Unit 5 Science Individual Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 5 Science Individual Project - Essay Example It is a well known and reported fact that the current population of the world is more than six billion and a half billion and it is only increasing on a daily basis (CIA, 2007). This increase is certainly putting a strain on our food resources, availability of fresh water, distribution of energy resources, health services, education services and many other problems that are being faced by developing nations (BBC, 1999). Sadly, the situation is also worst in developing nations while many developed nations may have to face the problem of falling population rates, a growing number of elderly and not enough people in the workforce (King & Elliott, 1996). Of course there must be something that can be done about it and the United Nations itself has made many different recommendations to developing countries to help them achieve some level of control over their growing populations. However, it does appear that we are fighting a losing battle since the population of the world is still increasing and it is showing little signs of stabilization. In fact, at our present rate of expansion the population of the world has been estimated to rise to eleven billion humans by the end of this century (BBC, 1999). This is clearly unacceptable since we do not have the present technology nor the availability of resources to feed even the present population and a rise of almost hundred percent could only reduce our ability to handle the situation. If we do not control population increases and also do not drastically work towards providing an acceptable standard of life for the rest of the world we are simply heading towards disaster and conflict between the haves and the have-nots. The highest recommendation which can be made is to create awareness and educate people about the population situation. The UN is already working towards establishing programs for

College Geometry - neutral geometry and Euclidean geometry Essay

College Geometry - neutral geometry and Euclidean geometry - Essay Example It is also termed as neutral geometry because it is neutral in reference to parallel postulate. Other geometries related to hyperbolic geometry, neutral geometry, ordered geometry, among others (Ball, 2008). Differences between neutral geometry and Euclidean geometry Euclidean geometry tends to be axiomatic system; in this case, all is theorems in other terms â€Å"true statements† of derivatives of smaller axioms. In reference to the book by the name Elements, Euclid illustrates five axioms (postulates) as far as plane geometry is concerned. The followi9ng is some of the postulations: 1) The first line should be drawn from any point 2) A finite line should be produced and it should be straight and continuous 3) Right angles are equal 4) A circle is described in reference to the center and its radius 5) In parallel lines, it a straight line meets other two straight lines, and makes an interior angle of which both are less than 900, the two lines can meet if extended on those s ides that they make angles less than right angles (the difference between lines in Euclidean and those of spherical are illustrated in spherical geometry). On the other hand, absolute geometry is more the same as ordered geometry. ... If the intersection points forms interior angles of less than 90, they form the basis for both hyperbolic and spherical geometry. They are both under non-Euclidean geometry where they are attained through the parallel postulates in Euclid. In addition, the postulate can be still be defined that â€Å"in every line 1 and each external point q, there exist unique lines through q that are parallel to 1.† this gives a basis for spherical constructions (Ball 2008). Spherical geometry This is a plane geometry that is on a sphere’s surface; its basic elements are lines and points but are defined in a different way. They are defined in such a way that the shortest distance between any two points runs along the same two points. The sum the angles in this triangle is more than 1800 but small triangles of the same kind are slightly larger than 1800; an ideal example being those in football fields. This is because the base length is not a perfect straight line. See a practical exam ple below. The diagram illustrates the structure of a spherical triangle It lines are also continuous and ends up forming a circle. Lines that run around the geometry making the longest distance are known as â€Å"Great Circles.† Below is an illustration of spherical geometry. The diagram above illustrates how lines are different from those in Euclidean and thus forming Great Circles. The sum of the angles in any triangle is 180 degrees In reference to Euclidean geometry, the parallel postulate when extended makes a three sided diagram that is interior angles sum up to 1800. This is because the subsequent angles are reflections of the points of origin (Eves, 1990). (a) (c) (b) From the diagram above, we can prove that the exterior angle at

Political Views on Slavery in the US

Political Views on Slavery in the US Mark Dawod Political Compromise DBQ Economics, politics, and society played the biggest roles when it came to making the compromise of slavery agonizingly difficult for the north and south. Economics played its role when it came to making compromise between the two opposing  forces difficult. For one, the Souths society depended on slavery to make their economy prosper,  it was basically the foundation to their entire economy. So much so that they resented a free society (Doc 6). Herald, who was quoted in the New York Tribune in 1856 stated, Free society! We sicken at the name, in which he would go on bashing the north along with their greasy mechanics and filthy operatives. The purpose of this article was to show the Souths hatred toward a society without slaves, which is reliable because without those men laboring in their fields, they would all be living in poverty. Although the Norths economy was prospering and catching up, it was nothing compared to the Souths economy, ranked number four worldwide. During the Second Great Awakening, antislavery movements became more and more common, which angered the South. The Declaration of the National Anti-Slavery Conventio n (Doc 2) wanted to abolish slavery, saying that all laws allowing slavery would therefore be null in void before God. Their purpose for writing this report being that slavery was morally wrong, and therefore it should be terminated once and for all, also since this was written by a small group of people for all to read, I think it was fairly accurate concerning their true beliefs on slavery. This was something the South surely would not have agreed with, however, the Resolution of the Pinckney Committee (Doc 3) was more likely approved by them as it was more like their mindset. Pinckneys Committees Resolution was to keep any further action against slavery from taking place, basically they did not want any more petitions, memorials, propositions, etc. relating to slavery. This documents audience, being the house of representatives, and Pinckneys background with South Carolina, makes this document biased because he was likely a slave owner himself. Differing political views also made compromise difficult. For example, the imbalance of states would lead to angry southerners, or northerners, and cause much more devastating occurrences, for instance, Bleeding Kansas. Popular Sovereignty was strongly supported by the South, and when it was declared that Kansas would not be a slave state, Southerners resented and went ahead making their own legislature in the state, which eventually led to the death of many persons who inhabited Kansas. This wasnt the only time the South resented the federal government. Senator Henry Clay of South Carolina, in his speech to the Senate (Doc 1), argues that South Carolina has the right to defeat certain laws it deems unconstitutional. Since South Carolina believed so heavily in states rights, and that their audience was the Senate, it was likely very biased to support their motives in keeping their slaves and not being absurdly taxed. In Daniel Websters speech to the Senate (Doc 4), he attempts to spe ak as an American, he sides with the south when it came to the North not fully fulfilling their constitutional duties because they refused to follow the Fugitive Slave Act. He also went on to describe how it would be morally impossible to separate the north and south. Since Daniel Webster took the side of both forces, and had the point of view of an American citizen, this source can be considered reliable in viewing the situation from both halves of the country. In Abraham Lincolns speech at Alton, Illinois (Doc 7) he attempts to defend politicians describing how northern politicians and officiers shouldnt be blamed for this difficulty regarding the issue of slavery, but this same power that operates in the minds of these men, is also all around them, in books, religions, and morals. One of these books being Uncle Toms Cabin. Society and the differing beliefs among the common people also played a big role in making compromise difficult, Uncle Toms Cabin, a true story about a slaves experience in the South sparked a major outbreak in antislavery believers, their motives to end slavery suddenly became stronger. The Dred Scott decision also had differing views, for example, the Northern abolitionists saw this as a conspiracy, being that the South had set this up to forever keep slavery in their society as these African American men had no constitutional rights as they were not even citizens, not only that, but they were considered white mans property. The South, however, applauded this Supreme Court decision, as once and for all-or so they thought-they would be able to keep their slaves. Depicted in the illustration in Document 5, Sumner is being attacked by Brooks for verbally attacking Democrats, who the south despised. The purpose of this illustration was likely to depict how the South would result to suc h childish actions to get what they desired. Brooks wasnt just applauded by the South, he was praised, which would make this illustration a reliable forefront to the Souths internal motives. This difficulty in compromising between two differing forces can also relate back to Britains control over the colonists. They wanted, by any means, to tax the colonists as they thought they had the right to do whatever they wanted since the colonies basically belonged to them. This connects back to the issue of slavery and coming to a compromise because each side tried to make it so that they had control and keep what they desired, they would even come to such desperate actions such as starting battles and hitting one another with canes, just as the colonists kept moving west of the proclamation line and the british soldiers being given the right live in any colonists house. Both situations would also eventually lead to a war, required to make peace.

My Teaching Philosophy Essay -- Education Teaching Philosophy

My Teaching Philosophy I believe that education extends far beyond the classroom walls, and involves many more people than students and teachers. People should be learning wherever they go, and should continue learning long after they’ve graduated from high school or college. Education isn’t something that can be quantified with tests or report cards, but is instead something that people carry with them. It’s a survival pack for life, and some people are better equipped in certain areas than in others. People with a solid education are prepared for nearly anything, as they will be able to provide for their own physical, emotional, and aesthetic needs. That being said, I also believe that a crucial part of education does occur within school during the formative years of a person’s life. Regardless of whether a child is fortunate enough to come from an encouraging and loving home, it is the job of the school to provide emotional support as well as intellectual knowledge. â€Å"The school,† of course, is an abstract term which actually means the teachers and administrators. I...

