Counterterrorism and home grown terrorist

The problem posed by terrorism has received serious attention not only in this country but also in the international community. It poses a real menace and challenge to the nation peace and security, harming the life, dignity and safety of the innocent people. This also weakens the economy and put dangers in all aspect of the states activity. The September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D. C. killed citizens from 83 countries and (according to the United Nations estimates) cost the global economy at least 350 billion dollars.Terrorism is proving to be the dark side of globalization, and because of it, new challenges to the country have emerged. In order to deal with such a complex phenomenon, it is essential to shape a comprehensive and nuanced strategy. The nation should take serious position against terrorism no matter when, where and what forms it occurs, or whom it is targeted. All agencies of the government, local or national, including every individual should st ep up their cooperation in preventing and combating terrorism. How serious a threat is homegrown terrorism in the United States?Experts say it is quite likely that the next terrorist attack will not be the work of well-trained al-Qaeda operatives sent from abroad, but rather that of an American citizen. As al-Qaeda leaders focus more of their energy on trying to inspire others to commit acts of terror, most security and counterterrorism officials believe their message will resonate with at least some small number of Americans. Such fears tend to focus on American Muslims, and experts say this is logical given recent events in Europe.Yet the American Islamic community also has proven one of the government’s best resources for preventing the emergence of homegrown Islamic terrorists. Richard A. Falkenrath, New York City’s deputy police commissioner for counterterrorism, recently told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the possibility of a ‘homegrownâ€℠¢ terrorist attack against New York City or any other American city is real and is worsening; it is hard to anticipate the motives or actions of a homegrown terrorist.Yet despite the high probability of a homegrown terrorist attack, experts say such an event is likely to have a relatively small impact when compared to attacks by conventional terrorist networks but it should be cautioned that self-radicalized individuals and groups can become far more dangerous when they reach out for support from more established terrorist networks. BODY: I. Combating Terrorism: To combat the terrorism, expert stresses the need to grasp two aspects of terrorism: Its root causes and its technological Complexity.The root causes of terrorism, both domestic and international, are varied and complex. One set of factor is essentially ideological and includes religious and ethno nationalistic extremism. Second is the technological complexity, the new terrorist are distinguished by their general ability to use new information and communication technologies. They are also fully able to exploit technology to enhance their illegal transnational activities (Banlaoi, 2004). II. Three factors that must be considered in dealing with terrorism:First, it must involve the gradual and painstaking winning of the hearts and mind of disaffected peoples, great patience and endurance is required. Second, the political nature of the campaign against terror suggests that such a comprehensive strategy cannot be pursued without full cognizance of the potential negative consequences of any action contemplated. Thirdly, a comprehensive strategy must be implemented within a substantive multilateral framework, and ensure the fullest regional participation.There should be four key of such a strategy, socio economic, coercive, political and technical. Socioeconomic measures, poverty and extreme socioeconomic marginalization are root causes of terrorism. These may be the result of either deficient domestic poli cies or powerful globalization processes. Hence developed countries should increase trade, investment and aid linkages with developing countries to enhance their capacities for good governance.Coercive Measures, Strong legal enforcement measures such as freezing of assets and detentions of individuals suspected of complicity in terrorist plots, are the first line attack in the campaign against terror. Political Measures, terrorist by definition fight for a political cause, perceived as ‘just’ or otherwise. Terrorist groups also often feed upon political issues for support/ such as grievances and opposition to illegal and armed occupation, oppression, and abuse and denial of civil and political rights.Technical Measures, It is vitally important that the capacity of the terrorist to plan, fund and implement their activities must be targeted (Banlaoi, 2004). III. The country’s practical measures against terrorist are the following: (1) Identification of terrorist,(2 ) Location and tracking identified terrorists, (3). apprehension of identified terrorist, (4). Prosecution of the identified terrorist and (5), Punishment of the guilty terrorist (Marchetti,1976) IV. Anti terrorism program: A. There are four (4) basic program components associated with the anti terrorist program.The prevention which focuses on international initiative and diplomacy to discourage foreign states from supporting terrorism second is deterrence which emphasizes protection and security and efforts-essentially target hardening-to discourage terrorist acts, thirdly, the reaction, this consist of operations in response to specific major acts of terrorism and lastly is prediction, this includes intelligence and counterintelligence efforts in continues support of the three other program components B. The specific anti-terrorist measures developed and used in fighting terrorismIncludes close international screening of all airlines and passengers for metallic objects, tighter se curity of diplomatic installations, compilation of watch list terrorist, adoption of measures to sow dissention within terrorist group thru black and gray covert operations. V. Ways to fight Terrorism: A. There follows a general measures in fighting terrorism, this are protection of terrorist targets. The terrorist commonly attack strong points such as airports, communications and national offices.Another is the need to expand intelligence gathering in order to initiate particular course of action and forestall the plan of the enemy. The community must also be train for trouble; this will be possible by preparing them to any unusual occurrence like terrorist attacks. The country should improve international cooperation and negotiate flexibly. Others are don’t rule rescues, lean on terrorist allies, order selective reprisals, crack down on unsafe airports and tighten airport and seaport security. B.Psychological operations (PSYOPS) approaches in countering terrorist threats. 1 . Widespread educational program directed at audience in the affected areas will expose threat to stability and the quality of life by those threat groups 2. High visibility amnesty and â€Å"secret witness† programs could directly attack the organizational integrity and solidarity of those threat groups. 3. Target the rivalries and jealousy existing in those threat groups. 4. Develop constructive relationship among the various disputants to enhance high level diplomatic talks. C.To develop terrorism counteraction plans and programs, it is necessary to conduct threat studies, to provide an understanding of the capabilities and intentions of terrorist groups, Vulnerability surveys, to reveal the weakness that terrorist can attack and Analysis of all the effects of terrorism. D. PSYOPS doctrine prescribes the use off â€Å"Propaganda Analysis† to determine the effects of activities, programs or campaigns. The basic approaches in this procedure are analysis of Source, Con tents, Audience, Media, and Effects (SCAME). Propaganda is the primary vehicle of psychological warfare.It includes any activity that affects emotion, attitude and behavior of a target audience (Marchetti, 1976) HOME GROWN TERRORISM: Scott Redd, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said in a written statement to the Senate that the emergence of home-grown terrorist groups is posing â€Å"real challenges† for U. S. authorities despite law enforcement successes at disrupting potential attacks. Most security and counterterrorism officials believed that the next terrorist attack will not be the work of well-trained al-Qaeda operatives sent from abroad, but rather that of an American citizen.The White House’s National Strategy for Combating Terrorism says the main terrorist threat today comes from those who â€Å"exploit Islam and use terrorism for ideological ends. † Experts say individuals who are likely to adopt a terrorist ideology share several qual ities: youth, unemployment, feelings of alienation, a longing to feel self-importance, and a need to be part of a group. Religion can be compelling to such individuals, who are then prone to exploitation by deceitful religious leaders. R. P.Eddy, senior fellow for counterterrorism at the Manhattan Institute, says, â€Å"If you think of any ethnic community in this country†¦there are people of all stripes. † However, he suggests counterterrorism efforts should pay close attention to Muslim communities in the United on lessons from the attacks in Madrid in 2003 and London in 2004, which originated in Muslim communities. The White House’s National Strategy for Combating Terrorism says that the main terrorist threat today comes from those who â€Å"exploit Islam and use terrorism for ideological ends.† Experts say individuals who are likely to adopt a terrorist ideology share several qualities: youth, unemployment, feelings of alienation, a longing to feel self -importance, and a need to be part of a group. Religion can be compelling to such individuals, who are then prone to exploitation by deceitful religious leaders. The relationship between American Muslims and homegrown terrorism. Though many of the homegrown terrorists identified in the United State especially since the 9/11 attacks have been Muslims, it is important to note that religious motivations are not present in all instances.It is suggested that counterterrorism efforts should pay close attention to Muslim communities in the United States, where al-Qaeda’s message of radical Islam is more likely to resonate. How have Muslim communities in the United States responded to the growing concern over homegrown terrorists? By and large, American Muslims express great concern over the prospect of homegrown terrorists in their midst. To this end, members of Islamic communities have worked to establish good relationships with U. S. officials, particularly on the local level.Huss ein Ibish, executive director of the Hala Salaam Maksoud Foundation for Arab-American Leadership, says in terms of counterterrorism efforts, â€Å"Most of the major successes the government claims within the United States have actually involved cooperation with the local Muslim communities. How have U. S. officials reacted to the prospect of homegrown terrorists? Experts judge government responses as mixed. Generally speaking, the local approach proves most effective. Eddy says local police are the best tool the government has for preventing homegrown terrorists.Good community policing—establishing relationships and keeping abreast of trends in a neighborhood â€Å"based on common interests other than terrorism†Ã¢â‚¬â€underpins any effort to detect a homegrown plot. Eddy views officers as â€Å"first preventers and not just as first responders,† but it remains incumbent on political leaders to support them as such Home-grown cells were a new domestic phenomeno n for which the FBI and law enforcement agencies had no â€Å"baseline† for measuring the scale of the problem CONCLUSION: Terrorism is a crime committed by a handful of extremist elements and should not be ad equated with any specific ethnic group or religion.Under no circumstances should double standards in applying this principle be allowed. To fight terrorism effectively requires efforts to address its ideological, socioeconomic and political root causes. This should involve strategies aimed at currently solving both current problems and identifying permanent solutions in the long run. An important prerequisite in this connection is to resolve the question of development and narrow the gap between the rich and the poor. The so called war on terror is not just a war that can be won by sole reliance on military and coercive measures.Recommendation: The country should review and strengthen national mechanism to combat terrorism. Efforts in suppressing sources of funds must b e doubled. The country needs to continuously deepen seeking cooperation from allies’ country in enforcing anti-terrorist program and practices. Develop regional capacity building programmed to enhance existing capabilities to detect, monitor and report terrorist acts and plans. Strengthen cooperation at the bilateral, regional and international levels in combating terrorism in a comprehensive manner and affirm that at the international level.Convene a high level of ad-hoc experts group as the lead to anti terrorism that will continue to focus on the preventions and control of terrorism. To better deter and prevent potential acts of terrorism at home, the state should enact law that will restrict the movement of those who pose a terrorist threat to the community to include organizations which advocate terrorism. Holds accountable all public and private organizations abetting terrorism; Calls for greater vigilance and concrete measures against all possible terrorist supplies, m aterials and finances.The country should designate Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security as the lead to anti terrorism. Americans had to accustom to new security measures that complicated their travel, work, and recreation. United States agencies rearranged their priorities, and local governments scrambled to make preparations for potential terrorist attacks, possibly involving biological, chemical, or even nuclear weapons. References Banlaoi, 2004, War on Terrorism, Rex Bookstore Inc. , Recto Avenue Desker, B. , and Kumar R. ,( 2002) Forging an Indirect Strategy in Southeast Asia.† The washington Quarterly, Volume 25, No. 2 Dulles, A. , (1972) The Craft of Intelligence, New York, wermer paperback, Marchetti, V. (1976), The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence, New York, Pell Agam, H. ,(2001) â€Å"Measure to Eliminate International Terrorism† New York, Paper Back. Ganor, B. (2003)Defining Terrorism: Is One Man’s Terrorist Another Man’s Freedom Figh ter†, http://terror. host. net. kg Homer, D. (2003) The Rise of Complex Terrorism, http//www. Foreignpolicy. com http://counterterrorism. org/mt/pings. cgi/3655 .

