Questionnaire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Questionnaire - Essay Example derage Drinking, 2006) Even though drinking is prohibited legally for under aged children in many countries, it is a well known fact that many children usually consumes alcohol before they reaches the legal age for drinking. Under aged children many not have the maturity to control their emotions under the influence of alcohol and hence there is an increased probability for them to engage in anti social activities and hence this research has immense importance in contemporary society. â€Å"It is now commonly believed that the average young person will have seen 100,000 beer commercials between the age of two and eighteen† (Hanson, 1997) The legal age for drinking is different in different countries; ranging from 0 to 21. United States has the highest drinking age in the world where only those who have completed 21 years of age can drink legally. But in countries like China, Thailand and Viet Nam, there is no age restriction for drinking. In Austria Italy like countries the legal age for drinking is 16 whereas in Argentina and Israel it is 18 years. (Hanson, 1997) The questionnaire has been made simple and multiple choices were given to make the answer simple. The questions were made after discussions with some experts who have already studied this subject. This research has been conducted mainly online. The questionnaire given at the end of this paper has been published on internet and the data collected from the respondents. Children who are from UK, between the ages of 12 – 18 were asked to participate in this research. This research was limited to UK children in order to standardize the results. Moreover around 2000 children of the same age group have been approached directly by visiting schools located at different parts of the country and collected information regarding their drinking habits. All in all around 12500 data has been collected totally. The data has showed that around 6750 (54%) of the respondents drink at least once daily. Around 3200

Managerial Decision in Supply Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Managerial Decision in Supply Chain - Essay Example Supply chain is a key feature to success or a failure of today’s business. This is because getting the correct products to consumers is not only the key player to competitive success, but also the solution to survival. According to Industrial Marketing Management Journal, managerial decisions to prevent failure in the movement of goods and services are very crucial (Handfield, & Bechtel, 2002:367). The decisions should target to respond to the market requirements with overall efficiency. This issue falls on the management. The management should design sound strategies to respond swiftly to the consumer’s demands. Moreover, the strategies should take care of the ever-changing markets. This is the only way to maintain and bring a competitive advantage to the market. For supply chain to remain efficient, it should concentrate on reduction of cost. In addition, the supply chain should avoid wastage of resources of non-value added activities. The managerial decisions should focus to resolve trade-off between responsive and efficiency (Handfield, & Bechtel, 2002:369). This paper examines the managerial decisions that increase responsiveness of the supply chains. ... To achieve this, it calls for the management to make sound decisions to respond well to the customer demands or changes in market. This is because each customer has specific set of needs. Some markets require high level of receptiveness and others concentrate on effectiveness. The general effect of making prudent decisions regarding to each driver establishes the affectivity with which the supply chain serves its market for maximum profits for the participants in the supply chain (Minnich, & Maier, 2008:3). The common tenet from literatures holds that for success of supply chain managers should be aware of changes in the competitive market environment. The managers should then re-organise the supply chain to satisfy the genuine needs of the consumers. This swift response determines the adaptation of firms and supply chain to the needs of the ever-changing markets to achieve lasting competitive success. This means that policy designing, and changes are crucial to respond well to the s upply chain in the five areas of the company. These are production, transportation, information, inventory, and location. The managers’ decisions on the strategies they should focus on the situation at hand. The decision should endeavour to achieve the lower costs of goods and services. This is an issue, which many supply managers grapple with. It therefore means that the managers should choose between two strategies philosophies. The management can either demonstrate a high reaction to consumers at any cost. The other way is to reduce waste in order to achieve maximum profits (Minnich & Maier, 2008:3). The managerial decisions should concentrate on devising sound processes and key performance pointers that rewards

