Introduction to Environmental Science Essay

Be able to define an environmental factor. There are two types (condition and resource). What is the difference between a condition and a resource? Be able to categorize particular environmental factors as conditions OR resources (for example, temperature is a condition and not a resource). Be able to rank from smallest to largest: ecosystem, landscape, biome, biosphere Be able to rank from smallest to largest (in terms of numbers and diversity of life): species, population, biota and biosphere. Also, what is the difference between a population of a species and a species overall? Make sure you can explain the Law of Limiting Factors. What is the difference between the optimum conditions, the zones of tolerance and the zones of stress? Can life exist outside of the zones of tolerance? Outside of the zones of stress? Be able to list the primary atoms in organic compounds. What is the difference between a producer and a consumer? Be able to classify life as one or the other. Make sure you know the products and reactants for photosynthesis and cellular respiration. In each of the following cycles, be able to identify the primary source for each atom (atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere): Carbon cycle, Nitrogen cycle, Phosphorous cycle. Be able to categorize an environmental resistance factor as population density-dependent or density-independent. Some examples may include food availability, water availability, disease, temperature, wind and available space/shelter. What are biotic potential and environmental resistance, and how are they related? Be able to define critical number (what this means for a species survival), threatened and endangered. Make sure you can list characteristics of a K-strategist versus an r-strategist. Is an elephant a K- or r-strategist? What about a fly? Be able to describe, and identify, the following community interactions: predation, competition, mutualism, commensalism, amensalism. What is an adaptation? Be able to identify common types of adaptations of organisms (camouflage, prickles on cactus, ability to store water in the desert, hibernation in cold climates, long necks to reach food, etc. see table in your Power Point and textbook). See more: introduction paragraph example How does the process of selective pressure influence the processes of evolution and speciation? What IS the process of speciation? What is time frame for evolution and/or speciation of complex species (i.e., not single-celled organisms like bacteria)? Can species that evolve from other species still mate with the species from which they evolved? How are the Theories of Evolution and Continental Drift complimentary? Be able to identify the exponential growth rate equation and the logistic growth rate equation. What are the differences between the two? (For example, carrying capacity is only in logistic growth, the shapes of the curves are different.) Be able to describe how (in what way) each of the four human population revolutions impacted the carrying capacity for humans on Earth. Make sure you can tell me what each of the letters stands for in this equation, I = (P x A x T)/S, and how increasing and decreasing each will change environmental impact (I). Make sure you know what each of these trophic categories or food web terms are: Autotrophs, Heterotrophs (includes decomposers, consumers), Producers, Consumers (first-order, second-order, third-order). Where do herbivores, carnivores and omnivores fit into the consumer classes? Be able to list the 6 major biomes, and compare them in terms of precipitation and temperature (precipitation is the primary factor that determines biomes, and temperature is the second most important factor). What are common values that humans place on biodiversity? What was the goal of the Endangered Species Act? Does it protect the organism only, or also its habitat?

Current Research in Astronomy Essay

For many astronomers, Adaptive Optics is something like a dream coming true. Since 1609 and the first observations of celestial bodies performed with the help of an optical telescope, astronomers have always fought to improve the resolving power of their instruments. For a long time, engineers have trimmed the optical quality of the telescopes, until they finally reached the barrier set by the atmospheric turbulence. At that point, the intrinsic quality of the site became a major issue to establish new observatories with modern telescopes, and astronomers started to desert the urban skies and to migrate toward mountains and deserts (Alloin and Mariotti 2004 9). The recent emergence Adaptive optics aims at providing diffraction limited long exposure images at large telescopes, which is greatly considered as one of astronomy’s breakthrough (Alloin and Mariotti 2004 9; Espinosa 1997 12). By far, the largest limitation to the application of adaptive optics to astronomy is very limited sky coverage when using natural guide stars for wavefront sensing. Similar limitations existed for many military applications of adaptive optics (Espinosa 1997 12). Adaptive optics systems provide a real time correction of the distorted wavefronts; they restore all the properties of light prior to the final part of its travel through the atmosphere (Alloin and Mariotti 2004 9). Discussion Adaptive Optics: Wavefront and Laser Guide Star (LGS) Adaptive optic systems for atmospheric turbulence compensation require a reference star for correcting wavefront distortion. The sodium LGS relies on resonant backscattering of a laser tuned into the D2 sodium absorption line to provide a reference, but LGS must sufficiently bright to correct high order wavefront aberration (Zamorano, Gorgas and Gallego 2001 317). The key concept in adaptive optics is the wave front, which is found by tracing out an equal optical path (distance x refractive index) from a source to the region of interest. For a point source and free space, wavefronts are spherical, and for starlight, the distance is so large that for all practical purposes the wavefronts entering the Earth’s atmosphere are plane. After propagating through the random refractive index of the atmosphere, the wavefront entering the telescope pupil is random, and its statistics determine the image quality, and govern how an adaptive optical system might be used to compensate for the distortion (Agerorges 2000 4). Such effect greatly depends on the laser lunch power, polarization’s beam, atmospheric transmission and the sodium column density, which, if obtained appropriately, might even enhance the imagery, increase the scope of telescopic observatory, and improve the image details of pictures obtained from astronomical studies (Zamorano, Gorgas and Gallego 2001 317). The use of LGS AO has caught on quickly within the astronomical community in large part because, equipped with adaptive optics operating at the diffraction limit in the near-infrared, the new 6- to 10-m telescopes possess the capability to match the angular resolution in the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in the visible and to exceed its resolution in the near infrared (Rodier 256). Laser Guide Star LGS, basically, is a technology that utilizes AO imaging in order to enhance graphical imagery of telescopes and view astronomical images with additional quality. The technology uses an artificial star in order to act as a wavefront reference source, which consequently corrects light distortion (Zamorano, Gorgas and Gallego 2001 317). The need for a bright stellar was always a concern for astronomical applications of adaptive optics. To operate, a wavefront sensor must have sufficient light to overcome photon noise and background noise with enough light left over to form the image. In astronomy, few stars of scientific interest are sufficiently bright. For imaging uncooperative satellites, reflected light is often too dim or nonexistent. In 1985, French astronomers Foy and Labeyrie published work detailing how one might use backscatter from a laser focused to a point in the atmosphere as an artificial beacon (a guide star) for astronomical adaptive optics. As work progressed in the astronomy community to build and test a laser powerful enough to have sufficient backscatter for the Foy-Labeyrie method (Tyson 2000 5). Since the beginning of the 1980s, classified U. S military work was addressing the problems of projecting high-energy laser beams from the ground to space for missile defense and secure communications. The research from 1982 at the U. S Air Force Starfire Optical Range (USAFSOR) directed by Robert Fugate advanced the laser guide star concept and produced a wealth information about laser performance requirements, adaptive optics system operation, atmospheric physics, and closed loop image of space borne objects. By 1991, the bulk of military work on laser guide starts was declassified and made available to astronomers around the world (Tyson 2000 5). Currently, LGS is being developed by various nations, setting up their own laser beacon and extensively enhancing research through the said technology. The use of a laser beacon as the reference source enables faint objects to be compensated by adaptive optics, at the expense of greater hardware complexity. The laser beacon must be directed within the isoplanatic angle of the science object at the observation wavelength; although, this procedure provide only short-exposure correction. On the other hand, a fixed natural guide star possesses the ability to further stabilized the image during long exposures so that sky coverage depends on the distribution of stars, which consequently enhances the space imagery (Hardy 1998 309). There are many cases where the object itself, such as a sunlit satellite, is insufficient for wavefront sensing. In astronomy, there are billions of stellar objects too dim for sensing and not near enough in the sky to bright objects. For high-energy laser propagation to uncooperative targets or satellite tracking and imaging, an artificial source must be placed above the atmosphere to provide photons for the wavefront sensor and subsequent compensation. Lasers actually provide only partial correction, because a natural star still is required and opposite tilt upon traveling up into the atmosphere and returning (Tyson 2000 6-7). Particularly exciting development is the use of adaptive telescope mirrors to compensate for the distortion of stellar images produced by atmospheric turbulence. Using adaptive optics, ground-based telescopes are now demonstrating diffraction-limited performance, albeit over relatively small fields of view. It can be expected that large ground-based telescopes will have higher resolution and light-gathering power than space-based telescopes, since both of these performance metrics depend on aperture size. Moreover, ground-based telescopes can be larger than those space-based ones; hence, enabling higher development and scope for stellar imagery. The adaptive optical system of LGS displays 0. 07-arcsecond resolution, which is almost a hundred times better than past ground-based telescope systems but uses a telescope built approximately 80 years ago (national Research Council 1998 137-138). Conclusion LGS AO is one of the breakthroughs of current astronomical imagery, which provides enhanced images and display features that are usually not present in the space-based telescopes, such as HCT. The mechanism involved utilizes a guide star or an artificial star that facilitates the graphical imagery. LGS works as distortion corrector enabling enhanced imaging through AO ground-based telescopes. Conclusion Ageorges, N. Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics for Astronomy. Springer, 2000. Alloin, Danielle M. , and Jean-Marie Mariotti. Adaptive Optics for Astronomy. Springer, 2004. Espinosa, Jose. Instrumentation for Large Telescopes. Cambridge University Press, 1997. Flectcher, L. † Solid State Laser for Subaru Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics. † Subaru Telescope. 6 July 2005. 8 Jan. 2008 . Flectcher, L. Observational Methods. 14 Feb. 2005. 8 Jan. 2008 . Hardy, John W. Adaptive Optics for Astronomical Telescopes. Oxford University Press, 1998. National Research Council (U. S. ), . Harnessing Light: Optical Science and Engineering for the 21st Century. National Academies Press, 1998. Roddier, Francois . Adaptive Optics in Astronomy. Cambridge University Press, 1999. Tyson, Robert K. Adaptive Optics Engineering Handbook. CRC Press, 2000. Zamorano, Jaime, Javier Gorgas, and Jesus Gallego. Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics II. Springer, 2001.