Understanding Aerospace: How To Fly An Aircraft

1. The complicated task of piloting an aircraft can be broken into two broad categories. The first is keeping the aircraft flying. The second is arriving at a given destination. The second is always being effected by the first. Unlike a car, small deviation in course can over great distances cause the aircraft to arrive hundreds of miles from the target destination. To successfully accomplish the task, safe arrival, the larger tasks can be sub-divided into three categories. The first is the Procedural Tasks. These are the maintenance task that must be accomplished every time in a certain way at a certain time, i.e. take off and landing checklists. The next is Decision and Judgement Tasks. Problem solving is another way to look at it. The crew will react based on past experience to a given situation. The last is Communications and Resource Management. This is how the crew communicates with each other while problem solving, either poorly or well. 2. The pilot uses visual cues such as rate of flow of texture outward from or convergence of parallel linear features to visually fly the aircraft. Estimates of speed are derived from global optic flow (GOL). This is the rate that texture flows over the optical area. This can be effected by elevation, at higher elevations underestimation of true speed will occur. Approach path distortions occur when there is a slope before the landing strip or other visual features such as dwarfed trees. The human eye is not designed for conditions found in flight. Planes that are a collision course have no apparent movement to them. This takes the natural attraction to movement out of play. Because of the lack of visual stimulation the eye will focus only a few meters in front, so distant objects are unfocused. The scanning of instruments provides a source of input that allows the pilot to visualize the position of aircraft in flight. The novice pilot will scan all the instruments in a given pattern. While the experienced pilot will look at all the instrument that will give them feedback on the action that occurred. Of the main instrument the most useful is the attitude direction indicator (ADI). This is the instrument most referred and the one that most novice pilot will get fixated with. It is also the only one that resembles an aircraft and provides information in a format other than an analog circular dial. 3. Situational awareness is the ability to keep track of your surroundings and what they mean. Then predict how any change in them will effect your actions. This is measured the best, according to the author, by adding a task that can be performed well only when surrounding events are well know. The types of displays that best support awareness of position is best conveyed via 3-D. Speed of the aircraft is interpreted with a higher degree of accuracy in 2-D displays. Heads up displays (HUD) have been used for some time to give pilots information in away that allowed them to keep their attention outside of the cockpit. The thought is naturally to add more information to this already useful instrument. This would most likely result in the loss of information due to cluttering. Some information is lost in the HUD because of overlap with dominant terrain features. This might be avoided using a heads down display (HDD) type. They both have advantages and disadvantages. These may both be used to some extent with types of automation. The pilot may end up monitoring the flight only being called on when there is a problem. This results in the pilot being dissociated from the situation that they are to solve. Thus loosing time needed to solve the crisis trying to reorient themselves. A better way may be to use automation to provide information pertaining to the situation, i.e. filtering information.

Appendicitis

In the position of the appendix, age of the patient, and degree of inflammation make the clinical presentation of appendicitis notoriously inconsistent. Statistics report that 1 of 5 cases of appendicitis is misdiagnosed; however, a normal appendix is found In 15-40% of patients who have an emergency appendectomy. Niwa et al reported an Interesting case of a young woman with recurrent pain In who was referred for appendicitis, treated with antibiotics, and was found to have an ppendiceal diverticulitis associated with a rare pelvic pseudocyst at laparotomy after 12 months. 15] Her condition was probably due to diverticular perforation of the pseudocyst_ Symptoms The classic history of anorexia and perlumblllcal pain followed by nausea, right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain, and vomiting occurs in only 50% of cases. Nausea is present in 61-92% of patients; anorexia is present in 74-78% of patients. Neither finding is statistically different from findings in patients who present to the emerg ency epartment with other etiologies of abdominal pain. In addition, when vomiting occurs, it nearly always follows the onset of pain.Vomiting that precedes pain Is suggestive of Intestinal obstruction, and the diagnosis of appendicitis should be reconsidered. Diarrhea or constipation Is noted In as many as of patients and should not be used to discard the possibility of appendicitis. The most common symptom of appendicitis is abdominal pain. Typically, symptoms begin as periumbilical or epigastric pain migrating to the right lower quadrant (RLQ) f the abdomen. This pain migration is the most discriminating feature of the patient's history, with a sensitivity and specificity of approximately 80%, a positive Ilkellhood ratio of 3. 8, and a negative likelihood ratio of 0. 5. [3] Patients usually Ile down, flex their hips, and draw their knees up to reduce movements and to avoid worsening their pain. Later, a worsening progressive pain along with vomiting, nausea, and anorexia are desc ribed by the patient. usually. a fever is not present at this stage. The duration of symptoms Is less than 48 hours In approximately 80% of adults but tends to be longer In elderly persons and In those with perforation.Approximately 2% of patients report duration of pain in excess of 2 weeks. A history of similar pain is reported in as many as 23% of cases, but this history of similar pain, in and of itself, should not be used to rule out the possibility of appendicitis. In addition to recording the history of the abdominal pain, obtain a complete summary of the recent personal history surrounding gastroenterologic, genitourinary, nd pneumologlc conditions, as well as consider gynecologic history In female patients.An inflamed appendix near the urinary bladder or ureter can cause Irrltatlve v0101ng symptoms ana nematurla or pyurla. cystltls In male patlents Is rare in the absence of instrumentation. Consider the possibility of an inflamed pelvic appendix in male patients with appare nt cystitis. Also consider the possibility of appendicitis in pediatric or adult patients who present with acute urinary retention.

Assessment of a magazine advertisement Assignment

Assessment of a magazine advertisement - Assignment Example The consistent general theme of the advertisement is to focus on the numerous changes that have been made to the latest edition of the game; the advertisement shows that the game is much better than its earlier editions. The advertisement covers all the major areas of the game and most importantly all the important things which a gamer would want to know. It is very in-depth and lures the gamers into buying the game. The leading title perfectly relates to the advertisement. â€Å"Now, many of those sound just fine. The series has long needed better menus, and some less "plastic" presentation would also be great. But tiny little updates and a roster change is what bums people out about Madden year in year out, so as a massive FIFA fan heres hoping theres some more substantial improvements yet to be announced.† (The New FIFA) The advertisement has been designed mainly for the gamers, it is also likely to intrigue all people who love sports, it brings out the important and exciting aspects of the new edition of the game. The advertisement has been really well crafted, the major changes have also been highlighted, these are some of the changes which every gamer would like to see. The advertisement does not ask the reader to do anything, its main job is to take the excitement level of the gamers to another level and lure them into buying the game. The text of the advertisement only focuses on the strengths of the game making the reader believe that it is the best football game that has ever been made. Hence, the main job of the advertisement is to force gamers into buying the new game. There are no competitive advertisements, Konami a Japanese company releases a game called Pro Evolution Soccer to compete with the FIFA series but nothing has been heard of the new game by Konami so there is no competition as of yet. This is a very fine investment, it is a great