Human Resources Planning for Hospitality and Tourism

Graduate School Trisakti Institute of Tourism Final Assignment (Problem Solving) Course : Human Resources Planning for Hospitality and Tourism Lectrurer : Prof. Syamsir Abduh, PhD Case Study 1 Brunt Hotels, PLC, owns more than 60 hotels throughout the United Kingdom. They recently acquired a small hotel chain headquartered in France. Brunt’s chief executive decided that half of the new hotels in France would be retained and rebranded as part of the Brunt Hotels Group; the other half will be sold.This will support Brunt’s strategic objective of growing the organization slowly to make sure that new ventures are well supported and opened on time and on budget. Brunt’s hotels are considered budget accommodations; they are functional, clean and reasonably priced. Additional information about UK hotel standards is available at Most guests stay for one to three nights and are a combination of business and leisure travellers. The hotels are typically situated in downtown locations that are easily accessible by mass transit. Relevant materials: Hospitality and Tourism RelationshipTourists are attracted to these hotels in popular visitor destinations where the many local attractions mean that they will not be spending much time in their hotel rooms. The organization has decided to use an ethnocentric approach and send some of their existing UK-based managers to France to lead the changeover of the new hotels and then manage them after they re-open. If this new overseas venture is successful, Brunt may decide to acquire other small hotel groups in other European countries. The organization would like to own 150 hotels in the next five years. Their 10-year plan is to own 300 hotels across Europe.This is an ambitious target, so it is important that the organization finds an effective formula to operate successfully in other countries. The management team decides to select only one of the three proposed training programs, confident that it will be useful and informative for the new expatriates. However, they would also like to provide external support for the new expatriates to make their transition to a new country as smooth as possible. They are aware of some of the services that can be offered to support employees on both a personal and professional level, but do not have a comprehensive overview.Question: The management team asks you to conduct Internet-based research to find out what expatriate support services are available. Case Study 2 (see the case study 1: Brunt Hotels) The management team liked your recruitment advertisement, but realized that they did not consider the salary for these new positions! Since the organization has never hired managers to work outside the UK before, they do not know how to start determining the compensation. They provide you with the following information that they found on the Internet: * Existing salary for managers is ? 0,000 (45,000 Euros) plus bonuses. * Surveys show that the average salary for hotel managers in France is 60,000 Euros with no opportunity to earn bonuses. The directors want to have a consistent approach as to how they compensate expatriates because they expect their overseas business to expand in the future. They also want existing employees to be enticed into working abroad and want to have a good range of incentives. Question : Design a compensation package for the hotel management position. Explain the rationale for your design.You may also include non-financial benefits. Case Study 3 This is a case of two competing hotels, Sunrise Hotel and Beachside Hotel that are both located in a medium sized, tourism based town in the Northeast U. S. The hotels are both competing for the same set of guests, as well as the same set of potential employees. They are both budget hotels, right next door to each other, with 60 guest rooms each and a view of the beach. The occupancy during peak season for the Sunrise Hotel is 98%, but during the winter months goes down to 65%.The Beachside Hotel has peak season occupanc y of 90% and off peak occupancy of 50%. Joe is the General Manager of Sunrise Hotel and has been in his current position for 5 years. He has been with Sunrise Hotel for a total of 10 years. He worked his way up at Sunrise Hotel from front desk agent to front desk supervisor, and finally to Assistant General Manager before he became the General Manager. He does a good job of screening potential employees for his front desk area of the hotel because he realizes the importance of that area of the hotel, especially in tourist areas.He also has incentives set up for excellent performance of the front desk agents and training and development programs designed to give everyone information that will help them do their job better. There is a sense of teamwork at Sunrise Hotel and that helps everyone want to do a good job. His guest satisfaction ratings for his hotel are overall excellent. On a rating scale of 1–10, his hotel averages a 9. The average length of tenure of his employees is 4 years, and his current front desk supervisor was promoted from within, along with his Assistant General Manager.Because of the small size of the hotel, Joe is actually involved with all of the hiring decisions and helps to give training programs himself, along with his leadership team. The employee turnover at the Sunrise Hotel is 25% overall and that is primarily when hourly employees graduate high school or college and leave the Sunrise Hotel for a career somewhere else. Brian is the General Manager of the Beachside Hotel and deals with a very different situation. Brian was brought in from another hotel in the same hotel group about 6 months ago.He was told by his boss that he needed to â€Å"fix† this hotel so that it would start having better customer satisfaction ratings and more return guests. Despite the fairly high occupancy noted during peak seasons, the off peak season occupancy is only 50%. Also noted by his boss, the occupancy should be as good as the Sunrise Hotel. Brian has been with his hotel group now for 2 years and he came out of the accounting and finance department in his old hotel. He has a great understanding of the numbers in the lodging industry, but has not been involved with the human resource aspects of the job.The turnover of hourly employees at Beachside Hotel is 120% and that means that Brian is constantly running the hotel short handed and with new employees. The Beachside Hotel has been doing the hiring through a human resource practitioner in the hotel that was put in the position because she really could not handle serving guests at the front desk very well. Mary was promoted to human resources a year ago after she had one too many altercations with the guests at the front desk. The owner of the hotel wanted to make sure that she would not make any of the other guests angry, so he promoted her to a human resources practitioner.Since that time, she has been busy trying to keep up with hiring and she has had no time for training employees. Because she is so busy, paychecks often come out to employees late, there are no policies written down for employees to use as a guide for performance, customers are treated badly by new and poorly trained employees, and the departments of the hotel do not communicate very effectively and therefore everyone blames everyone else when things go wrong. The average length of tenure of the front desk agents at the Beachside Hotel is 3 months and the customer satisfaction rating at the Beachside is a 6 out of a 10 possible rating.Most of the front desk agents that are hired come from other hotels in the area after they quit or are fired. Brian is not involved in the hiring for the hotel at all, and does not get involved with training and development. He spends most of his days looking at the financial reports for the hotel and analyzing average daily rate, occupancy rates, and REVPAR. Brian knows that he has many problems to deal with and so he goes to the Sunrise Hotel to observe things over there for a while. He sees a happy crew and talks to Joe about how he is making that happen.Joe is happy to help, but wants Brian to go back and observe his employees first and come up with ways that he specifically can help guide Brian. Questions: 1. What could Brian learn from Joe in terms of the human capital aspects of running a hotel? 2. What human resource planning initiatives could be undertaken by either the Sunrise Hotel or Beachside Hotel in order to help with the overall performance of their respective organizations? Available from:| Monday, 3 December 2012, 07:00 AM| Due date:| Monday, 3 December 2012, 12:30 PM|

College is not for Everyone Essay

Where is the fault in a person who discovers their dreams prior to their collegiate degree? The reason behind people taking tertiary education is to have a firmer background when undertaking future tasks. Simply saying, college is to help a person retain a focus until and beyond graduation. There are privileges in having a college degree. One of which is to ease the search of finding jobs. Another is that the specialization courses broaden the perspective of a student. There are also emotional and social benefits along with the diploma. The best of these is to have the bragging rights that he or she graduated with a degree, perhaps with honors. Unfortunately, this can only get a person so far. At least, realistically, in this day and age, wherein employment is a task in itself and the economy is not even as helpful. What is required today is practicality in everything one does. One of the biggest issues in mind is when college is a logical solution to the seemingly impoverished country. Education is the key, as the cliche goes. But is education only attained within the four walls and high ceilings of a school? I would like to believe differently. For all those who are taking up their college degrees, and for those who are living the â€Å"bums† life, always reconsider if college is truly the best option for you. For a lot of people, perhaps it is. But the same is not always true for everyone. The reason behind this claim is that there are certain individuals who cannot take in all the class lessons unless practically applied. A person may need guidance in the real world, but the guidance does not always come from a person with a higher educational attainment and a certificate that affirms that. Practicality is the new realistic approach to any person’s lifestyle today. It is about efficiency. This means fewer costs for greater productivity. With this in mind, and the argument at hand, college is not for everyone. To support this point, it is important that one recognizes three important reasons. For certain individuals, college is a waste of time. It is a waste of money. It is a waste of a viable dream. A regular degree will take a person more or less three years, depending on the school, before the diploma is handed over. That is, of course, if the student is deserving to be handed one in the first place. The years a student takes and endures to receive a sheet of paper that tells them that they are worth hiring can be a very tiring task for a lot of people. This is most important to those who are not happy where they are. Some students, who have had dreams to build a small business before progressing it to become big enough to make them rich, are usually those who are persuaded or inwardly forced to go into college by their parents. True, there are high expectations. But there is also the cliche that people love saying: This is my life. This is not to say that students should speak back to their parents, especially if it is unjustifiable. It is standing firm when what you believe in is the real thing for you. After your graduation, the usual jobs you would get is most likely related to your training. But that could very much make you unhappy. For four years, you could have been doing what you like the most and reaping income from it. A little support from your parents would not have been bad either. But after graduating a course you do not have your heart into, after all those years of surpassing the challenges of faculties and family members, you might not find the prize worth the effort. When attending college, they would always say that you are receiving quality education. That is almost the same as saying that you should be as intellectual as the value you pay professors and mentors to stand by your side and guide you through those grueling hours. Unfortunately, the connotation behind quality does not always go through both directions. The teacher might have been a doctorate holder, but could not teach well. There are also instances where in the student simply did not understand. The teaching skills did not match the learning skills. With that, money is wasted. â€Å"Quality Education† no longer comes cheaply. The amount that could have been rendered to more important needs such as food, bills, and rent went to an institution, and not the intellectual capacity of a student. Not that he or she immediately needs one. There are students who are really gifted with their respective needs that they are better off without the formal education. Informal education comes cheaper and more hands-on, which more likely allows a person to learn. Theories will not aid a student unless there is a visible application of all the lessons. Memorization will only bombard many terminologies into a student that he or she may never use again. If you really do not have your heart into what you are doing, then it is a total waste to begin with. The money, as they say, will go down the drain. It is not just about having your heart into what you are doing, but also having what you are doing in your heart. You have to love what you are doing to enjoy it, and to feel a sense of achievement. There will be a sense of pride in exchange of doubts and regrets. When what you want comes from the heart, that dream could not be wrong. The sentimentality could not go wrong. If you are happy about it, and that others are not hurt by it, then it is not wrong. If in your heart, you believe that college is really something that is not for you, then there are other alternatives. You can prove those who think otherwise that you can make a living without the formal education or the diploma at the end of it all. If there is something that you would want to do, and you have the determination to see it through, then stopping you would only suppress you. Simultaneously, it is a call for an inevitable failure, and nobody wants to fail where their heart lies. If you want art, go take short course. You can also learn by self study and participation in art groups. If you want to sing, take lessons. But also have something on the side. It is important to broaden your options, but to remain at a focal point. It can be more difficult to work without a degree. But if you really want to become rich, whichever avenue you choose to get there, you will. It does not have to involve a college degree. College might not be for you. It is not as if you are a lesser person than those who received their diplomas the long extensive way. You can think about it as accelerating through those years that you can work, earn and become rich without all that. It is not as if it is something to be embarrassed about. It is to save time, money and heart. As philosophers say, it simply is. I say immerse yourself.

Sculpture and Archetectorial Ideas of the 5th Century essays

Sculpture and Archetectorial Ideas of the 5th Century essays The sculptural and architectural ideas during the 5th century do show some signs of classical works. At the same time, they show many signs of beginning to break apart from those traditional ideas. First, let us discuss the sculptural ideas. Much of the format for this work is still an upright figure, in line with traditional sculpture, but with some noticeable differences. One of the examples of this is the Riace Warriors. These statues are in the upright posture referred to as the kouros posture; as were most classical sculptures, but some very noticeable differences do exist. For example, the stances of the warriors are different, in that one foot is in front of the other, appearing to rest weight mostly on one of the feet. The shoulder is also lowered; this too is different from traditional sculpture. The most noticeable difference between the Archaic and classical styles in the Riace Warriors is the facial expression. Here the warriors expression is much more serious, rather tha n the smiling face seen in many previous works. The new facial expression gives a look of power and intelligence. Another difference that can be seen in the 5th century sculpture is the amount of realism put into the work. The Athenians of this time believed that they were vastly superior in intellectual thought, which can be validated in their thought process to begin doing things in a new and better way. A great example of this is the statue of Discobolos. The maker of this sculpture, Myron, pays special attention to muscular definition, and facial expression. He also captures the man in the middle of physical activity, as opposed to simply standing still or simply looking like he is posing. The confidence and intellectual superiority the Athenians believed they had begun to come out in their work during this period. The height of Greek architecture was also during the 5th century, from c.450- 430 BCE. The Athenians now had funds that they w ...