The Influence Of Money In Philippine Elections

The Influence Of Money In Philippine Elections Election campaigns are now on the roll. Politicians are getting busy thinking of many ways to ensure their victory in the coming elections. Different strategies and techniques are being used by these candidates in order to win the votes of the people. Aside from the techniques and strategies, money plays a huge role in every Philippine elections. The ability to win of the candidate lies on how much money he or she is going to spend for this coming election. The aspiring candidates will definitely spend a large amount of money to catch the hearts of the voters even if it means performing an illegal act. A single vote is very precious and essential for the win a candidate. And in order to possess this single sure vote, candidates resort to buying the votes of the people. Vote buying is overt in the Philippines. It is a disease that continuously rots our political and electoral system. It has already become institutionalized in our system and remains constant despite the condemnation of many Filipinos. Before, vote buying is usually the last recourse of a rich but unpopular candidate to hold a position in office. But today, even popular ones are engaging themselves to this kind of activity because popularity per se is not enough to assure the vote of the electorate especially in local politics. Vote buying reflects a powerful image of graft and corruption. It is just the stepping stone for doing a more fraudulent act. The vicious cycle of vote buying and vote selling in the Philippines is becoming more and more alarming. This paper aims to answer the nature of vote buying, strategies of vote buying in the Philippines, the reasons for doing vote buying and vote selling and to trace the history of vote buying in the Philippines. WHAT IS VOTE BUYING? Vote buying, according to Hicken (2006), includes the individual, immediate and private exchange of goods, services or cash for electoral support, usually in violation of legal norms. It simply means giving out or handing out money to leaders and voters. It also means getting the vote of the people to ensure winning. Vote buying is also a form of economic exchange (Schaffer, 2002) because there is money involve. TYPES OF VOTE BUYING Vote buying can be categorized into two types: direct vote buying and indirect vote buying. Both types are widely used in the case of the Philippines although the idea of direct vote buying serves as the more popular act. DIRECT VOTE BUYING It is the most common type of vote buying where direct payments, in many forms, are given to the voter. It may be in the form of cash donations, shares of stock or a promise of a particular plan of action or payment in exchange for a promise of vote (Dekel, E., et. al., 2004). INDIRECT VOTE BUYING It is a kind of vote buying done in a non obvious and straightforward approach. This type of vote buying uses campaign strategies that target the weaknesses of the electorate. Here in the Philippines, the strategy of the candidates is to use and take advantage of the different Filipino traits. Example of these traits are our values of utang na loob, pakikisama, our close family and kinship ties, our religiousness, and other social values like loyalty, support and trust. They effectively use the various traits to influence and temp us to follow their selfish plans. Bava (1998) gave a concrete example on how this character capitalization happens. Different parties and candidates hire poll watchers and workers who are tasked to distribute sample ballots for their party. Each poll watchers and ballot distributors are given 1500 pesos and 500 pesos respectively, per day of work from 7 am to 3 pm. A poll watcher only needs 4 things in order to land the job: 1) a ball pen 2) a tally sheet 3) at least 18 years of age and 4) a registered vote (Bava, 1998). The last requirement is the most important and advantageous in the part of the candidates. If the hired person is a registered voter, the employer will be sure that the employers vote will go to him or her. A person offered with this kind of job will definitely take the opportunity given all the privileges and comfort that it can give. They can earn almost 1500 pesos a day by just distributing pamphlets and sample ballots. Adding to the convenience is the free meals given to them by their employer. A nd if the candidate won in the elections, most of them are given permanent jobs in various government offices. This is where indirect vote buying takes place. This act, according to Bava (1998), displays the Filipino trait of utang na loob. If a person has done something good to us, we would do anything and everything to return that goodness. In this case, the poll watchers and other employees will feel obligated to vote the candidate/employer because of the job that was given to them. FORMS OF VOTE BUYING Money is the common type of material that the candidates use in order to buy votes. But vote buying not only takes the form of money. It can be other forms of material offers. Schedler (2002) and Schaffer (2002) made a list that summarizes the different kinds of offers into three categories. The first and the most common form is payment. A payment is an amount of money paid. Schedler (2002, p.4) described it as a commercial relationship in which partners trade equivalent values. The citizen trades his vote in exchange of money. The act of accepting money denotes that there is an indirect agreement between the giver and the receiver of the payment. The second kind of material offer takes the form of gifts. A gift is something that is given out of free will without paying something in return. In the context of vote buying, accepting a gift does not give you the responsibility and obligation of voting the giver. The last kind is in the form of wage. A wage is an amount of money paid in exchange of services rendered. Like gifts, it does not require any obligation to the candidate. FACTORS AFFECTING VOTE BUYING According to Schaffer (2002), there are three factors that affect the strategies of the candidates and the perception of the voters toward vote buying. These are socioeconomic, institutional and political factors. The first factor both affects the candidates strategies and the voters perception while the last two factors affect mainly the strategies of the candidates. SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS One of the socioeconomic factors is the social class (Hicken, 2006). The formulation of the different strategies is influenced by social classes existing in society. The candidate must make a strategy that can produce strong and favorable impressions on people from different walks of life. It should cater to the needs of the entire high, middle and low class population. But it is impossible to come up with such strategies given that there is a massive gap and conflicting interests present among these social classes. Different social classes connote different needs and expectations. A strategy that might work to the lower class might be ineffective to the middle and higher class or a strategy that may be good to the higher class might harm those belonging in the lower class. Adding to the problem is the unequal number of population belonging to a certain social class. In the Philippines, the population of the lower class is greater than the population of the middle and higher class co mbined. The solution to these is to focus the strategy to those who constitute the majority. The easiest and most effective strategy to garner votes is to buy the votes of those who are included in this majority (which is the lower class). It will be very effective since those who belong in this class are financially unable who need money to sustain their everyday living. This scenario is very prevalent in the Philippines since many are members of the lower class. Almost all politicians who are running in office are focusing their campaign on the less fortunate because to them, greater number of voters means more number of votes and more number of votes means greater chances of winning. The second socioeconomic factor is education (Hicken, 2006) which affects the voters view about vote buying. For the high and some middle class voters, vote buying is a deviant and somehow an immoral behavior. Those in the higher and middle class are strong attackers of this practice. They are advocates of different anti-vote buying campaigns and they are known for organizing movements that educate the people about this kind of campaign strategies. They have this kind of opinion because education teaches them about these kinds of things. But for some middle class and most in the lower class (who cannot afford to have a higher education), they accepted vote buying because they perceive it as the time when they can receive free money that they can use to buy their necessities. INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS Hicken (2006, p. 48), stated that the rules and institutions under which candidates must operate can influence their incentives to purchase electoral support. Different institutional factors may encourage or discourage the use of vote buying. One institutional factor is the electoral system itself (Hicken, 2006). Under this factor is the district magnitude. It affects the strategy of the candidate because large constituency means larger amount of money needed to buy votes. Large district also has influence on the manner of distribution of the money. The strategy will be more expensive and costly since the distribution of money will take much longer and there should be an increase in the number of employees to properly accomplish the strategy. As a result, candidates will lessen the amount of money to be distributed to the people in order to prioritize other campaign strategies. POLITICAL FACTORS Political factors are different conditions and circumstances in society that affect the creation of various policies political choices. One of the variables under this factor is the election laws, particularly the anti-vote buying laws (Hicken, 2006). The degree of execution of different anti-vote buying laws affect how candidates device their strategy and distribution plans. In the Philippines, vote buying is illegal yet it continues to occur probably because of inefficiency of the laws and the law enforcers and the light punishments that will be given to the law breaker. There is no strict regulation of such laws in our country that is why the practice of vote buying is still a widespread act. More often than not, the law enforcers themselves are the protector of this scheme. BUDGET SOURCES The first thing that comes into our minds when we talk about vote buying is money. Money is the vital element of vote buying. It is the foundation of any vote buying scheme. We usually think that all vote buying funds are coming from the pockets of the candidates since most of them are members of the elite. But I think that the candidates are smart enough not to make use of their own wealth and to think of other alternative ways of budget sources. Some candidates most likely get their vote buying budget from their own political parties. Others accept donations from different business sectors given the condition that if they win the elections, they will repay them by giving them economic benefits and government protection. For example, the candidate accepted the donation from a construction company. If the candidate won the elections and plans to carry out road projects, he or she will be obliged to make the company the contractor of the said projects. Other candidates resort in getting illegal funds. Candidates who seek re-election have the advantage when it comes to money resources because they can easily tap pork barrel and other government funds. Some ask the help of drug syndicates, smugglers, kidnappers, gamblers and robbers to provide them with untraceable funds. It is true because we can observe that many crimes and illegal acts are happening during the election season. In return, the candidates give them financial support and protection. DIFFERENT STRATEGIES OF VOTE BUYING A carefully devised plan of action is needed to successfully carry out acts, especially if it is illegal. Candidates and politicians are wise in strategizing the effective way to buy the votes of the people. Usually, they even hire experts and professionals who are knowledgeable in fields concerning illegal campaign scheming. One specific strategy to ensure that the money given was translated into vote is what Bionat (1998) called Lanzadera system. In this strategy, the watchers give the voters an already completed ballot which will be dropped by the voters in the ballot box. After dropping the already completed ballot, the voter, then, takes with him or her the blank ballot and give it to the watcher. The watcher will complete that ballot and give it to the next paid voter. In this system, the money is given only if the voter returns with a blank ballot. I interviewed people from our barangay in Bulakan, Bulacan about the chronic vote buying in our place. They had first hand experiences on how vote buying takes place in our town. Based from that interview, I was able to learn other strategies and series of actions on how the scheme of vote buying happens. According to them, vote buying is usually conducted a night or two before the election day, usually around eight in the evening until midnight. Each politician has their own leader per community who is responsible for the identification of supporters and potential vote buying targets. They are also responsible in delivering the money to the house of the identified voters, at times in the appearance of paying the watcher. The intense vote buying is very evident and common in our place that the people are the ones coming and lining up in front of the politicians headquarters to ask for the money. Another strategy done by the candidates is getting the trust of barangay officials and other community leaders. In this way, the candidate can almost assume his or her hold in the community. The local leaders, then, are given large amount of money in exchange of buying the votes of their constituencies on behalf of the politician or the candidate. One more strategy that was mentioned by my neighbors is buying non-supporters. Candidates will offer those non-supporters with huge amount money. If they accept it, they will not be allowed to come out of their houses on the day of the election. There will be someone who will serve as a watchman that will ensure that the voter will abide to the agreement. Some politicians, in order to be extra sure, hire a bus that will take all the paid non-supporters to an out-of-town trip on the election day. Another strategy is the taking advantage of the politicians on our deep family and kinship ties. Some politicians use a relative or an influential member of a clan to convince members of the family and close friends to accept the money and to vote for that politician. Vote buying also happens during the election day itself as said by the interviewees. Buying may take the form of 100 pesos attached to the sample ballot. There are also ways in order to ensure that the paid voter will comply with the agreement. Before giving the money, they are required to give proofs that they voted that candidate. Usually, they bring with them a carbon paper or they are asked to take a picture of the ballot with a cell phone camera. Others asked the voters to make an agreed mark (a particular fold for example) on the ballot to serve as identification in the course of the counting of the votes. REASON WHY POLITICIANS BUY VOTES The primary reason why politicians buy votes is the hunger for power. Vote buying is a form of desperation to remain in power. Many politicians fight for the privilege of power because it implies influence and control over other individuals. They see power as the easiest way to achieve fame and fortune. Candidates want to purchase the vote of the people to obtain domination on different public organizations and mechanisms. They are not afraid to spend a big amount of money because once they are elected in office; they can easily recover the money that was used to pay those individuals. REASONS WHY PEOPLE SELL THEIR VOTES According to the April 2007 of the Social Weather Station (SWS), one in two of the registered voters think that there is nothing bad in accepting the money offers from the candidates (refer to Figure 1). Others may not see this from of money-giving as an attempt to buy their votes. They accept the money but it does not necessarily mean that they will vote for that candidate. Another reason is the offer seems as an opportunity to get the money, which was stolen by the politicians, back to the people. They might as well accept the offered money since it came from the taxes of the people. The April 2007 SWS survey also found that those in the rural areas were more probable in accepting money compared to those who live in urban areas (refer to Table 1). This shows that the primary reason for the selling of votes is poverty. Those who live in or below the poverty line mostly are unemployed individuals. They take the money because they needed it. For the poor, payment for a vote can mean a week without hunger. They just accept the offer because for them, dignity and pride cannot create food and money. Some may see elections as the only chance to obtain something from the government. They have this view that it is an obligation of a candidate to give money and other material things to their supporters. There are some reasons that we can consider negative in the part of the voters. People accept payments because they are being threatened. Most of the times, material offers are accompanied with terror, making them very difficult to refuse. Figure 1. In an election, it is not bad to accept money provided one votes according to ones conscience. Source: http://www.sws.org.ph/pr070503.htm Table 1. Rural areas approved accepting money compared to those in the urban areas. Source: http://www.sws.org.ph/pr070503.htm IS REFORM POSSIBLE? For the past few years, many have attempted to stop and eliminate the practice of vote buying in the Philippines. They even formed different organizations that promote the values of an honest election. But none of them actually succeeded. The effectiveness of efforts depends on how organizers or developers predicted the intensity of vote buying strategies as well as the various reasons why people accept the offers. A reform aims to change the behavior of the candidates and the voters. Reforms for givers usually take the form of strengthened laws. Example includes strengthened vote secrecy, tightened campaign finance rules and many others that aim to prevent anyone from buying votes. But these reforms led only to a limited success. Vote buyers, instead of stopping, have adapt themselves to the new environment. To escape punishments, they devised new ways on how to carry out vote buying like increasing the instances of indirect vote buying rather than direct vote buying. It became more uncontrollable even though new laws strained it to become more subtle. On the other hand, reform has always taken the form of voter education. Probably the most successful technique that was done to eradicate vote buying is the campaign against vote buying through different public service posters (see Illustration 1, Illustration 2 and Illustration 3). Successful in the sense that it enables the public to gain information about the wrongness of vote buying. But it did not really help in the removal of this unacceptable practice. None of the attempts to completely stop vote buying became successful. Law enforcers and reformists continue to devise stricter policies and laws against vote buying despite the fact that none of these actually really worked. Instead of wasting the time in just making stricter policies, they should consider focusing their attention on real roots of this act. Government should focus their attention more on improving economic development and education. By doing so, people will not have the reason to accept money in exchange of their votes. At this point in time, I can say that reform is really impossible. Reform will only be possible once our political and economic system become stable. Illustration 2: 3M public service ad, May 2001. blinded by money. Vote with your conscience. Source: Schaffer, 2005 Illustration 1: Namfrel Public Service Ad, May 2001. Your vote is valuable, it doesnt have a price. Your character is priceless. So, in this election, dont sell your character, dont sell you vote. Source: Schaffer, 2005 Illustration 3: Red Horse Beer public service ad, May 2001. A little pocket change wont put you ahead. Dont ask for a bribe. Vote for a good candidate. Source: Schaffer, 2005 HISTORY OF VOTE BUYING IN THE PHILIPPINES Vote buying is not just a recent development in Philippine elections. Its existence started with the coming of foreign colonizers and continued to flourish and evolve with the advancement of new technologies and the development of new ideas. Pre-colonial elections in the Philippines did not have vote buying because the leadership was assumed not through election but through succession. The same thing goes probably with the elections during the early Spanish period (17th to 18th century). I did not find any account stating that there was vote buying but I assume that there was none because there was no elections and the leaders were only appointed by the Spaniards. In the late Spanish period (19th century), Spanish colonial control in the Philippines declined as the Philippine revolution started. The revolution led to the development of a government established by Aguinaldo. Under this government, most officials were selected individuals from the principalia class and elections were only held for higher positions. There was no large scale elections during that time so vote buying was not an option. The coming of the American period started vote buying in the Philippines. The Americans gave all Filipinos the right to rule and the right to vote. Act No. 60, which became the organic law for all municipal governments, started the elite rule in the Philippines (Tangcangco, 1988). The Act provided a requirement that only allowed the elites to vote and participate in elections. The elites became powerful and they may have realized the advantage that the position can give them. They became accustomed to the power that was once denied by the Spaniards. From then on, in order to sustain this power, they did whatever means and costs to be elected in office. Here are some of the documented instances of vote buying from the American period until the present period. In the 1929 Elections (during the American period), money was very essential in the campaign period. Money was used to pay-off rivals to withdraw their candidacy, to buy the votes of the people, to threaten the people, and to bribe campaign leaders of the rival candidate. (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996). In 1940 Local elections (Commonwealth period), Money was again a very important tool. Specific example for this one is the case of Pedro Abad Santos of the Socialist Party. He was predicted as the winner of the gubernatorial race in the province of Pampanga because of his massive popularity to his constituents but his wealthy opponent won the election by almost 7000 votes. There was no evidence of the strategies his opponent had used but the Abad Santos camp was really sure that his opponent used his money to buy the votes of the people. Another example was the electoral protest of Dr. Hilario Moncado against Tomas Cabili. They were fighting for a congressional seat in Lanoa province. Moncado accused Cabili of unlawful campaign by promising free legal services and employment for those who will vote for him. (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996) In the 1949 National Elections (during the post-independence period), all forms of fraud and manipulation were reportedly done by President Elpidio Quirino to ensure his position as president. Quirino and his other candidates used massive and whole-sale vote-buying in forms of money, jobs and pork barrel. It was reported that Quirino had used almost four million pesos during his election campaign. The three provinces where the massive vote buying occurred include Negros Occidental, Nueva Ecija and Lanao. (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996) The 1969 Presidential and Congressional Elections was between The Nacionalista Party and the Liberal Party. This was considered as the bloodiest and dirtiest election (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996, p.111) prior to the Martial law period. Both parties reportedly used different techniques to ensure their victory. These included cheating, ballot stuffing and massive vote buying. It was stated in the reports that the Nacionalista Party and the Liberal Party spent around 700 million pesos and 300 million pesos respectively. That money came from the pork-barrel funds and was used as media fees and in buying votes. (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996). During the Martial law period, all kinds of wholesale fraud were committed including vote buying. In order to capture the loyalty of the rural people, Marcos personally distributed 4000 pesos to every barrio captain during his campaign. The barrio captains were tasked to divide the money among the inhabitants of the barrio. (Abueva, 1970). In the 1992 elections, there was a ban on media advertisements so the candidates had more cash to spend on their campaigns. Feliciano Belmonte, Quezon City congressional candidate at that time, was reported to have given cash and free tickets to Hongkong during his campaign. (Bionat, 1998) The media advertisement was also banned in the 1995 elections. According to Bionat (1998), mayors in Cebu received a bonus of 50,000 to 100,000 pesos for campaigning the 12 senatorial bets of the administration. Like what Marcos did, candidates also bought the votes of the grassroots leader. The difference is that the value of their support was more expensive. Barangay captains accepted a minimum of 500 pesos and a maximum of 20,000 pesos from the candidates. (Bionat, 1998) In the 2004 Presidential elections, Arroyo committed almost all kinds of fraud according to Tuazon (2006). One example is the Oplan Mercury that was exposed by Rudy Galang (one of the brains of this idea). The goals of this plan are to use public funds to the campaign, to provide money to local officials and to buy the support of those in the opposition. (Tuazon, 2006). Elections in the Philippines from pre-colonial era to the present show how we incorporate influences of colonial rule into our political system. The good and bad effects of these interventions became part of the changes in Philippine elections. History tells us that the face of Philippine elections has never really changed. We still continue to perform the practices of the past. The difference now is that it just assumes new shape and form. CONCLUSION In a poor country like ours, it is impossible to have a power because our politicians know our vulnerability to pressure and our hardships in life. Majority of our electorate are poor and have no means of livelihood, no education to back them up and they just resign themselves to taking alms and relief. The poorer the country the more prevalent vote buying is. They take advantage of our weaknesses but we cannot blame those who sell their votes. Filipinos minds are set for any answers that are immediate. That is why even when the act is illegal and unlawful, like selling votes, they instantly resort to it to easily come up with a solution to their problem, like poverty. People are quite fixated on short term solutions instead of long term ones. A 500 peso bill can buy you, lets say, a two days decent meal, but it cannot assure you economic stability in the future. For me, vote buying can be associated with surrendering ones right to vote and selling ones principle. I will definitely not sell my vote. Vote buying is based on morality. Money is good by itself but the act is evil because it violates my freedom, my dignity and my right as an individual. Vote buying is not a native Filipino idea. It was only a reflection of our colonial experience. But this experience manifest in us that it became a constant scenario in elections. History has an indirect effect on the start of vote buying in the Philippines. The desire for self-rule that was forbidden to the Filipinos for almost 300 years was suddenly bestowed to us that it might have created the idea of doing whatever it takes (may it be good or bad) to preserve and uphold this right.