Role Play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Role Play - Essay Example In this paper, we would be outlining in detail a role play activity and discuss on the anticipated learning outcomes and procedure, including the sub-skills of speaking that will be focused. The consideration of new learning tasks that become possible with new technologies should be part of the educator's strategic learning plan (Freeman & Capper, 1999, pp.95-116). We thus decided to design and implement a role play as an interactive learning activity within one module of a teaching course for academic staff at a University. The role play was designed to trial the existing face-to-face workshop that might offer more flexibility of access for participants and provide an opportunity to explore various approaches to a contentious topic within the course. Sixteen participants were divided into two groups of eight participants each and given the same directions, information and role statements. The role plays were set up within a classroom, during which participants were expected to contribute to discussion from the viewpoint of the role they were playing. At the end of the role play participants were given access to the postings from both role plays and the contributions we re discussed. Marks were not allocated to the role play, although a specified level of participation was a requirement for course completion. Evaluation Methodology The evaluation methodology was grounded in the interpretive paradigm, the central endeavor of this paradigm being "to understand the subjective world of human experience" (Cohen & Manion, 1994, p. 205). Case study method was utilized, in which the researcher 'observes' aspects of individual or group activity in order to "probe deeply and to analyze intensively the multifarious phenomena with a view to establishing generalizations about the wider population to which the unit belongs" (Cohen & Manion, 1994, p. 106-107). In this case study the role play moderator is a "participant-observer" (Cohen & Manion, 1994, p. 107), participating to some extent in the activity being evaluated. To determine the effectiveness of the role play activity the moderator analyzed the descriptive accounts and the face-to-face discussion responses. Participant responses to the activity were also evaluated by questionnaire using closed questions on a four point scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree, with provision for open comments. The questionnaire and discussion covered the effectiveness and purpose of the role play; feelings about taking part; anonymity; and role engagement. Eleven of the fourteen participants completed the questionnaire and participated in the discussion. (Initially sixteen participants were allocated roles but two left the course) The Role Play Description and Purpose The role play was designed to provide participants with a realistic forum to discuss the issue - the letters column of a supposed local newspaper, the Daily View. The role play took place at a mythical university in which criterion referenced assessment had been used within a subject. All students had achieved 100%. Participants discussed the merits of norm referenced and criterion referen

Ownership Structure and Financial Performance Essay

Ownership Structure and Financial Performance - Essay Example The paper talks about the measurement of the ownership structures with respect to financial performances and finally generates an understanding of US and UK based companies by distinguishing them on the basis of ownership identities and level of concentration. The development in corporate governance practices and regulations pertaining to disclosures of ownership are also discussed. Various measures of financial performance are highlighted and discussed in relation with the research topic. It has been concluded that ownership structure has an impact on financial performances, but with varying interests as there are other internal and external factors that may play a vital role in reducing or increasing productivity. It has been identified in this report that the relationship between ownership structure and financial performance of firms is not observed to have a similar trend in different countries. Corporate governance comprises of control mechanisms through which corporations are governed and directed to perform their duties effectively. The ownership structure needs to be directed by corporate governance because lack of transparency of ownership structure may have an adverse impact on financial performances. In other words, it can be said that ownership structure shows the types and compositions of different shareholders that have an influence on company’s key decisions areas so they need to be administered by corporate governance in order to carry out their processes in ethical and transparent manner. The purpose of this paper is to generate an understanding of the relationship of ownership structure and company’s performance. In this regard, investigation of UK and United companies is carried out in this paper.

Timothy Mc Veigh ( terrorist) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Timothy Mc Veigh ( terrorist) - Research Paper Example The involvement of an American left the whole nation in a shock as most of the terrorist attacks in United States were carried out by a foreign agency. Timothy McVeigh used to be in United States army but got against the state due to certain incidents that took place in the history of the US. This essay would revolve around the life of Timothy McVeigh and his aims in life with regard to success and failure that he could achieve in life (Michel & Herbeck 2001). Timothy McVeigh was born in Pendleton New York in the year of 1968. He had two siblings and was the only boy in his family. He grew up in a rural community near Buffalo, Niagara and Canada and had a very disturbed life from an early age. His father was a worker in the General Motors manufacturing plant and his mother used to be a homemaker. His life seemed in turmoil at a very early age when his parents divorced each other when he was ten years old (CNN News 2001). His childhood was the most disturbing of all as it saw different types of events happening all over his life. His parents were not always around him and he felt their need as was quoted by one of his best friend’s mother "I just felt for him," she said. "His mother wasnt around. The father worked nights. The kids were alone. But he never showed any troubled side to me. He never seemed to be affected by it. He was always smiling, always polite.† But his problem was not limited as it was also noticed by boys li ving in the neighborhood. According to them McVeigh had a different life than any of the boy living in the area as he did not seem to enjoy the slightest moments of life, such as the birthday parties. Tim had a business mind from a very early age and was innovative in his careers. Tim was that sort of a person who liked people all around him and so he built himself a haunted house in his basement where he used to call upon his friends. Timothy McVeigh held his own weekend casino

Outlook report for Marks & Spencer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Outlook report for Marks & Spencer - Essay Example On the other hand, the market share of Marks & Spenser in Food is 3.9 percent.1 Marks & Spenser Food retailer is considered as one of the UK’s leading high-quality food provider. The company is offering fresh produce, groceries, ready and partly prepared food. Today the company has total 668 stores throughout UK, out of which 156 are simply food wholly owned outlets and 182 are simple food franchises. In order to evaluate the factors based on which Marks & Spenser Food Retailer has been able to sustain its brand name as a value-creating brand, an outlook of Marks & Spenser has been presented here. This outlook will evaluate the various challenges and prospects for the company during the last few years. In spite of the cultural differences, Marks & Spenser Food has been able to operate very efficiently in terms of macroeconomic policies. The company has been able to expand by building strong relationships with other countries. However, during the last few years, because of the worsening macroeconomic conditions, the governments of various states have been introducing different policies, which have affected the operations of Marks & Spenser and other food retailers. The economic conditions and the recession have negatively affected the operations and balance sheet strength of Marks & Spenser. According to the annual reports of Marks & Spenser, in the year 2009, the company has to reduce its dividends by 20.9 percent. The Chairman Sir Stuart has also reported in the annual report that the decision of cutting dividends have been taken because of two reasons; first, economic conditions of the company and second, the need of the company to retain financial strength and flexibility. Moreover, the profits of the company have declined by 40.0 percent because of the conditions on High Street and the important decision of the company to improve quality and value. The social needs of the

Handshake Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Handshake - Essay Example On the other hand, the American style of doing things is based on the trending behaviors and fashion. In this case, there is no specific way of doing things. Many Americans, especially the young generation, do not observe a specific way of life. The etiquette applicable in a given environment is unique. However, there is nothing that binds them to observing a way of life or a particular culture. In Saudi Arabia, only close male or female counterparts are allowed to shake hands. This implies that it is highly prohibited for a male to shake hands with females, especially when they are not closely related by blood. Handshake among members of the same sex is highly encouraged in many Muslim communities. This is done mostly to prevent cases of sexual immorality and to uphold the prestigious position that unmarried women occupy in the Muslim countries. Similarly, members of the same sex in Saudi Arabia have the freedom to keep shaking hands during a chat to emphasize on a point. It would be considered rude to reject such gestures especially when someone is new in the Arabian society. On the other hand, there is little handshake restriction in America. The basic American handshake is very straightforward and usually used as a greeting between friends, relatives or new acquaintances among others. It is important to note that handshake among young people (both male and female) is usually accompanied by either a kiss or a hug. This, contrary to Saudi Arabia, is considered fashionable and trendy. It will be shocking to find a male and a female American students shaking hands methodically and exchanging a kiss in public without alarming other people in the surrounding. Such actions are highly prohibited in Saudi Arabia. As such, an American student who traces his or her origin from a Muslim country experiences a culture shock in the first sight of greetings among American natives. The approach taken by Americans in greeting is very

Pricing Decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Pricing Decisions - Essay Example All the articles provide a framework through which managers and stakeholders within the marketing environment can understand pricing dynamics. In order to enhance objectivity of results obtained, these articles employ the use of scientific research processes in acquiring information. Therefore, findings at the end of each article reflects experimental results on pricing policies, efficiency of pricing models and the relationship between pricing decisions and productivity. Introduction In actual marketing context, product and service pricing plays a significant role in influencing attitude of current and potential consumers. In a competitive environment, consumers may avoid purchasing goods from a given manufacturer because of higher prices compared to other producers in the industry. On the contrary, Kunnumkal and Topaloglu (2010) say that setting product and service prices depend on the production cost as well as profitability objectives of an organization. In this case, any produce r has to reach a compromise between retaining consumers and pursuing its goals of profit maximization. According to Hoseason (2003), pricing models and policies contained within these articles proposes empirical mechanisms through which producers can achieve such an essential compromise. One article holds the opinion that pricing decisions should be in line with observed or expected customer behavior. In this case, all decisions regarding product price should take into consideration implications resulting from implementing adopted policies. Contrarily, other articles insist on the role of production cost in determining market price of products and services. Such a model seeks to establish an economic balance between production efficiency and pricing policies. Importance of the Study With respect to significance of information contained within the articles, one should acknowledge the fact that empirical pricing models are instrumental in responding to real world marketing problems. I n practical context, the economic forces of demand and supply may not prove realistic and responsive in explaining price elasticity. According to Mandy (2009), prices may be affected by other variables like distribution mechanisms, marketing channels and retail strategies. In this case, manufacturers need to appreciate resourcefulness of experimental approaches in making pricing decisions. Low price on products and services may induce customers’ propensity to make buy decisions. However, setting such low prices should be in synchronization with other determinant factors like cost of manufacturing and expected revenue of an organization. According to Leo, Chris and Verma (2012), certain market segments, especially those involved in tangible products are known to being more price sensitive compared to service delivery markets. In such cases, pricing decisions should be a function of price sensitivity variables and expected revenue. This explains why pricing policies are formula ted after thorough consideration to aspects of marginal costs and profits. Article 1 - Retailer Dynamic Pricing and Ordering Decisions: Category Management versus Brand-by-Brand Approaches, Kopalle et al, 2010. According to Kopalle, Hall and Krishna (2010), the aim of this article is to determine the effects of category management in influencing ordering decisions and sustaining profitability at a given pricing levels. It seeks to develop an empirical

English-language learning experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

English-language learning experience - Essay Example For instance, beginning at the junior high-level students were required to wear school uniforms that consisted of navy blue slacks and a button-down shirt with an emblem of my school’s name Iwaki Koukou on the front. Other regulations consisted of restricting hair length and how much money you could spend on snacks. I even recall having a teacher confront me because my socks weren’t regulation colors. The school week ran from Monday-Saturday and only included a month off for summer break. The large emphasis on regulation and education, with students attending school nearly year round, and the popularity of after-school lessons, resulted in many of my classmates losing interests in lessons and a notable majority skipping school altogether. The strict guidelines weren’t confined to only student conduct but also permeated the nature of lessons and the ultimate goals for education. Differing from the United States, entrance to Japanese high schools are determined on an acceptable basis and it seemed that many of my courses in middle school were geared towards cramming in as much information as possible so students would pass their entrance examinations. The English-language textbook we used was called New Horizon and it focused on grammar and vocabulary lessons, with different characters from around the world – there was a Canadian and an Australian in the book who would converse with Japanese learners. It contained a different lesson for each of the three years of chugakko.