Gandhis Salt March

Gandhi's Salt March On March 12, 1930, a group of Indian independence protesters began to march from Ahmedabad, India to the sea coast at Dandi some 390 kilometers (240 miles) away. They were led by Mohandas Gandhi, also known as the Mahatma, and intended to illegally produce their own salt from the seawater.  This was Gandhis Salt March, a peaceful salvo in the fight for Indian independence. Satyagraha, an Act of Peaceful Disobedience The Salt March was an act of peaceful civil disobedience or satyagraha, because, under the law of the British Raj in India, salt-making was banned. In accordance with the 1882 British Salt Act, the colonial government required all Indians to buy salt from the British and to pay a salt tax, rather than producing their own. Coming on the heels of the Indian National Congresss January 26, 1930, declaration of Indian independence, Gandhis 23-day-long Salt March inspired millions of Indians to join in his campaign of civil disobedience. Before he set out, Gandhi wrote a letter to the British Viceroy of India, Lord E.F.L. Wood, Earl of Halifax, in which he offered to halt the march in return for concessions including the abolition of the salt tax, reduction of land taxes, cuts to military spending, and higher tariffs on imported textiles. The Viceroy did not deign to answer Gandhis letter, however. Gandhi told his supporters, On bended knees, I asked for bread and I have received stone instead- and the march went on. On April 6, Gandhi and his followers reached Dandi and dried seawater to make salt. They then moved south down the coast, producing more salt and rallying supporters. Gandhi is Arrested On May 5, the British colonial authorities decided that they could no longer stand by while Gandhi flouted the law. They arrested him and severely beat many of the salt marchers. The beatings were televised around the world; hundreds of unarmed protesters stood still with their arms at their sides while British troops smashed batons down on their heads. These powerful images stoked international sympathy and support for the Indian independence cause. The Mahatmas choice of the salt tax as the first target of his non-violent satyagraha movement initially sparked surprise and even derision from the British, and also from his own allies such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel. However, Gandhi realized that a simple, key commodity like salt was the perfect symbol around which ordinary Indians could rally. He understood that the salt tax impacted every person in India directly, whether they were Hindu, Muslim or Sikh, and was more easily understood than complex questions of constitutional law or land tenure. Following the Salt Satyagraha, Gandhi spent nearly a year in prison. He was one of more than 80,000 Indians jailed in the aftermath of the protest; literally millions turned out to make their own salt. Inspired by the Salt March, people across India boycotted all kinds of British goods, including paper and textiles. Peasants refused to pay land taxes. The Government Attempts to Quell the Movement The colonial government imposed even harsher laws in an attempt to quell the movement. It outlawed the Indian National Congress, and imposed strict censorship on Indian media and even private correspondence, but to no avail. Individual British military officers and civil service employees anguished over how to respond to non-violent protest, proving the effectiveness of Gandhis strategy. Although India would not gain its independence from Britain for another 17 years, the Salt March raised international awareness of British injustices in India. Although not many Muslims joined Gandhis movement, it did unify many Hindu and Sikh Indians against British rule. It also made Mohandas Gandhi into a famous figure around the world, renowned for his wisdom and love of peace.

Are humans becoming too dependent on technology

What happen if any of your devices crashed? Nowadays people becoming too dependent of technologic they cannot imagine their live without technology. We losing the ability or willingness to thing and memorize, we cannot work or do something if we have not internet or study, calculate or solve problem without computer or other devices. With the rapid growth of technology, there has been a debate on how we are using technology in our life. Many people think that we are now abusing modern devices to support for our own life; while others reckon that using technology brings us just good things and make our life easier. According to what I have observed and experienced, I believe that people, nowadays, have been overly dependent on technology What about if you lost any of your devices? If just thinking about these scenarios give you anxiety, you’re not alone. Most of us rely so much on technology these days that losing it, even for a day, would be extremely inconvenient, and for some, life-altering. As a society, we have become much more dependent on the technology at our disposal. For instance, many people no longer memorize phone numbers because their cell phones have a wonderful contact list which makes that memorization unnecessary. If these people didn’t have their cell phones in an emergency, they would not be able to contact the people they would need. It’s very possible that you have your husband’s number memorized. It’s also very possible that he’s listed by name on your phone and you haven’t the faintest idea what his number is. If you lost your cellphone and all of your contacts, it’s very possible you’d have no idea how to get in contact with anyone, let alone someone important to you. And you can’t even look it up since cellphone numbers are unlisted. If the internet is down we cannot work because many job in our days depend of internet. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been at jobs where if the Internet isn’t working, then work comes to a standstill. How can you work if you can’t send an email, right? Seriously, I was sent home one day at my last job because the Internet was down. Sure, I stopped to chat with a co-worker on the way out. And during that conversation, we came up with a way to effectively tackle a work-related problem. But otherwise, work was over for the day. The dependence on the technology is too much that people are losing their ability to think and even read as people have all the  information they need on the internet. Their ability to think has been lost due to the use of computers as they always give us all the information we need and also our spelling mistakes can be corrected by the computers. We also don’t produce our own foods as productions of packaged foods have been mechanized People are slowly losing those abilities and letting machines or computers do the work for them. People are no longer required to think. If posed with a difficult or even simple problem people will simply Google it on an iPhone and the answer is found within seconds. Students are also becoming too dependent on calculators. Instead of using a graphing calculator to solve complex mathematical formulas, students turn to calculators for even simple calculations. Though calculators are important in an evolving world, it is still important for teachers to teach students how to do mental math and reasoning (Metz). While it is true that technology can largely dominate our lives and it is not uncommon to walk into the average family’s house and see each sitting in front of a blaring television but on separate electronic devices it cannot be said that we would not survive without it. The technology we supposedly depend on today is all relatively new. Technology is definitely useful, and without it the world would probably not be what it is today. From computers the size of a fingernail to medical advancements, cancer deaths for example have decreased by 20% in the last 20 years due to developments in technology. Technology in general progressed at an accelerated rate in the twentieth century, an era that began with the invention of airplanes and cars and ended with space shuttles, mobile phones and wireless internet. Saying that we are overly dependent on technology is too vague a statement. It does not specify whether it refers to humans as a whole or specifically to western culture. Regardless of this, a mere 4-5% of the world’s population owns a computer. Taken out of context this figure seems pathetically small and it is important to note that only 30% of the world’s population are wealthy enough to have a bank account however it still means that about 95% of people get by just fine with no kind of computers whatsoever. Many of us regularly express a wish to escape from all of the technology we encounter on a daily basis, wealthy celebrities like Johnny Deep going so far as to buy an island with no phones or internet. Surely this is not the mark of a race that depends completely on this same technology for life? It is true that we depend on it, how many of us are ever without some sort of electronic device in our pocket, the fact that I’ve typed this on a computer is testament to that fact, but I don’t think we will ever reach a point where we cannot survive without it. Homo sapiens have been around with in or around 250,000 years and we’ve had the internet since the late twentieth century. If there was a massive solar flare in the morning and you lost everything in your life that ran on a microchip how you would survive? Pretty easily I expect. People use technology for performing their household chores as well as for solving even the simplest mathematics. The traditional way of writing and sending letters is now being replaced with communication by the mobiles, emails, SMS, etc. Not too long ago, our previous generations got the latest news of their time through newspapers. Nowadays, we watch television or browse the Internet for the latest news. We also cannot travel on foot for only 50 meters. We need to travel on cars because technology makes us too lazy to walk for even a short distance. With every new invention, people become more dependent on technology to think for them. It would be impossible to view the world without the ubiquitous cell phone, laptop, and mp3 player. And, it would be impossible completely do away with these gadgets. The problem is people are letting their gadgets take over their lives and they are not giving an effort anymore. Maybe John Lennons lyrics should read strive for fewer possessions, its easier than you think†. How we use technology that is the key Technology was created to improve our lives. Today everything is possible just because of technology. Today we are modern people and we know more about technology. The point is that we, as a society, must be able to operate on a basic level without technology. Yes, technology makes our lives easier and quicker, but this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. We should live our lives with the aid of technology because we want to, not because we have to.

Small Business Government Contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Small Business Government Contracts - Essay Example According to the U.S government, a small business is considered independent in its operations. In most cases, either the income generated or number of employees employed within the company determines the size of companies depending on the type of business the company is in; for instance, a service or production business respectively (Knerly, 2007). Small businesses tend to have privileged access to government contracts. A number of government bodies have been established to help the small businesses to manage contracts and enhance their networking. For example, the National Contract Management Association, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, as well as the National Center for Small Business Information. To access government contracts, a small business is usually required to meet a number of conditions. There should be popular possession by people disadvantaged communally as well as economically (Knerly, 2007). The federal contracts target people with difficulties in relation to their race, ethnicity, as well as cultural bigotry, groups such as; Hispanic Americans, black Americans, and the Americans with Asian-Pacific descendent are some of the groups that can easily access government contracts. Prior to contracting with the government, establishing a small business requires registration with the federal government. ... Subsequently, the registered business now seeks financial opportunities that will enable it to operate effectively. The federal government provides a number of opportunities for this. For instance, there are opportunities for sub-contracting, federal grants, as well as partnering with other businesses (Knerly, 2007). Differences between the Cost Estimating Relationship (CER) method and the Engineered Cost Estimate Method Knerly (2007) acknowledges that contract pricing is a vital area for small businesses. In most cases, the government first verifies the overall cost of the business before issuing the contracts. This process usually tends to take a long time and thus, it is vital for the business to ensure that it can manage its daily operations. Small businesses can use various techniques to determine the cost of a contract. Among them is Cost Estimating Relationship (CER) technique and the Engineered Cost Estimate technique. The CER method denotes the use of set up relationships be tween independent variables to approximate a cost or price; for instance, using CER to identify the overall cost of production. The technique of approximating the rapport between independent variables and contract cost follows varied processes. First, the business or individual should clearly distinguish the dependent and independent variables they seek to determine. Second is seeking expert advice on the type of business one seeks to start. In this case, assessing the way other businesses have utilized robots in their production. By doing so using CER, a business is able to generate relevant information. Next is to establish the potency between the variables. In estimating the cost of production using CER, the connection linking the dependent to independent