The Fat Lady Essay -- character Analysis, Dr. Yalom, Betty

The Fat Lady Book Report In the third story of Loves Executioner: â€Å"The Fat lady†, Dr. Yalom decides to treat a twenty-seven year old overweight woman named, Betty. Though Dr. Yalom was reluctant to treat Betty at first due to her being overweight, Dr. Yalom decided to put his counter-transference issues aside and views treating Betty as a way to improve his skills as a therapist. Not only does Dr. Yalom learn throughout working with Betty that there was more substance to her than he had initially had thought, as throughout the course of treatment Dr. Yalom connected with Betty, overcoming his counter-transference issues, while helping her uncover the pathology of her depression and the reasons for her binge eating. During Betty and Dr. Yalom’s first initial meeting, Yalom is taken back by Betty’s physical appearance as he goes into explicit detail for his distaste for fat woman as he states, â€Å"I always been repelled by fat women. I find them disgusting: their absurd sidewise waddle, their absence of body contour, breasts, buttocks, shoulders, jaw lines, and cheekbones, everything I like to see in a woman obscured in an avalanche of flesh.† (Yalom, 2000 p. 94) Dr. Yalom then asks Betty what is troubling her, which she tells Yalom that she has been depressed since she has moved to California due to a job transfer and her eating has been out of control. Dr. Yalom, realizing his counter transference issues may make it hard for him to relate, or even treat Betty, instead views Betty as a challenge of being able to overcome his aversion toward fat women and decides to wholeheartedly give all the time and dedication into treating her. (Yalom, 2000) In the next few sessions, Dr. Yalom finds Betty’s endless chatter about her life unin... ...anged; embarrassing Yalom admits he did not feel comfortable with obese people. Betty berates Dr. Yalom, telling him that he never once touched her in the whole therapy session, let alone look at her directly for the first six months. Betty then lets Yalom know that ironically she as well cannot stand fat people either which is the reason why she has hates groups. Dr. Yalom then gives her a hug, surprised that he is able to put his arms around the once obese two hundred and fifty pound woman. Not only in the end did Dr. Yalom learn to move past his counter-transference issues he had with fat women, but he grew with his patient as they both took something away from therapy, Dr. Yalom became more empathetic towards Betty’s despite her initial obese appearance. As with Betty as she not only lost weight, but she became more confident in herself and intimate with others.

Alternative energy or carbon sequestration

Since the beginning of civilization, man has always tried to resource his surrounding for his own benefits and needs. In the early times, man sufficed his need for energy by using wood in terms of fire for cooking and other purposes.As and when the technology started developing we started venturing into the field of advanced sciences for extracting maximum energy for population needs. Fossil fuels have been the greatest source of energy that has been exploited for a very long time. But in the time of growing population and global warming reaching new peaks every year, the time for alternative process of energy has come.One of the major challenges faced by today’s world is the sequential balancing between the impact on the climate and nature due to global warming and the immediate requirement of sufficing energy needs to vast and demanding population. To wriggle out of this situation, consideration has to be given on alternatives that can balance the equation and be beneficial for a longer term. Carbon sequestration is one of the latest technologies that have been put to use for the very same purpose. It is a process which would greatly reduce the carbon emission from high industrial belts and would to a great extent decelerate the process of global warming.The system or its principle works on two stages; first is capturing the carbon dioxide from the environment and then storing in soil or oceans. However this technology or this scientific innovation is pretty much new and the process of capturing carbon dioxide is on far later stages than the technological advancement on the process of storing it. The primary stage of capturing works on the simple principle of photosynthesis in plants. The carbon dioxide is taken by plants from the environment and it gives out oxygen back to the atmosphere.The carbon that is left within the plant is amalgamated into biomass and is very promptly released into the soil. It is estimated that there is a lot of carbon in the soil compared to the environment and due to which the concept of carbon sequestration seems validated when it transfuses carbon deep in the soil. The following will give evidence on the amount of carbon already existing in the soil, due to natural integration: ‘According to the FAO the carbon content of dry land soils is estimated to be 4 tons/hectare. Carbon content ranges between 7 tons and 24 tons in normal (non-depleted) soils, depending on the climate zone and vegetation’.(Courtesy: Eco preservation society, â€Å"Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Soils Could Solve Global Warming†. June 19, 2008. Retrieved on November 27, 2008 from http://ecopreservationsociety. wordpress. com/2008/06/19/carbon-sequestration-and-storage-in-soils-could-solve-global-warming/? referer=sphere_related_content/) The technology of capturing carbon works on similar principle of photosynthesis where the carbon dioxide is taken into capture by the utilization of the syn gas on reac tors and coal emitting industries. This reaction takes place before the carbon dioxide is mixed with the atmosphere.Capturing of the carbon can also be done in two stages and i. e. pre combustion capture and post combustion capture. The process of carbon capturing is still in its novice stages and has been categorized in forms of storage procedures. Carbon can be stored in oceans in a liquid storage procedure; it can be stored real deep in saline formations and already utilized gas fields. The advantage of storing it in exhausted gas fields is that carbon helps retrieve the little percentage of fossil fuels which was out of reach becomes and due to this sequestration process it very much possible.Also there is a procedure which is minimally used, in which it can just be stored in a solid form. However to survive in this planet with depleting natural energy resources, a cleaner form of energy is very much the immediate necessity. The crisis of fuel can be only understood from the fac t that one of the major reasons of the world today going to recession is because of high fuel prices. Not only we are losing from an energy perspective but this depletion is causing havoc in the financial markets alongside bringing down economies.The most surprising aspect of the world is that even when we had the biggest source of energy no proper advancement is done in the field of solar energy. The sun has the biggest potential to run the entire planet on the energy its providing yet only little development have been done in the field of solar energy. The sun’s energy can be basically converted into photovoltaic energy or can be put in terms of cells where the energy can be stored and then utilized. This technology makes the solar energy more producible in terms of a cleaner energy and gives an edge over all the sources of energy.To add to the advantage, solar tracking devices can be adjusted with the solar panels, so that maximum solar energy can be grasped in terms of in tensity and the solar panels can integrate themselves to a degree where the sun is at its highest. NASA uses this technology for hovering satellites around earth and if this energy is used in more periodic and systematic way, it can challenge any source of energy to its fullest. The following highlights the advantage of solar energy in terms of market and competitive edge over countries rich in oil:‘This would automatically boost the market for renewable energy. Even countries with conventional energy reserves would lose their current cost advantages’ (Courtesy: Hermann Scheer, and Andrew Ketley, â€Å"The Solar Economy: Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Global Future†. Page 307. Retrieved on November 27, 2008. Published by Earthscan, 2004) The wind energy is also another source of clean energy. But this energy gets its limitations as it is suppose to have wind run at least 14 miles per hour for it to produce energy.Also unlike solar energy which can be used in cars, with the help of solar panels, it would become tedious for wind energy to be implemented. For this world to have an alternative it is better first to focus on an alternate form of energy especially in the lines of solar energy over carbon sequestration. The major reason behind it is carbon in the end has to be released in the atmosphere with the cutting of forests and tilling of agricultural land. Also when carbon storing is done in water it increases the chances of acidification of water by a huge margin, making the storage process more vulnerable.Also if carbon sequestration is done on a natural basis by the mean of planting more trees than it becomes a very slow process and the following can shed light on this issue: ‘Trees grow very slowly, although the potential to sequester carbon is very large, the actual carbon sequestration rate on an annual basis is very small especially for temperate climate found in climatic zones like Canada’. (Courtesy: Jagtar S. Bha tti, R Lal, M. J. Apps, M A Price, â€Å"Climate Change and Managed Ecosystems†. Page-99. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.Published by CRC Press, 2006) The fact that solar energy should be more emphasized than carbon sequestration is that both the technologies haven’t reached their required advancement, and the amount of time taken to reach the pinnacle of the technology would approximately take the same time, which makes an alternative form of energy a better and viable option for top recommendation than a technology that is only going to rotate carbon from the atmosphere into soil or ocean, which in the end might get recycled back in the atmosphere.Reference: 1) Eco preservation society, â€Å"Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Soils Could Solve Global Warming†. June 19, 2008. http://ecopreservationsociety. wordpress. com/2008/06/19/carbon-sequestration-and-storage-in-soils-could-solve-global-warming/? referer=sphere_related_content/ 2) Hermann Scheer, and And rew Ketley, â€Å"The Solar Economy: Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Global Future†. Page 307. 2008.Published by Earthscan, 2004 3) Jagtar S. Bhatti, R Lal, M. J. Apps, M A Price, â€Å"Climate Change and Managed Ecosystems†. Page-99. Published by CRC Press, 2006 4) Jeffrey Gordon, â€Å"Solar Energy: The State of the Art†. International Solar Energy Society. Published by Earthscan, 2001 5) Thomas E Lovejoy, Lee Hannah, â€Å"Climate Change and Biodiversity†. Published by TERI Press 6) http://www. fossil. energy. gov/programs/sequestration/