Impact of social media on the growth of the fashion industry in Dissertation

Impact of social media on the growth of the fashion industry in Nigeria - Dissertation Example This group of consumers prefers to use Facebook only (55%), and only 27% have Twitter account, while 18% of respondents use both social media tools. The results demonstrated that the local fashion brands have not as strong and effective marketing strategies in terms of social media usage. Also, the research has shown that 41% of respondents do always review social media pages of fashion brands for discounts, while 23% of respondents prefer to read reviews before shopping for clothes online or even before going to the fashion store. However, according to the study carried out by the researcher where he has been analyzing the level of activity of Nigerian and UK-based Nigerian fashion brands at social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, it has been found out that the majority of 45 Nigerian fashion brands did not use full potential of the social media opportunities. The research has also shown that some of the Nigerian fashion brands in addition to Facebook and Twitter d o use other social media platforms to interact with their customers, followers, fans and subscribers. These sources included fashion brands blogs, Tumblr, Youtube, Pininterest, Instagram, Ijaw girl, and even LinkdIn. Based on the result of the findings, it was recommended that the Nigerian fashion brands and retailers ought to adopt experience of international fashion brands and focus their digital marketing strategy on the following key social media areas: personalized shopping experience, user-generated content, strategic use of discounts, focus on niche communities, and interaction through mobile applications. Key words: Social media, fashion industry, consumer behaviour, Nigeria Introduction â€Å"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months† – this ironic and brave definition of fashion belongs to famous Oscar Wild. If seriously, Feldenkreis et al (2005) describe the basics of the fashion business as a set of activities, i ncluding: design and creation of a line; sampling process with drawing the design, picking materials, designing graphics, embroidery and other components if needed; preparation of the blueprint of the garment from size to all measurements; and demonstration of it to the fashion industry. Usually, this process takes one year after which new fashion models would be available for retail (Feldenkreis et al. 2005). However, with the increasing use of social media globally this process goes through the various changes and provides both fashion producers/distributors and fashion consumers with new opportunities. Various social networks, blogging, video blogging, podcasting - all are the social media tools used to empower and enable conversations digitally (Brogan, 2010). More detailed description of what the social media was described by Poynter (2010, p. 182), who listed such examples of it: blogging, micro-blogging (e.g. Twitter), social networking (e.g. Facebook, Mixi, Cyworld), Wikis ( e.g. Wickipedia, the collaborative encyclopedia), social bookmarking (e.g. Delicious and Digg), photosharing (e.g. Flickr), voice networking (e.g. Skype), video sharing (e.g. YouTube), music

The Chinese Knight Errant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Chinese Knight Errant - Essay Example However, the material realm is inadequate to construct a more complete definition of what it means to be a Knight Errant, as many of the qualities are the abstract concepts that go hand in hand with morality. The Knight Errant is a principle. It is the principle of right and wrong that guides our decisions as we pursue our ethical objectives. When faced with a moral dilemma, a solution could be forthcoming by simply asking ourselves; What would a Knight Errant do In the answer we would find truth, honesty, compassion, obligation, sincerity, respect, and a wealth of human spirituality that makes us genuinely and uniquely a moral human being. The Knight Errant is selfless in their pursuit of justice in the name of righteousness. This is not a half-hearted endeavor to settle a score or seek revenge for a wrong committed against oneself or one's family. The Knight Errant serves righteousness as a subject serves a master. The only purpose of their actions is to remain true to their moral code that mandates doing the right thing without regards to personal cost, loss, or gain. In the story The Sung Founder Escorts Ching-Niang One Thousand Li translated by LS Lieu, the protagonist Chao K'uang-yin escorts a beautiful young lady through treacherous territory on a journey back to her home. The Knight Errant is a perfect gentleman and never pursues the lady from an aspect of lust. Her family questions the fact that any man could be so pure of heart. Chao is genuinely miffed that anyone would question his motives for helping the beautiful girl. When asked about it he flies into a rage and shouts, "I came here out of righteousness, but you've insulted me with such words. If I coveted her beauty, we'd have been married on the way" (74). This was not a false sense of being forced to do the right thing, it was a genuine display of righteousness that transcends our everyday decisions to behave and act in an acceptable manner. The Knight Errant was not simply following his social norms; he was being true to himself and his beliefs. The acts of a Knight Errant, and the core principle of righteousness, carry over across time and culture as we view it from the perspective of our own value system and look at it through the lens of our current social context. While many of the acts may seem violent and gruesome, their horror is diluted by the principle of justice. Just as the Knight Errant is not a man, the deeds they commit are not the acts. A Knight that kills another man is not a murderer, but an instrument of faith that is correcting a past injustice or a current threat. The deed of killing is not murder, but an act that rectifies past wrongs or eliminates present dangers. In addition, the character does not have to carry the label of Knight Errant to perform as one. The entity and its acts are merely the results of the motivation that drives the action. It is not a formalized or well-defined schema. In the story The Lady Knight Errant translated by LS Lieu, a young woman is asked what she is carrying in the lea ther bag by her side. She replies "The head of my enemy" (80). Her friend curiously looks inside the bag. "He saw a bearded head, all smashed and smeared with blood" (80). The woman continues to

Johnthan Edward 1703-1758 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Johnthan Edward 1703-1758 - Essay Example Such beliefs lead us all toward a common good and teach us a better way of life. Religion is also quite complex and difficult, at times, to understand. Theologians attempt to make sense of this difficult subject in an effort to bring people closer to an understanding of the divine nature of the world. While many such famous theologians come from Europe, Jonathan Edwards was born and raised right here in America and is still consider to be one the greatest and most intellectual theologians that ever lived. Jonathan Edwards lived a relatively short life of only 55 years. During his life, however, he contributed many things to American culture, and to the spiritual lives of people around the world. He was quite a smart child, entering Yale College when he was only 13 years old. At that time, Yale was still a seminary instructing students with a Biblical background. During his college years, he quickly began his career as a spiritual and theological writer and graduated as the Valedictor ian in his class. By the time he graduated, he seemed to have already formulated a philosophy of life that he would use as the foundation of his future writings that are still well read today. What follows is a brief, yet thorough, description of the theological and intellectual influence of John Edwards on America. The Writings of Jonathan Edward Jonathan Edwards spend much of his time leading various churches in the Connecticut and New York area. In early adulthood, he learned a lot from his grandfather, who was seen as a spiritual man in the New England area. His grandfather, then, had a huge influence on the philosophy that Edwards would begin to adopt through his studies at Yale and beyond. Not only did people in New England really like Edwards as a person, his great influence probably came from his writings. He wrote volumes of books in intellectual and theological topics during his all to short life. As Phillip Sinitiere wrote, â€Å"Edwards was known both from his large net work or correspondents and through his voluminous writing ministry† (744). He wrote about such concepts as the extent of sin, the importance of ethics and virtue, they dynamics of the human will, and the nature of mission work (Sinitiere 745). There are many scholars who contend that Jonathan Edwards is America’s greatest philosophical theologian. This would put him up there with such European philosophers as Martin Luther. More than being just a theologian, however, it should be pointed out the Edwards contributed a great deal to the intellect of those who read his works. His writings were both deep and profound. Many people still study his works because they are complex, yet so revealing about the world in which we live. It is amazing any time someone who lived 300 years ago is still mentioned today. Edwards is not only mentioned, but studied as if he is still around and living today. That speaks volumes of the respect he must have had while he lived, worked, and wrot e in the New England area. As people continue to study the various writings of Jonathan Edwards, they have discovered that he spoke a great deal about ethics. This conversation is still as relevant today as it was when he first wrote. Philip Quin wrote that Edwards ha â€Å"something to contribute to contemporary conversations and debates in ethics† (300). This shows us that people today are still discussing his view on ethics. Conversations about ethics are

Saint Joan Institute of Womens Study. Human Resource Management Essay

Saint Joan Institute of Womens Study. Human Resource Management Portfolio - Essay Example Through the paper it has been tried what modus operandi the HR department should follow to exploit the portfolio of a candidate. For the paper, the particular job taken into consideration is a job of an ‘academic coordinator.’ The academic coordinators are academic staffs, who have some responsibility for coordinating the activities of other academic staff and interacting with students in large courses or programs. â€Å"Typically, these people have responsibility for the ―practical and everyday process of supporting, managing, developing and inspiring academic colleagues.† (Ramsden, 1998, p. 4) The institute considered for this discussion is Saint Joan Institute of Women’s Study. The institute is committed to impart the training to the girls and women. Some of the units such as schools are devoted to train the underprivileged girls. An Academic coordinator has become a very crucial position in today’s fast growing and sophisticated educational institutions. Academic coordinators find their role to be demanding, complex, and very stressful and are uncertain about the scope of their role. (Ladyshewsky & Jones, 2007) In Educational organization the coordinator is basically associated with teaching, hiring teachers and educators, to administer programs, develop budget, to arrange meetings, and to make changes where necessary. In modern educational institution the post of a coordinator is very important to facilitate smooth coordination between students, teachers, various departments, committee, management and other personnel in the institution directly or indirectly. He plays the role of a liaison between students and faculty members, parents and teachers, teachers and management members etc. The natures of the job includes various following responsibilities which are divided into two parts: Teaching and non-teaching Non Teaching responsibilities Teaching responsibilities To suggest for the recruitment of new staff members according to the requirements of the unit: The coordinator identifies the need of the staff and accordingly he suggests for the recruitments of different positions for full time , part time, adjunct faculty or a resource person for the specific task. To develop teaching procedure and strategies: To arrange training and development programs To revise the existing academic programs and design new programs, curriculum. The curriculum should be developed according to the domains and the requirements of the students. To arrange meetings of line members and staff members of the organization. To solicit students’ as well as teachers’ feedback. To prepare an annual budget and get it sanctioned by the Management committee members with suggested changes. To take review of the effectiveness of the program To arrange strategies for promotional activities. To conduct exams and to coordinate it entirely To conduct extra-curricular activities thus to boost the confidence of the students. To teach the subject allotted to him or her To set exam papers and check the papers b. The Strategic Importance of an Academic Coordinator in an Educational Institution: â⠂¬Å"Jobs that directly relate to the firm’s core competencies assume greater strategic value.† (Weekley Jeff) The job of the coordinator has a strategic importance as it is related to the

