable physical characteristics that can be Identification based on biometric techniques obviates the need to remember a password or carry a token. A biometric system is essentially a patter n recognition system which makes a personal identification by determining the authenticity of a specific physiological or behavioral characteristic possessed by the user. Biometric cosmologies are defined as the automated methods of identifying or authenticating the identity of a living person based on a physiological characteristic. Several types of biometric identification schemes: face: the analysis of facial characteristics fingerprint: the analysis of an individuals unique fingerprints hand geometry: the analysis of the shape of the hand and the length of the fingers retina: the analysis of the capillary vessels located at the back of the eye iris: the analysis of the colored ring that surrounds the eyes pupil signature: the analysis of the way a person signs his name. In: the analysis of pattern of veins in the back if the hand and the wrist voice: the analysis of the tone, pitch, cadence and frequency of a persons voice. What is a Biometric Time and Attendance System? Biometrics is the identification of people based upon their physical characteristics; most commonly their fingerprints, hands, eyes, or facial features. While time and attendance systems are used to manage employee attendance, scheduling, and associated payroll tasks. Within time and attendance, biometric devices are often used as a punch clock in order to add an extra layer of security, accountability and efficiency. How Does Biometric Time and Attendance Software Work? Biometric Devices: Using biometric time and attendance systems allows employees to clock in and out using their fingerprint, retinal scan, etc. Often times this process is also accompanied by a PIN (Personal Identification Number) which must also match the fingerprint or other scan. Time and Attendance Software: Pairing your biometric device with a time and attendance software allows for more efficient payroll and attendance processing. Rather than spending hours adding up manually submitted clock-in and clock-out mimes, your biometric time and attendance software will allow you to automatically import data into your payroll software. This will significantly cut down on processing time and will eliminate errors derived from manually inputting information. Benefits of using Biometric Time and Attendance Software Accountability: By using a physical characteristic rather than simply using a swipe card or PIN, ensures that the employee is actually present. This avoids issues such as buddy punching, a term used to describe when other employees clock in and out for one another. Efficiency: Using a biometric time and attendance software allows or increased efficiency in multiple areas. First, employees dont have to worry about remembering to bring in a punch card or remembering a PIN, so there is less time spent on recovering lost passwords and manually inputting an employees clock-in time. Reduce errors: Time and Attendance software reduces the risk of human error and ensures and easy, impartial, and orderly approach in addressing specific needs without any confusion. Election devices may be used to control employee access to certain areas within a facility and track employee entry. Increase Productivity: Productivity increases cause the process is seamless and makes day-to-day operations more efficient and convenient. Eliminating legacy practices frees up employees time, decreases staffing overhead, and provides supervisors with timely labor data to more effectively manage their operations. Profit: A natural bi-product of increased accountability and efficiency is increased profit. By making employees more accountable to attendance times, you will increase productivity and only pay for time actually spent working. Fingerprint Biometric System Fingerprint Biometrics is a dynamic technology that provides an identification of a errors based on the acquisition and recognition of those unique patterns and ridges in a fingerprint. Standard systems are comprised of a sensor for scanning a fingerprint and a processor which stores the fingerprint database and software which compares and matches the fingerprint to the predefined database. Within the database, a fingerprint is usually matched to a reference number, or PIN number which is then matched to a persons name or account. The specific nature of todays biometric systems is associated with a specific use of the term biometrics. Biometrics is any use of biological data in technology. Biometric systems focusing exclusively on the identification of humans have become the major kind of biometric system in todays IT world. Finger Scanning Finger scanning is a biometric process; it involves the automated capture, analysis, and comparison of a specific characteristic of the human body. There are several different ways in which an instrument can bring out the details in the pattern of raised areas (called ridges) and branches (called bifurcations) in a human finger image. Biometric finger scanning offers improvements over ink-and-paper imaging. A omelet set of finger scans for a person can be easily copied, distributed, and transmitted over computer networks. In addition, computers can quickly analyze a finger scan and compare it with thousands of other finger scans, as well as with fingerprints obtained by traditional means and then digitally photographed and stored. This greatly speeds up the process of searching finger image records in criminal investigations. Fingerprint Matching A fingerprint is made of a series of ridges and furrows of the surface of the finger. The uniqueness of a fingerprint can be determined by the pattern of ridges and arrows as well as the minutiae points. Minutiae points are local ridge characteristics that occur at either a ridge bifurcation or a ridge ending. Fingerprint matching techniques: Minutiae-based techniques first find minutiae points and map their relative placement of the finger but is difficult to extract the minutiae points accurately when the