A Foolish Mistake

A Doll’s House written by Henrik Ibsen, proposal was for the person who read the play to decide why is Nora lying concerning Krogstad. Nora has a childlike way enjoying shopping this Christmas especially since her husband will have a full-time permanent job at the bank she does have a care in the world about spending . Her husband Torvald want to know what Nora want for Christmas to his surprise money which bring the plot of the play regarding the money. The fact being that this play is extreme anxiety to money owing. From the start to the end Nora, and Krogstad plan slowly unwinds about Torvald. A familiar phrase â€Å"You are who you answer to† fits Nora in this play. At the start of the play, Torvald calls Nora many names likes â€Å"skylark†, and â€Å"little featherhead. † The funny thing is Nora acknowledge them, and continues devotion, and love for her husband. Nora is the doll in the play basically trying to please everyone except herself. Because Torvald views his public persona as more important than his private, he is unable to understand or appreciate the suffering of his wife(Metzger. Action from Nora shows her innocence. A bona fide wife deserves respect whether she is a liar or not. Respect and faith fluctuate in many ways. Like, a familiar phrase my mother always says, â€Å"you don’t have to like a person, but you have to respect them†. A person can have trust in the person or not respect is always in order. Nora former classmate Mrs. Linde is lo oking for a job come to chat about her hard time and Nora begin to share her blessing. Nora slip and told her dark secret to Mrs. Linde. The trip to Italy to save Torvald’s life was well said, â€Å"better dead than alive†! Had Nora not urgently forge her father name for a large amount of money from Krogstad. Nora would not have to lie, and gradually rob Torvald to pay off his life through her. A course a wife, never want to lose her husband. Many times she would do all she can. Nevertheless, a wise wife would embark upon the situation so that it will not attack her family life for the bad only better with a plan in the beginning. In Nora case, she made an awful choice that is now ruining her marriage, and children. As for Krogstad, he could lose his career, possibly his only job. Nora could just vision everything was coming to a end like the walls were closing up on her the pressure was getting the best of her. As time, get closer to Torvald taking over the bank. Time begins to run out for Nora because of the disarray of lying to Torvald, and the rate Krogstad could lose his job as well as his reputation. It was nice of Krogstad to loan Nora the money, but unethical on his end also. Now result in the end Krogstad was label for fraud. Business mind make sure that the start was of business was in good standard so that they want be set-up. For Nora sharp thinking work out fine in the beginning but in the end, it caught up with her. In this case, Krogstad black mailed her to get what is essential to him through her husband. In conclusion, a foolish mistake can sometime hurt others as well as yourself. If we can only turn back the hand of time thing would be so much different. Nora is a phony and accepts it until she understands herself through Krogstad and vice versa. Torvald still find out the truth, and Nora leaves. Krogstad is himself again. Torvald in existence confuse his mind, while Nora is free.

The Study of History essays

The Study of History essays The study of history deals with human action. This means any actions performed by individuals and groups of individuals. The way that people live and the way that they react to any conditions play in effect. Human judgement, what guided them to their goal, what these men do in order to have ends meet, and the outcome of their actions are all subjects of this philosophy. History tends to deal with how man reacts to the state of his social and natural environment. Yet I believe that these environments that we react to are determined by the actions of previous generations. We are forced to give up our free will in a way. Thats when our past experiences make our decisions, not ourselves. We are all born in a defined social and natural setting. A person is not simply a man in this world. He is the product of all the experiences of which his ancestors and even himself were exposed to. Man lives as a member of his family, his race, his community, his country, his social group, his job, and his era. He is molded by religion, philosophy, metaphysics, and politics, which are all in his own interpretation. So that is how his actions are guided by all these ideologies that are obtained through his environment. Yet, these ideologies are products of our own minds and they change when new ideas are added. History can then go on without establishing the fact that it was produced by mans ideas and actions. Once again, these ideas and actions are caused by past experiences. A historian for example, can trace former ideas back to its present ones. Like he can also describe the environmental conditions to which actions took place. Ideas then become the necessary product for our geography, our habitat. The only factor that bothers me though, is that of which an idea can never be traced to its birth, and what or how it was inspired. If a historian refers to a fact, event, person or date in time, he is somehow or anothe ...

The Ladies Man essays

The Ladies Man essays Ooooo, itth a lady, is the typical response most female callers would get from The Ladies Man Leon Phelps as soon as their sweet voice enters his radio headset. Based on the excessive use of sexual innuendo in his style of speech, Leon Phelps a.k.a. The Ladies Man, only solidifies the fact that he truly is a fun loving, care-free swinger that enjoys nothing more than a good one night stand. Leon expresses his sexual views and vocabulary mostly on his radio show and regardless of constant warnings and fines, he continues to stretch his freedom of speech to their furthest limits. He seems to perceive the women that he sleeps with to be victories, as if the concept of sex is a game to him. His constant referrals to his female flings as ,Sweet thang, and his never-ending quest to sleep with as many women as possible only reiterates that fact that he is a man-whore, and whats more, he is proud of it. First of all, Leons lisp is the most notable trademark relating to his style of speaking. Every S that passes through his lips is transformed to a th sound, adding humor to his already hilarious one liners. I have noticed that many people who have speech impediments have lower self-esteem, or are on the shy side. Leon is as far from that generalization as possible. Unconsciously, that is a turn on for the ladies; seeing a guy that has confidence in himself even with an impediment that hinders many others. Secondly, The Ladies Man is undoubtedly one of the funniest SNL characters to make a movie. For example, he thinks he is incredibly smooth with the ladies, when in reality, his pickup lines and comments are extremely corny. All that matters is that the ladies buy it. During the opening scene in Lesters Bar, Leon imagines himself whispering sweet things into a certain ladies ear. Leon approaches her, offers a light to her cigarette, leans i...

How to Talk About Failure in a Job Interview

How to Talk About Failure in a Job Interview When you’re putting together your resume and getting ready for an interview, you focus on making yourself look as perfect as possible. This is not a process where you want to let self-doubt and self-esteem issues creep in. Yet all that positive thinking and prep can be undone by one or two little questions in an interview. â€Å"Where could you use some improvement?† Or, â€Å"Can you tell me about a time when you failed.† After positioning yourself as kind of an uber-candidate, this can be a tricky navigation. You want to show an appropriate amount of honesty and humility, but who likes reliving past failures, let alone disclosing them to a potential employer? There are ways to do it that can help you get past these spots, without derailing your image as a confident, competent interviewee. Here are some things to consider when you talk about failure in a job interview.DO take it seriously.â€Å"I’m addicted to Mountain Dew† is not the way to go her e. The interviewer is trying to get a sense of your level of self-awareness, and whether or not there are any red flags or major gaps.DON’T use a clichà ©d comeback.â€Å"I care too much.† â€Å"I work too hard.† â€Å"I am too dedicated to my job.† The interviewer isn’t looking for a beauty pageant answer†¦he or she is looking for someone who can be frank about shortcomings, and self-aware enough to try to overcome them. Backdoor bragging that tries to show that you’re just too well-liked or too diligent at work will most likely earn you an eye roll.DO be honest†¦It’s okay to admit you’re not perfect. This is one question in an interview that is 99% about your accomplishments and qualifications, so approach it honestly and candidly. The interviewer will appreciate your candidness.†¦But DON’T treat it like a confession.This is not the time to list all of your drawbacks. (Unless you’re applying for the CIA, in which case you might as well be honest, because they will find out.) Ahead of time, think about one or two areas where you know you need improvement, and make sure they’re not red flag-worthy. For example, if you’re not great with numbers, don’t answer the question with, â€Å"I suck at math.† Basically, anything that makes you seem â€Å"bad† at something is not the right choice here.DO perform the spin-pivot move.Whatever you do go with, make sure you use it to emphasize strengths you do have. With the bad-at-math example, you can emphasize that you prefer creative problem solving to hard-and-fast numbers. Frame it as a choice between A (weakness) and B (strength), and talk about how you’d choose B.DON’T use anything in the basic job description as your weakness.If you despise being around kids, and are applying for an elementary school position, well- what are you doing there? But more importantly, if you’re aske d about an area where you could improve, mention that you’re always looking to improve your ability to relate to students.DO emphasize that you’re a work in progress.Part of what an interviewer is trying to assess is your growth potential. When you talk about any challenges or areas of improvement you have, be sure to say that you’re aware of your limitations in X area, and that you’re constantly seeking to be better/more efficient/stronger.DO avoid using words like â€Å"weakness,† even if the interviewer uses it first.Instead, frame it as a challenge, or avoid using negative nouns altogether.Getting past this moment in an interview can be awkward, but if you do some thinking ahead of time about your challenges and how you plan to turn those into strengths, you should be back in safe, â€Å"I’m awesome† territory in no time.

