Noise Pollution and Mitigation in Urban Developments Essay Example

Noise Pollution and Mitigation in Urban Developments Essay Example Noise Pollution and Mitigation in Urban Developments Essay Noise Pollution and Mitigation in Urban Developments Essay When the topic of pollution comes about, most people usually attribute it to air pollution. Air pollution is usually the first thing people think of because it is the highly debated form of pollution that occurs in most urban settings. What some people may not realize is that it is only one form of pollution that takes place. Pollution also exists in soil, water, light and noise. While these topics are known, some are not as readily discussed as much as the others. Noise pollution is often a topic not mentioned though is a problem in a lot of cities in the world. Through many years, many cities have seen the problem and have either added to it or made solutions to contain or reduce it. Noise pollution, while not always the most prevalent form of pollution discussed, is an important factor in the sustainability of a city and its citizens. In order to begin to discuss how noise pollution is important to the city it has to be defined. The definition of the word â€Å"noise† according to the Merrian-Webster’s dictionary is â€Å"any sound that is undesired or interferes with ones hearing of something. So for something to be polluted of noise is for it to be disturbed by sounds from someone or something. You can attribute the phrase â€Å"noise pollution† to just about anything. If you are in a crowded room with everyone talking, the room is being polluted by noise. This same concept comes when you are defining noise pollution to a city. What in a city causes it to be surrounded by noise? In reality, almost everything in a ci ty in one way or another contributes to noise pollution. Around the world, most major cities have tried their best to add all the things that most other major cities have and sustain it as best as possible. Things like public transportation, land usage, businesses, and highways are just certain factors that are made to create a city into a striving place that can prosper and be a model to other areas of interest. All these things bring the problem that most major cities face, including noise pollution. So what are the biggest factors that contribute to air pollution? The biggest contributors are when cities are nearby highways with traffic, airports, railroads, manufacturing plants or factories, areas of construction or destruction and even things like open concert venues Mayntz). Most cities have these structures centralized in their areas or very close to the area. Something these parts of the city have in common is amount of noise they produce. Vehicles in highways are making noise while they drive, planes with huge engines leaving and entering airports have high rates of sound, construction and destruction is noisy, trains are loud, factories usually have some noise from machinery a nd concerts are meant to play loud music. All these factors combined create in themselves a single loud noise that can surround their area. Though noise is a daily occurrence in most people’s lives, it is important that we see why it is a problem amongst people and a city as a whole. What some people don’t realize is that noise pollution is like air pollution and water pollution. It can have effects on the health and mental state of people living in and around cities that have issues with it. There have been many studies that have linked noise pollution with different type of health issues. Many people who live near cities that have high amounts of noise pollution often incur stress related illnesses, high blood pressure, hearing loss, sleep reduction, and even speech interference (EPA 1). Perhaps the most evident health issue that people have Noise Induced Hear Loss, or NIHL. Though many things in someone’s life can lead to a reduction in their hearing, many connections have been made toward noise pollution in cities have made the likeliness of it more prevalent (Suter 14). While noise pollution will not cause these things in everyone who lives near city or goes to one a lot in their life, the many connections made in many cities around the world to people who have some of these issues is very evident. By causing health and mental issues to the people, it then goes on to affect how a city is built and ran, or how it would have to change how it is going to stop it. The first part in how noise pollution is important to a city is on where it is created. As stated earlier, a large contributor to noise problems are highways. When creating a city that wants to be highly impacted by those who commute from places like suburbs or the countryside, there will need to be some sort of highway to get people there. That’s why most major cities have multiple highways or freeways that are nearby or even pass through them. With the amount of traffic the highways could endure, noise eventually rises. Poor planning on a city is how they maintain the noise pollution that comes from a highway. Reducing speed limits has shown to make a gradual decrease in noise. The problems that cities face when trying to reduce speeds is in more traffic congestion, which leads to poor transportation and air pollution. Many cities still seem to support the call for the end to noise pollution. Recently, many people who are living in cities near highways in Switzerland are lobbying heavily to make regulations on noise pollutions from highways stricter. They are calling for more sound-proof barriers along the highways, which is also something done to reduce noises from traffic. It is quite staggering how much people are willing to stop noise pollution at all cost. There have been many countries in Europe that have even been willing to pay more on their taxes to have their money go towards efforts that would reduce noise pollutions in their cities. In 2005, residents in urban developments near Spain were willing to pay four Euros per decibel a year to reduce noise in their neighborhoods (Viladrich-Grau 1). This not just meant highway reduction but also railroad noise and airport traffic. This leads into another problem with poor planning in cities and noise pollution: neighborhoods. Many large cities have begun to build more residential areas in the area of the downtown metropolitan areas. Housing in the area is made to cut some commuting for some people. The tradeoff can be that they must endure the noise pollution that the city can cause. Most suburbs aren’t even that safe from the causes of noise pollution. Looking at just here in Los Angeles County there are many cities that reside next to highways and railroads. There are even some that are within miles of airports, such as Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. Burbank is a city north of Los Angeles that has many residential areas and other cities with residential areas. There are many examples of areas that have these problems, especially dealing with the sounds coming from loud jets in airports. Tons of residents in the cities surrounding London’s Heathrow Airport made complaints of problems from jets, but little has still been done to change the effects from it. Road and airport noise are the biggest concerns when it comes to noise pollution. When cities begin to grow, we eventually grow into people living near or using these things every day. Cities have to deal with noise pollution no matter what. There have been some very famous cases of residents or local governments trying to fight noise pollution and the effects it has. Most new cities cannot avoid having noise problems, it is something that is almost inevitable with cities as they try to become more modernized and offer more to their citizen and those who wish to visit. In terms of vehicle noise, more has been done to reduce this in cities than other forms of noise pollution. Since most cities have to have roads and highways to be accessible, this is the number one concern to most people. Cities have begun to plan strategies to reduce noise pollution in all its form. This is called noise mitigation. Most cities have been helped in reducing noise pollution thanks to the introduction and growing popularity of the hybrid car. Though a big help, the hybrid car is still not even close to being used by most commuters. To help reduce noise on the road, places have made changes to their speed restrictions, road materials, and even technology in barriers that reduce sound. The city of Melbourne, Australia has had a very unique approach to reducing their noise pollution from highways that are close to communities near the Flemington area. The highway passing through this area is covered by a barrier made of bars. The design, while looking stylish, is made to reduce the sound made from vehicles passing through the road. The sound tube has successfully made noise from the road less heard by the people living near it. Melbourne has plans to add more noise reducing structures to their highways soon. It is plans like this that help the people living in areas around Melbourne to not worry about the effects of sound pollution. While commuter vehicles are a cause of noise pollution, so is city maintained public transportation. Many cities have made sure that routes for their bus or rail systems are following