Research paper summary Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary - Research Paper Example This is largely due to the fact that adults and experts alike have dominated the portrayal of this message labeling teenagers and their behavior as either good or bad without paying any attention to their point of view. With growing technology and increasing economy, internet usage is becoming an integral and common part of any society with both adults and teenagers going online. Two surveys conducted in 1997and 2001 by the U.S. and Canada respectively, concluded that adults actually spend more time on the internet than teenagers. This was confirmed by China Internet Network Information Center who conducted their own survey and revealed that 66.3% of internet users were between the ages of 20-35 where as teenagers only made up 17.2% (Zhiyong 2007). However society feels that it is easier to blame the teenagers and their internet addiction for the prevailing problems of drugs, sex etc. Instead of hearing their voices and acknowledging that the problem of addiction exists in both adults and teenagers, experts mold the public opinion against the youth often leading to their low self esteem and confidence. Dick Hebdige summed this up very nicely when he stated "In our society, youth is present only whe n its presence is a problem, or is regarded as a problem† (Zhiyong 2007). It is easy to label the teenagers as bad and ignore why they get hooked on the internet in the first place. Internet offers adolescents an escape from their every day stressful lives and allows them to interact freely with others, play games, and read information online complete with privacy and increased comfort. This freedom from pressure and even parents for a little while is misunderstood as being lazy and displaying improper behavior by the adults. This often leads adults to feel that the teenagers are undermining their authority. For, internet isn’t something reserved

Adam Smith & John Maynard Keynes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Adam Smith & John Maynard Keynes - Essay Example Smith sought to convince people that "the wealth of a nation would be promoted with vastly greater effectiveness by the ‘obvious and simple system of natural liberty’ than by national planning of the mercantilist sort" (Mitchell 48). As for the implementation of Smith’s ideas, his influence on today’s economy is probably greater than it was on his contemporaries or those who lived immediately after his works were published. â€Å"An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations† (or more commonly â€Å"The Wealth of Nations†) by Adam Smith, published in 1776 is widely considered to be the first modern work in the field of economics. Up until â€Å"The Wealth of Nations† it was generally accepted that in any economic transaction one side always "won". In other words, either the buyer or seller got to "put one over" on his "opponent" — one went home happy, the other went home and eventually got angry at himself for being a dupe. Smith rejected this notion, however, and stated that "a voluntary, informed transaction always benefits both parties": when the buyer gives something of value to the seller in exchange for something else of value, both parties "win". This is because the buyer values what the seller is selling more than what he is giving to the seller in exchange for it. And, for his part, the seller is all too happy to part with what he is selling for the buyers property, because he values that more. In short, each party gets something he wants more in exchange for something he wants less — they both benefit. This book is a clearly written account of political economy at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Mercantilism was the ruling economic principle then. â€Å"The Wealth of Nations† attacks two fundamental principles of mercantilism: the idea that protectionist tariffs serve the economic interests of a nation; the idea that large reserves of gold bullion or other heavy metals are necessary for a countrys economic success (Smith

Anatomy and Physiology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Anatomy and Physiology - Essay Example The sense of touch helps us detect pain and provides a reflex withdrawal that is naturally and unconsciously prepared before conscious awareness of pain is passed on to the brain (Kippers 2-3). Further, the sense of touch allows us to learn about our surroundings by touching and feeling everything around us (Kippers 2-3). The second function of the nervous system is coordination. Coordination is the body’s ability to receive a number of stimuli through the various senses, which are appropriately coordinated and processed thereby allowing us to give a proper reaction to any given circumstances. The feedback or response given by an individual may vary and depend on character, experience, culture, etc. (Kippers 2-3). Last but not the least function of the nervous system is the ability of a person to have conceptual though or intelligence. Every individual is capable of calculation, imagination, abstract reasoning and creativity that make him or her superior than any other mammal (Kippers 2-3). The peripheral nervous system (PNS is made up of all the other parts of the nervous system excluding the brain and the spinal cord which are parts and segments of the central nervous system (CNS) (Noveguide.com 1-3). The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is divided into two main categories which are: 1) the sensory somatic nervous system and 2) the autonomic nervous system (Novelguide.com 1-3). The sensory somatic nervous system serves as the sensory entrance between the environment or surroundings outside the human body and the CNS. The responses made by the body in this part of the PNS are inclined to be conscious (Noveguide.com 1-3). The sensory somatic nervous system is composed of 31 pairs of spinal nerves and 12 pairs of cranial nerves. Other pairs are only for sensory neurons which are mainly engaged in the senses for smell,

Making a truss adaptive to specific loading condition to save Essay

Making a truss adaptive to specific loading condition to save materials - Essay Example As the active and passive control methods improved the structures under dynamic loads, its requirement for the performance based design was of concern. The use of these systems helps in achieving these objectives optimally in civil engineering. In a passive structural control, the structures have been built from a thermal stable composite material. This system can be isolation systems, shear walls, viscosities dampers and tuned mass dampers. The tuned mass dampers could be used in chimneys, towers and bridges (Sinan Korkmaz, 2011); for example in the Citicorp central New York to control the first mode of vibration (Peterson, N.R., 1979). In the active control, a set of sensors and actuators connected by feedback is used (Berlin Heidelberg, 2011). The stiffness and the physical properties of the active systems can be changed due to the external stimuli so that structural response like the internal flow of forces can be manipulated as the deflections or the vibration are controlled and optimized. The active systems are striking choices to be able to retrofit or increase the strength of the current structure against strong winds, earthquake, water waves or any external force that affect the safety of the structure. The adaptive systems are related to development and manufacturing. There are different material systems designed as smart materials and currently available in a wide range such including ceramics, polymers and alloys (W Sobek and P Tueffel, 2013). As shown in the figure †¦ the sensors get the information and the control intelligence process the information getting from sensors and will feed into actuators. Every material, in principle, has been found to be responsive in a one-to-one relation. For instance, voltage is produced from an input pressure, or it can be produced from a triangulated piece of veneer that displaces the free tip depends on the level of

Adam Smith & John Maynard Keynes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Adam Smith & John Maynard Keynes - Essay Example Smith sought to convince people that "the wealth of a nation would be promoted with vastly greater effectiveness by the ‘obvious and simple system of natural liberty’ than by national planning of the mercantilist sort" (Mitchell 48). As for the implementation of Smith’s ideas, his influence on today’s economy is probably greater than it was on his contemporaries or those who lived immediately after his works were published. â€Å"An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations† (or more commonly â€Å"The Wealth of Nations†) by Adam Smith, published in 1776 is widely considered to be the first modern work in the field of economics. Up until â€Å"The Wealth of Nations† it was generally accepted that in any economic transaction one side always "won". In other words, either the buyer or seller got to "put one over" on his "opponent" — one went home happy, the other went home and eventually got angry at himself for being a dupe. Smith rejected this notion, however, and stated that "a voluntary, informed transaction always benefits both parties": when the buyer gives something of value to the seller in exchange for something else of value, both parties "win". This is because the buyer values what the seller is selling more than what he is giving to the seller in exchange for it. And, for his part, the seller is all too happy to part with what he is selling for the buyers property, because he values that more. In short, each party gets something he wants more in exchange for something he wants less — they both benefit. This book is a clearly written account of political economy at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Mercantilism was the ruling economic principle then. â€Å"The Wealth of Nations† attacks two fundamental principles of mercantilism: the idea that protectionist tariffs serve the economic interests of a nation; the idea that large reserves of gold bullion or other heavy metals are necessary for a countrys economic success (Smith

Making a truss adaptive to specific loading condition to save Essay

Making a truss adaptive to specific loading condition to save materials - Essay Example As the active and passive control methods improved the structures under dynamic loads, its requirement for the performance based design was of concern. The use of these systems helps in achieving these objectives optimally in civil engineering. In a passive structural control, the structures have been built from a thermal stable composite material. This system can be isolation systems, shear walls, viscosities dampers and tuned mass dampers. The tuned mass dampers could be used in chimneys, towers and bridges (Sinan Korkmaz, 2011); for example in the Citicorp central New York to control the first mode of vibration (Peterson, N.R., 1979). In the active control, a set of sensors and actuators connected by feedback is used (Berlin Heidelberg, 2011). The stiffness and the physical properties of the active systems can be changed due to the external stimuli so that structural response like the internal flow of forces can be manipulated as the deflections or the vibration are controlled and optimized. The active systems are striking choices to be able to retrofit or increase the strength of the current structure against strong winds, earthquake, water waves or any external force that affect the safety of the structure. The adaptive systems are related to development and manufacturing. There are different material systems designed as smart materials and currently available in a wide range such including ceramics, polymers and alloys (W Sobek and P Tueffel, 2013). As shown in the figure †¦ the sensors get the information and the control intelligence process the information getting from sensors and will feed into actuators. Every material, in principle, has been found to be responsive in a one-to-one relation. For instance, voltage is produced from an input pressure, or it can be produced from a triangulated piece of veneer that displaces the free tip depends on the level of

A Report on Hans Binker Essay Example for Free

A Report on Hans Binker Essay In Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates, Mary Mapes Dodge tells the story of Hans Brinker, a fifteen year old boy, and Gretel, his sister. Hans finds himself responsible for his family after his fathers accident. Theres a pretty pair just coming upon the ice! The little ragpickers! Their skates must have been a present from the king direct. this is said of Hans and Gretel by Carl, a rich boy who sees the two go unto the ice with their wooden skates. Here we see how Hans and his family fares compared to the rest of the townspeople: they are one of the poorest families. Their father, Raff Brinker, became invalid after an accident. One day Hans and Gretel learn of a race in which silver skates are to be the prize. Meanwhile, Hans by chance sees Dr. Boekman, a famous old doctor, and convinces the doctor to treat his father. Hans and Gretel eventually obtain steel skates needed to join in the contest, and Gretel wins the silver skates. The doctor manages to treat Raff successfully, and Raff remembers where he hid some â€Å"treasure†, and all goes well in the end. One constant problem is the conflict between Han personal wants and his sense of responsibility and morality. For example, when he finds the purse that contained some money, he must decide whether to keep it or return it; when Hans wants to spend the money on steel skates, while knowing that his family could really use the money; and the dilemma on how he should react to those who humiliate him because of his poverty. The book contains a lot of textbook descriptions, which I think does not work in the its favor, as it is unlikely that a reader will pick a book with the intention of simultaneously reading a good story and â€Å"textbook† material on a countrys history and geography. With all the fiction encountered by modern people today—on television, books, movies—the story of Hans Brinker comes off as somewhat hackneyed, but of course this was probably not the case in the 1860s, when the author wrote the book. I would not say that I actual learned anything from the book. At best, it reminds the reader of the continued existence of the extremely poor even in these modern times. And of course the the book reminds us of the importance of the usual â€Å"goodness of the heart† of of â€Å"advantages† in life that are only superficial and ultimately meaningless.