fingerprint is of low quality. Correlation-based techniques require the precise location of a registration point and are affected by image translation and rotation. Large volumes of fingerprints are collected and stored every day in a wide range of applications including forensics, access control, and driver license registration. An automatic recognition of people based on fingerprints requires that the input The aim of this project is to develop a reliable attendance management system based on biometric fingerprint identification that can used to manage attendance of the trainees. Review of Related Studies A capstone project by Rosella P. Dung-ay, Marquee E. Naval and Jericho Rudy V. Victoria from Saint Marry University, Bombing entitled A Computerized Attendance and Payment Management System of Flex and Motion Fitness Gym is elated to the proposed project. This study manages the record of the customer to lessen the possibility of data loss and to monitor the customers attendance of Flex and Motion Fitness Gym. With this system, it improves organization of record and fast data retrieval. A project from Universities Identikit Malaysia Amelia by Mood Summary Bin Abdullah Sans with the title Attendance Management System using Fingerprint Scanner is similar to this the project . The aim of this project is to develop a reliable attendance tracking and recording system based on biometric fingerprint identification that can e used to monitor attendance of student. The system can automatically acquire, store and calculate the students data and attendance into a personal computer, PC or laptop. The main purpose of this project is to monitor the student attendance in lecture, laboratory and tutorial sessions in more efficient way. It will eliminate much of the problems and manual work associated with paper based system. This project will only involve the development of the software. Llama alfalfa is a capstone project proposed by Marline G. Bunyan, Alluvium C. Tubing, Hayden Galleon and Serenely Perez of Saint Marry University. This system covers the recording of time-in and time-out as well as monitoring the attendance of each employee. Crystalline Bonuses, Margaret Joy Riviera and Liege Samson, former students of Saint Marry University, proposed a project entitled A Students Library Attendance Monitoring System of Saint Marry University. The proposed project will help the students to login faster and easier, and store the records securely. The Library staffs then monitor the daily and total number of students easier and accurately. Another study related to our proposed project is a capstone project from by Rodeo Juicinesss Manage and Juniper Quito with the title Saint Marry University Varsity Attendance Monitoring System. This project was developed to help the varsity program in maintaining its credibility in the implementation of its time and attendance monitoring process.

Major HRD Issues

Major HRD Issues Human resources development (HRD) has acquired a lot of attention lately as the contemporary highly competitive business world requires 100% productivity of the organisation and each member of the staff. There are a number of issues within the area of HRD which should be addressed.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Major HRD Issues specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, it is possible to single out four major issues which need special attention. These issues are concerned with productivity, training, motivation and diversity of the workforce. Notably, these areas are interrelated, which should be taken into account by HR specialists. Large amount of literature on development of office workers’ skills can be found nowadays. As for development of workers of manufacturing organisations (e.g. textile industry), there is certain lack of consistent surveys and research (Ghazali Halib 2012). It is possible to consi der the major HRD issues in terms of manufacturing companies to outline main areas to research. Executives, managers and researchers agree that productivity is one of the major issues of HRD (Sims 2007). It has been acknowledged that productivity should become a priority for workers to make a manufacturing company profitable (Ghazali Halib 2012). Admittedly, workers of a manufacturing company should be motivated to work harder. Each employee should strive for 100% productivity. York (2009) provides an example of the importance of each employee’s involvement into the development of the company’s productivity. Thus, one of the General Motor’s plants in California experienced various issues concerning productivity. In 1984, the company started: a joint venture with Toyota with a focus on teamwork between labor [sic] and management and a collective bargaining agreement that described the workers as professional partners committed to the New United Motors Manufactur ing Inc. (York 2009, p. 273) This incentive proved to be effective as productivity of the new venture was 40 per cent more efficient than a typical productivity of a GM plant (York 2009). The workers were motivated to perform better as they understood that their productivity could be beneficial for them and the overall company. This is only one of many examples that justify the importance of workers’ productivity as well as importance of motivation.