sound levels set by their governments and other programs. Dating as far back to the 1970s, computer models have allowed city public transportation authorities to plan out their routes and lines to make sure that they keep sound to lower levels (Kutz 1). The Boston Metropolitan Transportation Authority, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit, Houston Light Rail system, and Portland’s Beaverton light rail line have used this technology to have their buses and light rails reduce their noise levels and avoid areas where it can affect people the most. Road noise is the most common of the noise most cities face. As mentioned before, there is also the problem of airlines and airports. This however is more difficult to maintain as trying to reduce noise from an aircraft requires the companies that make the jets and airplanes to drastically change the way they build their machines. It has come to a point that no company would seek to drastically renew their engines for the sake of sound. The only way that airplane noise can be reduced is by city planning, flight time regulations or residential sound proofing (Suter 22). In terms of city planning, the idea is to have the developments of your city a good distance from airports. While a central business district may not be affected as much, it should still be a good distance from areas of that sort. The main concern is residential areas as they have the more population that are permanent and therefore can be affected by the problems associated with noise pollution. If neighborhoods were able to be a good distance from airports, the effects of their sound pollution would decrease or even be nonexistent. Unfortunately as cities expand, they go into whatever area was trying to be maintained to be a cushion from airport sounds. As cities expand or are near airports, regulations to come into place to soundproof the homes in the area. Here in the United States, the government took measures into seeing that the cities and towns surrounding airports would soundproof homes and businesses. The Federal Aviation Administration began projects in 1979 to insulate buildings so that they would be able to reduce noise from nearby airports. Over many years, the program created many soundproof residential areas that made homes and buildings with things like window glazing, fireplace baffling, and caulking construction seams (ASNAA 1). Canada has also made neighboring city developments to soundproof the area if it is in certain proximity to an airport using Noise Exposure Forecast (NEF). As mentioned with the London Heathrow Airport, the problem persist as homes are too close to airport landing sites that it is almost nearly impossible for the cities to greatly decrease the noise pollution problems. What some cities don’t realize that while the noise mitigation is useful for their citizens, it is also helpful to the environment that may surround them. The term â€Å"going green† is popular now as fears of global warming and dwindling resources are a reality. What most people don’t realize is that noise pollution is also something that needs to be taken care of when â€Å"going green. † Many cities across the world have made efforts to help the environment, and what they don’t realize is that though noise pollution seems like a problem just for humans that it is also an nvironmental issue. Many groups around the world have fought for cities and even countries as a whole to maintain themselves when it comes to noise issues. Most major cities in the U. S. and other countries have groups that are dedicated to reducing the noise pollution in their area or areas close to nature. The reason why they fight for noise mitigation near nature is that just as humans are affected by noise pollution, so are animal wildlife. Studies have shown strange activity from many species of animal when presented to areas that have issues with noise pollution. The Los Angeles area has a group named Citizens Against Noise whose motto, according to their website, is â€Å"To fight all kinds of noise pollution. To educate the public about the connection between noise and stress, and how it lower the quality of life and damages both your physical and mental health. To lobby lawmakers and pressure the authorities to solve the problem of excessive noise. † The group is also dedicated to helping areas around nature to reduce their noise pollution even more. There are many more groups that have the same goal, such as Alaska’s â€Å"Quiet Rights Coalition,† British Colombia’s â€Å"Ban the Canon Initiative† and Hong Kong’s â€Å"Hush the Bus Movement. † All these groups are helping cities find the balance to make sure noise pollution doesn’t affect their lives and nature anymore. This is how everything eventually fits into how planning and sustaining a city. All types of pollution are tied into each other. Most air pollution is contributed from traffic congestion and emissions from factories and plants. These emissions from factories and plants can also cause water and soil pollution if it is close to the source. These things can also have an effect on light pollution as traffic and a building’s lights are ongoing. The one thing that these things will always seem to have in common is the characteristic of noise. When it comes to making a city run well, you have to try and keep these things nonexistent or to the lowest possible point of affecting anyone. It would seem that the dream of developers is to try to make themselves a city that can be sustainable and profitable. Cities seem to be made to centralize business, pleasure, and home. The problem with cities though is that sometimes they are planned to be something and then eventually over time becomes something else. Cities begin to grow into different areas; they can sometimes see an increase in population that may not be able to handle it and even can unforeseen events that cause distress. With noise pollution, it seems that it is something that can’t be avoided to make a city run with many things that create the issue. So as it becomes almost necessary to bring in different types of pollution, it leads the solution to be brought up by the cities itself. Just like the current situation in Switzerland, regulations for noise pollution may be passed by the government but if something else is not regulated it then something should be done about it. Luckily, citizens of cities who are affected by the issue are taking a stand and demanding that something be done to reduce the noise. They are striving to make their city more sustainable. By attempting to create some sort of noise mitigation, they help the citizens of the area and also to whatever else it could possibly be affecting, i. e. nature. That is why so many groups are active in trying to bring forth the subject of noise pollution. It is unwanted and unhealthy for many. A city that reduces this problem will be more desirable to live in or work in. With more people doing that, it creates an effective chain of work that could eventually lead to other parts of the city such as other forms of pollution and sustaining things like transportation, business, and human activity. Noise mitigation is an essential part to making a city sustainable. Cities that have been planned poorly or are crumbling to the effects of it show a lack of sustainability. Many examples have shown that some minor and major changes to structure or regulation are all that it takes to make a difference in reducing noise issues. Most people should be concerned about this issue as health and mental states are at risk. We also have to think about how it is affecting nature. Some cities have taken the initiative to try and mitigate the problem, but some who have serious issues with it have not done a thing or failed at their attempts. Though the issue may be lack of resources or funds to create projects for noise mitigation, it should still be seen as a concern as cities continue to expand and populations grow. With no sustainability with noise, the growing population and nature will be dealing with more issues than those of greenhouse gasses and violence. : Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act of 1979. 1979. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. . CITIZENS AGAINST NOISE (C. A. N. ) Los Angeles, California. Free HOA Websites, Neighborhood Websites, Homeowners Association Websites, Condo Websites, and Community Websites Neighborhood Link. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. . Kutz, Myer. Handbook of Transportation Engineering. New York, NY [u. a. : McGraw-Hill, 2004. Print. Mayntz, Melissa. Types of Pollution. Major Environmental Issues | Going Green. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. . Melbourne Planning Proposals. Melbourne: VicRoads. Web. 22 Apr. 2011. . Noise Pollution | Air and Radiation | US EPA. US Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. . Open Directory Society: Issues: Environment: Noise Pollution. ODP Open Directory Project. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. . Suter, Alice H. Noise and Its Effects. Rep. Administrative Con ference of the United States. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. . WRS | Noise Pollution Persists despite Federal Rules. World Radio Switzerland. 27 Apr. 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. .