Marketing Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Management - Assignment Example This has led to the growth of tremendous competition in the world wide markets among various fast foods brands in quick service or packaged formats. In this particular assignment, the focus is laid on Dominos Pizza, which is considered as the leader in the pizza delivery business in the US on the basis of consumer spending and occupies the second position in the globe, while comparing in terms of sales (Annual Report, Item 1). The company, founded in the year 1960, provides quality products that are made available to the consumers at affordable prices with excellence in product delivery (Dominos.com, 2008). I. Marketing Mix The marketing mix of a company increasingly talks about the process of value generation, value communication, value distribution and value capture through the 4 P’s of marketing which is commonly represented as product, place, promotion and price. Product The world’s second largest pizza company in the world in terms of volume has a highly diversifie d line of product portfolio. The company’s main product offerings are mostly the diversified kinds of pizzas that help the company to cater to the hunger needs of the consumers belonging to the mass markets by providing the required and desired nutritional food value through its food products to the customers. Apart from the basic product offering of pizzas, the globally present pizza manufacturer and delivery brand focuses on the process of value generation, value distribution and value capture through a widely diversified portfolio comprising of various categories of product like pasta, breads, chicken products, sandwiches, chips, drinks, deserts as well as some by product type auxiliary offerings. It also needs to be mentioned that in an attempt to service and cater to the needs of the customers in a better manner, the company also allows the consumers and customers to opt for customized product offering depending on their personal choice and preferences. Among each of the se diversified product lines, the company has various product variants which helps their product appeal to a broad range of customers in the American region as well as in various countries all over the globe. Place The largest pizza delivery company in the US follows a very generalized yet highly well developed and advanced model for the process of distributing value to the consumers. The company follows the strategy of expanding and entering in various markets through the process of offering franchisees. By the process of offering franchisees in various markets, the company gets the option for going for both intensive as well as exhaustive distribution of products. As of today’s date, the company has presence in various locations all over the globe with a store count of more than 9000 worldwide (Annual Report, p. 14). Promotion The company uses a mix of online and offline processes for promoting its products. For the purpose of increasing product and brand awareness in new m arkets, the brand goes for exploiting traditional promotional media like the television, hoardings, banners, newspaper ads, etc. The company also goes for in store promotions like offering discounts, coupons, value for money combo packs to promote its

Contemporary issues in marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Contemporary issues in marketing - Essay Example The definition of RM as stated by Gronroos (1994, p.22) is: "Relationship Marketing is to establish, maintain, and enhance relationships with customers and other partners, at a profit, so that the objectives of the parties involved are met. This is achieved by a mutual exchange and fulfilment of promises." Furthermore Harker (1999) was able to use the results of his research to build a new definition of RM. According to Harker (1999, p.16) RM is when an organisation is engaged in proactively creating, developing and maintaining committed, interactive and profitable exchanges with selected customers overtime." Gronroos (1994) further added to the RM debate when he recognised that marketing mix management was beginning to lose its position as the dominant marketing paradigm. He noted that relationship building and management, or "relationship marketing", was one leading new approach to marketing which was becoming increasingly popular amongst marketing literature (Gronroos, 1994). ... The Benefits of Relationship Marketing Reichheld and Kenny (1991) conducted their research and looked at the benefits derived by firms from retaining long-term loyal customers. They noted that contemporary strategies for improving profitability involved cost reduction and price increases. They found these strategies, while successful in the short-term actually undermined long-term profits (Reichheld & Kenny 1991). By comparing the performance between banks participating in the study (Reichheld & Kenny 1990-1991) found that those who focused on retaining deposit customers outperformed their competitors. Reichheld and Kenny (1991) attributed the increase in growth to the 'shifting of competition from the "open market" where the banks had little control,' to inside their branches, where they could exercise greater control. Reichheld and Kenny (1991, p.20) identified five key areas that affected long-term performance and increased profits. 1) Balances grow over time; 2) The expense of acquiring new customers is incurred only in the first year, therefore the longer the relationship the lower the amortised cost; 3) The cost of maintaining customers is somewhat fixed, therefore maintenance expenses decline as the relationship lengthens; 4) Long-term customers are more likely to expand their relationship to other products or services; and 5) Long-term customers are more likely to refer their friends and relatives to the bank. Reichheld and Kenny (1991) concluded by noting that the banks that successfully manage retention will establish themselves as growth and profit leaders within the retail banking industry. After recognising that RM literature focused predominantly on the benefits of customer loyalty from the perspective of the firm, Gwinner, Gremler, and Bitner (1998)

Discrimination and the Future of Marriage Coursework

Discrimination and the Future of Marriage - Coursework Example For instance, Miranda vs Arizona was something that proved to be in violation of fourth amendment. As far as the 14th amendment is concerned, In addition, the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law while the Fifteenth Amendment declines racial discrimination during elections. However one must wonder, even with all the legislations enacted, discrimination continues to be the focal point in society. The first section is violated by DOMA because it induces â€Å"abridge the privileges of immunities of the citizens.† Since DOMA strictly confines a heterogeneous marriage, it goes against the fourteenth amendment. The fourteenth amendment allows individuals to have equal rights amendment, but the Supreme Court took this approach very subjectively. The 14th amendment is explicit that, â€Å"Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. At this point, the congress exercises its full power by ensuring that marriages are

Syngenta and GM crops Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Syngenta and GM crops - Article Example The corn seed in question is named Agrisure Viptera which had not been previously approved by China back in November 2013. The corn shipments were found to contain a genetically-altered protein designed to act as deterrent against corn-eating bugs like earworms and cutworms.2 China has always been very careful regarding its approval for importation any genetically-modified seeds or crops if they had not yet completed their own laboratory tests. China is strict about their agricultural standards and always reserved unqualified right to reject any shipments for their safety. Biotechnology - GMO crops are termed as biotech crops because these were modified using genetic engineering to boost their yield, acquire better immunity against plant diseases or any plant bugs, and make these plants adapt better to adverse environmental conditions. GMO has been a controversial technology as some sectors are rightly or wrongly concerned about the potential harmful effects of using science to alter or modify the genes of any plant. But there are also advocates who claim this scientific technology holds the bright promise to help eradicate hunger, malnutrition, starvation, and even death by preventing famines in the developing world. Genetic engineering of agricultural plants and crops, in the same way that mechanized farming and the Green Revolution before, allows food production to be increased considerably and avoid the Malthusian theory of hunger resulting from overpopulation. Key solution - agricultural farming using GMO crops is seen as the solution to most of the problems associated with a growing global population. Moreover, GMO technology can mitigate the adverse effects of environmental degradation, global warming, and increasing pollution. GMO is applicable to all types of living organisms from bacteria, fungi, and yeast and to all larger and more complex organisms like insects, birds, fishes, and even mammals. The GMO

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT - Essay Example ject is dependent on the markets expectations and changing preferences, to introduce a new idea, the company should look at time as a scarce resource. What the new product development manager can do is to look at the whole process and see what to cut down without compromising the quality of the product. For instance, if the new product entails smaller risk, the test marketing can be done on a smaller and shorter scale so as to cut down on time to deliver the product to the market without cutting down on the value that will be provided to the consumer. Also, the new product development manager can utilize simultaneous product development which utilized cross-functional planning. This will cut down on the time it takes to pass on from one process to another because all the involved functions will be part of the planning process. The new product development manager can significantly cut down on time it takes from idea generation to launching the product to the market. For new product development, financial budget is one of the crucial factors that can determine the success of a new project. As new projects in terms of overall research throughout the process can be costly, not enough budget is one of the challenges that a new product development manager can experience. It is very usual that the whole project has an initial budget as included by the company. However, since these are new projects that are supported by new technology, those budgets are usually the best estimates of those who are involved. Midway through the project, the new product development manager will learn that the costs are significantly different from the estimates, and that the budget that has initially been set, usually by the top management is insufficient. Due to certain management policies and corporate politics, revision and application for a new budget to be approved is usually a problem. Thus, a new product manager could be left with what was initially planned, and decide to pursue or

Personal and Professional Development Research Paper

Personal and Professional Development - Research Paper Example In these regards, it is my hope to secure a professional position with advancement opportunities that fully maximizes my human potential. In this way I will be able to go to worth with energy and passion, knowing that there is no better professional situation on Earth for my skills.There are many external factors that could potentially facilitate or hinder my quest to achieve my goals. In terms of professional goals I recognize that I would eventually like to attain a graduate degree in accounting. While my parents have generously aided me in attending college to attain my undergraduate degree, I recognize that attain a graduate degree will require me to take on increased financial responsibility. This will then pose a challenge for me to overcome. Another external challenge is the need to attain a job after graduating from college. I also recognize that I will have to be able to register for the necessary classes and get the necessary professors that will be educate me and point me in the right path on my journey. While there are a number of years before I will enter the job market, I recognize that the current economic climate is highly challenged. The United States is in a recession and subsequently jobs are limited. This will subsequently place a great challenge on me.