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Workers involved in textile industry can also be motivated in the same way. Though, it is necessary to admit that such measures are quite drastic. As has been mentioned above setting proper standards will be beneficial for any manufacturing company. High quality of products is crucial for textile manufacturing companies. Workers should understand that only specific quality of produ cts can be regarded as acceptable and such characteristics as speed, amount of the products produced cannot be primary. Notably, there are many strategies to develop productivity. As has been mentioned above, motivation is one of the most important factors to pay attention to. The example of GM plant represents one of ways to develop motivation. Apart from making workers’ ‘professional partners’, it is possible to exploit a variety of strategies. Ghazali and Halib (2012) consider effectiveness of a specific incentive implemented on one of Malaysian manufacturing companies. The major motivation strategy was financial reward, i.e. additional payment for enhanced productivity. Reportedly, this incentive had quite controversial effects. On the one hand, workers were motivated to work harder and produce more. However, such commitment was not very cost-effective as it led to various defects, equipment breakdown, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to note that motivation s trategies need to be developed and improved to fit specific industries. It is important to exploit a variety of motivation incentives, which are not confined to extra payment. Workers can obtain extra days off. It is possible to grant permission to work flexible hours. Promotion is a very potent tool to motivate workers of manufacturing companies. Training is also a very effective incentive to motivate workers. It is important to understand potential of each worker and if there is a worker who is eager to perform other tasks, supervisors and eventually the company’s owners should give this person such an opportunity. When it comes to textile industry, some workers may be interested in developing their skills.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Major HRD Issues specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, some may want to develop computer skills and some may have desire to be a designer. All these inclinations and abil ities should be taken into account. These workers can become high-skilled professionals, which will be beneficial for the company (and overall industry). When it comes to a textile manufacturing company, it can be helpful to present products of the company to workers who perform well. This incentive can be regarded as a motivation incentive as workers’ performance is appreciated and they are praised. At the same time, this can positively affect products’ quality as workers will remember that the products they produce can become their reward. Admittedly, people tend to create better things for themselves than for other people. Nonetheless, motivation is not the only factor that affects productivity, especially when it comes to manufacturing companies. Training plays a very important role in enhancing productivity. Birdi et al. (2008) claim that extensive training, empowerment and development of teamwork skills positively affect productivity of manufacturing companies. A t that, development of training programs requires quite a lot of precision. In the first place, Bayat (2011) notes that it is important to reconsider performance evaluation as existing standards do not meet needs of the modern business environment. Evaluation of productivity should be thoughtful. Many executives are eager to set quite high productivity standards which are hardly achievable. This strategy is very tempting but it is ineffective and even harmful for a manufacturing company as it leads to lack of motivation in workers. It is also important to take into account physical and psychological abilities of employees. Supervisors should understand whether a worker can fulfil this or that task. It is important to train workers who will be able to benefit from the training obtained as sometimes all workers take certain courses but never use the knowledge and skills acquired (Werner DeSimone 2011). Admittedly, this is not cost-efficient.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When it comes to manufacturing companies, training should address specific group’s needs. Each worker’s performance and potential should be taken into account. It is necessary to add that development of proper training strategies is one of the most serious issues in the contemporary business world. HRD professionals should work out incentives and programs that could address specific issues existing in a particular company. Productivity depends on effectiveness of these programs. Finally, training will positively affect industrial safety as workers should be aware of all standards, requirements and useful strategies. Sometimes it is believed that only large companies can benefit from training. However, a number of surveys show that small companies can also benefit from training and other HRD strategies (Grigore 2008). Many people deem that only big companies can afford proper training. Besides, owners of small companies often think training is costly and will not be rep aid. However, many researchers provide data which suggest that small companies benefit from training and HR development. Owners of small manufacturing companies often fail to understand that training can be regarded as one of strategies aimed at development of motivation. Workers will be motivated to improve their skills and develop new ones to increase their productivity, which, in its turn, will lead to financial reward. Another main issue to be considered is diversity at workplace. It is believed that diversity is a topic that has already been covered and there is no need in considering it. However, there is significant gap in literature on the mater (Curtis Dreachslin 2008). The contemporary workplace is highly diverse in terms of age, gender and ethnicity. All these differences can interfere with productivity of each employee and the overall company. Therefore, it is crucial to pay a lot of attention to this issue. Notably, diversity training has become quite popular lately an d many companies resort to a variety of strategies to raise diversity awareness among their employees (Werner DeSimone 2011). Sims (2007, p. 245) stresses that now the â€Å"diversity challenge centers [sic] not much on employees and customers but on management itself†. The researcher also notes that diversity awareness plays important role in teamwork development. It is important to note that some people think the best way out to address issues associated with diversity is to diminish it. Of course, this approach is ineffective due to, at least, two factors. First, it is hardly possible to diminish level of