Differences Between Correlation and Causation

Differences Between Correlation and Causation One day at lunch a young woman was eating a large bowl of ice cream, and a fellow faculty member walked up to her and said, â€Å"You had better be careful, there is a high statistical correlation between ice cream and drowning.† She must have given him a confused look, as he elaborated some more. â€Å"Days with the most sales of ice cream also see the most people drown.† When she had finished my ice cream the two colleagues discussed the fact that just because one variable is statistically associated with another, it doesn’t mean that one is the cause of the other. Sometimes there is a variable hiding in the background. In this case, the day of the year is hiding in the data. More ice cream is sold on hot summer days than snowy winter ones. More people swim in the summer, and hence more drown in the summer than in the winter. Beware of Lurking Variables The above anecdote is a prime example of what is known as a lurking variable. As its name suggests, a lurking variable can be elusive and difficult to detect. When we find that two numerical data sets are strongly correlated, we should always ask, â€Å"Could there be something else that is causing this relationship?† The following are examples of strong correlation caused by a lurking variable: The average number of computers per person in a country and that country’s average life expectancy.The number of firefighters at a fire and the damage caused by the fire.The height of an elementary school student and his or her reading level. In all of these cases, the relationship between the variables is a very strong one.  This is typically indicated by a correlation coefficient that has a value close to 1 or to -1.  It does not matter how close this correlation coefficient is to 1 or to -1, this statistic cannot show that one variable is the cause of the other variable. Detection of Lurking Variables By their nature, lurking variables are difficult to detect. One strategy, if available, is to examine what happens to the data over time. This can reveal seasonal trends, such as the ice cream example, that get obscured when the data is lumped together. Another method is to look at outliers and try to determine what makes them different than the other data. Sometimes this provides a hint of what is happening behind the scenes. The best course of action is to be proactive; question assumptions and design experiments carefully. Why Does It Matter? In the opening scenario, suppose a well-meaning but statistically uninformed congressman proposed to outlaw all ice cream in order to prevent drowning. Such a bill would inconvenience large segments of the population, force several companies into bankruptcy, and eliminate thousands of jobs as the country’s ice cream industry closed down. Despite the best of intentions, this bill would not decrease the number of drowning deaths. If that example seems a little too far fetched, consider the following, which actually happened. In the early 1900s, doctors noticed that some infants were mysteriously dying in their sleep from perceived respiratory problems. This was called crib death and is now known as SIDS. One thing that stuck out from autopsies performed on those who died from SIDS was an enlarged thymus, a gland located in the chest. From the correlation of enlarged thymus glands in SIDS babies, doctors presumed that an abnormally large thymus caused improper breathing and death. The proposed solution was to shrink the thymus with high does of radiation, or to remove the gland entirely. These procedures had a high mortality rate and led to even more deaths. What is sad is that these operations didn’t have to have been performed. Subsequent research has shown that these doctors were mistaken in their assumptions and that the thymus is not responsible for SIDS. Correlation Does Not Imply Causation The above should make us pause when we think that statistical evidence is used to justify things such as medical regimens, legislation, and educational proposals. It is important that good work is done in interpreting data, especially if results involving correlation are going to affect the lives of others. When anyone states, â€Å"Studies show that A is a cause of B and some statistics back it up,† be ready to reply, â€Å"correlation does not imply causation.† Always be on the lookout for what lurks beneath the data.