Reflection On Separation Of The Church And State History Essay

Reflection On Separation Of The Church And State History Essay In the early sixteenth century there was only one religion in Western Europe. This was the Roman Catholic religion. For a long time, the Catholic Church had been involved in the political life of Western Europe. As a result of their involvement in politics, the Catholic Church became very rich and powerful. This caused the church to become weakened spiritually. The church had become a lot more interested in or had become corrupted by power and wealth causing it to pay very little interest to its actual purpose which was handling the spiritual problems of the masses. This caused the church to begin a number of malpractices, such as the sale of indulgences to the masses. Indulgences were documents signed by the pope that forgave or absolved people of all their sins and gave them access into heaven. Indulgences could also be purchased on the behalf of a dead relative, to reduce their time in purgatory before entry into heaven. The relationship between the church and the masses soon beca me solely based on money. Most of these practices, especially that of the sale of indulgences caused a number of people in different European states to start questioning the church, which was labeled as an act of heresy by the church. This people were the likes of Martin Luther in Germany, Erasmus of Rotterdam, John Calvin in Switzerland, and Henry VIII in England. Martin Luther was actually the main person behind the reformations which took place in Germany, and eventually spread to other parts of Europe. His actions started with the letter and 95 theses he wrote against the church in 1517(). In his writings, he questioned the churchs sale of indulgences as well as other malpractices. His writings spread throughout Germany and eventually most parts of Europe causing people to begin to see the malpractices carried out by the Catholic Church. As a result of this, Luther was excommunicated by the Catholic Church in 1521. This did not change anything as Luthers ideas had already spread throughout Germany. Luthers reforms led to a number of wars against the church, which eventually led to the separation of the church. Luther formed the Lutheran church. Another important figure that contributed to the reformation of the Catholic Church was John Calvin. Most of John Calvins works, such as the Institutes of Christian Religion were published in Switzerland which was a more liberal place as compared to France where he was born and escaped from. The Institutes of Christian religion was published in 1536(). He would have been persecuted by the king and the church if he had published his works in France. Calvins ideas were hugely successful in Switzerland and majority of the Catholics became protestant. Like Luthers ideas, the Catholic Church was against them and labeled them to acts of heresy. Calvin formed the Calvinist church. The king of England at the time, King Henry the VIII also played a major role in the reforms against the Catholic Church. English reformations against the church began under his reign. He pulled England away from the rule of the Catholic Church, making himself the supreme head of the English church by an act of parliament in 1534(). Although the English church had been cut off from the popes control, the English people were still predominantly Catholic. It was only later that the Church of England was to be known as the Anglican church of England and Anglicanism became a religion. Although Henrys actions were for personal reasons, he questioned the Catholic Churchs authority, something that would spread throughout England. There were many others who contributed to the reformations against the Catholic Church, but the likes of Martin Luther, John Calvin and King Henry VIII were at the fore front. The reforms that took place against the church helped most governments to break away from the control of the pope and the church. Most countries such as England and North Germany could to some extent make political decisions without the churchs permission. The population did not have to pay any more taxes to the church. The Catholic Church hit back against the protestant reformers with what was known as the Counter Reformation. The Counter Reformation was led most notably by pope Paul III in 1534. He hit back with the approval of the new religious order called the Jesuits in the convocation of the council of Trent to deal with disciplinary and doctrinal questions asked by the Protestants 1545 1563() . He also readily deployed military assistance when necessary to act against the Protestants. The Catholics succeeded to save some of its territories from the reformers as well as obtain new territories in North and South America. This was done through a number of wars against the Protestants. Although most of Europe still remained predominantly catholic, the church lost the grip it had on the masses. People began to ask questions unlike before. The reformations against the church had a major impact on the separation of the church from the state. After the reformations, the next period that really affected the church was the period of revolutions in science and political thought. During this period, ideas such as geocentrism accepted by the church where being questioned by scientist. The likes of Nicolas Coperincus, Johannes Kepler, Gallileo Gallilei and Isaac Newton proved the idea to be wrong and came up with the idea of heliocentrism. William Harvey discovered the circulation of blood, which was previously and unattainable feet because the church did not permit dissection of the human corps. More aspects of the catholic religion were questioned and yet again were proven to be wrong. Although the church threatened most of them and ordered their works not be read, the damage had already been done. The church began to lose its supremacy over the masses. The works and discoveries by scientist greatly affected philosophers of the next century. Like scientist, a lot of philosophers also started coming up with new ideas which enc ouraged people to begin thinking. A lot of these philosophers gave ideas concerning political thought and reasoning. They included the likes of David Hume, John Locke, Francis Bacon, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Franà §ois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), Charles-Louis de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu, Immanuel Kant and many others. Most of this philosophers or philosophes came from the enlightenment (Age of Reason) period in the eighteenth century. The idea behind most of their work was the reduction of power from the kings in Europe. The kings in Europe at the time were absolute monarchs, and exercised authority over their subjects as the head of state and government. Most of the philosophes at this time were against this form of government, and strongly encouraged a form of power reduction. Montesquieu, for example came up with the idea of the separation of power into three distinct branches. These three branches included; the executive, the legislative and the judiciary. Most governments tod ay such as those of France and Germany are being ruled with the idea of separation of government. John Lockes idea was that a rulers authority was supposed to be conditional and not absolute. In his book entitled Two Treatises of Government (1680 1690), he defines political power to be A right of making laws with penalties of death, and consequently all less penalties for the regulating and preserving of property, and of employing the force of the community, in the execution of such laws, and in the defense of the common-wealth from foreign injury; and all this only for the public good (195). The United States of America is an example of a country that uses this form of government today. The ideas introduced by these philosophers led to revolutions in Europe, such as the French revolution and in European colonies abroad such as the American Revolution. The people sort to end the reign of absolute monarchy and introduce a new form of government. The French philosophe Voltaires ideas were also very influential. He directly questioned religious dogma at the time. He strongly routed for the separation of the state from the church. At the time the government was integrated with religion. What the church saw as an offense against its doctrines, the government laid out a sanction for the crime. No one could speak freely, choose his religion, or think without being persecuted. Revolts against absolute kings in a way were revolts against the church. As different European countries reluctantly accepted the change from absolutism, they became open to many other things including Protestantism. The Catholic Church slowly lost its grip over political affairs of the state thus leading to secularism and eventually, separation of the church from the state. With this, punishment was not given out to the citizens on the bases of religious laws or doctrines. In 1648, after the thirty years wars (a war that caused a transition from medieval to modern politics), secularism was really put into effect. Church lands were transferred to the state during the treaty of Westphalia, as well as the tolerance to other minor religions (Protestants). With the coming of secularism and the separation of the church from state, most countries picked up what was known as sovereign nation-states. The treaty ended the Holy Roman Empire as an institution and began what was known as a modern European system. England was the first European country to end the reign of the absolute monarchs in Europe. This happened at the end of the seventeenth century through the glorious revolutions under James IIs rule. These revolutions saw the complete over throw of absolute monarchs in England. The power of the monarchs became supplementary to the powers of branches of government. Parliament then drew up a Bill of Rights which restricted the power monarchs over the parliament and individuals in the society. It would not be for another century that absolutism would end in other parts of Europe. Absolutism ended mainly in most of Europe with the coming of the French revolution. The French revolution began in France in 1789 under the reign of Louis XVI. The revolution ended with the execution of Louis XVI in January 1793 (). This brought an end to absolute monarchy in France. This period was followed by Robespierres reign of terror under a new form of government called the National Convention from 1793 1794 (). The system in France eventually led to a consulate form of government in 1799. Napoleon Bonaparte became the emperor of France in 1804. Napoleon Bonaparte was strongly for the removal of the church from state affairs. France and the Catholic Church were not on good terms during the period of the revolutions. Regardless of this, Napoleon signed the Concordat 1801, which was an agreement that Napoleon would recognize the church and Pope Pius VII would recognize the revolution. All this was a formality for Napoleon as he did not really care what the Catholic Church thought. He was very displeased with the amount of power the Catholic Church had. During Napoleons coronation by the pope in 1804, he seized the crown from the pope and crowned himself emperor. This was in a way to show that he was not going to share his power with the pope. Napoleon was also in favor of religious tolerance and this was clearly seen through his Napoleonic code. her minor religions (protestants) thus followed. the bases of religious laws or doctrines s including protestianism

Mortuary Practices and Afterlife of the Choctaw Essay -- Sociology, Tr

The Choctaws thrived in the fertile sandy, red-clay soil, rolling hills, and dense forests, located in the Central Hills of the east-central region of Mississippi. The estimated population after early European contact was between 15,000 and 20,000 and was the second largest group of Native Americans in the Southeast (Blitz 1988:127). The Choctaws in the Southeast were a matrilineal society. Traditionally, women preformed tasks related to domestic life. Among these responsibilities were creating pottery and utensils, food preparation, and planting and harvesting crops. The majority of their diet consisted of agricultural products such as corn, pumpkins, squash, and beans. Women would also accompany men on hunting excursions in order to provide food preparation. After the hunt, women were responsible for transporting the slain animal back to the village for processing of skins, bone, and meat (Carson 1995:495-6). The greatest responsibilities of the Choctaw men were hunting and warfare. During the fall and winter months, their primary food source was deer. Their accomplishments on hunting adventures directly reflected upon their social status and importance within the tribe. When a Choctaw tribal member became terminally ill, it was common practice for the medicine man to inform the family of impending death (Swanton 1931:170). Upon death, the Choctaws believed that the spirit of the dead continued on a voyage to either the good hunting ground or the bad hunting ground. This journey would take many days, which would require the proper provisions. A dog would sometimes be slain in order to accompany his master on the long journey. After the introduction of horses, they, too, were killed so that the spirit had means of t... ...uilt or fear, and attempt to dodge the stones. Slipping from the log, he would fall into the raging river and over the waterfall, landing in rapidly swirling pool of water. Pulling his beaten, tattered, and unclothed body from the water, the shilup, begins his journey into the bad hunting grounds. Every step is filled with the pain from briars, thorny trees, chestnut burs. The sun never shines and cold winds are always present. Every spirit encountered is an enemy with no safe place to take refuge. Food is scarce, due to unfertile soil, and hunger is constant. The bad hunting grounds are perpetually lonely, with only the joyous sounds coming from the other side of the mountains. The doomed spirits constantly struggle to climb the treacherous mountains, but to no avail. They are eternally destined to an afterlife of desolation (Campbell 1959:149-52).