Nano-Thermal Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nano-Thermal Analysis - Essay Example hydrate & solvent 4) Assay development UV, HPLC, TLC 5) Stability      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Solution Thermal, hydrolysis, pH   Ã‚  Ã‚   In solid state Oxidation, proteolysis metal ion Derived properties    6) Microscopy Particle size and morphology 7) Bulk density Tablet and capsule formation 8) Flow properties Tablet and capsule formation 9) Compression properties Acid / excipient choice 10) Excipient compatibility Preliminary screen by DSC, Conformation by TLC POLYMORPHIC COMPOUNDS There are certain compounds that exist in more then one crystalline forms, this property is called polymorphism. Its evaluation is desirable during pre-formulation studies if the drug constitutes the major portion of the dosage form. Only one form of the polymorphic compound is thermodynamically active at a given temperature and pressure. Techniques for investigation for the stable form of polymorphs are microscopy (hot stage microscopy, X-ray diffraction, IR spectrophotometer, thermal analysis and dilalo metry.(Brittain,2009) THERMAL ANALYSIS It is the branch of science that deals with the properties of material that change with temperature. For the measurement of such properties various methods are used. the techniques all follow the change of specific physical property by the change of temperature or time in the specifically controlled environment, since moisture and temperature are the basic factors effecting the stability of the pharmaceutical compounds thus we take temperature to measure various parameters.(Menczel,2009) Thermal analysis Instrumental technique for describing various properties General method Acronym Property measured Application Differential scanning calorimetry DSC ?T, differential power input Measurement of kinetics Differential thermal analysis DTA ?T chemistry, pharmaceuticals, polymers Thermo- gravimetric Analysis TGA Mass composition, extent of cure, stability Thermo-mechanical Analysis TMA Length or volume Shear and torsion modulus of films, fibers, lami nates adhesives Dynamic mechanical Analysis DMA Viscoelastic properties rheological properties Dielectric Analysis DEA Dielectric properties isothermal crystallization Nano/micro-thermal Analysis n-TA Penetration, ?T Surface properties of solid dosage form THERMAL ANALYSIS OF PHARMACEUTICAL MATERIALS AND POLYMERS Techniques such as DSC, TG can investigate the transformation during polymorphic conversion.TGA is often used to measure residual solvents and moisture and solubility of the active materials in solvents. Polymers represent another large are for the application of thermal analysis, analysis of composite material such as glass or epoxy composites, analysis of raw material of packaging, effects of additives used in packaging material determined.TGA can also be used for fiber content determination of the composite. NANO-THERMAL ANALYSIS it is the local thermal analysis technique that allows obtaining understanding of thermal behavior of the materials combined with high spatial resolution imaging capabilities of the Atomic Force Microscopy with a spatial resolution

TRS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TRS - Essay Example In addition, humanity gets a deeper understanding of God through the saints. Interestingly, these saints are a reflection of colors needed within the church. For example, saint Francis of Assisi speaks of truths concerning God. However, he does not entirely reflect the fullness of God hence the need for other saints. In summary, saints are a part of the church and are a connecting point between God and human beings. It is quite interesting that the saints reflect color to the church. Moreover, they enable the church have a deeper understanding of God. This is interesting because saints are more of a church’s ideology. Arguably, no one but God knows the real state of the hurts of men. Additionally, one could never know the real intentions of the hearts of people. Arguably, saints are considered by the acts. On the other hand, they reflect light, which may not be understandable to humanity unless deeply rooted in the practices of Catholicism. In summary, Catholics hold saints in high

Portraying paintings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Portraying paintings - Essay Example Then there is the musical instrument to the far right—a bit more frivolous an object, and a sword near the center—certainly not as common as a book. There is also a sort of musical instrument with the skull, which is the obvious focal point of the painting. The wooden flute is set near its mouth, almost to look as though the skull is playing it. In fact, perhaps the skull is smiling as it plays a whimsical tune. Also interesting, however, is the light source, a small window, presumably near the ceiling. The light illuminates only the skull, and leaves the other images in relative darkness, as if to say that what is important in the picture is the reminder of death, rather than the other â€Å"Vanities of Human Life† that are portrayed. Death, the artist seems to suggest is another of these vanities, however, as the skull plays upon its flute almost whimsically. Perhaps he is trying to tell us that death is the most beautiful vanity of all, as it removes us from t he other banalities of existence. In John Keats’ poem, â€Å"When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be†, we see the two most common themes of Keats’ entire body of poetry—those of unrequited love, and fear of death—here together in one poem. He uses the sonnet form, with three quatrains and a rhyming couplet at the end. (This can also be seen as an octet and sestet). The natural divisions in the form of the poem organize his fears about love and death.

A Personal Take on the Debate Between Rationalism and Empiricism.Doc Essay Example for Free

A Personal Take on the Debate Between Rationalism and Empiricism.Doc Essay The study of knowledge, or epistemology, contains theoretical methods by which information is learned. Of these methods, two are most widely accepted. These two methods, rationalism and empiricism, are also the most widely debated methods of knowledge acquisition. Rationalism claims that knowledge is gained by a priori processes and intuition. Rationalism claims that knowledge is innate; however the level of innate knowledge contained by humans varies amongst rationalists. At the other end of the spectrum, empiricism claims that knowledge is gained largely by experience, observation, and sensory perception. These views pose a striking contrast and controversy within the theory of knowledge. Which view is correct, or is there even a correct view? As rationalism and empiricism are studied and compared, it becomes evident that empiricism is the more correct theory of the acquisition of knowledge. However, in order to believe so, there must be a differentiation between knowledge and behavior. According to the empirical scientific process, bodily behavior and function is rationalist. That is, it occurs without humans first learning how to breathe and pump blood with their heart. Knowledge however, refers to The British philosopher John Locke is credited with formulating the complete modern doctrine of empiricism. Locke proposed that, upon entrance into the world, the mind is a white paper upon which experiences leave their marks. According to Locke in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding the predominant sources of ideas and knowledge are sensation and reflection. It seems that after receiving knowledge empirically, the human mind resorts to reflecting on the information. This reflection could ultimately lead to the internalization of knowledge, therefore making it seem innate upon recall of the information. Scottish philosopher David Humes thoughts and theories regarding empiricism are the basis of what is understood as empiricism today. Humes studies on empiricism took empiricist ideas to a whole new level. Hume divided all of knowledge into two categories: relations of ideas and matters of fact. Relations of ideas encompass logical propositions such as mathematics and geometry, while matters of fact are pieces of knowledge dependent on observation. Hume goes even further in saying that ideas, commonly understood as arising from human intuition (rationalism), are empiricist. According to Hume, ideas are merely remembrances of impressions or sensations gained by experience and observation. Humes ideas here are not unreasonable. While ideas can be new or innovative they generally do build upon the knowledge already possessed by experience. For example, the iPod was a new idea; however the idea itself was a remembrance of previous portable music devices such as the Walkman or Discman. In effect, Hume seems to be saying that new ideas are simply improvements made to existing ideas gained through impressions and sensations. While rationalism and empiricism are generally recognized as opposing views, it is important to remember that they are not mutually exclusive when understood in a general sense. However, when a philosopher is looking for the fundamental source of all knowledge, then one view must be discarded in favor of another. By separating human knowledge from human body function, it is reasonable to conclude that all human knowledge and ideas are gained empirically and through experience.