Dating Single Parent Essay Example for Free

Dating Single Parent Essay Dating and the Single Parent is a book five star book, because Deal has done a marvelous job presenting useful steps for single parents who are divorced and is thinking of re-entering back into a dating relationship, or even remarrying. The book is divided into sections of dating to present a sequential sequence of steps to determine whether the single parent is ready, and what right decisions they need to make if they have children. The book is honest, and practical when it comes to addressing situations that every single parent goes through while trying to reenter the dating life. The book presented questions along with real life realties of dating when there are children involved in the mix. Deals admiration how the book as written from a strong biblical perspective. Deals main goal in this book is to motivate its readers to do the necessary work of a relationship building. The Appendix 2 of the book begins with a sample purity pledge. This section of the book organized activities for dating couples to involve in, such as flirtation and hugging, without having to be sexual involved with one another. Section one of the book focuses on dating with kids and dating willingness. Before an individual is ready to date the individual must have a goal in dating. Deals helps single parents determine whether or not they are ready to re-enter back into the dating world. Some single parents are single due to previous marriages that failed, which lead to divorce. Deal describes divorce as a traumatic experience. Yet some single parents never really get over the horrifying experience of divorce and remain single. But Deal has puts together a checklist to help single parents determine whether or not they are ready for the dating world Deal presents biblical principle throughout the book reminding single parents to always put God first in any relationship decision they decide to make. The part that stood out to me the most in this section was the discussion on when children are involved, how dating gets complicated. Ron Deal gives excellent advice on how to determine if kids are ready for dating, what to expect when dating a single parent, and things to consider before getting engaged, and growing the family into a step-family. Section two gives people supportive advice on right places to capture love. The section is split up into chapters labeled as â€Å"yellow light,† â€Å"red light, â€Å"and â€Å"green light.† Deal provides warning  signs that people should take into consideration when trying to date the opposite sex. Signs that single parents should take into consideration is â€Å"how will this person influence the kids?† â€Å"Is the man willing to date the person and their kids?† Last section Ron Deal provides readers with valuable guidance on marriage commitment, and step families. Deal’s has developed an interest ing perception on step-families. Throughout schooling many people have been taught that blended families were made up of step-families. But Deal argues that step-families should not be looked upon as blended families. Deal encourages single parents to take their time on dating and to trust in God for pursing a health Christian based relationship. Dating and the Single Parent Book so remarkable, because often time’s single parents suffer with trying to regain love, along with trying to find someone to accept their children. Deal offers awesome pointers to finding a relationship with kids, dating, and finding long lasting love. Discipline should always be done with love and with Gods approval, but not to make the children angry Ephesians 6:4(King James Version). Potential Use for Premarital Christian Couples The book, Dating and the Single parent does an excellent job at studying the difficult process of finding love in the center of having children and trying to date. Ron Deal does a marvelous job at citing biblical principles for single parent to follow while dating. I believe it’s unique that Deal offers biblical insight throughout the book. For example Deal refers to Christianity and faith in god when discussing learn all you can about stepfamily living. For example I’ve personally herd family members and friends say that stepfamilies are not Gods ideal for the Christian house hold. Many people believe this tale because they feel as though stepfamily ministry lessen to what God intended. I believe that Deal presents valuable content to premarital couples in the church, since church is the place where all types of families meet to hear spiritual teachings. Deal encourages couples to lean all you can about how stepfamilies function, operate best, and why they have the uni que complexities that they can do. Blended step families seems to be a growing trend in the United States of America. In fact blended families have been around since Christ created earth. Remarkable fact Jesus Christ was a part of a blended family. Remember Mary  and Joseph were in a commitment when she told Joseph she was pregnant. Mary and Joseph had not been sexually intimate when Mary told Joseph she was with child. At times Joseph thought about leaving Mary, but did not. Joseph chose to sick by his pregnant fiancà ©e, who he thought had betrayed him. Joseph was willing to go through the battle of scorn and believed in God. Joseph accepted Gods calling for him to love and care for Mary and Jesus. Ironically when you look at family dynamics point of view you can recognize that Christ, Joseph, and Mary were a blended family, a non-traditional unit. It’s very interesting to study that Christ came into the world experiencing a blended- family. In addition, Deal discusses how it is important for singles to take a good look at themselves in the mirror before trying to date again. When self is able to look, examine them they are able to piece together their motivations for dating, fears, loneliness, and unresolved hurt. In order for an individual to move forward in a healthy relationship one must be able to trust God when making future dating decisions and choices during dating process. Ron Deal teachings in his book presented challenges that face today’s modern Christian blended families. Deal presents awesome techniques to help strength relationships. Ron deal helps single parents and those who are dating understand unique family dynamics. Ron Deal help parents recognize that their families are lobed and favored by God. Critique As a future professional counselor, and friend to others, professional counselors should recommend this book to any person who is single with children, and or someone who is dating an individual who has children. Ron Deal has developed a straightforward spiritual guidebook for Christian single dating. The book Dating and the Single Parent opened up my eyes about the truths of relationship and family compatibility, by presenting scenarios to help me make decision.. It was great the way the author Ron Deal incorporated biblical teachings. Like Ron Deal teaches when a single parent is dating or thinking about remarrying someone, they should choose someone who involves setting a godly example for children and blessing them as God blessed us. Deal suggest all throughout the book for single parents whom are dating to â€Å"trust in God to manage the relationship.† Building a family after being single for so many years takes courage, perseverance,  tough skin, and determination. As mentioned earlier the bible presents many teachings of blended families, like Christ family with Joseph being Christ stepparent. I believe that Ron Deal book goes into great deal about giving guidelines for Christian families experiencing dating, and second marriages, while following biblical principles As Christian stepparents, it is important that they love children who are involved in the family unconditionally. Ministry teaches that it’s important that you don’t marginalize your step kids. It is important that the family that it is forming has some kind of respect and acceptance form one another in the family. As a new parent (step) entering the family they must submit themselves to the children with their heart. Another important principle that Deal discusses is educating oneself on stepfamilies. When single parents blend to create stepfamilies, sometimes the progress is not so successful. Many children do not want change and will become angry and frustrated with new family members. Even though remarriage is supposed to be a wonderful joy, many kids are often not as excited as parent and new stepparent. Deal has put together foundations for building a stepfamily. Deal suggests that single parent should take their time, and give everyone a chance to get to know one another and get use to the idea of marriage. Overall Dating and the Single Parent is a great read for single parents who are dating or who are thinking about entering the dating world. The book focuses on dating, and stepfamily relations. Deal sets forth approaches towards building romantic relationships on a Christian basis. References Demo, D. H., Acocl, A. C. (2006). Singlehood,marriage,and remarriage the effects of family structure and family relationships n mathers well being. Journal of Family Issues, 17(3), 338-407. doi:10.1177/019251396017003005 Sweeney, M. M. (2010). Remarriage and stepfamilies. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(3), 667-684. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00724.x