Viewing Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Viewing Art - Essay Example The majority of the art produced by Soviet artists was created to support the ideals of the government and make their communism present in every part of the culture, especially the visual arts. Soviet art of the period consisted of pictures of workers farming, working in factories, or similar actions. In one way, it was good because they pictured women working alongside men which reinforced the idea of equality, but there is very little difference between the characters. They all look the same, which reinforces the Soviet idea that a person was only as valuable as their work to the state (â€Å"Into the 20th Century†). Examples of art used to oppress people are not limited to despotic foreign countries. Sometimes art can be used to reinforce social customs that are discriminatory or racist. The American film Birth of a Nation has been credited with justifying racism and discrimination against African Americans in the America south. The movie tells a fictional account of the fo unding of the Ku Klux Klan and how it was started to protect good white southerners against the black Union soldiers after the American Civil War. Birth of a Nation expressed a mythology about the southern United States and its identity that was not true and justified the use of violence and mistreatment of African Americans. In fact, the movie has been credited with reviving the Ku Klux Klan, which by then had already become inactive (Armstrong). Visual art was also used before the American Civil War to promote an idea of how the south was and to cover up the cruelty of slavery. Many landscape paintings of southern plantations did not picture slaves, instead focusing on the beautiful buildings and crops of the owners. Other landscape artists did paint African slaves into their pictures, but sometimes pictured them working happily alongside white workers. These representations perpetuated an idea of the American south as a peaceful, prosperous part of a country, whose slave owners w ere kind and whose slaves were happy (Mack). With all the time that people spend looking at art and interacting with it, we do not step back enough to wonder about what a piece of art or a piece of graphic design is saying to us. Most of the time, we simply respond. A good deal of art created in modern society is designed to get people to do things: to click on a banner, to buy something, to inspire feelings of patriotism or anger. Advertisers depend on the fact that the viewing public will not really step back and evaluate how an advertisement is trying to manipulate them and that they will just respond and click, or buy something, or vote a certain way. Claude Monet’s painting â€Å"Regate a Argenteuil† is a masterpiece that communicates more than the simple coercive ideas behind Soviet art and art in advertising. Monet’s impressionism was about replicating the experience of seeing something commonplace, rather than the realistic reproduction of grand and hero ic or mythological events as was popular in the 19th century. This painting, in particular, is not a realistic rendering of sailboats on the river Seine. The We Museum website calls it a â€Å"bold simplification† in which Monet was trying to capture the mood of boots sailing on a beautiful day (Pioch). Monet attempted, in this painting, to communicate that mood and his understanding that

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 47

Reflection paper - Essay Example a tourism manager in the future, I can devise better means and/or give travellers gadgets in which they can record their travelling experiences including taking photos and recording videos. The conversation presented in this article reflects to my personal travelling experiences, which can be used to formulate tourism management strategies in future. Heat-Moon ascertains that the American topography is diverse and thus travellers should try and visit the various types of American landscapes. Caputo adds that travelling in America is best experience, compared to other countries (Caputo and Heart-Moon, 2013). In the past two years, I have travelled across many parts of the country and I have seen that America is gifted with a wide range of landscapes. The deserts in New Mexico and mountains in Arizona are incredibly unique and outstanding, compared to other parts of the world. As you travel, you will meet different people who will change your worldviews and perspectives. As Caputo recounts, I can argue that that travelling in America exposes you to different types of â€Å"social landscapes.† The conversation brings forth the aspect of different characteristics of a tourist and a traveller. When you plan to visit places as a tourist, you often use the main roads and superhighways, as Caputo recounts (Caputo and Heart-Moon, 2013). His colleague adds that a tourist will never use the back roads like the travellers. In the past, my personal travels were not that enjoyable because most of the times we used the main roads. However, when I changed my travel plans and became a traveller, I enjoyed the diverse American landscapes and people. Therefore, it’s much better to become a traveller rather than a tourist who is always on time budgets and visits specific places. Keeping record helps in deepening the experiences when you share them with your friends and family. Based on the conversation and my personal travelling experience, I can advise tourism managers with means

Feminism is for Everybody Essay Example for Free

Feminism is for Everybody Essay Feminism is a social, cultural, moral and political advocacy encompassed on gender issues such as inequality. In this regard there are several writings that concerns the principles of feminism. The contents of literary works about feminism vary, some writers intend to advocate for the very cause of feminism blindingly, some authors, conversely, intend to provide information about feminism in a non-political or non-equalitarian manner. One such notable content can be found in Bell Hooks publication, Feminism is for Everybody. Hooks book gives the reader a whole different perspective on the radical feminist theory. The primary intention of her book is to bring the feminist point-of-view to non-believers, apathetics and unfamiliar. Hooks also counters the popular notion regarding feminism as she feels that these notions should be given proper attention and correction. In this manner, the common misconception on the ideas of feminism will be clear to society. In the book, Feminism is for everybody, the author rejects the usual beliefs connected to feminism and considers such belief as nothing more than a myth. Hooks puts the arguments and advocacies of feminism in a summarized manner in order to provide a simpler context to readers as well as well as a new concept of what feminism should be. Hooks new concept of feminism suggests a fight against stiff sexism in a benevolent society, thereby ultimately advocating for an inclusive movement. In Feminism is for Everybody, Hooks traces the roots of the feminist movement and gives detail on what it has achieved so far. an advocacy minus the associations of anti-sexism (Hooks, 2000). The historical background of feminism is given in order to put emphasis on the misconstrusion that happened along the way and to give way to the new concept of the movement. Hooks raises the question is feminist a philosophical belief or a political cause, given that the author tackles the arguments of the radical feminists. The debate whether feminism is a philosophical belief or a political cause can also be caused by one of the books chapters tackling gender oppression. The basis may be seen on the idea typecasting male as the enemy, the categorization of man as the oppressor and woman is the oppressed is the primary reason behind feminisms second wave, however, Hooks also does not take away the fact that females are also responsible for such opression given that it took time for the supposed oppresed to spearhead for change (Hooks, 2007). Hooks furthers this by giving the past mistakes of feminism and the misleading beliefs that feminists associated themselves with. This is on the account that most feminists focus on the problem and not on the solution. In a personal account, I am taken to a different world as far as feminism is concerned, primarily because Bell Hooks gives a different appraoch in discussing the cause of feminism. It is also notable that the author diminished the complexities of the feminist thought but still detailed enough to get me educated. The book caused me to reconsider my prior beliefs regarding the arguments presented by feminists. The non-traditional manner of Hooks presentation eliminated my angst towards feminists and made me realize that it is time for change, Hooks compelled me to believe that it is time to dispose of the misleading conventional feminist beliefs of the past and focus on the current issues, moreover, Hooks made me believe that feminism is indeed for everybody. References Hooks, B. (2000). Feminism is for Everybody. Cambridge: South End Press.