diversity in the contemporary world where governments ensure equality and diversity (Idowu 2012). Secondly, empowerment of women, globalisation, population aging contribute to high level of diversity at workplace. Thus, changing gender roles result in increasing number of women occupying different positions. The number of women in top management and among manufacturing c ompanies workers is steadily increasing. This contributes to high level of gender diversity. Globalisation is associated with people’s migration, which results in ethnical and cultural diversity at workplace. This is especially true for manufacturing companies where a lot of low-skilled people of different ethnicities are occupied. Population aging leads to quite a significant gap between generations at workplace, which leads to age diversity. Obviously, diversity can hardly be diminished. It is also necessary to note that researchers still argue about the role diversity plays. Some state that diversity positively affects companies’ productivity as people of different backgrounds have extensive experience they share to develop the company (Henry Evans 2007). At the same time, some researchers claim that diversity negatively affects employee’s performance as it leads to miscomprehension, misunderstanding and a variety of conflict situations (Jayne Dipboye 2004) . Both viewpoints have the right to exist as diversity can be beneficial for a company, but it can also lead to numerous issues if no diversity training is provided. Therefore, it is essential to raise diversity awareness among employees. When it comes to manufacturing companies, each employee should be involved in this training. There are numerous strategies to develop diversity awareness these days (Curtis Dreachslin 2008). Though major focus is made on such categories as students, top management, salespeople and healthcare professionals, researchers have developed certain strategies for workers of manufacturing companies as well. First, diversity training should address specific aims. It is necessary to start with particular issues and conflicts existing at workplace. Team building activities should also be a part of this training, or rather teamwork development and diversity awareness training should be incorporated into a single training strategy (Sims 2007). Sometimes languag e courses can be beneficial for workers as nowadays many people of different ethnicities work in manufacturing companies. As far as textile industry is concerned, diversity (especially cultural diversity) is a serious issue which should be addressed. Manufacturing companies often employ low-skilled workers who often have different cultural backgrounds. Apart from different ethnicities, workers of textile manufacturing companies are of different age and gender. Different ages and genders often lead to certain conflicts among workers. Supervisors as well as workers should have the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to solve various problems and avoid conflict situations. Ability to work in teams depends on workers’ ability to cope with issues associated with diversity. In conclusion, it is possible to note that companies need to address a variety of issues in the contemporary highly competitive business world. Human resources development should be one of the priorities f or any company. HR specialists should pay special attention to the following: productivity, motivation, training and diversity. These fields need special attention as they significantly affect profitability of the company. It is also important to note that these areas are interconnected and interdependent so they should be treated accordingly. It is important to develop training strategies that could address all of the following aspects: productivity, motivation and diversity. When it comes to textile manufacturing companies, HR specialists should pay special attention to motivation and diversity as these are key factors for this industry. Notably, there are quite many gaps in research and even such serious issues as productivity, motivation, training and diversity are under-developed. There is need in specific strategies and techniques which could be applicable in particular industries and settings. Of course, every HR specialist should also be ready to introduce effective techniqu es to enhance profitability of the company. Reference List Bayat, RF 2011, Impact on the productivity of human resources management, performance evaluation, Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences 5.12, pp. 1629-1635. Birdi, K, Clegg, C, Patterson, M, Robinson, A, Stride, CB, Wall, TD, Wood, SJ 2008, The impact of human resource and operational management practices on company productivity: a longitudinal study, Personnel Psychology 61.1, pp. 467-501. Curtis, EF Dreachslin, JL 2008, Diversity management interventions and organizational performance: a synthesis of current literature, Human Resource Development Review 7.1, pp. 107-134. Ghazali, Z Halib, M 2012, Productivity-based group incentive scheme: a human resource strategy for competitive advantage in a Malaysian manufacturing company, European Journal of Social Sciences 28.1, pp. 101-108. Grigore, AM 2008, The impact of human resources practices upon small companies performances, Buletinul LX.2/2008, pp. 83-92. Henry, O Evans, AJ 2007, Critical review of literature on workforce diversity, African Journal of Business Management, pp. 72-76. Idowu, OF 2012, Human resource diversity and organizational outcomes: managing differences or organizational culture, Australian Journal of Business and Management Research 1.12, pp. 1-6. Jayne, MEA Dipboye, RL 2004, Leveraging diversity to improve business performance: research findings and recommendations for organizations, Human Resource Management 43.4, pp. 409-424. Sims, RR 2007, Human resource management: contemporary issues, challenges, and opportunities, IAP, USA. Werner, JM DeSimone, RL 2011, Human resource development, Cengage Learning, Mason, OH. York, KM 2009, Applied human resource management: strategic issues and experiential exercises, Sage Publications, Inc., London.