Passivhaus Standard Replacing The Code For Sustainable Homes Construction Essay

Passivhaus Standard Replacing The Code For Sustainable Homes Construction Essay Should the PassivHaus standard replace the Code for Sustainable Homes as the UKs national standard for the design and construction of all sustainable dwellings? Overall Summary The term PassivHaus refers to a specific ultra low-energy construction standard developed in Germany, and now used throughout Europe, for buildings which have excellent comfort conditions in both the winter and summer. The Code for Sustainable Homes is the national standard for the design and construction of social housing in England, which measures the sustainability of a home against design categories, rating the whole house as a complete package. The project I am proposing involves comparing the two standards to determine which performs better in a range of different circumstances, and why? I also propose to establish whether the whole of the UK housing sector would benefit from adopting the PassivHaus standard in place of its current Code for Sustainable Homes standard. Introduction / Background In practice I am currently involved primarily in the design of social housing development projects which require full compliance with Code Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes standard. Through my experience working on these projects I have noticed an increase in the adoption of concepts used as part of the PassivHaus standard to assist in achieving full compliance with the Code for Sustainable Homes. These adopted concepts have included increasing the levels of insulation used in the external envelope of new dwellings, improving the air tightness of the construction details used, and increasingly specifying mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) units for new dwellings. The PassivHaus standard was first developed in the early 1990s in Germany, by Professor Wolfgang Feist of the PassivHaus Institut in Darmstadt, where the first dwellings to be completed to the PassivHaus standard were also constructed in 1991. The core focus of the PassivHaus design is to significantly reduce the requirement for space heating and cooling, without compromising thermal comfort or relying on the falling cost of renewable energy technologies. This focus is also what enables new PassivHaus dwellings the ability to typically achieve an energy saving of 90%, compared to existing housing. The PassivHaus design principles are not exclusively applicable to the residential sector, they can also be applied to commercial, industrial and public buildings, which can also achieve the classification of PassivHaus status upon completion. The performance of the first dwellings to be completed to the PassivHaus standard were subsequently monitored, which eventually led to other PassivHa us projects being monitored around Europe as part of the European CEPHEUS project. The CEPHUS project involves the construction and scientific evaluation of 250 housing units built to the requirements of the PassivHaus standard, in five European countries, with in-process scientific back-up, and with the evaluation of building operation through systematic measurement programmes. To date there are approximately 17,000 buildings, worldwide, that have been constructed in accordance with the PassivHaus principles, several of which projects are now nearing completion and certification in the UK. The PassivHaus standard is publicised as representing one approach that the building industry can adopt in its aspiration towards zero-carbon buildings, and it is proposed that although a PassivHaus building is not in itself carbon neutral, the reduced energy requirements should allow potentially smaller and cheaper quantities of renewable technologies to be specified to achieve zero-carbon stand ards. The Code for Sustainable Homes standard was introduced in England in April 2007, replacing the EcoHomes scheme developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), and acting as a voluntary national standard to improve the overall sustainability of new dwellings. The EcoHomes scheme was a version of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), developed for homes, intended to provide an authoritative rating for new, converted, or renovated homes and was developed to be applicable to houses, flats and apartments. The Code for Sustainable Homes standard measures the sustainability of new dwellings against 9 design categories: Energy and CO2 emissions, water, materials, surface water run-off, waste, pollution, health and wellbeing, management, and ecology, in order to provide a sustainability rating for the whole dwelling as a complete package. The Code for Sustainable Homes standard uses a rating system of 1 to 6 stars to communicate the overall sustainability performance of a dwelling, based on the extent to which it has achieved the required standards. From its inception in April 2007, compliance with the Code for Sustainable Homes standard was voluntary. But from the 1st May 2008 the UK Government enforced the requirement of a minimum of Code Level 3 for all new social housing developments. The Code for Sustainable Homes standard was prepared by the Government in close working consultation with Building Research Establishment (BRE) and Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA), and through consultation with a Senior Steering Group consisting of Government, Industry and NGO representatives. The standard was also developed so that it could be integrated with current UK Building Regulations and other relevant design guides, such as Robust Details and Lifetime Homes. The Code for Sustainable Homes standard is publicised as aiming to protect the environment by providing guidance on the construction of high performance homes with sus tainability in mind. Since April 2010, planning authorities across the UK have increasingly demanded the achievement of Code Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable homes on new developments. This has been done so in anticipation of the Governments intention to update the UK Building Regulations in 2013 so that they fall in line with the energy requirements of Code Level 4. The Government are also committed to achieving zero-carbon homes by 2016. There remains speculation from professionals in the construction industry that the Governments 2016 target for zero carbon homes is unrealistic, and many developers still believe that building to Code Level 6 is too expensive and unviable. The recent 2010 revisions to the Code for Sustainable Homes standard have been done so in parallel with the 2010 revisions made to the UK Building Regulations. These revisions are already showing a step towards the concepts employed by the PassivHaus standard, with a redefined section relating to Fabric Energy Efficiency Standards (FEES), which will reward reductions in predicted energy demand for space heating and cooling in terms of kWh/m2/year. Currently the PassivHaus standard enforces tough energy efficiency standards and a maximum calculated energy demand, which it also measures in kWh/m2/year. At present, dwellings which are constructed in the UK to meet the requirements of the PassivHaus standard will expect to achieve a Code for Sustainable Homes rating of Code Level 3 or 4. This level is achieved through highly insulating the external fabric, passive use of solar energy, air tightness, heat recovery, use of energy efficient appliances, and ensuring a low energy demand for space heating and cooling. But doesnt factor in water efficiency, surface water management, site waste management, household waste management, and use of materials, which are all addressed within the Code for Sustainable Homes standard. Formal Proposal In this study I am proposing to provide answers to a range of sub-questions, which are intended to provide a wider context to the subject topic and enable an informed conclusion to be made with regard to the overarching question Should the PassivHaus standard replace the Code for Sustainable Homes as the UKs national standard for the design and construction of all sustainable dwellings? These sub-questions are detailed within this section, along with the means in which I intend to answer them, the tasks associated with providing an answer to them and what I anticipate the outcome of each question will illustrate. I propose to provide an answer to the question: what are the full ranges of criteria addressed by the PassivHaus and Code for Sustainable Homes standards? I intend to answer this question by analysing and comparing the full range of criteria addressed by each standard, and in doing so provide a full explanation of the list of requirements for each of the two standards. I anticipate that the outcome of this task will show that the differences between the requirements of each standard are clearly identifiable. I also anticipate that the outcome will show that the PassivHaus standard involves the use of more passive concepts for achieving sustainability, which are mainly applicable during the design stages of a project. Whereas the Code for Sustainable Homes standard involves more active concepts for achieving sustainability, which are mainly applicable during the occupancy stage of a project and heavily reliant on the actions of the end user. I propose to provide an answer to the question: are the design principles employed by the PassivHaus standard suited to the construction of dwellings in the UK, and suited to the UKs climate? I intend to answer this question by exploring the suitability of designing and constructing dwellings in accordance with the requirements of the PassivHaus standard, which are also suitable for production in the UK. I intend to implement this through the analysis of existing dwellings that have been constructed in the UK in accordance with the PassivHaus standards principles and have achieved PassivHaus status, and through the analysis of personally prepared questionnaires completed by professionals in the construction industry. I anticipate that the outcome of this task will show that it is possible for dwellings to be designed and constructed in accordance with the requirements of the PassivHaus standard within the UK, and that those professionals who are familiar with the PassivHaus standard will be receptive to the integration of its principles within the UKs construction industry. But that they will however, be required to vary slightly in their design from PassivHaus dwellings constructed throughout the rest of Europe, and therefore adjustments to the original PassivHaus model may be required for it to be practically applicable to dwellings within the UK. I propose to provide an answer to the question: what implications will the predicted affects of global warming have on PassivHaus dwellings and those designed to meet the requirements of the Code for Sustainable Homes, and are these standards capable of easily adapting to take account of future climate change? I intend to answer this question by analysing the predicted affects that global warming will have on dwellings within the UK, according to publications by leading specialists in the field, and by analysing the adaptability of dwellings designed and constructed to meet the requirements of the PassivHaus and Code for Sustainable Homes standards. I anticipate that the outcome of this task will show that dwellings designed and constructed to meet the requirements of the PassivHaus standard will be more easily adaptable to the predicted climate change, whereas dwellings designed and constructed to meet the requirements of the Code for Sustainable Homes will potentially demand additi onal cooling during the summer months to account for the rise in temperature. I propose to provide an answer to the question: what affect do the occupants have on dwellings designed and constructed to meet the requirements of the PassivHaus and the Code for Sustainable Homes standards? I intend to answer this question by exploring the effect occupants have on the sustainability of dwellings designed and built to meet the requirements of the PassivHaus and Code for Sustainable Homes standards. I intend to implement this by analysing the reliance each principle of the two standards has on the end user and by analysing case studies. I anticipate that the outcome of this task will show that the sustainable principles that the Code for Sustainable Homes standard employs are more reliant on the occupants of a dwelling, as they tend to be more active principles. Whereas the sustainable principles that the PassivHaus standard employs tend to be more passive principles designed in to the fabric of the dwelling, and therefore are less reliant on the occupants of a dwelling. I propose to provide an answer to the question: which option is more economical in terms of cost, a dwelling designed and constructed in accordance with the requirements of the PassivHaus standard, or a dwelling designed and constructed in accordance with the requirements of the Code for Sustainable Homes