Grapes of Wrath :: essays papers

Grapes of Wrath In John Steinbeck’s epic, The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family is the example of the working class family during the 1930s. The novel depicts the Joad family as they are struggling to move from an infertile farm in Oklahoma to the gold coast of California. They are driven off of their farm by not only the â€Å"dust-bowl†, but because they can’t pay the mortgage to the banks, despite their hard work. Work is a very important theme in the book. Steinbeck is describing a family whose livelihood comes from working on the land. This has two meanings. The first describes their jobs as farmers who are literally working on the land to make it produce crops. The second meaning however is much deeper; it describes the actual process that farmers such as the Joads go through on the farm. They â€Å"work† the land by cultivating it and treating the soil the right way. They put their own blood, sweat, and tears into the land. In return the land sprouts crops, which they would then sell for money. The land however is destroyed by the dust bowl and the Joads have no place to work. They are skilled only for the farm. This is the first idea that Steinbeck gives about work. He shows a family with a skill, but in a place where the skill had no worth. Al seems to be knowledgeable about fixing cars, but for the most part, the only way that the Joads have, or can survive is as farmers. This is a direct statement on what the Industrial revolution was doing to America in the time period. The jobs on the farm that were done by hand were becoming machine tasks. Steinbeck makes a very blatant statement against the machines that came about and blamed them for much of what happens to the Joads that force them to leave the land. Steinbeck doesn’t only use the machines as the machine that literally forces the Joads off of their farms, but also incorporates the ideas that the big businesses are using the machine to do the jobs of the actual farm families. Work is what the driver of the tractor had to do when he comes to remove the Joads from the land in Chapter Five.

Bargaining power of supplier Essay

Bargaining power of supplier is also known as the amount of control your suppliers have over the price of goods you purchase dictates whether this area is an opportunity or threat. This is driven by the number of suppliers of each essential input; uniqueness of their product or service; relative size and strength of the supplier, and cost of switching from one supplier to another. In this case, Minbaochong Sdn Bhd is the supplier of Eight Eleven, the largest chain of twenty-four hour grocery stores in Malaysia. MinBao brand is one of the most popular brands of bread in Malaysia which supposed to give Minbaochong Sdn Bhd a strong bargaining power. However the tremendous mistake made by Kelvin Tan, the sales manager of Minbaochong Sdn Bhd, closed a deal with Eight Eleven by offering them a price concession and allowing them to offer a 400 gram loaf of MinBao bread for RM3.00 instead of its recommended retail price of RM3.20. This strategy causes sales of MinBao bread in supermarkets an d other outlets declined significantly and resulted Eight Eleven is now accounted for one-third of Minbaochong’s sales. Further, the company already burdened by debt acquired in its recent spin off was on the edge of bankruptcy lower the bargaining power of Minbaochong Sdn Bhd. The bargaining power is now with Eight Eleven as Eight Eleven controlling one-third of Minbaochong’s sales and even Minbaochong Sdn Bhd terminate the contract and stop supplying bread to Eight Eleven, it does not affect much to Eight Eleven because they have its own house brand or there is greater presence of substitute inputs for Eight Eleven means the extent to which it is possible to switch to another supplier for an input or a close substitute, thus it results the bargaining power of suppliers, Minbaochong Sdn Bhd become lower. Competitive rivalry The intensity of rivalry among competitors in an industry refers to the extent to which firms within an industry put pressure on one another and limit each other’s profit potential. Competitive rivalry affects the competitive environment and influences the ability of existing firms to achieve profitability. High intensity of rivalry means competitors are aggressively targeting each other’s markets and aggressively pricing products. This represents potential costs to all competitors within the  industry. High intensity of competitive rivalry can make an industry more competitive and decrease profit potential for the existing firms. On the other hand, low intensity of competitive rivalry makes an industry less competitive and increases profit potential for the existing firms. In this case, the competitive rivalry is low because competitors have unequal size. Eight Eleven was the largest chain of twenty-four hour grocery stores scattered all over Malaysia. By having nume rous branches of grocery store leads to the great advantages against other competitors. Besides that, Eight eleven had a strong strategy that preventing them to receive any threats from rival. â€Å"Every Day Low Price† Although the product selling by Eight Eleven is lack of differentiation and Eight Eleven have high fixed cost due to numerous branches in Malaysia, but Eight Eleven is well known among the market and able to offer a lower price compare to other grocery stores due to large number of stocks held by Eight Eleven. This will eventually enhance the brand loyalty of Eight Eleven’s customer as customer switching costs are high. Hence the competitive rivalry is low due to Eight Eleven is the main driver of the grocery stores and had established a strong market base in Malaysia.