Marketing Management and Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Management and Strategies - Assignment Example The main focus of the hospitality sector is to adopt the differentiation strategy and technology focus to achieve competitive advantage. A lot of innovative practices are introduced and customer service and value added service play a major role in the hospitality industry. This paper will discuss the differentiation and technology focus strategies adopted in the hospitality enterprises. Some of the strategies used by hospitality enterprises to achieve competitive advantage include Strategic Planning, Market Research. Business Planning, Retail Growth Strategy, Meal Plan Strategy, Sourcing and Procurement Strategy, Concept Development, Health and Well-Being Strategy, Information Systems Strategy, Food Facilities Planning and Design. Accommodation and food services makes up about 8.1 percent of all employment. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Employment in the accommodation and food services industries is predicted to grow 18% between 2002 and 2012, adding more than 1.6 million new jobs. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Of the 8,740,000 total workers employed in the accommodation and food services industry in 2003, 5,343,000 works full-time (61%), while 3,397,000 work part-time (39%). (Annual average for 2003, according to the Current Population Survey, a joint project of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau). ... - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004-05 Career Guide to Industries and Occupational Outlook Profit and average room rate at the UK's chain hotels continued to increase in November, according to the latest HotStats survey from TRI Hospitality Consulting. Across the total UK sample of 462 hotels, income before fixed charges (IBFC) - also known as gross operating profit - rose by 5.6 per cent to 52.81 per available room. Average room rate increased by 7.4 per cent to 95.03 in November, a similar rate of growth to the 7.2 per cent achieved during the year so far. In London, profit grew by 7.9 per cent to 82.19 per available room. London's hoteliers continued to achieve rate growth at near annual levels with an 8.9 per cent increase taking average room rate to a new high of 125.85. - Jonathan Langston, UK Chain Hotels Market Review November 2007 | TRI Hospitality, www.trihc.com Michael Porters Five Force Analysis Threat of New entrants: The Entry barriers include Capital The capital outlay needed for starting up the operation in this industry is huge ($60 - $70 million), since the leasing expenses and the taxes are high. The capital includes land and building, infrastructure etc. Labor: In this industry the retention rate is high when compared to the others because of the demand for the experienced chefs in the industry. Finding and Retaining skilled labor is a major issue for a new entrant. Tax Structure: Hoteliers have to bear huge taxes levied on them by the government for property, water, electricity etc. Beside the high entry barriers, new entrants in this industry are high in recent days. Threat of substitutes: The growth of Home business restricts travel to a certain extent. So

Internet and Digital Marketing Communications Essay

Internet and Digital Marketing Communications - Essay Example Dropbox Company is a company that designs a service to share and sync files over the internet between personal computers. It is a downloadable application. Through it, the users can easily share and synchronize files across smart phones and personal computers. The company is located in San Francisco, United States. The company further offers the customers with specific tasks, which include collaboration on office documents, running a startup and backing up photos. Despite the success of the company, the past few years has proven challenging to the management and the entire company. During this time, the company experienced a crisis management problem and lost many of its customers, making the image of the company to be tarnished. The company has since then taken a major step to win back the customers improve the image of the company as well as attracting perspective customers. Despite these great services to the users, users have been asking for new features. Most of these features violate the commitment of the company to offer a simple product that is also easy-to-use. Therefore, Dropbox needs to go beyond syncing and file sharing so that it targets the customer needs. This is the only way it can stay the course. This situation has raised the need for the company to take the company back to its previous performance or to even high heights. The marketing department of this company has been pointed to have the most significant role in this activity. This is because this department has a major responsibility in guiding. and leading the other departments of the company in the development, production, fulfilling the products and the services to the customers. Marketing communication Marketing communication is a strategy that refers to the process of creating awareness, reminding or/and persuading customers of a product or a service (Yeshin, 2002). Marketing communication is significant in influencing a buyer’s purchasing decision. Integrated marketing communication (IMC), on the other hand, refers to judicious and the effective use of promotional tools of a product in passing a message across to the customers or potential customers (Yeshin, 2002). The effect of IMC to the existing and prospective customers is often noticeable. This is because the framework of IMC involves the interaction of different marketing communication elements, which have potential to improve or trigger other communication media to contribute (Belch and Belch, 2003). A marketing plan is important in attaining success in marketing. This is because it enables a company and its marketing team to focus on the marketing process. A marketing plan can be prepared using different approaches. However, there are key stages to these different approaches. These key stages are contained in an acronym SOSTC, that is, situation analysis, objectives, strategies, tactics, and control (Reid, 2003). Integrated marketing communication is an aggressive marketing strategy that aims to capture and use extensive amount of information about customers to set and track marketing strategy