Translational Heading Control of a Hovering Platform

Translational Heading Control of a Hovering Platform Translational Heading Control of a Hovering Platform using Multiple Control Logic The main objective of this project is to design an attitude control system of a nonlinear and unstable system, which is a Hovercraft, a machine that can move on the land or water, and it is supported by cushion that has high compressed air inside. Attitude control of the hovercraft is considered a major challenge because of the friction offered by skirt and the aircushion. The main idea of this project is the development of a wireless controlled hovercraft testbed connected to a computer. The proposed control strategy for the attitude stabilization will be based upon Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) and Fuzzy Logic for the comparison of transient response, steady-state error and input output constraints satisfaction by the user. Thus ensuring if any disturbances are inflicted on the hovercraft, the controllers will be able to maintain the desired position. The reference for the attitude control will be provided from the computer. The magnetometer will measure the attitude in real-time and controllers will be implemented on myRIO. TABLE OF Contents Declaration Final Year Project Acknowledgements Abstract CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Framework 1.2 Objectives 1.3 Scope 1.4 Report Structure CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Recent Study References 1.1 Project Framework The hovercraft is a fascinating ground vehicle that possesses the unique ability to float above land or water. Riding on a cushion of air endows the hovercraft with many interesting and useful properties. Unlike wheeled robots, which feature constrained kinematics, the hovercraft can move freely in any direction. For example, although the lateral direction of travel is not usually actuated, the hovercraft is completely free to move sideways. In addition, the Coulomb damping acting on a hovercraft is minimal. The translational and attitude control perception of a hovercraft can be protracted to many control uses. A hovercraft that can rotate and attains a desired position while being mobile at the same time is designed and developed using motors, H-bridge motor driver, battery, magnetometer and NI myRIO. The controllers are designed using the software NI LabVIEW, which are then compiled and burnt on a NI hardware myRIO. The purpose of the control is to estimate the attitude of the platform with the help of sensors. Thus resulting in the use of the attained information from the sensors to make the propellers rotate in the required direction to sustain or alter the position of the hovercraft. An angular position based on the response of the control will be provided to the magnetometer. The response of the control will be transmitted through the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) control, which will either make the dc motors work clockwise or anticlockwise for the translation, and attitude control of the hovercraft. These values are then added and returned to the actuator, which requires this for the production a counter torque used to set the required position of the mobile hovercraft. Fuzzy Logic and PID controllers both will be implemented and used for this project where a detailed comparison will also be performed between the two using NI LabVIEW software and NI myRIO hardware. 1.2 Objectives The aim is to develop the proposed controlled strategy for the attitude and translational control of a hovercraft, which will be based upon PID, and Fuzzy Logic set with myRIO that will measure and compute the comparison of transient response, steady-state error, and input output constraints by the user and other key parameters. All the controllers will be designed in NI LabVIEW and implemented on NI myRIO. Development of a testbed based upon multi-rotor hovercraft. Control of translational and rotational movements through wireless link. Development and testing of PID controller for the attitude control of Hovercraft. Development and testing of Fuzzy controller for the attitude control of Hovercraft. Performance comparison (Transient response, peak time, settling time, steady-state error) of above mentioned controllers. 1.3 Scope The opportunities for gaining knowledge through this project will be: Using material available easily for the development of the mobile hovercraft. Translational and heading Control of the hovercraft using NI LabVIEW Using a magnetometer for the measurement of the incline along Z-axis. Understanding the working of translational and heading control and interfacing sensors at the same time. Using NI myRIO as the mainboard of the mobile hovercraft. Implementation of PID Controller on NI myRIO. Use of PID for the attitude control of the hovercraft. Implementation of Fuzzy Controller on NI myRIO. Use of Fuzzy Controller for the attitude control of the hovercraft. Measuring the Key Parameters (transient response, steady-state error etc.) of both the controllers. Performing a comparison between both the balancing controllers. 1.4 Report Structure As a summary, the flow of this report is briefly described below: Chapter 1: Introduction that provides the background, objectives and scope of the Project. Chapter 2: Literature review of the recent studies based on this project. Also contains a brief description of the different concepts used. 2.1 Recent Study Hovercraft is an air cushion vehicle, ACV, equipped for voyaging over land, water, mud or ice and different surfaces [1]. Many control techniques have been used to compromise for issues like computer torque methods [2], developed on the foundation of PID feedback [3] [4]. Optimal control [5], adaptive control [6], variable structure control (VSC) [7], neural networks (NNs), and fuzzy systems [8] are a few of the recommended control techniques. On the other hand, these strategies are only possible when the mechanical dynamic forces of the hovercraft are well known. A detailed study on the two above mentioned controller techniques i.e. PID and Fuzzy will be carried out for the control of the mobile platform. A hovercraft is not quite the same as other more ordinary, earthbound vehicle in that it requires no surface contact for footing and it can move unreservedly over an assortment of surface while bolstered ceaselessly on a self-produced pad of air. Researches have been made to concentrate the outline qualities and working rule of the air cushion vehicle, and utilize standard estimations to decide the lift powers required. The measurements of the air hole created are likewise computed particularly. The push powers required are enormously lessened because of the decrease in frictional strengths [1]. A famous inventor named Christopher Cockrell in 1955 devised the idea of hovercraft. It is a new means of transportation. The hovercraft is different from other transportation vehicles in a way that it has no contact with the ground and it rides on a cushion of air hence known as Air-Cushion-Vehicle (ACV). He carried out a set of experiments to observe and learn the force that an air jet could produce. Encouraged by the results he designed and made a simple hovercraft, which was a plate with a hole in the middle. A fan supplied the airflow through the hole lifting the plate off the ground. This design was far from optimal. The pressure of the fan was not used efficiently and obstacles in the surface were a problem. After this first design, the hovercraft has undergone a lot of development. British government provided funding for the development of hovercrafts because they saw possibilities to use it for military purposes. In 1959, the first hovercraft prototype crossed the English Ch annel. In 1962, a passenger service by hovercraft began. The largest passenger hovercraft in the world is used for the Dover to Calais crossing. It can carry 380 passengers and 40 cars. It can attain a speed of 70 mph (miles per hour), which makes it one of the fastest ferries in the world [9]. In a research paper the author, Michael McPeake discussed about the history of the hovercraft in 2004. The author discussed the very early hovercraft used named SR.N1. This hovercraft was considered the first real craft because most of the other hovercrafts at that time resembled the planes. The skirt size used on this model was 6 inches long and later to enhance the speed they shortened the skirt size to 4.5 inches and converting to gas turbine engines hence this doubled the speed of the hovercraft. In the book written by R. M. W. Sanders, the author used Electro Cruiser, an amphibious hovercraft as his experimental model. In order to analyze the hovercraft model, the author derived a dynamical model of the hovercraft with the Newton-Euler method. The author only conducted the simulation study and not tested the controller strategy with the real hardware [9]. The U.S Naval Army used the hovercraft in Vietnam. For two years, they used hovercraft against the Vietnamese guerrillas and for ground combat. The hovercraft model they used named SR-5. After the war, the last SK-5 became a showpiece at museum [9]. At the University of Moratuwa, a project was carried out in which they made a testbed to analyze the potential capabilities of a hovercraft [10]. The students at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign also have made a hovercraft testbed for Cooperative control [11]. From the study of paper Comparison between PID And Fuzzy Controllers Used In Mobile Robot Control, where a comparison has been performed between the concerned controllers, it is known that the main issue in the fuzzy controller is that it takes a longer time for computation as compared to the PID controller. The reason for this delay is due to the fuzzification of the inputs, calculation of the experiment through inference and defuzzification of the outputs [12]. In paper Amphibious hovercraft course control based on support vector machines adaptive PID, adaptive PID controller based on support vector machines (SVM) is applied in the course control of a hovercraft, but no comparison was performed using other controllers. This control technique demonstrates that the controller designed accomplishes high dynamic and enduring exhibitions, which brings another viable technique to take care of the issue of air cushion vehicle course control [13]. Other techniques like flatness based approach, dynamic feedback control and neural networks are applied as supplementary controllers to aid the PID controller by refining the forces against the turmoil [14]. Fuzzy Logic has been applied in the paper Fuzzy reasoning as a control problem, but no hardware experimentation has been performed. Fuzzy logic is commonly used for characterizing human speech terms into mathematical expressions for the controlling of a system. The steps taken to form the optimal rules for this logic are rather time consuming. Despite this drawback, this controller operates better than PID controllers due to their non-linear functions, which therefore lead to infinite advantages [15]. Although many comparisons have been performed over the years between PID and Fuzzy Controllers. The goal of this bachelor project is to set up a feedback controlled laboratory hovercraft using NI myRIO as a real-time controller. Apart from control, designing the electrical and mechanical system for this hovercraft is also a part of the assignment. [1] V. Abhiram, A Study On Construction and Working Principle of a Hovercraft, International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 308-313, 2014. [2] G. B. G. a. T. N. M. Nafar, Using modified fuzzy particle swarm optimation algorithm for parameter estimation of surge arresters models, International Journal of Innovative Computing, Information and Control, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 567-581, 2012. [3] J. J. Criag, Introduction to Robotics, New Jersey: Mass: Addison Wisley, 2004. [4] M. V. M. W. Spong, Robot Dynamics and Control, New York: J.Wiley Sons, 2003. [5] I. C. J. C. a. C. S. W.H. H. S.H. Chen, Design of stable and Quardratic-Optimal Static Output Feedback Controllers for TS-Fuzzy-Model-Based Control Systems, 8: 1, 2012. [6] K.-S. S. T.-H. S. L. a. S.-H. Tsai, Observer-based adaptive Fuzzy Robust controller with self-adjusted membership functions for a class of uncertain MIMO non-linear systems, International Journal of Innovative Computing and Control, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 1419-1437, 2012. [7] J. Z. P. S. a. Y. Xia, Robust Adaptive Sliding-Mode Control for Fuzzy Systems with mismatched uncertainties, IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 700-711, 2010. [8] O. D. a. .. H. H. S. C. Elmas, Adaptive fuzzy logic controller for DC-DC converters, Expert Systems with Applications, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 1540-1548, 2009. [9] M. McPeake, History of Hovercraft, Ms Giffen Tech High Senior Engineering, New York, 2012. [10] Project Hovercraft, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa, 2014. [11] First-year engineering students get creative at IEFX Explorations, Urbana-Champaign, 2016. [Online]. Available: www.mechanical.illinois.edu. [12] N. P. a. O. C. C. Popescu, Comparison between PID And Fuzzy Controllers Used In Mobile Robot Control, Annals of DAAAM Proceedings, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 223, 2011. [13] Z. L. M. F. a. C. W. X. Shi, Amphibious hovercraft course control based on support vector machines adaptive PID, IEEE International Conference on Automation and Logistics (ICAL), pp. 287-292, 2011. [14] H. S.-R. a. C. A. Ibanez, The control of the hovercraft system: a flatness based approach, IEEE International Conference on Control Applications. Conference Proceedings, pp. 692-697, 2000. [15] K.-Y. C. a. L. Zhang, Fuzzy reasoning as a control problem, IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 600-614, 2008.

Racial and Ethnic Identity Essay -- How it Feels to be Colored Me 2014

The African, Mexican, and Native persons have all interacted with the Dominant American culture in some magnitude; consequently altering each different group’s racial and ethnic Identity. Throughout the semester, I have discovered that in much literature writers had an ideal perspective on their own identity as well as the identity that the dominant culture influenced them to have. While doing some research I wanted to see what would be a transitional time frame for a person to be un-conditioned of many negative symbolic meanings in regard to minorities and immigrants. My research has shown that there was a hierarchical scheme where an individual can monitor his/her identity progression from one level to the next. This â€Å"Developmental Model of Ethnic and Racial Identity† was created during the black consciousness movement. It involves discovering true ethnic Identity and racial identity. Ethnic identity is defined as defining oneself the personal and social meaning of belonging to one particular ethnic group (Cushner, McClelland and Safford). Racial identity is similar in theory, but only differs in physical appearance. This model describes the five stage process of moving from a low racial consciousness, through a period of active examination of what it means to be black, [Mexican, or Native] and internalize a positive identity (Cushner, McClelland and Safford). These five stages are pre-encounter, encounter, immersion-emersion, immersion, and internalization. This model was then applies to all minority and immigrant groups in the country. The first stage of pre-encounter, people have self-hatred about their culture and self. They believe in most stereotypes that are shown through the ... ...ed by the writers of all of these poems and novels, and it represents the struggle of many people who have assimilated to the dominant culture or who are trying. I will continue to study this concept and extend my research even further to understand the entire minority and immigrant experience. Works Cited Anaya, Rudolfo. BLESS ME ULTIMA. New York, Boston: Grand Central Publishing, 1994. Print. Cushner, Kenneth, Averil McClelland and Philip Safford. Human Diversity in Education. 7th. New York: McGraw Hill, 2012. Print. Hughes, Langston. Literature 4332: American Minority Literature. n.d. Web. 3 May 2013. Hurston, Zora Neale. Literature 4332: American Minority Literature. n.d. Web. 4 May 2013. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: The Penguin Group, 1970. Print. Zitkala-Sa. Literature: 4332 American Minority Literature. n.d. Web. 5 May 2013.