Antigone Mock Trial Essay

For you to find the Defendant guilty of the crime of Contempt, you must be convinced that the prosecution has proved one of the following beyond a reasonable doubt: (1) the Defendant misbehaved in the King’s presence or so near thereto as to obstruct the administration of justice; or (2) the Defendant disobeyed or resisted a process, order, rule, decree, or command of the King. For those who don’t remember the play clearly, here is a brief summary: Antigone completes the story of the family of Oedipus the King of Thebes, who kills his father and marries his mother. Following the death of Oedipus, his sons Eteocles and Polyneices are to rule Thebes alternately. Eteocles assumes the throne first, but when Polyneices’ turn comes, Eteocles refuses to yield the throne. Polyneices attacks Thebes, and he and Eteocles die in the battle. Creon assumes the throne and gives Eteocles a hero’s burial, but commands that Polyneices be allowed to rot in the open since he is a traitor to the state. Antigone, Polyneices’ sister, throws a handful of dust on the corpse as a symbolic burial. Creon orders her imprisoned. Under the urging of his son Haemon, who is Antigone’s fiancee, Creon relents, but before he can free Antigone she kills herself. Haemon and Creon’s wife Eurydice also commit suicide. Witness for the Defense (Ismene, Haimon, and Tiresias) Responsibilities You will serve as a defense witness for Antigone throughout the trial. Preparation Before the trial, you will create an affidavit as a witness for the defense (your testimony of what you think happened). This affidavit should be one-page in length and typed neatly. When your affidavit is complete, meet with the Defense Attorneys and discuss your testimony. Give a copy of your affidavit to all attorneys and judges (me) by ____________________. On Trial Make sure you know your character & testimony well enough to be that person in class. After the trial, turn in your final copy of the affidavit with both of your names on it. Post Trial Write an essay explaining the whether you believe the verdict is fair or not based on your interpretation (the interpretation of your character) of what happened in the play and in the mock trial. Essays must be 4 paragraphs in length. Witness for the Prosecution (Sentry, Creon, Choragos) Responsibilities You will serve as a prosecuting witness throughout the trial (Antigone is guilty of the charge). Preparation Before the trial, you and will create an affidavit as a witness for the defense (your testimony of what you think happened). This affidavit should be one-page in length and typed neatly. When your affidavit is complete meet with the Defense Attorneys and discuss your testimony. Give a copy of your affidavit to all attorneys and judges (me) by ___________________. On Trial Make sure you know your character & testimony well enough to be that person in class. After the trial, turn in your final copy of the affidavit with both your names on it. Post Trial Write an essay explaining the whether you believe the verdict is fair or not based on your interpretation (the interpretation of your character) of what happened in the play and in the mock trial. Essays must be 4 paragraphs in length. Antigone Responsibilities Create an affidavit (what you think happened) for your testimony. At the end of your testimony, enter a plea of guilty or not guilty and explain your reasoning. Craft your persona around how Antigone is presented in the text. Strive to imitate her, based on any evidence the text gives about her personality and habits. Preparation Before the trial, you must create your affidavit, which should be one page in length and written or typed neatly. Make a copy of your plea (guilty or not guilty) and your reasoning and submit it to the prosecution (you can just give them your affidavit). Work with the defense attorneys to develop a case in your favor. On Trial At the beginning of the trial, you will stand with the defense attorneys and enter your plea. Make sure you know your character & testimony well enough to be that person in class. Again, use the book as your guide! Post Trial Write an essay explaining the whether you believe the verdict is fair or not based on your interpretation (the interpretation of your character) of what happened in the play and in the mock trial. Essays must be 4 paragraphs in length. Prosecuting and Defense Attorneys Responsibilities Review the affidavits given to you by witnesses and decide how to formulate your questions to best serve your argument. Develop an opening statement, closing statement, and a list of questions to ask each witness to help you win the case. Preparation With your team of attorneys and witnesses, complete a case outline (see attached) to develop your argument using textual evidence from the play. You will question the witnesses during the trial, so work with your attorneys and witnesses to create examination questions to best serve your argument. Your examination should create a witness testimony of approximately 5 minutes. On Trial You will give your opening statement, examine your witnesses using the examination questions you developed with your team of attorneys, and give your closing statement. After the trial, turn in your exanimation questions and your case outline with your name on it. Post Trial Write an essay explaining the whether you believe the verdict is fair or not based on your interpretation (the interpretation of your role in the trial) of what happened in the play and in the mock trial. Essays must be 4 paragraphs in length. Jurors Responsibilities Create a brochure using Microsoft Publisher reporting the crime, including quotes from the text, articles, and pictures. Decide a final verdict of Guilty or Not Guilty Preparation While others are preparing their roles for the trial, you will on your brochure using Microsoft Publisher reporting Antigone’s crime. Be sure to include a name for your brochure, a large & catchy headline, articles, and relevant pictures. On Trial Listen attentively to all testimonies & statements given. Take notes (see attached). You must have these in order to create a final verdict of guilty or not guilty and your explanation. After the trial, meet & vote with your fellow jurors to decide what verdict you will submit to the judge (Guilty or Not Guilty). After the trial, submit your final verdict with trial notes attached.