Reading Between the Lines of Life :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

Reading Between the Lines of Life    Two years ago I was selected from a group of over fifty applicants to become an exchange student. It was not until later that I learned that Germany was where I was to be sent. Although at first I was apprehensive to go to Germany because I didn't yet know the language or much about the country itself, I soon discovered by living there that it was one of the best things that could possibly have happened to me. There were large changes that occurred in my life, but probably the most important and dramatic of these changes was the one that occurred most slowly.    Over the course of my time in Germany I learned to see that people think differently and have ideas that differ from my own. I learned not to be selfish and think that the only right is what I think -- but rather that others may also have ideas that are just as good and deserve to be more carefully looked at.    When I arrived in Germany I was overcome with a sense of awe mixed with anticipation for what was to happen. I saw all about me different scenes and one acts of the daily life which was constantly playing around me. Everything, which the Germans did, was so different, especially when it came to driving. I feared that I would not even survive the trip from the airport.    I did survive the trip to my host family's house. That is where I began to learn that people solve problems in a way that best suits their predicament. Due to the limited space at my first house they had a shared communal garden. They ate different foods than we Americans, they spoke in a different manner, and they even dressed slightly differently. All these differences, I later learned, stem from a difference in the way they thought. While at first these differences seemed uncomfortable I later learned to accept them for what they were.    I feel that my acceptance of the fact that we all have differences, was a major turning point in the way that I think. I saw that although opinions may differ that one person isn't necessarily right and the other wrong. Sometimes it is important to realize that people differ as do their ideas, but the most important fact is that we be able to work out our differences and realize that we are truly all working together.

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Twenty

This is way worse than the obstacle course, thought Matt. And building a house out of newspaper. And the firewalk. This is definitely the worst pledge event yet. He twisted the toothbrush in his hand to real y get into the little niche running along the bottom of the paneling on the Vitale Society's pledge room wal s. The toothbrush came out black with ancient dirt and dangling cobwebs, and Matt grimaced in disgust. His back was already sore from hunching over. â€Å"How's it going, soldier?† Chloe asked, squatting down next to him, a dripping sponge in one hand. â€Å"Honestly, I'm not sure how scrubbing out this room is going to help us develop honor and leadership and al the stuff Ethan keeps talking about,† Matt said. â€Å"I think this might just be a way to save a couple of bucks on a cleaning service.† â€Å"Well, they say cleanliness is next to godliness,† she reminded him. Chloe laughed. He real y liked her laugh. It was sort of bubbly and silvery. Internal y, he gave himself a little eye rol . Bubbly and silvery. She had a nice laugh, was al he meant. They'd been spending a lot of time together since Christopher's death. Matt had felt like nothing could be as bad as living with al of Christopher's stuff when Christopher himself was gone, but then Chris's parents came and packed it up, gently patting Matt on the back as if he deserved some kind of sympathy when they had lost their only son. And with just empty space where Christopher's things had been, everything was a mil ion times worse. Meredith, Bonnie, and Elena had tried to comfort him. They wanted so badly for him to be okay again that he'd felt guilty he wasn't, making it harder for him to be around them. Chloe had taken to coming by the room, hanging out with him or getting him to come to the cafeteria or wherever with her, keeping him in touch with the world when he felt like locking himself away. There was something so easy about her. Elena, the only girl he'd ever loved – before now, part of him whispered – was much more work to be around. Inside, he flinched at his own disloyalty to Elena, but it was true. Now he was starting to wake up and take an interest in things again. And he kept noticing with fresh surprise the cute dimple Chloe had in her right cheek, or how shiny her curly dark hair was, or how graceful and pretty her hands were despite the fact that they were often stained with paint. So far, though, they were just friends. Maybe †¦ maybe it was time to change that. Chloe snapped her fingers in front of his face, and Matt realized he had been staring at her. â€Å"You al right, buddy?† she asked, a little frown wrinkling her forehead, and Matt had to restrain himself from kissing her right then. â€Å"Yeah, just spacing out,† he said, feeling a flush creep over his cheeks. He was smiling like a goof, he knew. â€Å"Want to help with these wal s?† â€Å"Sure, why not?† Chloe answered. â€Å"I'l soap down the wal part, and you keep doing whatever you're doing there with that little toothbrush.† They worked companionably together for a while, Chloe now and then accidental y-on-purpose dripping soapy water onto the top of Matt's head. As they worked further along the paneling, the niche under the baseboard got deeper, until it was not so much a niche as a gap. Matt slid the toothbrush underneath to scrub – man, but it got grimy down there – and felt something shift. â€Å"There's something under here,† he told Chloe, pressing his hand flat against the floor and working his fingers into the gap. He slid his hands and the toothbrush around, trying to shimmy whatever was down there toward them, but he couldn't quite get a grip on it. â€Å"Look,† said Chloe after a moment, â€Å"I think the paneling might slide up here.† She wiggled the section of wood until it gave a raucous screech and she was able to work it up. â€Å"Huh,† she said, puzzled. â€Å"Wow, it's like a secret compartment. Seems like it hasn't been opened for a while, though.† Once she managed to ease the paneling up, they could see the space behind it was smal , only a foot or so in height and width and a few inches deep. It was ful of cobwebs. Inside was something rectangular, wrapped in a cloth that had probably once been white but was now gray with dust. â€Å"It's a book,† Matt said, picking it up. The grime on the outside of the cloth was thick and soft and came away on his hands. Unwrapping it, he found the book inside was clean. â€Å"Wow,† Chloe said softly. It looked old, real y old. The cover was flaking dark leather, and the edges of the pages were rough as if they'd been hand cut instead of by a machine. Tilting the book a little, Matt could see the remains of gilt that must have once been the title, but it was worn away now. Matt opened it to the middle. Inside, it was handwritten, black ink inscribing neat strong strokes. And total y indecipherable. â€Å"I think it's Latin. Maybe?† said Matt. â€Å"Do you know Latin at al ?† Chloe shook her head. Matt flipped back to the first page, and one word popped out at him. Vitale. â€Å"Maybe it's a history of the Vitale Society,† Chloe said. â€Å"Or ancient secrets of the founders. Cool! We should give it to Ethan.† â€Å"Yeah, sure,† Matt said, distracted. He turned a few more pages, and the ink changed from black to a dark brown. It looks like dried blood, he thought, and shuddered, then pushed the image away. It was just some kind of old ink, faded brown with time. One word he recognized, written three – no, four – times on the page: Mort. That meant death, didn't it? Matt traced the word with his finger, frowning. Creepy. â€Å"I'l show it to Ethan,† Chloe said, jumping up and taking the book from him. She crossed the room and interrupted Ethan's conversation with another girl. From the other side of the room, Matt watched Ethan's face break into a slow smile as he took the book. After a few minutes, Chloe returned, grinning. â€Å"Ethan was real y excited,† she said. â€Å"He said he'l tel us al about it after he gets someone to translate the book.† Matt nodded. â€Å"That's terrific,† he said, pushing the last of his unease away. This was Chloe, lively, laughing Chloe, and he would try not to think about death or blood or anything morbid around her. â€Å"Hey,† he said, pushing away the dark thoughts, focusing on the golden highlights in her dark hair. â€Å"Are you going to the party at McAl ister House tonight?† Maybe not pulled back, Elena thought, looking critical y at herself in the mirror. She tugged the barrette out of her hair and let her golden locks tumble, sleek and flat-ironed, down around her shoulders. Much better. She looked good, she noted, running her eyes dispassionately over her reflection. Her strappy short black dress accentuated her rose-petal skin and pale hair, and her dark blue eyes seemed huge. Without Stefan, though, what did it matter how she looked? She watched her own mouth tighten in the mirror as she pushed the thought away. However much she missed the feeling of Stefan's hand in hers, his lips on hers, however much she wanted to be with him, it was impossible for now. She couldn't be Katherine. And her pride wouldn't let her just mope around, either. It's not forever, she told herself grimly. Bonnie came up and threw her arm around Elena's shoulders, regarding them both in the mirror. â€Å"We clean up nice, don't we?† she asked cheerful y. â€Å"Ready to go?† â€Å"You do look amazing,† Elena said, looking at Bonnie with affection. The shorter girl was practical y glowing with excitement – eyes sparkling, smile bright, cheeks flushed, mane of red hair flying out seemingly with a life of its own – and her short blue dress and strappy high-heeled shoes were adorable. Bonnie's smile got bigger. â€Å"Let's get going,† Meredith said, al business. She was sleek and practical in jeans and a soft fitted gray shirt that matched her eyes. It was hard to know what Meredith was thinking, but Elena had overheard her murmuring to Alaric on the phone late at night. She figured that Meredith, at heart, might not be into the party either. Outside, people walked quickly in large, silent groups, glancing around nervously as they went. No one lingered, no one was alone. Meredith stopped midstride and stiffened, suddenly aware of a potential threat. Elena fol owed her gaze. She was wrong: one person lingered alone. Damon was sitting on a bench outside their dorm, his face tipped toward the sky as if he was basking in the sun despite the darkness of the evening. â€Å"What do you want, Damon?† Meredith said, warily. Her voice wasn't actual y rude – they'd gotten past that, working together this summer – but it wasn't friendly, and Elena could feel her bristling beside her. â€Å"Elena, of course,† Damon said lazily, rising and smoothly taking Elena's arm. Bonnie looked back and forth between them, puzzled. â€Å"I thought you weren't going to spend time with either of them for a while,† she said to Elena. Damon spoke quietly into Elena's ear. â€Å"It's about the Vitale Society. I've got a lead.† Elena hesitated. She hadn't told her friends about the hints she and Damon had found that the Vitale Society might be more than a myth, or that they might be connected to her parents in some way. There wasn't real y anything much to go on yet, and she didn't feel quite ready to talk about the possibility that her parents might have been mixed up in some kind of dark secret or how she felt, seeing the images of them when they were young. Making up her mind, she turned to Meredith and Bonnie. â€Å"I've got to go with Damon for a minute. It's important. I'l explain it to you guys later. See you at the party in a little bit.† Meredith frowned but nodded, and she steered Bonnie toward McAl ister House. As they went, Elena could hear Bonnie saying, â€Å"But wasn't the whole point†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Keeping his hand tucked firmly under Elena's arm, Damon led her in the opposite direction. â€Å"Where are we going?† she asked, feeling too aware of the softness of Damon's skin and the strength of his grip. â€Å"I saw a girl wearing one of those pins from the photo,† Damon answered. â€Å"I fol owed her to the library, but once she got inside, she just disappeared. I looked everywhere for her. Then, an hour later, she came out the library doors again. Remember when I said we needed to look for answers somewhere other than the library?† He smiled. â€Å"I was wrong. There's something going on in there.† â€Å"Maybe you just didn't see her?† Elena wondered aloud. â€Å"It's a big library, she could have been tucked away in a study carrel or something.† â€Å"I would have found her,† Damon said briefly. â€Å"I'm good at finding people.† His teeth shone white for a moment under the streetlights. The problem was that the library was so normal. Once they were inside, Elena looked around at the gray-carpeted floors, the beige chairs, the rows and rows of bookshelves, the buzzing fluorescent lights. It was a place to study. It didn't look like any secrets were hidden here. â€Å"Upstairs?† she suggested. They took the stairs rather than the elevator and worked their way down from the top floor. Going from floor to floor, they found †¦ nothing. People reading and taking notes. Books, books, and more books. In the basement, there was a room of vending machines and smal tables for study breaks. Nothing unexpected. Elena paused in a hal way of administrative offices near the vending machine. â€Å"We're not going to find anything,† she told Damon. His face twisted in frustration, and she added, â€Å"I believe you that there's something going on here, I do, but without any leads, we don't even know what we're looking for yet.† The door behind her, marked Research Office, opened, and Matt came out. He looked tired, and Elena felt a quick flash of guilt. After Christopher's death, she and Meredith and Bonnie had meant to stick close to Matt. But he was always busy with footbal or class and didn't seem to want them around. She realized with a shock that she hadn't talked to him in days. â€Å"Oh, hey, Elena,† Matt said, looking startled. â€Å"Are you going to the party tonight?† He greeted Damon with an awkward nod. â€Å"Mutt,† Damon acknowledged, giving a half smile, and Matt rol ed his eyes. As they chatted about the party and classes and Bonnie's new semiboyfriend, Elena cataloged her impressions of Matt. Tired, yes – his eyes were a little bloodshot, and there was grimness to his lips that hadn't been there a few weeks ago. But why did he smel so strongly of soap? It wasn't like he was particularly clean, she thought, inspecting a grubby trail tracing down Matt's cheek to his neck. It looked like something had been dripped on his head. It was almost like he had been cleaning something. Something real y dirty. Struck by a new thought, she glanced at his chest. Surely he wouldn't be wearing one of the V pins? As if aware of what she was wondering, Matt pul ed his jacket more tightly around him. â€Å"What were you doing in that office?† she asked him abruptly. â€Å"Uh.† Matt's face was blank for half a second, and then he glanced up at the door, at the sign saying Research Office. â€Å"Research, of course,† he said. â€Å"I've got to go,† he added. â€Å"I'l catch you at the party later, okay, Elena?† He had half turned away, when Elena impulsively put out her hand to catch his arm. â€Å"Where have you been, Matt?† she asked. â€Å"I've hardly seen you lately.† Matt grinned, but he didn't quite meet her eyes. â€Å"Footbal ,† he said. â€Å"Col ege bal ‘s a big deal.† He gently pul ed away from her restraining hand. â€Å"Later, Elena. Damon.† They watched him walk away, and then Damon nodded toward the door Matt had come out of. â€Å"Shal we?† he said. â€Å"Shal we what?† Elena asked, puzzled. â€Å"Oh, like that wasn't suspicious,† Damon said. He put his hand on the knob, and Elena heard the lock snap as he forced it open. Inside was a very boring room. A desk, a chair, a smal rug on the floor. Maybe a little too boring? â€Å"A research office without books? Or even a computer?† Elena asked. Damon cocked his head to one side, considering, then, with a swift movement, pul ed aside the rug. Below it was the clear outline of a trapdoor. â€Å"Bingo,† Elena breathed. She stepped forward, already bending down to try and pry it open, but Damon pul ed her back. â€Å"Whoever is using this could stil be down there,† he said. â€Å"Matt just left, and I doubt he was alone.† Matt. Whatever was going on, Matt knew about it. â€Å"Maybe I should talk to him,† Elena said. Damon frowned. â€Å"Let's wait until we know what we're dealing with,† he said. â€Å"We don't know what Matt's involvement is. This could be dangerous for you.† He had taken hold of her arm again and was pul ing her gently, steadily out of the room. â€Å"We'l come back later.† Elena let him lead her away, grappling with what he'd said. Dangerous? she thought. Surely Matt wouldn't be doing anything that would be a danger to Elena?