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT - Essay Example ject is dependent on the markets expectations and changing preferences, to introduce a new idea, the company should look at time as a scarce resource. What the new product development manager can do is to look at the whole process and see what to cut down without compromising the quality of the product. For instance, if the new product entails smaller risk, the test marketing can be done on a smaller and shorter scale so as to cut down on time to deliver the product to the market without cutting down on the value that will be provided to the consumer. Also, the new product development manager can utilize simultaneous product development which utilized cross-functional planning. This will cut down on the time it takes to pass on from one process to another because all the involved functions will be part of the planning process. The new product development manager can significantly cut down on time it takes from idea generation to launching the product to the market. For new product development, financial budget is one of the crucial factors that can determine the success of a new project. As new projects in terms of overall research throughout the process can be costly, not enough budget is one of the challenges that a new product development manager can experience. It is very usual that the whole project has an initial budget as included by the company. However, since these are new projects that are supported by new technology, those budgets are usually the best estimates of those who are involved. Midway through the project, the new product development manager will learn that the costs are significantly different from the estimates, and that the budget that has initially been set, usually by the top management is insufficient. Due to certain management policies and corporate politics, revision and application for a new budget to be approved is usually a problem. Thus, a new product manager could be left with what was initially planned, and decide to pursue or

Mental instability Essay Example for Free

Mental instability Essay Through her Noon Wine novel, Katherine Anne Porter describes 1890s Texas settings that serve to build on the novel’s theme besides causing conflict at the end. For example, the author describes Mr. Royal Earle Thompson’s farm as barely productive primarily due to Thompson’s laziness. Strangely, Thompson holds that farm work is women’ work, indicating some mental instability in him. Amid such circumstances, Olaf Eric Helton comes to Thompson looking for work which he is promptly offered. Helton’s employment at the Thompson farm soon proves to be very beneficial. The farm miraculously becomes very productive, making Thompson to highly value Helton. The farmhand however has the strange habit of always remaining quiet and playing harmonicas. The arrival of Homer T. Hatch at the farm brings conflict since he intends to take Helton away from the farm. Thompson cannot give Helton away while Hatch wants to return the worker to a madhouse from which Hilton escaped years back. This incidence, which leads to Thompson mistakenly killing Hatch, amplifies the theme that both Helton and Hatch are insane in their unique ways (Porter 25). Firstly, the almost desperate way in which the Thompsons treasure Helton due to his remarkable good work, coupled with Hatch’s attempts at recapturing Helton, lead to a deadly conflict. A hallucinatory Thompson fatally hits Hatch, thinking that Hatch is killing Helton. This incidence shows that Thompson’s liking for Helton has built up to obsessive levels, where the farmer cannot bear seeing Helton move away. Moreover, Hatch’s disclosure of Helton’s past indicates that Helton is also insane. Porter’s theme of the presence of subtle madness in characters, Helton and Thompson, is thus supported by this conflict. In conclusion, Porters, Noon Wine description of the events surrounding the Thompson farm designate both Thompson and Helton as inherently mad. In addition, Hatch’s and Thompson’s contradictory acts lead to a concluding lethal conflict. Works Cited Porter, Katherine Anne. Noon Wine. Tulsa, Oklahoma: Schumans, 1937.

History of Colour in Art

History of Colour in Art The use of colour in history has gone through a long story. It has been used because of its ability in altering mood and atmosphere, and also because of its symbolic meanings. The earliest known usage of colour in interior space started when man drew on walls of caves and tombs, which continues with the application on cathedrals, palaces, and ordinary homes. History of colour The usage of colour has been involved in the architectural development in ancient Egypt and Greeks. It has been used mostly because of the association of colour with certain symbolism in the cultures. Ancient Egypt, one of the most documented civilizations, used paintings on walls and ceilings in order to tell the story of their civilization, from daily life to battle scenes. Earth pigments are used in creating these paintings red, yellow ochre, also green, blue, purple, black, white, and gray. Each colour is used to symbolise certain criterias, for example red ocher for skin colour of men, while yellow is used for the women. While in the Greek history, the Palace of Knossos, is a distinct example of the use of colour in its architecture. The most outstanding feature in the building is its large red and black columns. Palace of Knossos, Greece   Colour has been widely used in the past, but this tradition doesnt always go well along the development in architecture. The Lost of Colour Being used and developed throughout the early civilization, colour arrived at a point times when its use is being ignored. The situation is caused by several reasons, such as the perception of whiteness, and how this idea is strengthen by the emergence of the Modern Movement and International Style, who preferred the natural colour of the materials, and later on the idea of black, white, and gray in Minimalism. These movements has changed peoples perception of colour and therefore resulting avoidance in its application. Whiteness Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Bible The colour white, through various cultures, has been associated with perfection, innocence, and cleanliness. Colour, on the other hand, is perceived as the opposite of whiteness, which is dirtiness and the less-than-true. The word colour, which is colorem in Latin, is related to celare, means to hide or conceal. In Middle English to colour means to disguise. The Modern Movement, International Style and Minimalism Rejection of colour, partly is also formed by the influence of Modern Movement and International Style, which often termed their works as minimal. In this period, light and neutral tones are preferred in the space. White is the most dominant colour because it allows colours and light in the surrounding reflects into the space and that it is felt as natural colour. Colour, on the other hand, is being avoided because it makes a striking contrast with the surrounding. Even in times when it is used, colour is still artificially applied  and the majority of the surfaces is white.The famous people in this period are Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius. Their works, reflecting the idea of Modern Movement, shows restraint use of colour. Instead of using colours, they use the genuine colour and texture from the materials used, such as steel, glass, concrete, masonry, and stone, which dominates their works. Minimalism, another architectural style, is also much associated with the use of white. The term minimalism is applied to works showing reduction in forms, usually created with flat surfaces that reflect a simple and tranquil atmosphere. White colour is chosen as the most dominant colour, since it is seen as colour with pure, smooth, and serene quality, and therefore goes along with the idea of calmness and tranquillity in minimalism. Samuel Wagstaff, an art curator, mentioned that this new aesthetics in black, white, and gray, is aimed to keep the viewer from being biased by the emotionalism of colour. So, white colour, along with black and gray are preferred to be used here. Chromophobia The perception of white and the modern art movement influence has a causal relation to what David Batchelor mentioned as chromophobia. Chromophobia, based on David Batchelor, is defined as a fear of corruption or contamination through colour. He mentioned that chromophobia manifests itself in the many and varied attempts to purge colour from culture, to devalue colour, to diminish its significance, to deny its complexity . ( Batchelor, David, 2000) The rejection of colour happens in two ways. First, colour is made out of foreign body- usually the feminine, the vulgar, .In this case, colour is  treated as something foreign, something alien'( Batchelor, David, 2000 ) so that it is considered dangerous. Charles Blanc, a colour theorist, identified colour with the feminine in art and as something that cannot be detached from life. Not just that, he even consider colour as a permanent internal threat. Therefore, he came up with the idea of either completely ignoring colour or controlling it, in order to preventing it from ruining everything. Charles Blanc is not the only chromophobic. The idea of fear of colour has also swept the society and therefore had its impact to architectural design. A few cases of the rejection of colour in the past have been experienced by architects. It happened to Belgian architect Huib Hoste, who throughout his career has been experimenting with colours in his works. One of his works, the Zwart Huis ( Black House ), which is created for Raymond de Beir Knokke in 1924 is painted deep black and partly red for its walls. Complains came from the neighbours who felt uncomfortable by the too-striking-colours and on how it broke the harmony within the surrounding environment. In 2001, a similar problem occured with the work by MVRDV. Designing an entire orange office building in a courtyard in Amsterdam, provoked dissapproval from the neighbours who felt annoyed with the orange glow that forced its way to the surrounding homes. Everything around you is orange you didnt ask for it, you didnt want i t, but you cant do anything about it, they said. (Colour in Contemporary Architecture, 2009) According to David Batchelor, the word chromophobia, other than defining colour as dangerous, is also used for the idea of colour as something superficial, supplementary, and as a secondary quality of experience, which leads to lack of consideration in its usage. This had  happened even in ancient times, when Vitruvius complained that buildings were painted without considering its relation with the architectural form, which means there was not much consideration put in the thought process therefore resulting an unsatisfying project. Rejection for colour has become a serious problem and therefore cause the lost of colour. THESIS STATEMENT : Colour once is considered as an afterthought, that it ends up as decorative elements. It also has been considered dangerous. But considering the ability of colour in changing perception and mood, there might be a chance to create a more emotive architecture than those without colour. So, should we re-examine the role of colour in architecture? BODY Colour in Architecture The impulse of using colour in architecture emerged in 1920s, inspired by paintings. Three architects who were known to use colour in their works in this period are Le Corbusier, Theo van Doesburg, and Bruno Taut, but each architect has different approach in applying colour in their works. Theo van Doesburg, is the member of De Stijl Movement, an important accomplishment in applying colour in architecture. Other movements using colour as their conceptual design basis are Constructivism and Expressionism. In De Stijl, colour is considered as an important element and is developed as a tool in creating a new spatial experience. The goal of the movement is to achieve an ideal future where walls that separate men would be broken down. The architects of De Stijl believe that the three-dimensional properties of mass and volume is against the goal of the movement, and in order to achieve their goal, these characteristics must be broken down by using colours. The method they used is to place colour planes on corners and boundaries, resulting a change in the volume of space. Here, colours were used not just as mere decoration, but it also plays an important part in altering the visual experience of the user spatially. However, Le Corbusier called van Doesburg application on colour as camouflage architectural and disagreed with the use of colour to weakens the physical space or to conceal its actual spatial proportions. Villa la Roche, Le Corbusier Opposing the idea, in his work, Le Corbusier coloured the entire wall surfaces to make them an individual elements, so that it would not disturb the spatial effect of the architecture. These coloured walls were used as an intervention against the mostly painted white spaces in the building. The colours here, as Batchelor commented, was used by Le Corbusier to make his architecture even more white. Having a different approach with his two fellows architects, Bruno Tauts intention was to use colour as an agent of social reform. His goal was to create various identities in a large housing estates, where people from overcrowded flats in the backyard of Berlin will be the occupants of the building. (Komossa, Susanne, 2009) Although the myth of white appeared not long after these colour methods were being used, architects such as Louis Barragan emerged into practice and back with the idea of colour as an essential element, opposing the idea of colour  as decorations. His choice of colours mostly reflects the colours of Mexican culture. Through his works, Barragan proved how the use of colours are able to evoke dreamlike and surreal atmosphere. Another renowned colour architect is Ricardo Legorreta. Inspired by the 20th century mural paintings, Legorreta uses many bright colours in his works and proves that colours can emphasize shapes and deny mass of the buildings. From time to time, along with the gradual loss of Modern Movement influence, colour slowly made its way back to architectural design. Herzog de Meuron, for example, coloured their first house in Basle suburb with blue layer that engages the viewer. Looking at how colours are being considered more deeply in architecture nowadays, and how it is constantly being moved away from the idea of a mere decoration to elements that can alter perception of the viewer, the use of colour has achieved a different state than it used to be. And in this sense, just as mentioned by Rem Koolhas, the future of colour is looking bright. Visible Space: Seeing Colour 1.1 Perception of Space Perception is a critical connection between human and their surrounding environment. It can also refer to a more complicated and higher level of thinking process. Perception enables human beings to decide what has been sensed and analyze that sensation. Beside digesting the information received from the sensors, perception also acts as a filter that classify important and useful information. In architectural design, whose works mainly is about the creation of space, perception of space is nevertheless important. In order to perceive the space, one must firstly sense the space. To sense a space is to become aware of own self existence in the space and therefore one is able to distinguish between the self and the surrounding. This can be done using human senses, which are hearing, seeing, smell, taste, and touch. But as we always hear, Seeing is believing, visual perception is very important in shaping perception of space. Here, colour takes a major role. 1.2 The eye and the colour Take a good look round and youll see that everything is coloured. K. Schippers Colour, dissolving perfectly in our life, may seem as a very normal experience. But it actually is a very important aspect in our vision because it plays a big part in shaping our visual perception. So what is colour? Colour, in physics and optics, are defined as component parts of light. Being able to see colour enables human see many more different things under the light, comparing to what might possibly be seen in only shades of gray ( known as monochromatic vision). Some animals, such as dogs, dont experience colour vision. This condition cause they can only spot other creatures, for example rabbits, only if it moves. The experience of seeing colour will not be possible if not because of the assistance of light in our vision. Our eyes perceive differences in light frequencies just as how we perceive differences in sound frequencies with  our ears. While differences in sound frequencies enable us to hear different pitch, differences in light frequencies enable us to see different colour. The colour field that human perceive ranges from the longest visible wavelength (red) to the shortest visible wavelength (violet). Light, in various wavelength and brightness, enters our eyes through a transparent outer covering, called the cornea. The received light then will be focused on the back of the surface of the eye. The back of the eye is covered by the retina, which contain many layers of cells. The layer which is important in colour vision consist two receptors called rods and cones. Rods enable us to see black and white visions in dim light, while cones enable us to see hues under brighter lighting condition. Hence, through these series of mechanisms, we are able to see colour. Colour and Light Architecture is light. It is because of light, architecture can be seen. In its relation with colour, light always assists colour enabling it to be seen. Both colour and light are important aspects in creating perception in architecture. Light, enabling colour to be seen, determines the experience of the colour perceived. The condition of light and the changes it made; its direction, form, colour, and its arrangement; has a potential to create various colour perception. Considering the possibility of changes in perceiving colour based on the lighting condition, various kinds of atmosphere might be created. Both natural and artificial lighting is able to be used in assisting colour in the space. The perception of colour under the sunlight can vary depends on the atmospheric condition. The direction of the sunlight has to be considered in order to create a desirable colour perceived in space. Direct sunlight can make surfaces appear lighter, while the indirect sunlight will cause less dramatic shadow casting. Since the sun moves throughout the day, different kinds of light will be experienced. Different lights will reflect colour differently, resulting the same colour might be perceived differently during different time of the day. An observation of how light affects the colour perceived has been done by the French Impressionist, Claude Monet, in creating his works. In order to find the visual truth, Monet often painted the exact same scenes, such as haystacks and cathedral face, under different lighting condition. Once, he rented a room opposite Rouen Cathedral and spent months there painting the cathedral in different times of the day. It appeared that in full midday sunlight , the facade of the building is washed with gold colour and a slight blue shadow. While at sunset, the surface is coloured pale bluish pink, with lots of oranges and reds in the buildings recesses. Colour and Atmosphere: Towards Emotive Architecture Colour Deceives The usage of colour is often associated with its ability in creating illusion. Based on Joseph Albers book, Interaction of Colour, colour in visual perception is always never seen as it really is in reality, which is why he mentioned, In order to use colour effectively it is necessary to recognise that colour deceives continually The ability of colour in deceiving the viewer resulting two kinds of conditions the actual and the  factual. The actual is the space which is perceived by the viewer, while the factual is the physical space bordered by walls in reality. The ability of colour to change spatial perception is also written in Ittens analysis, Among cold and warm tones of equal brilliance, the warm will advance and the cold retreat. By recognizing the potential of colour in terms of altering perception of space through vision of the viewers, colour has vast opportunities in being used as the resource in creating space. Colour Affects: Physiology and Psychology Colour is known as an expressive element and can be used to generate emotional response. Studies on how colour can change peoples emotion has been conducted by people. Bright colours ( warm hues ) fit well for spaces requiring lots of activities and mental alertness, therefore these colours are often being used in school environments. While on the other hand, cooler hues tend to calm people. In his book Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Kandinsky did analysis on the sensory effects in colour. He found that bright and warm colours attract greater attention and the visual emotion created by these tones generates physical effect that touches the soul. Realizing the potential of colour in altering emotion, people used it as a tool in healing. Chromo therapy, or colour therapy, is the practice of using coloured light and colour in the environment to cure specific illness and in general to bring about beneficial health effect ( Hope and Walch, 1990, p.75). The study on chromo therapy is based on the  discovery of how our bodies, acting like prisms, absorb white light and other colours, too. The therapy involves the use of natural light that is filtered through a certain colour of glass. For example, patient with migraine will be treated with sunlight filtered through blue glass, and depression can be treated with red light. Emotive Architecture Emotive architecture, is usually defined as buildings and spaces that is purposefully built to provoke emotional response from the users. The idea came up from the feeling of too functional architecture in the 20th century, which created the space with much logic and utility. Case Study Luis Barragan In my activity as an architect, colour and light have always been a crucially important constant. Both are basic elements in the creation of an architectural space. Luis Barragan Luis Barragan learned much from the work of Itten who is devoted to the laws of harmony, contrast, and the spatial effect of colours. In his works, Barragan treated colour the same way as other architectural components and he bravely experiments and utilizes its ability in generating sensations in the space. His works on The Gilardi House, dwelling of Francisco Gilardi, showed a skillful consideration in assisting colour with light in the space. The method of the colour used here, such as achieving brighter or softer hues through direct and indirect lighting, using coloured glass to create chromatic ambience, has been experimented in his earlier works. In the dwelling, Barragan continued his experiment in utilizing white light in the space and how it landed on the coloured vertical sections. A yellow-painted corridor is placed nearby the entrance in order to prepare the journey to an important space. Walking down the corridor, the visitor is faced with a radiating blue space. The contrast between the warm and cool colour is aimed to arrest the visitors vision. The visitor then comes out into the space with pool which is surrounded by three primary colours; blue, red, yellow. The whole composition of this space is supported by the coloured surfaces around the pool and the reflections created by the water. Steven Holl Famous for his method of utilizing light in the space, Steven Holl is also do a lot of experimentations on its relation with  colour. In his work The Chapel of St, Ignatius, for example, Steven Holl used the idea of treating the space like seven bottles of light. Each bottle is pierced with light which define each spaces inside the building with coloured light.