Northwestern University Application for MBA †Example Essay

Northwestern University Application for MBA – Example Essay Free Online Research Papers Northwestern University Application for MBA Example Essay 1.Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at Kellogg. (one to two pages double-spaced) Since I had worked in the product department of xxx, the yearly income was $xx million in 19xx, my major problem was a lack of knowledge in Finance and Management. Upon graduation from undergraduate studies, I was employed in the Management Planning Team. Because I did not have the background in business administration from majoring in xxx Literature in undergraduate, I realized the difficulty in grasping the concept of general company matters,marketing analysis, and setting up the short and long-term marketing plan. When I participated in the future development of xxx and sales project for 10 months that began in February 19xx, I realized that I was incapable of successfully performing my duties as an Assistant Manager with 8 staff members for a project in which the company heavily depended upon. It was then that I had realized what special talent was needed to become a successful manager. For instance, while analyzing xxx, xxx’s technological advantage and marketing strategies, I realized the importance of learning Marketing Research and Strategy. I also realized the importance of Financial Management and Corporate Financial Policies when planning sales and marketing strategies for the future sales of xxx and strategies for i ncreasing our market. Through these experiences, I became strongly motivated to applying to your college. I am applying to Kellogg in order to develop my management talent and abilities. Through the various advanced management theories and the LEAP and GIM programs offered at Kellogg, I hope to cultivate practical problem-solving skills. By selecting courses in my major such as management strategy, finance, and entrepreneurship, I intend to establish a firm and fundamental framework of business management knowledge that is essential to my career. And if possible, I will obtain summer internships at McKinsey and A.T. Kearney while enrolled at Kellogg, and attempt to gain an understanding of U.S. corporate culture, which will be essential to my international experience.Upon graduation from Kellogg, I plan to be the most representative person at xxx. by learning and applying the strategies of these large growing global corporations in Chicago, and if possible I would like to analyze our competitors, xxx and xxx. I would also like to have experience with the U.S. market and its’ customer characteristics in preparation for future plan of xxx to set up xxx subsidiaries in U.S. I plan to work for 5 years at xxx. after graduation from Kellogg, by improving xxx so that it will rank second to xxx. My long-term goal is to be able to challenge the CEO’s of the top 5 ranking companies in Korea, such as Hyundai of Korea. In addition, to achieve my goals, I plan to earn the CFA certification upon my MBA studies. Armed with the CFA certification and Top School’s International bent, strength in finance and management training, I will be ready to place that call to the trader in China, conduct a teleconference with xxx corporation in Tokyo, and visit the CFO in America. 2.You have been selected as a member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Please provide a brief evaluative assessment of your file. (one to two pages double-spaced) I am confident that Mr.xxx is an applicant with the qualifications that meet Kellogg’s standards, for the following reasons. In his experience, his creative ideas stand out. xxx Campaign program for Korean customers, which was implemented in June 19xx by his suggestion, was evaluated to have improved customer growth rate by 7% after 6 months of implementation, and was given the Best Suggestion Award in 19xx. A program called â€Å"Contests for English Writing†for the xxx University students which was implemented by his suggestion during college, increased English Composition Club participation by 80%; we judge this to be a concrete case in point that demonstrates Mr. xxx’s creativity. His business administration talents were made evident during xxx’s labor-management negotiations process, which took place in April of 19xx. In these labor-management negotiations lasting two months, which dealt with the salary increase limits for employees, Mr. xxx was selec ted to be the deputy team leader among the negotiations mediation team of four people representing xxx. The accurate materials on employee surveys from other xxx companies in Korea, which he researched for a month and presented, played a crucial role in the 50% mutual compromise reached between labor and management. During his employment, Mr. xxx was active in xxx’s labor union as a non-permanent member of the mediation committee.His strong academic credentials are also a big plus. He showed in just 4 months up to increase GMAT xxx points. He accomplished this while working full time and attending evening classes, which is further proof of his outstanding ability to excel in his studies. 4. Complete three of the following six questions or statements. (Two to three paragraphs each) E. What personal qualities do you need to develop to become a more effective manager? If I am given the opportunity, I would like to study Corporate Finance and Financial Strategy. Without the knowledge of finance, I could not successfully manage the company and be an incompetent businessman. I would like to focus my studies on subjects relating to Entrepreneurship and Marketing. I believe that I am qualified to be competitive among your students because I have earned a certificate of Accounting and Finance, sponsored by xxx in 19xx. Along with this basic background, I am currently studying Finance as a graduate student at xxx University Business School so that I may not have any difficulty in come up with your program. F. I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me†¦ First, the primary reason why I apply for Kellogg is the importance of alumni association in which the school advocates. I believe that close interpersonal relationship and networking will serve as the basis for practical business in the future. My colleagues and I will be able to learn the importance of cooperation in supportive environment that Kellogg will provide. For the past few months I have been in the U.S. with few connections, I realized the importance of a strong supportive alumni association. For instance, if an alumni association of Kellogg in Korea proves to be weak in the future, I believe that it can be a downside in proving my talents and in taking the advantage of networking as a businessman. For this reason, I made it necessity to transfer to a university in the Top 20 ranking. Secondly, Kellogg will enable me take the opportunity of its’ location. Due to the location of xxx University in a rural place, I am having a difficult time in experiencing the American culture. I would like to learn about American corporations that are located in the city and this will enable me to get a better grasp of the American market. With this knowledge, I believe that I can successfully apply it to Unix Electronics, Co., Ltd. in Shaver’s diverseness in customer characteristics. I would like to transfer to your university because of the opportunities that I can take from its location in the city because I realize that I cannot combine class time and individual studies from the xxx University, which is x hours away from the city. Thank You. Research Papers on Northwestern University Application for MBA EssayAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaThe Project Managment Office SystemDefinition of Export QuotasResearch Process Part OneMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfOpen Architechture a white paperIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalLifes What IfsInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Definition and Examples of Cataphora in English Grammar