Ikea History and Swot Essay

History Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA’s founder, has a very intriguing and impressive life story. Kamprad was a very intelligent young Swedish boy who quickly turned into the 5th wealthiest man in the world. His net worth is now $4.2 billion. At a very early age Kamprad started his selling knowledge. When he was just 5 years old he would buy matches in bulk at a cheap store in Stockholm and re-sell them around his neighborhood at low prices, but enough to make a hefty profit. Kamprad’s selling continued and expanded from flowers to greeting cards to pencils and pens throughout the 1920’s. As Kamprads business skills increased he began studying the retail prices of different items in Sweden. He recognized that furniture prices had increase by 41% in 1935 and realized how profitable this area of retailing could be. In 1943, at age 17 Kamprad received money from his father for his successful studies and used the money to create a business. IKEA was then formed, standing for Ingvar Kamprads initials (I.K.) and the first letter of the farm he lived on, Elmtaryd (E) and the first letter of the village he lived in, Agunnard (A.) Kamprad created his furniture line in 1948 aiming for furniture that would be affordably priced. He began only selling his furniture through magazine advertisements. In 1953 the first showroom opened in Almhult Sweden. This was the first time consumers could physically see and feel the IKEA furniture before ordering them. 3 years later the need for flat packs and self-assembly furniture gave rise; one of IKEA’s co-workers had to remove the legs of a table to fit into their car without damaging the surroundings. (â€Å"IKEA Official Page†) In 1958 the first IKEA store was opened in Almhult Sweden. It was the largest furniture store in Scandinavia at the time with 6,700 square meters. Two years after the opening the store Kamprad introduced the first IKEA restaurant which was located inside the furniture store building. Kamprad expanded his store outside of Sweden in 1963 by opening an IKEA store in Norway. Within ten years IKEA stores were being opened outside of Scandinavian countries and expanding into 3 more continents (â€Å"IKEA Official Webpage†.) One of the most recent expansions was into the Dominican Republic in 2010. IKEA is in the process of opening new stores and developing the most innovative furniture products of today. Store Locations After IKEA opened in Sweden in 1958, it quickly moved into other Scandinavian countries opening stores in Norway in 1963 and in Denmark in 1969. Throughout the 1970’s IKEA rapidly spread through Europe. The first store outside of Scandinavia opened in Switzerland and quickly after IKEA made its presence in Germany. In 1975 IKEA arrived in Australia and opened its first store in Sydney. Throughout the 1970’s IKEA also opened stores in Japan, Hong Kong, The Netherlands and Singapore. Germany has IKEA’s biggest market with 46 stores in the country. Following Germany is the United States with 38 stores across the country. As of right now, IKEA has not appeared in developing countries, but is still planning for more global expansion (Countries.) IKEA group has continued growing every year and is now a large retail experience with over 123,000 co-workers. IKEA’s employees help generate annual sales of more than 21.5 billion dollars. The stores locations are placed strategically. The location is near major roads, freeways and public transportation. Although the stores are not normally placed in densely populated areas, IKEA is still successful and reaps high traffic due to the Huff Gravity model. Since IKEA stores are so large and carry a wide range of products, people are willing to travel a further distance to their stores. The largest IKEA store is in Stockholm, Sweden with a size of 55,200 square meters and following behind it is the Shanghai, China store with a size of 49,400 square meters (â€Å"IKEA†) In 2011 IKEA announced a plan to build a wind farm in Sweden to help IKEA achieve its ecological goal of running on 100 percent renewable energy. The next year IKEA made another announcement about the company creating a chain of 100 economy hotels in Europe. However, these IKEA hotels will not follow the same IKEA brand name and will not be furnished with IKEA’s furniture. The list below contains the country and number of IKEA stores present in the country, ranked in order of their opening dates: Sweden (17), Norway (6), Denmark (5), Switzerland (7), Germany (46), Japan (5), Australia (7), Canada (12), Hong Kong (3), Austria (6), Singapore (2), The Netherlands (12), Spain (15), Iceland (1), France (28), Saudi Arabia (3), Belgium (6), Kuwait (1), United States (38), United Kingdom (18), Italy (20), Hungary (2), Poland (8), Czech Republic (5), United Arab Emirates (2), Slovakia (1), Taiwan (4), Finland (4), Malaysia (1), Russia (14), Israel (2), Greece (4), Portugal (3), Greece (5), Portugal (3), Brazil (3), Turkey (5), Romania (1), Cyprus (1), Ireland (1), Dominican Republic (1), Brazil (1), Bulgaria (1) and Thailand (1) . Target Market IKEA strives to have a wide target market, wanting people around the world of all different demographics and psychographics to purchase IKEA products. IKEA defines its global target market as â€Å"young people of all ages† including individuals, families, design exteriors, and hospitality businesses like hotels. IKEAs target audience includes but is not limited to age groups of 18 to 34 and 35 to 49 years old. IKEA focuses on college and post graduate aged individuals. IKEA’s target market contains both sexes. IKEA’s target market typically lives in urban college and metropolitan areas. The salaries of the target market can range from $15,000 to $50,000 and are usually spending their money on technology products (such as iPhones and iPads.). IKEAs target audience engages in a quick paced lifestyle that may include travelling and moving often, for example moving from apartment to apartment or to an upgraded home. Due to this â€Å"mover† lifestyle they are normally looking for a cheap, easy to build product that can be packed tightly. Because of their median income, the consumer is not very status conscientious and is not searching for expensive designer furniture. The shoppers’ personalities are relaxed and/or creative and artistic. They are considerably fashionable and search for trends, but love to get deals simultaneously. They want to do things themselves (which follows closely with IKEA’s do it yourself product attitude) and care about the environment (Rowe.) IKEA also focuses on budget conscious families. This target market is beginning to start a more domestic lifestyle. The families usually have young children. To satisfy this target market most IKEA stores include a daycare or child-watch section for the children inside the stores. Although this target audience is in a different stage in their life, they still hold similar habits and lifestyle as the previously described target audience (Rowe.) Product Assortment IKEA is a retailer of home furnishings. You can find anything you need for every room in your house at IKEA. From the IKEA official website, their departments include: Bathroom| Living room| Bedroom| Office furniture| Cooking| Outdoor| Decoration| Secondary storage| Dining| Small storage| Eating| Textiles & rugs| Hallway| Youth room| Kitchen| Children’s IKEA| Laundry| IKEA FAMILY products| Lighting| | (â€Å"IKEA Official Webpage†) IKEA sells items ranging in these categories and they even provide customers with the service to help them create their own kitchen, closets and office with IKEA products. Their kitchen services include Total Project Management, Delivery, Installation and more. Their individual kitchen planning start at $199 and their measuring service start at $49. In IKEA retail locations, they also have IKEA Food. They have a restaurant where they sell their own assortment of Swedish food, located inside the IKEA retail store. Customers can sit down in a cafeteria style dining and enjoy IKEA’s famous Swedish meatballs and Lingonberry drink at amazingly low prices. In IKEA, there is also a Bistro/Exit Cafà © right at the checkout where they sell typical American food, ranging from 75 cents to $4, such as hot dogs, chips, soda, frozen yogurt and more. IKEA also has their own â€Å"grocery† section where they sell Swedish food. The IKEA official website states that the IKEA Swedish Food is â€Å"based on Swedish recipes and traditions, the wide choice of food and drink runs from frozen meatballs to sweets and coffee. You’ll save time and money whether you’re making a meal for your whole family or putting together the menu for a party† (IKEA). Their food categories include: Beverages, Easy to prepare, Meat, fish & seafood, Pastries, desserts & cookies, Sweets, chocolates & snacks and Swedish celebrations. The last category has food items such as Swedish Christmas drink, cheese pie, Rhubarb crumble tart, and frozen Saffron rolls. SWOT Analysis Strengths * Low prices: IKEA has a strong concept based on offering a wide range of well, designed, functional products at low prices. They have created a design that is a balance between