Psychology :: essays research papers

Talk Show Tension Jerry, Jerry, Jerry†¦ Everyday, this chant is heard by millions of people watching the now infamous talk show, Jerry Springer. Even though just a few years ago, most people regarded these shows as ridiculous, now this chant is recognized and adored by many people in society. The most parsimonious explanation for this is that the shows now have more interesting and captivating topics. The premise of most episodes of these shows has changed greatly over the past few years; The topics have moved away from large scale social issues, like homosexuality and cancer, to relationship and familial issues, like adultery and mothers who are too flirtatious with their daughter's boyfriends. Many people would argue that the issues being presented now are not as interesting or captivating as the older issues. However, after watching an old episode and a new episode, most people agree that the emotions displayed by the guests in the newer shows are more visible, with actions such as onstage yelling and fighting. The general emotional content of the episodes has changed from sadness to anger. From a psychological standpoint, there are many influences that cause extreme anger to be displayed by the guests on talk shows. Imagine being a guest on the Jerry Springer show, as you walk onto the stage you see the large audience chanting those infamous words. You sit down next to your fiancà ©e not knowing what to expect, you are nervous and anxious. Finally, Jerry says those terrible words, So, don't you have something to tell your fiancà ©? She turns to you, looks into your eyes and says, Remember about a month ago when I disappeared at that party at your house? Well, that night your brother and me left the party early. I'm sorry, I have been sleeping with your brother for the past month. Suddenly, the anxiousness that you experienced is gone and replaced by anger, intense anger. You turn to Jerry as he asks you, Wow, she has been cheating with your brother, how does this make you feel? Your anger only gets more intense, you ramble to your ex-fiancà ©e and ask her how she could do such a thing. Again, Jerry interrupts the moment and yells into the microphone, Alright lets get the brother out here! As you see your brother walk through the door, you again hear that irritating chant echoing through the crowd.

Essay --

There are numerous aspects of Let the Right On In that show it to be traditional and yet untraditional when one considers vampire mythology—in essence a hybrid. As Jules Zanger describes modern vampires, it is easy to identify the how many traits of the story’s vampire, Eli, to be modern, and the story in general to be modernized. Despite the subtle references to Dracula, this movie desexualizes the vampire, accepting friendship as opposed to leading a solitary life, and shows her to be sympathetic and possible even gaining the audience’s (and Oskar’s) approval of her existence. The sexual overtones of many vampire stories, including recent ones, in which the vampire bite serves as a stand-in or metaphor for penetration, undergo a radical shift in Let the Right One In. She appears to be young, barefoot, and showing a pale complexion with modest green eyes with dark rings under them. She does not seem to have been living as for centuries as our classic vampires seems to, but rather, she is stuck in this girl’s body. Let the Right One In is absolutely not about sex even if the movie’s primary relationship is romantic. Considering vampire folklore revolves around sex or some form of sexual aura, Let the Right One In completely deviates from this. The vampire in this story, Eli, is not sexualized at all, but rather de-sexualized. There is nothing â€Å"sexually appealing† about an ostensibly asexual girl stuck in a 12-year old body. Important as well is their budding affection that encompasses physical closeness but is emphatically not sexu al. On one level, this exchange illustrates what ‘going steady’ means to 12 year-olds: it is an affirmation of friendship and loyalty quite disconnected from overt sexuality. In one scene, Oscar and ... ...ive friendship and allowing a tender love-friendship grow between Oskar and Eli. A third way that Eli is parallel to classic vampires, say Dracula, is that Eli is cut off from human society in a profound way. Though she is not immediately identified as a vampire, her appearance and behaviour mark her as an outsider. Just as Dracula is visually and audibly coded as an ‘immigrant’ or ‘foreign’, Eli is set apart from clean-cut, blonde Swedish types by her tousled, dark hair and unkempt, waif-like appearance. Her divergence is particularly striking because, with one exception, all other characters in the film are ethnic Swedes. Like classic vampire films, Eli is an outside figure and is invariably menacing, becoming a manifestation of the audience’s deepest fears, while simultaneously feeling compassion and understanding for her alienation, exclusion, and difference.

The Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal – The Taj – is the â€Å"King Emperor† amongst the World Wonders. The Taj is the final achievement and acme of the Mughal Art. It represents the most refined aesthetic values. It is a fantasy-like grandeur. It is the perfect culmination and artistic interplay of the architects' skill the jewellers' inspiration. The marble in-lay walls of the Taj are amongst the most outstanding examples of decorative workmanship. The elegant symmetry of its exterior and the aerial grace of its domes and minarets impress the beholder in a manner never to be forgotten. It stands out as one of the most priceless national monuments, of surpassing beauty and worth, a glorious tribute to man's achievement in Architecture and Engineering. The Taj is threatened with deterioration and damage not only by the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions which aggravate the situation with even more formidable phenomena of damage or destruction. A private sector preservation organization called â€Å"World Monuments Fund† (American Express Company) has published a list of 100 most endangered sites (1996) in the World. The environment of Agra is today beset with problems relating to the inadequacy of its urban infrastructure for transportation, water and electricity. Residential fuel combustion, diesel trains and buses, and back-up generators cause the densest pollution near the Taj Mahal. Constitution of the proposed Agra Ring Road and Bypass that would divert the estimated daily 6,50,000 tons of trans-India truck traffic financing. Strict controls on industrial pollution established in 1982 are being intensively enforced following a 1993 Supreme Court Order. The Asian Development Bank's proposed $300 million loan to the Indian Government to finance infrastructure improvements would provide the opportunity to solve the chronic problems. Agra contains three World Heritage Sites, including the Taj Mahal. † According to the petitioner, the foundries, chemical/hazardous industries and the refinery at Mathura are the major sources of damages to the Taj. The Sulphur Dioxide emitted by the Mathura Refinery and the industries when combined with Oxygen – with the aid of moisture – in the atmosphere forms sulphuric acid called â€Å"Acid rain† which has a corroding effect on the gleaming white marble. Industrial/Refinery emissions, brick-kilns, vehicular traffic and generator-sets are primarily responsible for polluting the ambient air around Taj Trapezium (TTZ). The petition states that the white marble has yellowed and blackened in places. It is inside the Taj that the decay is more apparent. Yellow pallor pervades the entire monument. In places ugly brown and black spots magnify the yellow hue. Fungal deterioration is worst in the inner chamber where the original graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal lie. According to the petitioner the Taj – a monument of international repute – is no its way to degradation due to atmosphere pollution and it is imperative that preventive steps are taken and soon. The petitioner has finally sought appropriate directions to the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to stop air pollution in the TTZ and save the Taj. The court considered the affidavit filed by the board and directed the board to issue a public notice. Pursuant to the courts order, the board filed affidavit (5. 8. 93), wherein it stated that public notice was published in two national newspapers calling upon the industries to file their replies during the extended time. The affidavit also states that all listed industries were polluting industries and 507 out of them had not even installed any air pollution control device. The 212industries that did not respond to the notice and failed to take any steps towards installing the pollution control devices were closed by order-dated 27. 8. 93. The court was assisted in its efforts to improve air quality in the TTZ by the reports prepared by the NEERI (National Environment Engineering Research Institute), Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) on the supply of fuel gas to industries in the area and the study conducted by the Vardharajan Committee, which was constituted in May 1994, by the MoEF. Varadharajan Committee made, among others, the following recommendations: â€Å"Steps may be taken to ensure that no new industry including small industries or other units which can cause pollution are located north-west of the Taj Mahal. Efforts may be made to relocate the existing small industries particularly the foundries, in an area southeast of Agra beyond the Taj Mahal so that emissions from these industries will not be in the direction of the monuments. Similar considerations may apply to large industries such as Fertilizer and Petrochemicals. Such industries, which are likely to cause environmental pollution, may not be located in the neighbourhood of the refinery. The Committee further recommends that no large industry in the Agra region and its neighbourhood be established without conducting appropriate detailed studies to assess the environmental effect of such industries on the monuments. Location should be so chosen as to exclude any increase in environmental pollution in the area. †¦ The Committee wishes to record its deep concern regarding the existing level of pollution in Agra. It recommends that an appropriate authority be created which could monitor emissions by industries as well as air quality at Agra on a continuous basis. This authority should be vested with powers to direct industries causing pollution to limit the level of emission and specify such measures as are necessary to reduce the emissions whenever the pollutant level at the monuments exceeds acceptable limits. The Committee particularly desires that recommendations made in regard to reduction of existing pollution levels at Agra should be covered to a time-bound programme and should be implemented with utmost speed. The Committee also recommends that studies should be undertaken by competent agencies to explore the possibility of protecting the monuments by measures such as provision of a green belt around Agra in the region between Mathura and Agra. Even though assurances have been obtained from IOC that adequate precautions would be taken to contain the pollution on account of using coal in the power plant, the Committee is of the opinion that till such time this problem is studies in depth and suitable technologies have been found to be satisfactorily in use elsewhere the use of coal in the refinery power plant should be deferred. The National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) gave an â€Å"Overview Report† regarding status of air pollution around the Taj in 1990. â€Å"The sources of pollution, including small and medium-scale industrial units, are scattered all around Taj Mahal. High air pollution load is thus pumped into the Taj air shed. Sudden rises in concentrat ion level are often recorded in all directions in gaseous as well as particulate pollutant depending upon the local micro climatic conditions. On four occasions during the five-year air quality monitoring, the 4 hrly average values of SO2 at Taj Mahal were observed to be higher than 300 ug/m3, i. e. 10 folds of the promulgated CPCB standard of 30 ug/m3 for sensitive areas. The values exceeded even the standard of 120-ug/m3 set for industrial zones. Statistical analysis of the recorded data indicate that 40% (cumulative percentage level) has crossed the standard set for sensitive receptors/zones. The SPM levels at Taj Mahal were invariably high (more than 200 ug/m3) and exceeded the national ambient air quality standard of 100 ug/m3 for SPM for sensitive locations barring a few days in monsoon months. Another study during 1985-87 brought to fore that the overall status of the ambient air quality within the trapezium has significantly deteriorated over this period. â€Å"The Taj Mahal marble samples analyzed by NEERI in 1993 reveal that the black soot on certain protected surfaces contains 0. 6% Calcium and traces of Sulphate. X-ray diffraction studies indicated that soot and quartz (Silicon Dioxide) and the major constituents of the black coating at Taj Mahal (Lal and Holden, ES & T, April 1981). The origin of soot can be traced back to the fuel consumption around the sensitive receptor, while quartz is derived from geocrustal origin and causes surface abrasion. Soot in itself is not chemically destructive, but with tar it acts as a soiling agent. Absorption of the acidic gases is enhanced due to the presence of soot/smoky matter resulting in long-term effects. Further, the presence of soot reduces the aesthetic value of the monument. Ambient air around Taj Mahal is polluted primarily from point/line sources and has adverse impacts on building material by alteration of marble and sandstone structures at microcrystalline level. The earlier studies have revealed that the concentrations of gaseous pollutants and SPM (predominantly soot and carbon particles) are relatively high during winter months due to the frequent inversion conditions restricting vertical dispersion. During monsoon seasons, suspended particles are washed away and this cycle of pollutant builds up and subsequent removal continues exposing fresh surface of the monument to the pollutant. The period industrial development of Agra-Mathura region has resulted in acidic emissions into the atmosphere at an alarming rate. This causes serious concern on the well being of Taj Mahal. †¦ The gaseous pollutants being acidic in nature, significantly both the as well as the biotic components of the ecosystem like plants and building material like marble and red stone. The sources of pollution in Agra region as per the report of the Central Pollution Control Board are iron foundries, Ferro-alloyed industries, rubber processing, lime processing, engineering, chemical industry, brick refractory and vehicles, Mathura Refinery and Ferozabad Glass Industry. On 3 August 1995, the court formed a tentative view that polluting industries in the TTZ would have to be relocated and sought the assistance of the Union Government to device an appropriate solution. Taj, being a cultural heritage is an industry by itself. More than two million tourists visit Taj every year and this is a good source of revenue for the country. The court had monitored this petition for over three years with the objective of preventing and protecting the Taj from deterioration and damage due to atmosphere and environmental pollution. It cannot be disputed that the use of coal/coke by the industries emits pollution in the ambient air. The objective behind this litigation is to stop pollution while encouraging development of the industries. The old concept that development and ecology cannot go hand in hand is no longer acceptable. The development of the industries is essential but not at the cost of the environment. Orders passed by the court time to time indicate that the relocation of the industries from TTZ is to be resorted to only if the Natural Gas, which has been brought at the doorstep of TTZ is not acceptable/ available by/to the industries as a substitute for coal/coke. The GAIL has already invited the industries in the TTZ to apply for gas connections and industries operating in TTZ with the gas connections need not relocate. The atmospheric pollution in the TTZ has to be eliminated at any cost as it's not just the preservation of monument, which is essential, but also the human life. In August 1999, the Supreme Court struck again, ordering the closure of 53 iron foundries and 107 other factories in Agra that had not cleaned up their act. The order has become a call to arms for foundry owners, workers, trade union representatives and small-scale industry. However, industry is buying time: it filed a review petition through the Uttar Pradesh State government and obtained a reprieve on the court order's implementation. The matter comes again before the Supreme Court this summer. In the meantime, Agra's Iron Founders' Association is building up their case. They argue that 3,000 cottage and engineering units depend on the foundries, and that they directly or indirectly employ about 300,000 workers. They hold that the technology for using natural gas in their industries is not yet ready. Taj trapezium project's phase II gets green signal Buoyed by a decline in the pollution levels around the Taj trapezium with the successful implementation of the first phase of the afforestation project, the state administration has okayed the Rs 15. 0-crore second phase. The success of the plantation scheme assumes significance since a report prepared by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, had pointed out how â€Å"pollution inventory of Agra reflected high concentration of NO2, SO2 and CO2†. Apart from a vigorous re-run of the plantation campaign in the Taj city, this ph ase envisages greening of â€Å"sensitive receptors† of pollution like the heritage monuments and the 42-hectare land strip along the NH-2 (Delhi-Agra-Kanpur), NH-3 (Delhi-Agra-Mumbai) and NH-11 (Jaipur-Agra) highways. A 3