standard? I intend to answer this question by performing a cost analysis taking into account the design, construction and occupancy of a dwelling. This cost analysis will then be applied to a standard house type model, designed to meet the requirements of the Code for Sustainable Homes standard and achieve compliance with the UK building regulations, and designed to meet the requirements of the PassivHaus standard. I anticipate that the outcome of this task will show that designing a house to achieve Code Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes will be more expensive overall than designing a house to the requirements of the PassiveHaus standard, which also achieves the equivalent of Code Level 4. I also propose to provide an answer to the question: can a dwelling designed in accordance with the PassivHaus standards principles, be developed to the equivalent of Code Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, and meet the Governments 2016 target for the construction of zero-carbon homes? I intend to answer this question by performing simulations on standard house type models in order to produce a range of dwelling designs which achieve Code Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. The methods used to model these zero-carbon dwellings will simulate the upgrade of a range of house types designed to achieve Code Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes standard and designed to meet the requirements of the PassivHaus standard, into zero-carbon homes which achieve Code Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes standard. I anticipate that the outcome of this task will show that dwellings which have been upgraded from the PassivHaus standard so that they meet the requirements of Co de Level 6 will be less expensive, less complicated and quicker to upgrade, compared to the upgrade of Code Level 4 dwellings into zero-carbon homes. I predict that the outcome of this study as a whole will prove that the ideal solution will be for the UK to adopt a new sustainability standard which includes all of the design principles of the PassivHaus standard and also incorporates the more active concepts used as part of the Code for Sustainable Homes standard. I also predict that this study will highlight that the immediate adoption of the PassivHaus standards design principles, in the construction of new dwellings in the UK, could enable the simple future upgrade of existing dwellings into zero-carbon homes, which would also be adaptable to future climate change. Literature Review The topic that this research will focus on specifically is whether the German PassivHaus standard would be more suitable than the UKs current sustainability standard, the Code for Sustainable Homes, in terms of achieving the UK governments 2016 target of zero-carbon homes. The parameters of this topic will take into account the predicted affects of future climate change, according to publications by leading specialists in the field, and aims to analyse the effects that the occupants have on dwellings designed to meet the requirements of the two standards, the cost implications of designing homes in accordance with each standard, and the potential for existing dwellings designed and constructed to both PassivHaus and the Code for Sustainable Homes standards to be upgraded to zero-carbon homes in the future. The selection of literature that I have chosen to review mainly consists of journal articles as I have been unable to find any published books that directly address this topic area . The journal articles chosen for this review have been selected according to the authors affiliations with the subject matter, and according to their date of publication, with the most current literature prioritised over older articles, to eliminate reference to outdated views and information. From the literature I have reviewed it is evident that the principal questions being asked in relation to the topic, by professionals in the construction industry and sustainability specialists, include: whether it is possible to design and construct dwellings in accordance with PassivHaus standards principles, in the UK, using traditional methods of construction; what the potential cost savings of a dwelling designed and constructed in accordance with the PassivHaus standard are, over a dwelling designed and constructed to meet the requirements of Code Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes; and whether it is possible to achieve Code Level 6 of the Code For Sustainable Homes by adopting the principle of the PassivHaus standard. The current discoveries relating to this topic suggest that the two standards are not directly comparable, because the PassivHaus standard is measured in terms of the total energy use for space heating only, whereas the Code for Sustainable Homes standard and the governing UK building regulations, set standards according to reductions in carbon dioxide emissions for space heating, heating of water and lighting. Literature published by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) suggests that new-build dwellings designed and constructed in accordance with the PassivHaus standard can be expected to typically achieve the equivalent energy requirements of Code Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, but states that it is not possible to go beyond Code Level 4 without specifying renewable energy technologies, and also states that the fabric requirements of Code Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes is currently based on the PassivHaus standard. Discoveries presented by the literature I have reviewed also suggest that PassivHaus dwellings are capable of using up to 90% less energy to heat them than the average UK house, and can cost about a tenth of the price to run. The general consensus from the literature I have reviewed seems to be that environmentalists and sustainability experts are eager for UK architects and other professionals in the construction industry to adopt the principles of the PassiveHaus standard in the UK as a means of reaching the Governments 2016 target for zero-carbon homes. The literature relating to this topic also speculates that there hasnt been a wider uptake of the PassivHaus standard within the UK due to a range of misconceptions related to the quality of internal comfort levels achieved by PassivHaus dwellings, and it is suggested that for dwellings to be effectively designed and constructed in accordance with the PassivHaus standard, in the UK, professionals within the construction industry would need to be educated accordingly. However the PassivHaus standard is criticised in the literature as requiring the use of synthetic materials and products in their construction, which involve the depletion of non-renewable resource in their production and transportation, and which may be difficult to recycle at the end of their lifespan. Also it has been highlighted that the PassivHaus standard. In the literature reviewed it is also expressed by professionals in the construction industry that the PassivHaus standard is only suitable for producing highly energy-efficient building fabric, whereas the Code for Sustainable Homes standard has been meticulously developed to incorporate existing building regulations and collaborate with new design legislation. It is also commented that the Code for Sustainable Homes standard is continuously evolving at regular intervals, working towards the 2016 target of zero-carbon homes, at which point it is believed that the industry will emerge with similar levels of energy efficiency for new homes as the PassiveHaus standard, but with a more holistic context of sustainability, which will incorporate water efficiency, waste management and consideration of the environmen tal impact of building materials. However, it is highlighted in the literature that there is a very little monitoring of low-energy buildings that have been designed and constructed in accordance with the Code for Sustainable Homes standard, in the UK, but those that are monitored are often found to be lacking. The methods of investigation used in the literature relating to this topic are predominantly case studies, performed on occupied dwellings which have been designed and constructed in accordance with the PassivHaus and Code for Sustainable Homes standards. The disadvantage of using this type of methodology however, is that it can result in subjective data. The reviewed literature relating to this subject area encourages the adoption of the PassivHaus standard within the UK construction industry as a means in which to achieve zero-carbon homes in the future, and emphasises the suitability of energy efficient dwellings to be designed and constructed in accordance with its principles within the UK. But however, highlights the concerns surrounding the sustainability of PassivHaus materials, and the rigidness of the standard as just a guide for producing highly energy-efficient building fabric. The Code for Sustainable Homes is complimented, in the reviewed literature, for the way in which it incorporates existing and new legislation, and is continuously evolving into a better performing, more holistic sustainability standard. Very little direct comparison is made between the PassivHaus and Code for Sustainable Homes standards in the available literature, and very few informed conclusions are drawn. Also due to the selected literature consi sting mainly of journal articles, much of the information available is presented from the authors perspective and consequently is mainly subjective and lacking in sufficient statistical data, which is vitally needed to support the authors arguments. The study I am proposing will attempt to collate factual secondary data taken from a range of sources, addressing a wider scope of parameters than has previously been attempted, and supplement this research by running simulations on model house types, which will produce a range of primary data that can also be analysed and compared. Thus enabling a more holistic conclusion to be formed in relation to whether it is feasible, and indeed practical, for the German PassivHaus standard to be adopted in place of the current UK governments Code for Sustainable Homes standard. Methodology and Research Methods I am proposing to conduct a deductive study which involves the collection of primary research data and the analysis of secondary research data. The inclusion of primary research will be in the form of simulation and modelling, and questionnaires. This will be used to supplement the collected secondary research, due to gaps in the current literature relating to directly comparable cost analysis and efficiency ratings. It will also be used to explore the practicality of upgrading dwellings designed in accordance with the PassivHaus and Code for Sustainable Homes standards, into zero carbon homes, and to obtain current opinions regarding the integration of the PassivHaus standards design principles into UK building projects, from professionals working in the construction industry. The primary research data will be used independently in a comparative analysis, from which conclusions can be drawn. The secondary research will be used in the form of correlational research, and will involve the analytical comparison of secondary data and case studies, from which conclusions can be drawn. The research itself will be predominantly quantitative, but will however contain some qualitative elements. The secondary correlational research will be used to form comparisons between the content of the PassivHaus and Code for Sustainable Homes standards, and to form case study analysis of existing dwellings in the UK designed and constructed in accordance with the two standards. The research data obtained from these methods will be subsequently analysed and enable the deduction of an informed conclusion. The primary simulation and modelling research will be used to form a cost analysis for a range of modelled dwellings designed to meet the requirements of the PassivHaus and Code for sustainable Homes standards, and to simulate the upgrade of dwellings designed in accordance with the two standards, into zero carbon homes in accordance with Code Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. The primary research based questionnaire will be used to obtain the views of a limited number and range of professionals working in the UK construction industry, relating to the suitability of employing the principles of the PassivHaus standard into the construction of dwellings in the UK. The research data obtained from these methods will be subsequently analysed, independently, and definitive conclusions will be formed. The results obtained and conclusions formed from each methodology will finally be comparatively analysed as a whole, and form the basis for an overall conclusion which aims to answer the question Should the PassivHaus standard replace the Code for Sustainable Homes as the UKs national standard for the design and construction of all sustainable dwellings?