Homophobia in Law Enforcement: Lethal Consequences :: Free Essays Online

Homophobia in Law Enforcement: Lethal Consequences The constitution guarantees life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all Americans, yet there is a group who endures a life without total liberty, restrictions on their choice of lifestyle and happiness, and unfair treatment which may even result in the untimely loss of their lives. This group of people currently facing discrimination and mistreatment is the gay and lesbian community of Washington D.C., and the perpetrators are the very people whose jobs are to ensure their safety. The law enforcement is not entirely protecting gays and lesbians in D.C., nor are they ensuring that they have basic human rights. The effects of discrimination or even just insensitivity in the police department can have catastrophic negative effects on the victims, the gay and lesbian community, and the city of D.C. as a whole. When people of certain minorities are not treated equally by the law, something must be done to improve this dangerous situation. In Washington DC on July 9th, 2001, an openly gay man, Alexander Gray, fell victim to two separate hate crimes. The first happened when several men made derogatory remarks about Gray’s sexual orientation, and then attacked and beat him with a shovel and a tire iron (Wilchins). Gray, both mentally and physically wounded, was then escorted home because he refused to go to the hospital for treatment of his injuries. The police drove him to his apartment, and friends say Gray was handcuffed in the backseat of the police car when he arrived (Fahrenthold â€Å"Gay Activists†). Alexander Gray was a victim of a brutal and traumatizing crime, yet the police treated him as if he were the criminal, by handcuffing him in the back of the car. The D.C. police officers responding to this hate crime were not able to treat the victim with gentleness and sensitivity he severely needed at such a time, but instead they treated him as a threat. Throughout its history, the Washington, D.C. police department has had troubles dealing with the gay and lesbian community. There has been much bigotry and discrimination in the way some officers handled matters concerning those who are homosexual. During the 1980’s many police officers held the stereotype that all people who were homosexual had AIDS, and some occasionally wore rubber gloves when they knew they would be dealing with gay individuals (Fahrenthold â€Å"Blue and Gay†).

Bridging The Gap Between Cross Essay example -- essays research papers

Building effective communication skills and relationships within a single culture is often challenging. Bridging the gap between different cultures makes building communication skills and relationships even more difficult. I will discuss some of the challenges of cross-cultural communication and the pieces necessary to build effective working relationships.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Typically, some of the basic assumptions we make when communicating with people from our own culture must be questioned and modified when communicating with people of another culture. First on the list of items for review is verbal communication. Parts of verbal communication, such as, tonality, tense, gender generalities and structure vary greatly from culture to culture. A majority of these differences are based on core values and perceptions in different cultures; therefore, such differences must be acknowledged if effective communication and relationships are to occur.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A principle rule of mutual respect is the basis for success in communication and relationships. Mutual respect should be based on the following criteria: „h always allow for and assume differences, until similarity is proved „h emphasize description, rather than definition or judgment „h practice empathy „h treat your interpretation as a unproved theory until further understanding proves certainty   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Often, cultural differences are easily identified and therefore, ea...

Why Relationships Fail

Why Relationships Fail Why is it that when we think we have the perfect person we lose them? It’s something that everyone has to experience in their lives, and it’s one of the hardest concepts to understand why this happens to us. When I look at relationships I think about Stephen R. Covey who once said, â€Å"Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships. † I believe the three keys to why relationships do or don’t always work are excepting others differences, trust and jealousy, and lack of communication. When you meet someone and have the certain click you do not always see the real them at first. In relationships you have to take time to learn about each other. When one is in a relationship they are forced to accept each other’s differences. This is only a small part of why some perfect relationships fail. It is sometimes hard for us to takes these differences and just accept them instead of trying to change them. We always want the other person to just change for us, and majority of the time that isn’t what they want to do. We need to look past each other’s faults and just accept them for who they are. After acceptance you have to be able trust the person you are with. I always remember that trust is the easiest to gain, but the hardest to gain back. If we are always honest in our relationship there is less tension. Having a confident attitude in one another has a great deal to do with successful relationships. If we are only worrying about what they could be doing wrong we will never be content. Jealousy is largest part of what we are experiencing when we don’t trust. Trust, honesty, and confidence; these all tie together to make a happy couple. Communication; it is a part of life that many struggle with today. It is something we do every day but can also be one of the hardest things to express at the same time. Communication in a relationship is what I believe the most important key to a working relationship. If we cannot communicate with someone that we should be close to with then it is going to be a ifficult struggle understanding what they are thinking. When you were little and your mom or dad asked you what was wrong you were always open to tell them, well this works the same way. We cannot make everyone happy but we are always trying to. If they are the right one for you they will be able to listen to you and understand the best of their ability. The feeling of not knowing what is running through the other person’s head is confusing to us. To work throug h problems together, communication is the only way to conquer this. Relationships are not always as simple as they seem. They are hard work and are something that we cannot try and fix on our own. Each person in a relationship is an equal part. Working together to accept each other for who we are, this is just one key to happiness. Also having confidence in one another can make or break a relationship. We need to remember that we should not be afraid to tell each other what we are thinking. We should act as an open book; showing the torn pages even if they are too mangled to read.

Book Reporter of Swim the Fly Essay

Their plan failed because Matt almost got recognized by Kelly in the girl’s changing room. However, Kelly and her best friends Valerie started to pay attention to Matt because his brave move of volunteering in the 100-m butterfly (or his appearance in the girl’s changing room? ). Ms. Luntz (their swimming couch) put Matt, a poor guy who can’t even manage a single lap, in the butterfly medley relay without even asking Matt. Sean and Coop came up with an idea to pretend having a stomachache in order to avoid the embarrassment. Matt’s grandpa sent a kitten to Mrs. Hoogenboom in order to get her attention which turned out Mrs. Hoogenboom almost found out he is the one who tried to suffocate the cat. Relate: T-S connection: I also have friends like Sean and Coop in my life that can not only have fun with but also share sadness with. T-T connection: Matt volunteered for the 100-m butterfly stroke championships so Ms. Luntz figured he wouldn’t mind doing another butterfly medley relay. However, Matt couldn’t even do one stroke and weren’t capable of swimming the fly. T-W connection: I saw a movie called American Pie which described similar situation in this book, a few guys fall in love with the hottest girls in their school and manage to date them out. Reflect: There are always some friends in your life who always make fun of you yet you never get angry with them. It is normal in the western culture for an old man to impress a widow who has just lost her husband? It is kind of unacceptable for me. This part of the book is the rising action because they hadn’t achieved their goal yet. The narrator is 1st person which is Matt himself. How does Matt’s grandpa’s relationship with Mrs. Hoogenboom relate to the story? Why did the author even mention it? Always be prepared, so when the opportunity comes you will be the one grabs it. ( If Matt can do butterfly stoke well enough, he will be able to join not only the medley relay but also the championships in order to impress the girl he likes. )

Marketing southwest airlines

Gone were the days when companies used to be product-focused, utilizing salespeople to sell their products to the market without any specific goals in mind. The advent of marketing changed all this and has since revolutionized the manner of marketing certain products and services. This paper shall look into the marketing strategies Southwest Airlines is currently utilizing to gain a good market share amidst a long list of airline companies today. Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines was initially incorporated to serve three cities in Texas as Air Southwest on March 15, 1967, by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher. Air Southwest changed its name to Southwest Airlines In early 1971 and the first flight was recorded on June 18, 1971.   Over the years, Southwest has added improved 737 variants but has stayed within the Boeing 737 family to reduce operating costs. Because this technique simplified training, maintenance, and ground operations, it revolutionized the industry's approach to building aircraft fleets. In January 2005 Southwest put to rest its remaining 737-200, the oldest type in its fleet. This event was highlighted with employees wearing pajamas for an early morning flight covering the original Dallas-San Antonio-Houston before returning to Dallas and called this â€Å"putting the -200s to bed†. Marketing Strategies Southwest is known for putting value to the most important people, the customers and the employees. The success of behind a company’s success is its people who understand the significant contribution of their company. Southwest believes that with unsatisfied employees may be translated to unsatisfied customers. The company is known for its distinct customer service philosophy.   Lovelock and Wirtz (2002, p. 58) made is clear that a good customer service spells a big difference in gaining a good number of customers. Southwest must see to it that despite the large number of airline companies that exist today, customers must continue to fly their airline. This is no easy task considering the challenge of trying to beat the other airlines who may offer lower fares or provide more valuable services. Flying on Southwest is quite different from that of most other U.S. airlines such as that tickets are only available and may be purchased from the airline itself. They are not available through travel agents or through common online venues. The tickets may be bought over the phone or via online transactions at the company’s website. Another thing that sets the company aparts from other airline companies is that reservations can be changed at will without corresponding penalties. To an ordinary customer, this service means so much. There’s another way Southwest is doing to gain more customers. It offers Rapid Rewards where customers receive one credit per each one-way ticket (http://www.airfleets.net/ageflotte/Southwest%20Airlines.htm). This program was eventually modified to provide a better offer to customers who frequently fly the airline company. In February 2006, Southwest instituted Capacity Controls to redeeming its free tickets. This means that the airline limits the seats offered to frequent travelers using free certificates on each flight, whereas previously if there was a seat available, you could use the award, provided you were not flying on one of the five blackout dates. Southwest has added fun in its advertisements such as â€Å"just Plane Smart,† The Somebody Else Up There Who Loves You† and â€Å"The Low Fare Airline†. This is its way of reaching to its targeted audience in the simplest and easiest way possible. Since the 1990s, Southwest has come up with television campaigns based on the phrase â€Å"Wanna get away?† Their TV commercilas are filled with funny scenes showing how people appear during situations they find themselves while ‘wanting to get away’. What really distinguishes Southwest from other airlines is its sound clip ‘ding which is now being associated with the company. Conclusion No amount of enticing marketing strategies will be able to entice the most number of customers if all they get are airline employees who give them the cold shoulder. This is something that Soutwest is being known for and its management is trying to build up among its employees. Southwest employees are generally regarded for their friendliness. The Economist   came up woth a Special report entitled â€Å"Low-cost airlines Turbulent Skies† in July 8, 2004 highlighting the present dilemma airline companies are facing. The 9/11 incident actually changed the way people are dealing with airline companies. No one can deny the fact that people have started developing a kind of fear against flying. Peterson (2004 p.124 ) illustrates the changes which companies like Southwest may undertake to compete with the times by using marketing principles attuned to the times. As Lovelock and Wirtz (2002), there are better ways to deal with certain situations that beset companies like Southwest. The problem left by the 9/11 incident among airline companies, the best way to sell or encourage more customers to fly Southwest is to offer them more than just low-cost fares. It is important to provide them the best customer service experience no other airline can give. Works Cited: http://www.airfleets.net/ageflotte/Southwest%20Airlines.htm (Retrieved September 12, 2006) Lovelock, C., & Wirtz, J. Services Marketing People Technology Strategy. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. July 2002 Low-cost airlines Turbulent Skies. The Economist Special Report. Jul 8th 2004 Peterson, B.   Blue Streak: Inside jetBlue, the Upstart that Rocked an Industry. Portfolio Hardcover. 2004      

Nvq Level 2

How to make an individual aware of the effects of poor hygiene on others Personal hygiene is a topic often brought up during the pre-teen and teen years when a youngster's body is developing. However, there are times when adults need to be reminded about personal care as well. When subtle hints about showering or using deodorant have no effect, a conversation is the next step. This conversation can be uncomfortable for us and the resident but it doesn't need to be.With some preparation and a few helpful props, we can talk to someone about personal hygiene and help him implement improvements. Step 1 Begin the conversation with a compliment, such as making note that the individual's hair looked very clean the previous day. Continue the conversation by stating the poor hygiene that we have noticed. Will use words like, â€Å"I have noticed† instead of â€Å"You don't. † Simply identify the problem area for the individual, whether that is showering, oral hygiene or somethin g else.Step 2 Continue the conversation by discussing the personal care steps the individual seems to be skipping. If this appears to be a shower, will ask the individual when she/he showers regularly or if she/he had time to shower that day. Step 3 Evaluate the individual's response as to why the hygiene step has been skipped. If it wasn't skipped, then the next step would be to discuss how to do it correctly. Will provide a demonstration if possible or offer the correct hygiene products to fulfil the task.Step 4 State our concern over the individual's hygiene. Phrase the concern carefully and use caring words. Step 5 Will offer the individual the personal care item she/he may be lacking, such as deodorant or mouth wash. Step 6 Will end the conversation by affirming the person. This can be done by stating how much we care for him/her, assuring that this hygiene issue doesn't change our relationship or helping him/her devise a personal care plan. Step 7 Will ask if the individual ha s any questions.