function, quality, design and price which appeals to customers in tough financial times. Their pricing strategy appeals to consumers both with limited financial resources and those with higher budgets searching for trendy, modern furniture. Due to Porter’s generic strategies, IKEA follows an integrated cost leadership and differentiation strategy. * Product’s ease of assembly: IKEA products come with clear instructions making it easy for anyone to assemble the product without the help of a professional. * Location and design of store (the IKEA store experience): IKEA locations are successful because of the Huff Gravity Model – due to the large size of IKEA, people are willing to go the distant locations where IKEAs are located. IKEA’s store design is very unique. The layout is designed in such a way that makes customers go through the entire store to get to their final purchase. A lot of customers go to IKEA for its unusual experience. * Global positioning: IKEA is available throughout the world and they cater their products to each country they go into. For example, they redesign the size of the beds for the different countries. American consumers need larger sized bedding differentiating from the European consumers who had smaller, longer beds. * Reputation for products and company: IKEA customers enjoy the modern look of IKEA products because the target market consists of creative individuals searching for trendy products. IKEA’s brand is ranked globally at number 28 and ranked number 1 for sustainable image by Ranking the Brands Overview (Brand Ranking.) * Large catalogue reach: IKEA’s yearly catalogue reaches several countries and easily advertises IKEA products to those customers. Their catalogue is distributed in 36 countries, in 27 languages and in 52 different versions. Weaknesses * Product quality: IKEA has been known for having poor quality products. But the need for low cost products means there has to be a compromise between quality and price. * Poor customer service: Because of IKEA’s do it yourself model and very straight forward instructions eliminates the need for a help desk and intensive customer service. Customer service is important to ensure complete shopping experience and ensure repeat business. * Massive store growth- IKEA is experiencing problems in a couple of their home markets. One example is the UK is expanding the number of IKEA store locations but the number of shoppers is not increasing. This means that there is a constant number of visitors divided by a larger number of retail outlets producing fewer shoppers per store. In the past consumers would travel large distances to visit stores and each store a had a large number of visitors, now the amount of consumers purchasing IKEA products has not increased in numbers but they are able to visit a more local store. These new store locations reduce the footfall per store and sales density (SWOT Analysis IKEA.) Opportunities * Financial condition: Because of the current financial condition, consumers are trading down from expensive stores to the low priced products offered at IKEA. * IKEA website: IKEA has an opportunity to grow through expanding their online shopping. IKEA website only has a few items you can purchase and IKEA will ship it to your house or you can pick it up at an IKEA location near you. IKEA could expand their online product offerings and services to increase product sales. * Smaller stores: IKEA store locations are distant and large and they can take advantage of opening smaller stores in more dense locations where people can buy small home products or buy their Swedish food. IKEA must only open these new store locations in places where the number of customers is increasing, to avoid a reduction in footfall per store like the UK market. * More stores in the U.S.: IKEA currently has only 38 stores across the country and they could possibly expand this market due to the high percentage of sales the United States gives IKEA. * Capitalize their Green efforts: IKEA can capitalize on their GREEN efforts. Customers’ desire to have less of an impact on the environment and due to the increased demand for cheaper and greener products, IKEA can take advantage of this and develop these products that the market wants. * Bonus/rewards services: IKEA can add bonus/rewards services to increase customer satisfaction as well as increase customer loyalty. Threats * Product quality: IKEA products are poorly made and people are willing to spend the extra buck to buy a product of better quality that will last for years. * Competitors: More competitors are entering the low price household and furnishing markets increasing the competition IKEA will have to face. * When the economy strengthens- The recession slows down consumer spending and disposable income reduces. However when the economy strengthens, consumers will be willing to purchase furniture products at a higher price in order to get better quality. IKEA needs to find a way to stay profitable when the economy takes this turn. Promotion Strategy IKEA promotes their retail through traditional advertising such as TV commercials, a yearly print catalogue as well as utilizing new ways of advertising such as social media and guerrilla marketing. In the past IKEA’s television commercials were characterized as funny and crazy often stating the slogan â€Å"they are crazy these Swedes†. This statement referred to the â€Å"crazy† low prices IKEA products were offered for. They would also often have a Swedish guy driving a yellow buggy loaded with IKEA boxes. Presently, IKEA commercials are more simple and modern. The new commercials focus on families in a household setting using IKEA products. These commercials continue with the humorous appeal, but only focus on a few IKEA items, to ensure the customers are more focused on the substance of the commercial. IKEA utilizes social media by holding contests on websites such as Facebook. When they were opening their new IKEA Malmo store in 2009, they created a Facebook campaign where a showroom picture was uploaded to their Facebook profile and the first people to tag an item won that item (How To? From IKEA). Through the speed of social media, IKEA was able to get their customers to personally promote IKEA. IKEA also has held several contests throughout the years. They have contests such as â€Å"What’s your story?†, â€Å"The Life Improvement Project†, â€Å"Dream Kitchen Giveaway† and several more. They really enjoy promoting their products by getting their customers involved. IKEA uses customer interaction in many of their promotion strategies. IKEA also has a yearly catalogue that can be sent to your homes or picked up at a local IKEA location. IKEA’s yearly catalogue takes up a large part of their marketing budget because the catalogue is used as a main channel for communication around the world. IKEA’s catalogue is distributed in 36 countries, in 27 languages and in 52 different versions. The catalogues distributed in different countries have the same Scandinavian names but differ in their product offerings which are highlighted on separate pages (Gustafson). IKEA caters to the different countries where they distribute their catalogues by trying to incorporate the different cultures into their catalogue. On top of sending paper catalogues around town, IKEA likes to go out of their way to show IKEA products in their normal settings but in extraordinary locations utilizing the concept of â€Å"guerrilla marketing†. This usually occurs when IKEA is opening new stores. Examples of IKEA’s guerilla marketing include redecorating bus stations with IKEA furniture, redoing a subway bus with IKEA furniture and mounting IKEA furniture off the side of buildings. They make it as extreme as possible because they want to draw in people’s attention and make them stop and have a look. To promote their store in Tampa, IKEA produced their take on a ‘message in a bottle’ by placing an IKEA playroom inside a giant plastic bottle. In Japan, IKEA transformed a gingko tree-lined boulevard in Tokyo’s shopping district of Aoyama into an open-air museum. They had fifteen box-like structures the size of typical Japanese rooms which were fitted out IKEA furnishings (Capell). IKEA alters their advertising to the match the different cultures and environment for each country, but continues to enforce their unusual extreme promotions to reach a large amount of people and hold their attention. . Works Cited Capell, Kerry. â€Å"Ikea’s New Plan for Japan.† BusinessWeek. N.p., 25 Apr. 2006. Web. . â€Å"Facts & Figures.† IKEA. N.p.. Web. 21 Feb 2013. . Gustafson, Martin, and Eric Jonsson. â€Å"Influence of Culture and National Image on Marketing: A Study of IKEA’s Promotion in Sweden and France.† (2008): n. pag. Web. . â€Å"History .† IKEA offical webpage. N.p.. Web. 21 Feb 2013. . â€Å"How To? From IKEA.† IGK Marketing RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. . IKEA. Advertisement. IKEA. N.p., n.d. Web. . â€Å"IKEA.† Countries with IKEA Stores. N.p.. Web. 21 Feb 2013. . â€Å"Marketing Teacher.† SWOT Analysis IKEA . Marketing Teacher Ltd 2000. Web. 25 Feb 2013. . Rowe, C.. â€Å"Scribd.† IKEA Marketing Plan. N.p.. Web. 21 Feb 2013. . ADD BRAND RANKING WORKS CITED