For My Business Studies Coursework Personal Development Essay

For My Business Studies Coursework Personal Development Essay My business idea is a domestic cleaning service which I am providing in my local area of Doncaster. My service is called pink ladies and is a business which cleans offices and houses in the local area. The cleaning services which I am going to provide are: Domestic cleaning around home and offices Spring cleaning packages Packages with different aspect of cleaning Window cleaning Regular and one off cleans Daily/ weekly/ monthly Ironing and washing Emergency cleaning Brass cleaning Moving in/moving out cleaning Carpet cleaning My service will be providing trusted, trained and friendly staff. My service is for people who do not have time to clean, older people who cannot manage to clean, offices and busy working people. I have decided to do a cleaning business as they are little competition in my local area around the local area where I live for example Bessacarr, Cantley and Rossington. (See appendix). Due to this I thought this would be a good market as they are a lot of opportunities in my local area for business. I will use the money from my loan and the money which my grandparents have given me to set up Pink Ladies. My aims and objectives for Pink Ladies Aims I am setting aims so I can try and get what I want to achieve in the long run and what I want in the long run. Pink Ladies aims are: Increase market share- in the long run I want to try and be better then my competitors by getting the market share which is getting to be the highest in the market cleaning service. This can be done by doing advertising, having cheaper prices or the same price then competitors and training staff to provide a better overall service so more customers will come to Pink Ladies which will increase the market share. Maximum profit- When Pink Ladies is provide cleaning I want to get the maximum profit I can by getting the market share I will have more customer which will create more profit so I pay off my loans etc. By getting maximum profit, Pink ladies will be seen as a success. I will do this by advertising so people know about Pink ladies. Also trying to breakeven so I am making a profit and trying to beat competitors. I will maximum my success by making sure I monitor my competitors, make sure staff are well trained and provide a good quality service. I will get my customer involved with regular feedback to see how Pink Ladies can be improved. I will measure my sales by watching Pink Ladies market share and measure by profit by doing financial check ups to check my profit. Objectives An objective helps to set targets to achieve an aim. Pink Ladies objectives are: Maximum sales- This helps me achieve my aim of getting maximum profit as the more sales the more profit I will get. I will do this by advertising Pink Ladies and making sure I provide a good quality service so people recommend Pink Ladies so I can the most sales I can. To survive- it is very important that Pink Ladies survive as my business will not be successful and the money which I have put into it will have been wasted. I measure my survive with my breakeven and my cash flow forecast. I will achieve my aim of increasing market share as by achieve this is will be working my way up to the market share. I will achieve this by doing advertising and making sure that money is kept safe and recorded. To breakeven- I will need to breakeven to make a profit so this is important it helps me achieve my aim of maximum profit. I will do this by checking I am breaking even and making sure that I am doing advertising so people know about Pink Ladies. I must also make sure I charge the right prices. To expand to public or private limited company- By expanding it will achieve my aim of increasing market share. As by doing this I will be a bigger company which people are more likely to know about. I will do this by trying to let people know about my service Pink Ladies with advertising. To not get into unlimited liability-If my business fails I will get into unlimited liability so if I can pay off my debts, I will have to use my own possession. To make sure this doesnt happen I need to make sure that I check my finance regular so I met my aim of getting maximum profit. Run in a cost effective manner-By running in a cost effective manner, I will prevent waste by making sure waste is recorded and kept to a minimum with training with staff. By doing sure I will be able to make sure I do not spent any my profits on replacing waste. My other business ideas I decide to make two alternate business idea so I could research to see what would do better in the market. My first alternative idea- One of my idea for a business was a nail technician who visits people housing to do people nails who like to have their nails done at home or cannot get out. After doing secondary research (see research) they was too much competition around the Doncaster idea so it would be hard to try and get the market share and hard to get customer as they may already have a nail technician they like. For example of my competitors would be Bedazzled in Balby. My second alternative idea- My second alternative was a bouncy castle hire service for local people around Doncaster to provide events for parties and different events. After doing some secondary research I found in winter went the weather is cold it can affect sales which could affect if this business would be a success as less people have bouncy castle inside. This would mean I may not breakeven and not make much money. Materials are also very expensive to buy so it would take a lot of the money I have earning. I chose cleaning business of Pink Ladies as it can be done all year round in any weather, materials are cheap and they is little competition around Doncaster especially near the area I live. Primary research for Pink Ladies Primary research is getting information about a subject which is been collected and has not already been done. I did a questionnaire to 50 different people within different age groups. This is what I asked them. 1) what is your gender I asked equal amount of males and females so my results were fair as this would affect the people who I target my advertising on and the promotion I would do which would affect my marketing mix. 2) What age are you? I asked this to find what age group were more interested in my cleaning services. This would help the promotion and find the type of people I want to help me do my marketing mix. I mainly get results from people above 21 year old. 3) What part of Doncaster do you live in? Most people I asked live in: Bessacarr Cantley Bawtry Tickhill Sheffield Rossington Edentrope Adwick Thorne Hatfield Askern With these places except Sheffield as it is too far away, it will help me decide in my marketing mix the place which I am going to target my sales and promotion on. A lot of these are locally to my base on home. 4) Do you know any other cleaning company? I asked to find what my local competition is as this would help me watch out for them. They were: Poppies Diamond cleaning The feather duster PSS Done and dusted Star drops Help me see what prices they have on secondary research so I can decide on the price I will charge and promotion I will chose to beat my competitors. 5) Would you be interested in a cleaning service in your home or office? I asked this to see if they were any interest in the service which I was doing which related to my people in my marketing mix. Most people yes or maybe which is a positive sign as people may interest in my cleaning. It will affect my product in my marketing mix as it affect what service I provide. 6) Would you be interested in having cleaning in certain parts of the year for example Christmas time? Out of 50 people I question 38 of them said yes or maybe, this shows some people may be interested in my cleaning service being provided at special times. This affect the promotion I do at certain times of the year and the product I provide for this. It may mean offering special deals at special times of the year. 7) What kinds of jobs would you expect to be done around the home? I asked this to see what customers see a cleaner doing in their home and expect them to be like so I can could the product in the best quality. People said: Washing up Reliable, trustworthy, good hygiene Honest Dusting Hovering Cleaning surfaces Cleaning floors and hovering Spring cleaning General cleaning jobs Ironing By doing it will help me train my staff to be these things so customers do what they want and treat they well to create a good quality staff. This will affect my People at work and the product they receive. 8) What would be the most suitable time for cleaning to come and clean your house? A lot of the answer to this got the same results but more for morning cleaning. From doing this it shows that some people may prefer evening and this may affect the times could I could clean and the prices I charge for doing cleaning at night. It will help me find staff hours. 9) How much would you like to pay per hour for a cleaning service? By doing this it would help me decide on the price I will charge my customer per hour for my cleaning services. This could affect the people at work will what they get paid. I will decide my price with this and my competitions price. A lot of people would pay between 4.00- 5.00 pound but this may be too low for my costs. 10) What things influence you to a certain cleaning company? A lot of people prices and recommendation, this means I have to make sure that I create a good quality service so people are recommended to Pink Ladies as this will help my costs and get my aim of maximum profit. The price has to be similar to my competitors so people will pay it. 11) What physical environment you expect from cleaning service? I did this to find out what I could do to make Pink Ladies stand out from my competitors. This is what physical environment customer expect and I must train my staff to do: Friendly service Trustworthy Welcoming Good clean house Quality 12) How often would you want a cleaner to come to your house? The most common was weekly and 28 people would prefer it then. This will affect the promotion I do as I need to make I fit my regular customer in. It will also affect the price I charge them as they may want special packages for having regularly cleaning. 13) Would you be interested in special packages A lot were interested in the special packages as it is a way of saving money. 28 people were interested in this so this may be something to consider in my package deals. This will affect packaging and the products which I provide with the deals. From doing this questionnaire it has help me see what customer want a cleaning service so I can work my Pink Ladies business around this so I give the best service I can. Secondary research for Pink Ladies For my first bit of secondary research I found out by going on yell.com where my competitors are in my local area. This would help me as I found by ringing up the service which they provide and the prices they charge. This would help me decide on the services to often my customers and the prices to charge. This will help with my marketing mix. I have found my top five competitors and have found out their prices and the service they often. (see map in research) Company Service offered prices location Poppies Weekly/monthly/fortnightly cleans, one off cleans, spring cleans, carpet cleans, brass silver, emergency cleaning 8.00per hour Bessacarr PSS Tailor made programs, window cleaning, spring cleans, packages, weekly and monthly cleans 7.50 per hour 61 boughton road, Bessacarr The feather duster Washing and ironing, one off cleans, daily weekly, monthly 7.75 Thorne Maid to clean Weekly/monthly cleans, ironing, one off cleans 7.50 Town centre Stardrops Weekly/Daily cleans, ironing, one off cleans 7.50 Conisbrough From looking at my competitors I have found that poppies is my biggest competitor as it provides the most service, it is a national company and they are two cleaners working in the area. This means I must make sure I provide the same service and more so I look better then my competitors and the price will be cheaper or the same as my competitors. I am going to try and provide more service then poppies. In my marketing mix it will help me decide my price and the product I will provide in my marketing mix. I also look on poppies website to see how they persuade people to having cleaning done by them. I found that they say about the physical environment which is expected from them when cleaning which are the same which I found out from my questionnaire. I am going to make sure I promote this. (See research for website) To look at some more secondary research I decide to go on national statistics.com to look at the population and income of people. From looking at income and wealth I found that more people are earning more money which means more people can have the luxury of a cleaner. With wealth rising and longer hours at work, it means more and more people will need cleaners in the future. This affect my price which I charge due to how much people can afford and who I promotion and advertising my cleaning to. Household income is growing.