Definition and Examples of Cataphora in English Grammar In English grammar, cataphora is the use of a pronoun or other linguistic unit to refer ahead to another word in a sentence (i.e., the referent). Adjective: cataphoric. Also known as  anticipatory anaphora, forward anaphora, cataphoric reference, or forward reference. Cataphora and anaphora are  the two main types of  endophorathat is, reference to an item within the text itself. Cataphora in English Grammar The word that gets its meaning from a subsequent word or phrase is called a cataphor. The subsequent word or phrase is called the antecedent, referent, or head. Anaphora vs. Cataphora Some linguists use anaphora as a generic term for both forward and backward reference. The term forward(s) anaphora is equivalent to cataphora.   Examples and Uses of Cataphora In the following examples, cataphors are in italics and their referents are in bold. Why do we envy him, the bankrupt man? (John Updike, Hugging the Shore, 1984)A few weeks before he died, my father gave me an old cigar box filled with faded letters.In The Pendulum Years, his history of the 1960s, Bernard Levin writes of the collective insanity which seized Britain. (The London Evening Standard, February 8, 1994, quoted by Katie Wales in Personal Pronouns in Present-Day English. Cambridge University Press, 1996)If she were alive today, [Barbara] Tuchman would surely be preparing to pen fresh furious pages tonight, as the president seeks to rally his faltering domestic popularity with summonses of support. (Martin Kettle, If He Resists the Siren Voice of Folly, Blairs Legacy Is Secure. The Guardian, June 25, 2005)You must remember this:A kiss is just a kiss,A sigh is just a sigh. (Herman Hupfeld, As Time Goes By, 1931)This, I now realize, was a very bad ideasuggesting we do whatever Terry Crews wants for the day. (Joel Stein, Crews Control. Time, September 22, 2014) It must have been tough on your mother, not having any children. (Ginger Rogers in 42nd Street, 1933)Too scared to buy before they sell, some homeowners aim for a trade.So I just want to say this to the Congress: An America that buys much more than they sell year in and year out is an America that is facing economic and military disaster. (Congressman James A. Traficant, Congressional RecordHouse, September 25, 1998)After she declared herself broken, betrayed, at bay, really low in another organ yesterday, Im not sure the Diary should even mention poor Bel Mooneys name. (The Guardian, August 9, 1994) Creating Suspense With Cataphora [Cataphora] is in evidence in the next example, which is typical of the opening sentences of books: Students (not unlike yourselves) compelled to buy paperback copies of his novelsnotably the first, Travel Light, though there has lately been some academic interest in his more surreal and existential and perhaps even anarchist second novel, Brother Pigor encountering some essay from When the Saints in a shiny heavy anthology of mid-century literature costing $12.50, imagine that Henry Bech, like thousands less famous than he, is rich. He is not.​[John Updike, Rich in Russia. Bech: A Book, 1970] Here we meet copies of his novels before we know who he is. It is only several lines later that the possessive adjective his links forward to the proper nouns Henry Bech in the text that comes after. As you can see, whereas anaphora refers back, cataphora refers forward. Here, it is a stylistic choice, to keep the reader in suspense as to who is being talked about. More usually, the noun that the pronoun links forward to follows soon after. (Joan Cutting, Pragmatics and Discourse: A Resource Book for Students. Routledge, 2002)Strategic Use of Cataphora [M]ore often than not, protypical cataphora is motivated by a planned or strategic delivery of a referent, such as in news-telling like the following: Listen to thisJohn won a lottery and got a million dollars! Prototypical cataphora thus is rarely associated with problems in lexical retrieval. (Makoto Hayashi and Kyung-Eun Yoon, Demonstratives in Interaction. Fillers, Pauses and Placeholders, ed. by Nino Amiridze, Boyd H. Davis, and Margaret Maclagan. John Benjamins, 2010) Cataphora and Style [S]ome prescriptive grammarians have gone so far as to condemn the practice [of cataphora], for reasons of clarity and, more blandly, good style. So H.W. Fowler declares the pronoun should rarely precede its principal, a view echoed by Gowers . . .. This has led to problems in terminology. The term antecedent, for example, is commonly used to refer to a coreferential NP in an anaphoric relation; there is no equivalent expression for the *postcedent NP, however. But by an odd semantic license, some grammarians, and of different schools of thought, use antecedent in this sense. (Katie Wales, Personal Pronouns in Present-Day English. Cambridge University Press, 1996) EtymologyFrom the Greek, backward carry Pronunciation: ke-TAF-eh-ra

DROPPING THE ATOMIC BOMB RIGHT OR WRONG DEBATE Essay

DROPPING THE ATOMIC BOMB RIGHT OR WRONG DEBATE - Essay Example This in turn forced U.S to use force to compel them of thinking otherwise (Wainstock, 76). 2. The decision was right because it would bring a swift end to the war that if left alone would have carried on for many years. This would in turn lead to millions of people being killed only because of a war that both sides would have agreed. The Japanese had Kamikazes, and this turned out to be one of the most expensive operations that the United States had encountered. Most of the U.S navy suffered since they were on the offensive. The United States had to move in order to reduce their casualties on land (Wainstock, 91). 3. The bombing was the right decision because it proved that the United States of America were the world’s dominating world power and thus they wanted to prove that they could have ended the way with the flick of a switch. The United States had acquired a new device and was willing to try it on anyone who would challenge their power. At the time, they were in conflicting terms with Japan and this meant that Japan would face the brunt of their actions. Had the U.S chosen to march into Japan to fight the enemy, they would have lost because Japan had the numbers. There was no way that America would win with the convectional force that awaited them on land (Wainstock, 136). 4. America was racing with time because the Japanese ministry had decided that they would leave no prisoners when the war ended. Anyone who was caught would have to deal with Japan and the punishment for being caught was death. There were about 1 million Chinese people who had been caught during the war and out of these; only about 55 remained by the time they wished to surrender. They were killing them in masses such as burning them alive in groups. If the war had continued longer, it would have meant that there would be more people who would have