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Literature Review - Essay Example After a thorough review of primary and secondary sources, their investigation revealed a difference between the decisions of budget cutback and information technology. Cost effectiveness was found to be an important criterion for making the decisions of budget cutback. These decisions took lesser time to be made and were quite volatile in their nature i.e. may alter with time. Here, number of participants was not affected by the content of decision. Contrary to this, cost effectiveness was found unimportant in the decisions of information technology, time consumed in decision making was longer and once made, decisions were generally permanent. This tells that the content of decision can have a great impact on the significance of various criteria, time consumed in the decision making process and the stability of decision. This finding contradicts the conventional understanding that cultivates in the minds of people regarding the factors that affect the process of decision making. In t he conventional understanding, the process of decision making is only controlled by the contingencies originating in the environment and the organization. 2. In his research, Nutt (2005) compared the decision making in the public sector with that in the private sector with the help of an experiment. To achieve this, decision making in a business company was compared with that in a governmental agency that was supported with tax. Practices and preferences of mid level managers were captured with the simulation in the public and private sectors. Managers involved in the study were required by simulation to estimate the risks and opportunities of acquiring budgets for the two sectors. In order to design the budget that would be sufficient for an organization functioning in a public and private sector, a cognitive culture was used which placed emphasis on the estimation and bargaining. A controversial and otherwise amount of budget was used for both the cases. Results of their research suggested that managers in public sector make use of networking and bargaining while those in the private sector make use of estimation and assumption. These results were consistent with the hypothesis that public sector managers prefer group decision making whereas private sector managers believe in individualistic capabilities. The research concluded that managers go for budgets that suit their individualistic cognitive style. The difference in the support of budget decisions in the public and private sector managers essentially speaks of the work culture that dwells in the two types of settings. Most works in public sector are done through networking and bargaining, whereas in the private sector, one has to rely on one’s ability and assessment to make the rational decisions. 3. In his research, Al Yahya (2008) studied an integrative multiple links model among three traits, namely the sharing of power-influence in making the decisions, work-related outcomes (WRO) and cultur e of Saudi Arabian organizations belonging to the public sector. These conceptual associations have not been explored much in the public sector organizations conventionally. Traits of competence as knowledge, ability and skill are used effectively in the participative practices as shown by the model of structural equation. This influences individuals’ thoughts about WRO that include but are not limited to

MGMT 3010 Managing People For A Competitive Advantage Essay

MGMT 3010 Managing People For A Competitive Advantage - Essay Example Human resource personnel play a major role in the management of people throughout the organization. The human resource department is responsible for recruiting and selecting new employees. Once an employee is selected the job of the human resource professional does not end because HR personnel help in the development of employees by providing training and educational opportunities. The HR department also serves as a protection barrier due to the fact that their job involves ensuring companies complies with the pertinent labor laws of the state. Whenever there are problems with employees the human resource department steps in to take disciplinary actions. They also step in to solve any employee disputes among co-workers. The first line managers of organizations have the critical job of overseeing the work of a group of subordinate workers for which they are responsible. A supervisor is a person that is responsible for the day to day performance of a small group of people (Reh). The su pervisor is supposed to establish close relationships with his crew of workers in order to be able to motivate them to achieve higher levels of performance. The supervisor is responsible for solving the day to day problems employees face at work. The position of a supervisor is considered a lower level management position. Companies depend on the efforts of the supervisor to ensure workers are doing their job well. Whenever an employee has a concern he or she must first contact the supervisor about the problem since the supervisor is the immediate managerial resource the workers have available to them. The person that is responsible for ensuring all HR practices are implemented within the organization is the human resource manager. The human resource manager is considered a part of the upper management of an organization. The typical educational and work experience of a human resource manager includes an MBA in human resources and 5-10 years of professional experience. The job of th e human resource manager presents challenges to tactically handle the human resource tools and help the firm attract talented people (Buzzle). The HR resource manager must continually study the new labor laws in order to stay on top of any changes that may affect the employees. The person that is responsible for the entire performance of the employees within an organization is the general manager or the chief executive officer. The general manager has to ensure that the organization is operating at its maximum capacity. It is very important for general managers to keep everyone motivated. Moral problems among the staff can cause operating inefficiencies. General Managers depend on the efforts of other managers to get their job done. They must keep close communication with first line supervisors in order to know if there are any problems with the floor employees. Larger corporations have a chief executive officer in charge of the operation. Human resources are a very important functi on that can add a lot of value to an organization. In the 21st century companies differentiate themselves by the quality of their human capital. Organizations such as Starbucks Cafe have been able to maintain a competitive advantage due to their good

WALMART'S OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WALMART'S OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT - Essay Example Market analysts are of the opinion that Walmart will retain its top position ("Turning Point"). With this trend, it seems that Walmart will definitely continue its dominance in the consumer market, at least in the foreseeable future. It definitely does not hve a problem with the number of retail stores it owns; in the United States alone,it has about 3900 retail outlets ("Annual Dividend"). Walmart is a very aggressive company, and is currently opening about 1.45 stores per day. Although Walmart shares have mostly not grown, it will most likely increase in the immediate future. In a research note, Edward Jones analyst David Powers said "We believe Wal-Mart's growth outlook remains favorable." Powers believes that by April this year, growth will accelerate to nearly 13%. (Van Riper) Walmart's main concern is its slow growth rate, although this seems to be a minor problem at the moment. In January 2006 Walmart's same-store sales growth was 4.7%, compared to the previous december's 2.2%. (Van Riper) It is interesting that Walmart has what is probably the world's largest computer database, in its 1000-person Information Systems Division. This database has a capacity of 460 terabytes, equivalent to almost half of the information on the Internet. (Bianco) Walmart is able to reduce payrol costs through automated generation and adjustment of work sch

Macro economics assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Macro economics assignment - Essay Example Austerity is cutting back on spending particularly on amount of public services and benefits. Austerity policy is usually used by governments to reducing defecate spending. Major characteristic of austerity is increase in taxing. Stimulus is where monetary policies are used to positively stimulate the economy. This is normally done by quantitative easing and the lowering of lending rates. Austerity is putting many countries especially those in Europe in a deeper mess. This is because it is causing a lot of difficulty than solution. So I believe it is not the best way to deal with the aftermath of the financial 2007-2008 financial crash. This is because the high tax rates are resulting in very minimal tax revenue. It is also getting harder and harder in making cuts on spending. According to Woods (2013), austerity has completely failed in countries like Greece to appoint where its output is declining. In other countries like the United Kingdom, government leaders have admitted that th ey were unable to reach their targets in 2010 even after slashing back on budgets and government spending (Davidson, 2013). The Exchequer chancellor George Osborne when giving his report to the House of Commons he stated that they had minimized government spending by up to 30 percent by the year 2010 hopping that they would reduce the nations deficit of the budget to zero percent in a period of four years and at the same time they also forecast that the country would have cleared all its public debt (Davidson 2013). However, their expectations were not met. Up to today none of the government forecasts on the outcome of their austerity measures has happened. Britain is still running on a budget that has a high deficit, and it has entered an even worse situation before the austerity measures (Davidson 2013). This clearly shows that austerity is not the way to go about the after math of the financial crash. Having seen that austerity policies are not working in many countries, then I p ropose stimulus to be the best option to deal wit the after math of the 2007- 2008 financial crisis aftermath. This can be proved by using the United States of America as an example. The United States of America implemented both austerity and stimulus policies to deal with the after math of the financial crash. In 2008 the United States of America Congress adopted a $158 billion tax cut package and in 2009 $787 billion unemployment fund (The New York Times, 2013). Te previous tax plan did not take a major effect in minimizing the United States’ deficit. However economists argue that the stimulus plan helped the United States of America’s economy to recover and even minimized job losses greatly. The dispute on measures to cope with the financial crash after math is mainly between the Keynes stimulus and the orthodox economics. As the theory of Keynes suggests, that in the short run, aggregate demand greatly influences product activity. Being so in stimulus amount of mon ey to be put in the economy is greatly influenced by the demand aggregate demand for the boost. This means that the amount of money to be boosted in economies as a result of the Financial crash largely depends on the level the economy has fallen. The orthodox economics insist that economic decisions are influenced by availability of finances and other market powers. The dispute between Keynesian and orthodox when it comes to stimulus is the fact that governments put money in their economies

Comparison Between Energy Modeling Soft wares for Sustainable Building Article

Comparison Between Energy Modeling Soft wares for Sustainable Building Design - Article Example The importance of these building energy programs cannot be denied. These types of software provide users the real-time information of building performance like the use of energy, temperature, costs, humidity, and demand of energy. Some of the soft wares are IESVE, ECOTECT, HAP, REQUEST and ENERGYPLUS These tools have brought a lot of benefits energy modeling on your building such as ECOTECT is considered to be an entire environmental design software that has features for cost analysis, lighting, thermal, solar and interface for 3D modeling. ECOTECT has made the efficiency analysis more accurate and easy. It is based on the idea that environmental design ideology is most successfully addressed throughout the conceptual process of design. The tool provides necessary analytical and visual advice from the simple drawing model to more detailed model. The model is totally capable to handle effortless shading models to complete scaled cityscapes., ECOTECT is fine at coaching the beginner designers to design numerous significant concepts essential for competent building design. Broad assistance files and tutorials are also given with the ECOTECT. It has 3d CAD interface, which allows support of the simplest drawing design to extremely compound 3D models. It has the ability to import DXF and 3DS files. It can be run on Windows XP, 2000, 98 and 95. It can also execute on Visual PC or Mac. It permits the user to test the design ideas at the abstract phases by giving an important examination advice like whether the modeling geometry and data are used in a wrong way or which one is more important than the other. The build-in help file tends to inform the users about the errors or important tasks to do. EnergyPlus is basically a modular tool that is designed by gathering the abilities DOE-2.1 and BLAST. It is actually used as a simulation engine. It takes simple text files as input and output.