(see research) I also looked at the population rate which is also going up which means more people in the world, more people who will want cleaning being done then pervious years. This will affect how many staff I have (people) and the amount of hours and the price I charge. Comparing the service which are offer between Pink Ladies and it competitors These are the service which I am offering as part of Pink Ladies: Domestic cleaning around home and offices Spring cleaning packages Packages with different aspect of cleaning Window cleaning Regular and one off cleans Daily/ weekly/ monthly Ironing and washing Emergency cleaning Brass cleaning Moving in/moving out cleaning Carpet cleaning Poppies as my biggest competitors provide these service except: Ironing and washing Packages deals Cleaning around offices Spring cleaning packages. Other services which my other competitors offer are the normal cleans and washing and ironing. BY providing more service it makes me stand out from my competitors as I have more choice so customers are more likely to come to me. My Proposal for Pink Ladies From doing my primary and secondary research I have made proposals on my service from talking to potential customers and looking at competitors. My biggest competition is from poppies which are in my local area of Bessacarr. I need to make sure I do promotion within my marketing mix so people know about the service I am providing. This may going to promotion in areas such as carcroft where they are no local cleaners. To make sure I am up to date with my competitors I will provide the same services and more service so I am more update and people come to my cleaning services. Due to the great variety in services. I must give the same physical environment which I found from my questionnaire and poppies website. I need to charge the same price as my competitors so my prices are not too high and try and be the lowest price in the market as people want cheaper prices shown when asking in the questionnaire I will use my questionnaire and my secondary research to make sure I decide correctly when doing my marketing mix. Market strategy for Pink Ladies This the strategies I will use to try and get the market share. For my market strategy to get the market share I am going to provide the service which my competitors offer so people are more likely to Pink Ladies as more service are offered. I will offer unique package deals so I look more up to date then my competitors. Another market strategy I am using is targeting area where competitions are not base to try and get customer from there, as this is how I will build my market share by promoting in the paper and leaflets to try and get customer and build my market share. I am also going to try the cheapest price of my competitors of 7.50 so people come to me as I am cheaper which will help build up my market share. Marketing mix of Pink Ladies A marketing mix is tactical components of a marketing plan. I am going to be looking at 6 p s of the marketing mix. Price- is what I am going to charge for my service for cleaning people houses. When looking to the research I did, I found from my questionnaire that People wanted to pay between 4-5 cleaning per hour however from secondary research I found that my competitors were charging between 7.50 and 8.00. When also looking at the profit a would make for 4.00- 5.00 I would not make a profit as it is my costs. So I decide to go for the lower price that my competitors changes which is 7.50 which is the cheapest. This will still make people come to Pink Ladies as it is the cheapest cleaning business. Packages will be charge per hour as well with two things done in the hour e.g. Carpet cleaning a room and certain cleaning. Place- this is where the goods are sold or services are placed. From doing my questionnaire I found out where people live in area of Doncaster to give me the place where my cleaning could be done. However in my secondary research I found where my competitors are situated so I could promote and get customer from area of Doncaster where not many cleaners are. I decide to try and get customer from carcroft, adwick, rossington and cantley. I am not buying any premises as I do not need one at the moment as they is only me to start with, I am going to use a home office at home. In the future I may need premises if Pink Ladies expand for staff breaks and for people book our cleaning. In the future I would try and situate near my local area as Bessacarr so I am near where I am hoping my customers will be around rossington from when I found out in my secondary research. I also would need to think about be near cash and carry as this would save money in petrol. If I bought a property in the fu ture, I would get a mortgage and spent about 50,000 on premises. This will depend on the housing and shop pricing at the time. Packaging- packaging can be packaging on a good but I am using package as a service. This is where you include two things together for a special deal.I will use packaging when doing my package deals. I research this in the primary research by asking if people would interest in package deals, I got a good response. From my secondary research I found that not other cleaners provide package deals, which makes my service unique and stand out from my competition. The package deals I would do is for example carpet and certain cleaning in the hour for 7.50 but would depend on the size of curtain or room. This would mean a person doesnt has pay for cleaning but certain jobs around the house. These may be common in certain times in the year as in my primary research a lot said they be interested in cleaning at special times at year such as Christmas. Product-this is the service which I am providing or if could be the product which I am selling. From doing my primary research I found if people would be interested in my service or workplace where I got a good response where a lot of people said no or maybe. I also ask when jobs would be expected by a cleaner. This and my secondary research of finding out what service by competitors decide, I decide to offer more service or the same so I am at the same stage as my competitors. These are the service which I will be offering: Domestic cleaning around home and offices Spring cleaning packages Packages with different aspect of cleaning Window cleaning Regular and one off cleans Daily/ weekly/ monthly Ironing and washing Emergency cleaning Brass cleaning Moving in/moving out cleaning Carpet cleaning From doing this research I can provide these service which my competitors do not provide such as cleaning packages. Promotion-This is tools to help promote a product or service to persuade people to buy the product or service. From doing my secondary research I found that people are attractive to certain cleaning company due to with the price and recommendation. This is why I need make sure I giving the best quality service at the lowest price. I need promote my cleaning service, Pink Ladies to make sure that people know that a new service and available. I will use this using leaflet through people doors in area which I am targeting, cantley, rossington, carcroft and adwick. I am going advertise my service through the paper every week to make sure people know about my service and the service which I provide. From my secondary I found that my biggest competitor poppies using persuade about the service they provide such as trustworthy, I am going to do this in my advertising to be at the same stage as my competition. By doing special package deals instead just cleaning, this one of the promotion I w ill be doing where I do two jobs such as carpet cleaning and curtain cleaning for 7.50 in a hour or two instead of a person getting their house cleaned. Physical environment- this is the physical environment which a cleaning service is given. This could be the feel of the service and an environment which a customer expects. From doing secondary research I am using my competitors ideas of the physical environment they expect from cleaning. These are things like trust and friendly. In my primary research I also find that the customer wanted these things out of service for a physical environment from cleaning: Friendly Trustworthy Welcoming Good environment Good cleaning Good quality These are things I will be using to make sure that customers feel like the environment around them is to a good standard. People-People is the people within a business such as staff; I need to make sure that my staff provides the physical environment customers want from cleaning. This will when having staff in the future. I found this out from my primary and secondary research about what people what out of a business. For this staff will need training when I get staff in the future when I expand. Further explanation of place- At the moment Pink Ladies will be ran from home as they is no need for a place as it is not a big enough company jet. When Pink Ladies expand I will need a place where my customer can come and book, and office work can be done from a central point. If I was to get a shop where I could run things from, I would spent 100,000 pounds and try and get a place in the local area where I started or in town. Town is more direct for customers for customers to get to however it depend if they is a property available at my price range. It would be connivance in the town centre as customer and staff would be able to access it easily however I would need parking available to store company vans and cars when not being used and for staff to gain easier access. I would provide a place where customer can come and inquire, and be able to employee people to do paper work and equipment can be stored. This depends on how well Pink Ladies do as they need to expand before they d o this. SWOT analysis of Pink Ladies A SWOT analysis is helping manage the risk of making decision and help see what a business current position is in. Strengths This is something that a business performs effectively and it is strong in it. These are the strengths of Pink Ladies: Provides Package deals different from competitors which make Pink Ladies stand out as it is a unique selling point. High quality service due to the training the cleaner receive and what and how the services are provided. High level of customer service- customer come first Effective promotion within the package deals as people are attractive from doing my questionnaire. Weaknesses This is where a business is performing poorly and not effectively. These are the weaknesses of Pink Ladies: Restricted service sure to the expensive of equipment e.g. One carpet cleaner. Low sales when the customer base in growing. Opportunities- this is the business could take advantage of in the future. These are the opportunities of Pink Ladies: Expanding when profit is made, with more available staff to clean to make business increase market share Technology development means better equipment which improve services New markets as more people are working longer hour and getting more money so do not have not have time to clean and can afford it. Product extensions when more equipment is bought. Threats This is a potential problem within a business in the future. Pink Ladies threats are: A lot of competitors within the cleaning industrial and people are setting cleaning company all the time Poppies have a high market share New legislation to do with staff and materials may affect the business in the futures PEST analysis of Pink Ladies This is where a business analysis the external macro environment, looking what might affect the business from the outside. PEST is made up of political, economic, social and technology factors. Political factors- These are government regulation, legal issue and laws which a business such operate under. The factors which may affect Pink Ladies are: Employment laws- In the future when I expand and get staff, employment laws may affect Pink Ladies as I have to consider employment laws such as minimum wage and hour people are allow to work. I need to make sure that no one id discriminated through my workplace. This could affect Pink Ladies as training will need to be done about discrimination and more money may need to pay for more staff. If the minimum wage goes up, I will lose profit as I will have to pay for wages Environment regulation- As Pink Ladies using chemical within the business, I need make sure they are dispose of correctly and control. This will affect Pink Ladies as more money spending on making sure some substance are taking to dumping sites etc. this well cost money in petrol and training staff how to get rid of certain substances. National insurance and Tax- When I come to end of Pink Ladies working year, I will have to pay a total amount of tax if a make a certain amount of profit. This will affect Pink Ladies as I will have to use money for taxes out of the profit I make. Economic wealth-These are the purchasing power which could affect the business and customers. These are the affects which would affect Pink Ladies: Economic wealth-This is depended on the customers and how much money they have to spent. If wages increase then more people are likely to have cleaners as they have more money to spend. However if wages go down it will mean less people will have money to hire cleaners. VOT-This tax with is added on to certain which are buying. If VOT goes up then it will affect Pink Ladies stock prices as they will have to pay more and things petrol will be more. However if they go down it will mean Pink Ladies has less money to spent Social factors-this is demographic and culture aspects. This affects the customer needs and wants which could include age distribution. Social factors could affect Pink Ladies by: Population growth rate- If the birth rate is rising in the UK, this means they will be more people in the world who may want cleaning which means they would be a better demand. However if the population lower it would mean that they would be less demand for cleaning. Emphasis on safety- This could be social factors which emphasis on cleaning and safety. This may cleaning may not seen as safe so it may be hard to find staff due working with chemical. This means it is important that I protect my staff from any dangers. This may more money spent on training and making sure staffs are safe. Technology factors- this relates to technology which is available. This could affect Pink Ladies as: Rate of technological change- When changes to technology occur, this may means spending money keeping up to date with the latest technology as my competitors may provide a better service them me due to better technology. This may mean Pink Ladies spending money to keep up to date. Latest technology- If Pink Ladies can afford the new technology or not, people are more likely to go to service with better technology which could cause problems with losing customers.