Law for Managers- Lifting the Corporate Veil Essay

Law for Managers- Lifting the Corporate Veil - Essay Example This essay talks about an association of persons or an organised body can acquire legal personality in the few ways that are recognised by the law. There are mainly three ways in which this can be effected and these are: by way of separate Act, general enabling Act or by conduct. Legal personality can be acquired by virtue of separate Act obtaining within a particular legal framework of a given country or in terms of a general enabling Act such as the Companies Act which is used in many countries. This is modelled under the English common law. Many of the English common law of companies were readily accepted by different countries which adopted this form of law as their guiding principle in the legal framework and these were also accepted by the courts with little or no modification. It can also be seen that an association of 20 persons can also acquire legal personality by conducting itself as a legal person in compliance of certain requirements. On its formation, the company as a s eparate entity acquires the capacity to have its own rights and duties. Once the company has been incorporated, it can be treated as an independent person with rights and liabilities that are appropriate to itself. The brief facts of the leading case were as follows: Salomon was the sole proprietor of the prosperous company and he decided to turn the business into a limited company after realising its great potential. Salomon received  £10 000 in debentures from shareholders which were secured by a bond of the company’s assets. ... The brief facts of the leading case were as follows: Salomon was the sole proprietor of the prosperous company and he decided to turn the business into a limited company after realising its great potential. Salomon received ?10  000 in debentures from shareholders which were secured by a bond of the company’s assets. However, the company faced a downturn of events and had to be liquidated through the sale of the assets. The sale of assets was far short to cover the debentures whereby the liquidator suggested that creditors had to be paid first before the debentures. Thus, the shareholders were left in the cold. Apparently, the court ruled in favour of Salomon on the reasonable ground that the company was just like Salomon. It was treated as an individual person. This given scenario aptly illustrates the magnitude to which this the concept of legal personality has come under criticism for shielding the erring company directors. Though it is generally accepted that upon incorp oration, the company comes into existence as a separate entity, many divergent views have emerged which challenges the legality of this particular concept in as far as the operations of a particular company are concerned. Strydom (2007) posits to the effect that this legal provision gives more power to the directors and at times it often disadvantages the unsuspecting shareholders of that particular company. Given such a scenario, it can be noted that some directors can take advantage of this unfavourable balance in the law which can result in losses being incurred by other people. In as far as fraud is not suspected in the demise of the company, the court can rule in favour of the director since he or she can be treated just like an individual person. The company is protected as

Describe how studying macroeconomics has helped you understand an Essay

Describe how studying macroeconomics has helped you understand an issue - Essay Example Based on the fact that I am pursuing a course in economics, my dream has always been to become one of the most successful economists in the country. Being a successful economist would involve being a Chief Executive Officer of a manager in the most respected organizations in the world. These roles necessitate one to have a wide range of knowledge in macroeconomics as well as other fields associated with economics. Being a top official in a highly respected organization involves a lot of interviews in televisions and radio stations. In doing so, an individual offers insight in the happenings of his organization and hence this can be considered a form of marketing. Furthermore, one of the units learnt in macroeconomics is leadership. Therefore, learning macroeconomics have enabled be to learn and gain leadership skills and abilities. Learning macroeconomics will ensure that I familiarize myself with all aspects of preceding and current economic issues of benefit in my future role as a top executive. Successful organizations in all parts of the world are governed by distinct rules and regulations. For managers to implement plans of actions geared towards enhancing and maintain organizational structures, incorporation of skills and knowledge in macroeconomics is critical. The study of macroeconomics involves investigating behaviors of various organizations and other successful institutions (Madariaga, 2005). Therefore, learning macroeconomics presents me with knowledge on how to create and implement organizational rules and guidelines associated with macroeconomics. In general, the study of Macroeconomics is involved with investigating comportment, performance, or conduct of the economy. It would be hard for me to implement economic policies without understanding various market conditions such as fluctuating prices of commodities and services. Conditions in the economy are always changing. This can be attributed to the current advancements in technology

Alternative Assessment Essay Example for Free

Alternative Assessment Essay Consequently, assessment has also undergone a massive reform. This has led to a wider range of assessment now than there was twenty-five years ago (Gipps, 1994). Evidence has shown that educational systems have undergone assessment reforms, which are coincident with curriculum reforms (Nitko, 1995). A number of assessment methods have been applied in the Ghanaian educational system since the introduction of schooling in the country (MOE, 1987). The educational reform in Ghana began with the hope that learning was to be more practical and examinations should be based on practical oriented syllabus. What had emerged was that the cost and difficulties involved in assessing students’ practical work and the unreliability of teachers’ assessment had resulted in a return to the status quo, that is pen and paper tests. Currently, Ghanaian teachers tend to monitor students’ understanding through pen-and-paper tests and exercises in class, and move through the syllabus and textbook with little or no attempt to use new instructional strategies if students do not understand the material. The use of pen-and-paper tests has been used almost exclusively by schools to monitor students’ achievement. These tools have also dominated examination for the 1 professional certification of teacher and college admission. These strategies of assessing students have come under severe criticism by many educators (Wolf, 19891). The perception that much of what gets tested is not relevant or has not been taught to students has been a source of concern to many educators and parents. Such concerns have made educators direct their attention to a new approach to testing variously described as â€Å"performance assessment†, â€Å"authentic assessment†, portfolio assessment†, and â€Å"alternative assessment† (Winzer, 1992). The Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 1989) call for significant change in the way mathematics is taught. In conjunction with this demand for change in mathematics instruction, a change format for assessing students is needed. To document these new expressions of teaching and learning, alternative assessments have emerged as the vehicle by which students and teachers can organise, manage and analyse life inside and outside the school. One of the most exciting and liberating things about the current interest in assessment is the recognition that numerous assessment tools are available to schools, districts, and states that are developing new assessment systems. These tools range from standardized fixed-response tests to alternatives such as performance assessment, exhibitions, portfolios, and observation scales. However, in Ghana, alternative assessment is relatively an unknown concept and only few researches have been conducted in this area. Each type of assessment brings with it different strengths and weaknesses to the problem of fair and equitable assessment. Recognizing the complexity of understanding performance or success for individuals, it is virtually impossible that any single tool will 2 do the job of fairly assessing student performance. Instead, the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (1996) suggests that an assessment system made up of multiple assessments (including norm-referenced or criterion-referenced assessments, alternative assessments, and classroom assessments) can produce comprehensive, credible, dependable information upon which important decisions can be made about students, schools, districts, or states. Since the influence of testing on curriculum and instruction is now widely acknowledged, educators, policymakers, and others are turning to alternative assessment methods as a tool for educational reform. The movement away from traditional, multiplechoice tests to alternative assessments, variously called authentic assessment or performance assessment, has included a wide variety of strategies such as open-ended questions, exhibits, demonstrations, hands-on execution of experiments, computer simulations, writing in many disciplines, and portfolios of student work over time. These terms and assessment strategies have led the quest for more meaningful assessments which better capture the significant outcomes we want students to achieve and better match the kinds of tasks which they will need to accomplish in order to assure their future success. Billions of dollars are spent each year on education, yet there is widespread dissatisfaction with our educational system among educators, parents, policymakers, and the business community. Efforts to reform and restructure schools have focused attention on the role of assessment in school improvement. 3.  After years of increases in the quantity of formalized testing and the consequences of poor test scores, many educators have begun to strongly criticize the measures used to monitor student performance and evaluate programs. They claim that traditional measures fail to assess significant learning outcomes and thereby undermine curriculum, instruction, and policy decisions. The way in which students are assessed fundamentally affects their learning. Good assessment practice is designed to ensure that, in order to pass the module or programme, students have to demonstrate they have achieved the intended learning outcomes. To test a wide range of intended learning outcomes, diversity of assessment practice between and within different subjects is to be expected and welcomed, requiring and enabling students to demonstrate their capabilities and achievements within each module or programme. The aim of this paper is to provide a guide to the range of alternative assessment tools available, to discuss the potential benefits and difficulties in using the approach and suggest a process for its use. Alternative Assessment Alternative assessment is a generic term referring to the new forms of assessment (Winzer, 1992). It includes a variety of instruments that can be adapted to varying situations. The teacher and the students can collaboratively decide which procedures are to be used for assessment (Huerta Macias 1995). Individual students are also often given the responsibility of selecting specific products of their work on which they will be assessed. It provides the students with the opportunity to reflect on his/her learning 4 experience, pointing out what he/she understands, and the factors that contribute to his/her lack of understanding. The main goal of alternative assessment is to gather evidence about how students are approaching, processing, and completing â€Å"real-life† tasks in a particular domain (Garcia and Pearson, 1994). Alternative assessment may include interviews with students, journal writing by students, developing portfolios of students’ work and writing of reflections. Also, students are encouraged to engage in small co-operative group learning and may be assessed individually and jointly. Alternative assessment, most importantly, provides alternative to traditional assessment in that it; i. ii.does not intrude on regular classroom activities; provides multiple indices that can be used to gauge students progress; and iii. provides information on the strengths and weaknesses of each individual student (Huerta-Macias, 1995; p. 9) One of the major advantages of alternative assessment as a tool for assessing students is that it empowers students to become partners and decision makers in their learning (Smolen et al 1995). Curran (1997) in his study with middle level educators found that alternative assessment is most valuable for students’ involvement in metacognitive learning. Vlaskamp (1995) found that alternative assessment processes engage students to become active in learning. The processes offer them opportunities for reflection and to be thoughtful respondents and judges of their own learning. Lee (1996) 5 found that the real value of alternative assessment is an information source for teachers and a learning tool for the students. Alternative assessment includes a variety of instruments that can be adapted to varying situations. These instruments include the use of checklist of students’ behaviour or product, journals, reading log, videos of role plays, audio tape of discussions, self evaluation, questionnaire, work samples and teacher observation of anecdotal records (Huerta-Macias, 1995, p. 12). According to her, the teacher or instructor and students can collaboratively decide which procedures are to be used for assessment in a given class. Individual students are also given the responsibility of selecting specific products of their work on which they will be assessed. Portfolio Assessment The concept of portfolio assessment comes from the field of fine arts in which portfolios are used to demonstrate the depth and breath of an artist’s talents and capabilities. A portfolio is a systematic, well organised collection of evidence used to monitor the growth of a student’s knowledge, skills and attitudes (Bonnestetter, 1994). It is a purposeful collection of students work that exhibits to the students and others the student’s efforts, progress or achievement in (a) given area(s) (Reckase 1995). This collection according to them should include: ? Student participation in selection of portfolio contents ? The criteria for selection, and evidence of student self-reflection (p. 12) To fulfil the purpose of portfolio assessment as a methodology based on multiple measures and high content validity, the portfolio is to be composed of materials that 6 should be selected jointly by the student and the teacher to reflect the students work over the entire schooling period. activities. To help the students select materials for the portfolio, a set of guidelines should be made available to the students. The guidelines include how the content of the All work are to be taken directly from the classroom portfolio is to be selected and the criteria that would be used to assess the portfolios. The contents of the students’ portfolios are to include the following: i. ii. iii. iv. individual assignments (homework and tests); group assignments; self reflection on each selected student or group work group reflection on group work. The reflections are to indicate evidence of learning mathematics in the school, what they know and can do. They are also to explain what they have understood and the action that contributes to their understanding. They are to identify what they still do not understand and explain the cause of their lack of understanding and what they can do to change the situation. Journal A journal is a daily or weekly record of occurrences, experiences or observations (Berenson and Carter, 1995). Journal writing by students can be used to record the daily and weekly mathematics learning experiences and the attitude of students towards mathematics. The journal can be used to keep track of the students’ progress in  mathematics and to gain insight into the understanding and misunderstanding of the 7 student. The journal can also be used to document the students attitudinal changes during the project. Students are asked to write three sets of journals in each semester (term). The first one is to be written during the first week of the semester (term), the second in the fourth week and the third journal in the last week of the semester (term). At the beginning of the semester(term), the students should be asked to write journals to indicate their previous and current feelings about mathematics. They are also to assess their strengths and weaknesses in mathematics, pointing out the factors that contributed to their failure or success and describe what they need to do. During the fourth week of the semester, the students would be asked again to write journals to identify ideas they understood easily during discussions with the teacher or their colleagues, and then explain why it was easy for them to understand such ideas. They are to identify ideas, which are still difficult for them to understand, and explain why they thnk they are having such difficulties in comprehending these ideas. They are to comment on a homework or class test they did, and explain why they thought they did well or did not do well. They are to identify aspects of their work that needed improvement. They are also to explain what they learned from doing homework or taking a test and state what they would do differently if they are to do the homework or take the test again. During the last week of the semester(term), students are to write another journal. They should be asked to express their feelings of the test, classwork, homework etc, and their feeling about mathematics. They are to state whether there is any improvement in 8 their learning or understanding of mathematics, and identify things, which contribute to their understanding or lack of understanding. Journal writing can be used as means of regularly focusing on course progress and possible modifications. The journals are the first step in placing the responsibility for learning with the students. Research had found that the journal was an important diagnostic tool in three important ways. First, as a writing sample, it provided information about students’ strengths and weaknesses in mathematics. Second, the journals gave an indication of how the students perceived themselves, and finally, the journals revealed students’ perceptions of the mathematics learning process. The journal the students write will help teachers to know early in the course how students perceived themselves as mathematics learners and how they understood the learning process entailed. Whenever their work was seen, evaluations were made which either corroborated their assessment or highlighted their misconceptions. With this information, the students will be helped to become better more efficient learners. When misconceptions are discovered, students will be helped to establish realistic expectations about what mathematics skills they need to achieve their goals. In fact, the first journal they write is an important point of reference when working with individual students and helping them to identify their objectives during the learning process. Research findings show that journal writing provides the opportunities for the students to reflect on the learning process, and to develop new learning skills. These opportunities will help the students to identify differences between their school experiences and those they are encountering at college. 9 Challenges Testing for accountability purpose is essentially large scale testing and for this reason it relies on tests that are relatively cheap, brief, offer broad but shallow coverage, are easy to score and reliable (Gipps, 1994). Alternative assessment by contrast is timeconsuming, tends to provide detailed multi- dimensional information about a particular skill or area; (and because of time factor, depth may be exchanged for breadth), scoring is generally complex and usually involves the classroom teacher Standardisation of the performance is not possible and therefore reliability in the traditional sense is not high (Mehrens, 1992). However, alternative assessment in general, has become the cornerstone of educational reform movement. The arguments for using these forms of assessment to support instructional practice are that; (i) they engage students in tasks that are more comprehensive and consistent with the goals of a discipline or resonant with the desired outcomes of educational process; (ii) they provide detailed evidence about student’s thinking that enables more specific instructional decision making; and (iii) they encourage students to take active role in their own assessment enabling a sharing responsibility for learning (LeMahieu, et.al. 1995, p11) Many educators are of the view that alternative assessment must be held to the same stringent standard of reliability, validity and objectivity as those achieved by standardised norm referenced assessment, if it is to provide credible and legally defensible measure of learning and performance (Linn and Burtin, 1994). 10 Objections to alternative assessment are often voiced in terms of validity, reliability and objectivity. Questions that focus around these issues are: i. ii. iii. Does the instrument measure what it is supposed to measure? Is the instrument consistent in its measurement? Is the instrument unbiased? (Garcia and Pearson, 1994). Alternative assessment represents the best of worlds in that it looks at actual performance on real life tasks, such as writing, self-editing, reading, participation in collaborative work, and doing a demonstration in front of a group. These procedures are in themselves valid (Garcia and Pearson, 1994). As regards reliability of alternative assessment, Huerta Macias (1955), mentions triangulation as a means of ensuring reliability in a qualitative research. In qualitative research, triangulation refers to the combination of methodologies to strengthen a study design. When applied to alternative assessment, triangulation refers to the collection of data/information from three difference sources/perspectives teacher, student, and parent. On the question of objectivity of alternative assessment, research findings show that, standardised tests merely represent agreement among a number of people on scoring procedures, format or content. These individuals are not objective; they just collectively shared the same biases. In this regard, Huerta Marcias (1995) says that standardised test is not more objective than an alternative assessment. Other challenges of alternative assessment have to do with curriculum and instructional practice. Torrance (1993) reviewed the impact alternative assessment has on curricular and instructional practice in the context of the National Assessment in England and Wales. Among the concerns raised were exorbitant demands on teachers, adding up 11 to two to three hours of extra work daily. Teachers also reported dissatisfaction with managing assessment interactions with small groups of students while trying to maintain the focus of all students. Torrance (1993) concluded that teachers treated assessment as a special activity set apart from teaching, and they felt obliged to do this by the instructions they received, a vision at odds with the integrated assessment and instruction offered by alternative assessment advocates. The question of relative practicality of alternative and traditional assessment in terms of time consumption has been raised by many authors (Linn, 1993; Gipps 1994). Research results indicate that alternative assessment is not more time consuming than traditional assessment on the part of the students. Research has shown that students can cope with the time demands of the alternative assessment(Eshun Abledu, 2000). Educational Implications and Recommendations The following educational implications and recommendations are made for improving the academic performance and enhancing positive attitude of students in mathematics: i. Through alternative assessment processes, the teacher is given the opportunity to know from the students’ journals and portfolios the positive and negative points of his teaching process and work out strategies for his subsequent teaching. ii. Alternative assessment processes offer a chance for the development of better student- student and student-teacher relationship. During their group work and discussions of their journals with the teacher a friendly climate is generated which helps them to get to know one another better. 12 iii. With alternative assessment the teacher is given a chance to break the everyday monotonous teaching routine. Activities are organised for the students that create a pleasant and motivating atmosphere in the classroom, which revives the interest of the pupils for the subject. iv. Alternative assessment processes lead to discovery learning and planning. Thus, it is valuable for increasing and maintaining the efficiency of the skills and concepts that the students learn. However, it makes heavy demands on the teacher to plan activities for the students. v. Students who have language problems will be unwilling to communicate in writing with the teacher. Teachers who use alternative assessment processes should rely more on oral interview than the writing of journal. vi. The positive benefits of alternative assessment lie not only in its  implementation but also in the teachers’ ability to extend and enrich the curriculum through the activities he/she arranges for the students. Thorough planning and understanding of the skills students must develop are prerequisite to successful implementation of alternative assessment processes. Teachers must be trained to live up to the task. It is recommended therefore that pre-service teachers be introduced to the alternative assessment processes. In-service and induction courses on alternative assessment can be organised for teachers who are already teaching. This training is worthwhile since teachers will have the means to bring about higher achievement in mathematics and higher attitudinal changes in female pre-service teachers towards mathematics. 13 vii. Teachers need to provide many opportunities for students to explore and reflect on mathematical concepts. Having students talk and write about mathematical concepts and how these ideas are applied in various problems situation can strengthen their understanding and provide valuable information to the teachers. It is therefore recommended that mathematics concepts be presented to students through the alternative assessment processes. This will then enhance the current programme of promoting the interest of girls in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education (STME). viii. To evaluate our programmes and the progress students are making, me must look beyond the current traditional assessment alone, and find better ways of assessing students’ creativity, ability, and sensitivity in mathematics. The point is, continuous assessment ought to provide a more comprehensive view of pupils’ all-round performance. The Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ghana Education Service (GES) and other policy makers on education must adopt alternative assessment to improve female students’ performance and attitudes in mathematics. Conclusion Knowing mathematics is doing mathematics. We need to create situations where students can be active, creative, and responsive to the physical world. I believe that to learn mathematics, students must construct it for themselves. They can only do that by exploring, justifying, representing, discussing, using, describing, investigating, 14  predicting, in short by being active in the world. Alternative assessment is an ideal activity for such processes. Reference Brady, R. (1991). A Close Look at Student Problem Solving and the Teaching of Mathematics: Predicaments and Possibilities. School Social Science and Mathematics. 91(4), 144-150. Eshun B. A and Abledu, G. K. (2001): The Effects of Alternative Assessment on the Attitudes and Achievement in Mathematics of Female Pre-service Teachers. African Journal of Educational Studies. Vol. 1. p. 21-30 Garcia, G. E. Pearson, P. D. (1994). Assessment and Diversity. In L. Darling Hammond (Ed. ) Review of Research Education . 337-391. Huerta – Macias, A. (1995). Alternative Assessment: Responses to Commonly asked Questions. TESOL Journal. 5 (1) : 8-11. Smolen, L. et. al. (1995). Developing Student Self-Assessment strategies. TESOL Journal. Vol. 5(1) 22 27. Gipps, C. V. (1994). Beyond testing: Towards a theory of educational assessment. The Falmer Press, London. Lee, T. W. (1996). Mathematics portfolios. 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