IT Systems Strategy Of A Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IT Systems Strategy Of A Company - Essay Example Current paper focuses on the IT systems strategy of Microsoft – a major competitor in the global application software industry; reference is made not to the parent firm, based in USA, but to its UK subsidiary; the current position of the firm towards its rivals is important (see also Table 1, Appendix); it seems that the IT strategy of the firm has helped towards the achievement of a stable growth; the key aspects of this strategy are presented and evaluated using appropriate theoretical framework – the PESTEL analysis. Microsoft Corporation is a global leader in the Software Application Industry; the firm entered the British market in 1982; currently the employees of the firm in UK are 1500. Since its establishment in Britain the firm has focused on the promotion of innovation in technology and the improvement of the technology available in education and in communities. In fact, as in other countries worldwide, Microsoft Corporation UK has helped the British government to improve the technology used in various social and economic activities – enhancing ‘the social and economic well-being of local population’ (Microsoft Corporation, Economic Empowerment). One of the key characteristics of the global market is the continuous increase of competition; firms that try to stabilize their performance and achieve a stable rate of growth need to continuously review their strategies; emphasis should be based on the IT systems involved in the various organizational operations. In firms that are heavily based on knowledge management specific measures should be taken; the firms that would be involved in such effort should meet the following requirements: ‘ a) to be proficient at skills and support infrastructure, to foster innovation and collaboration and to allow self-organization to emerge’ (Rud, 2009, p.38). When the organizational activities are expanded in different industrial sectors, the strategic planning

International Business Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

International Business Finance - Essay Example If you have an existing business that creates a tangible product, exporting is the most common method. Start-up costs and risks are limited, and profits maybe realized early on. For some this may be the beginning a new venture, the other choices are options that may reduce some of the start-up risks. There are two basic ways to export: directly or indirectly. Direct Exporting In direct exporting, your company finds a foreign buyer and then makes all arrangements for shipping your products overseas. This method requires a lot of footwork and infrastructure, and entails more risk, but the potential profit rewards are often higher. If you choose to export directly, you have several options: Sales Representatives or Agents are essentially, the employees that are hired as foreign-based representatives or "agents" who work on a commission basis to locate buyers for your product, the same that is done domestically. Distributors will strike a deal with a foreign distributor, who purchases me rchandise from the organisation and resells it with a mark-up. The distributor maintains inventory and provides after-sales service to the buyer. Indirect Exporting An organisation uses an export intermediary to perform most of the details of the export arrangement. Many small businesses choose this option, at least at the outset. There are several types of export intermediaries: Commissioned agents are brokers who link your product or service with specific foreign buyers, allowing the primary company to fulfil the order, handle packing, shipping, and export documentation. Export Management Companies (EMCs) and Export Trading Companies (ETCs) are companies that operate in the country where the goods export. EMCs generally represent your product to promote it to other prospective overseas purchasers, while ETCs usually work according to demand, finding a need and sourcing your product for foreign buyers. Both types of companies usually take care of all aspects of the export transacti on (including conducting market research, promoting your product overseas, accessing proper distribution channels, and locating foreign distributors), making them a viable option for smaller companies that lack the time and expertise to break into international markets on their own. EMCs and ETCs usually operate on a commission basis, although some work on a retainer basis and some take title to the goods they sell, making a profit on the mark-up. Importing and exporting, on any scale, from a tiny home office or from the World Trade Centre. It is not required to have a license from the United States government in order to do international trade, but the country with which company does business may require a license. There are several issues needed in an international business plan (Rajan, 1998). Discuss the different types of risk that impact on an organisation trading on an international basis. Political risk arises from the possibility that a host government will take actions harm ful to foreign investors or that political turmoil will endanger investments. Political risk are particularly acute in developing countries, where unstable or ideologically motivated governments may attempt to block return of profits by foreign investors or even seize their assets from the host country. An example is Venezuela. President Chavez at the time at a desire to broaden the country's socialist revolution in Venezuela and issued a

Reading Response #3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reading Response #3 - Essay Example the article describes, about how the class room atmosphere or its appearance imposes an impact on the teachers, children and education system of the school and the process through which it develops the structure of the education and intellectual capabilities of the children in the later stages of their life. Secondly, it further discusses about the critical aspects of school environment by analyzing different kinds of methods such as Macro Analysis, school appearances and classroom analysis among others. Thirdly, the article portrays the expectations and influence of the kindergarten teachers about the chances of the success and failure of the children within the available education environment. The final and the fourth stage reflect on the fact that the article expresses the thought of equal distribution and educational opportunity among the children. The author plans to observe the poor children in formal and informal ways as well as record their activity and development within the school and clarify the benefits that have been derived from the analysis. The article provides the information regarding the process of that the school environment follows in terms of the teacher’s involvement and expectation, which influenced and benefited for increasing a diverse view towards the future development of the children. In the provided article, the author discussed about the distribution of Socio-Economic Status of the children in the kindergarten school. He divided the family based on the number of the children who were associated with the school. Following the segregations the author classified those selected in 3 tables that are designed based on the sitting arrangement specified for the children. The children who are the only child of the parents have been depicted under Table-1. The depiction under Table 1 is reflects on the fact that the lifestyle followed by the people is more sophisticated and quite different from the other people who are listed under Table-2

Travel Motivation For Young Tourists

Travel Motivation For Young Tourists Tourism is one of the industries that are significant to the global economy last few decades. Yet, the changing of the travel trend recently leads to the economic growth. The changes are cause by the youth travelling frequency and the travel periods. They tend to travel more frequently and for longer periods, thus these groups of people become an increasingly important segment of the global tourism industry. Richards and Wilson (2003) indicate that, Youth and student travel has been an important cornerstone of the international travel market for over 50 years it is only the recent explosive growth of the international students population that has thrust this market into the spotlight. From the World Tourism Organization (WTO) report as cited in Taiyab (2005), international trips taken by young travelers grew from 14.6% in 1980 to 20% in 2001, and reach 25% in 2005. According to the Federation of International Youth Travel Organizations reports as cited in Kim, Jogaratnam and Noh (2006), from the 140 million of international tourist arrivals per year, 20 percent of them are the young tourists. Youth Travel Market The WTO defines that the young travelers are between 16 to 25 years old who take a trip involving at least one nights stay. However, Canada expanded the definition to include young adults of between 26 to 30 years old (Taiyab, 2005). Taiyab (2005) indicates that youth travel markets are being categorized into 2 independent youth travel and youth group travel. There are different characteristics, motivations and product requirement among these 2 groups to fulfill or suit their needs and wants. Independent youth travel also known as independent youth travelers, free independent youth travelers, foreign independent travelers or backpackers. They usually travel to a place either in a small informal group or alone. Most of them are internet savvy, they will search the information for that particular travel destination via internet, so that the pre-trip planning can be well arranged. The distance of the travel destination normally will be very far away from their home and it takes a longer period because they want to gain experience, increase their knowledge and explore different cultures at different environments. Besides, they tend to be price sensitive for travelling expenses including the food, accommodation and etc. While for the youth travel group, it is formed by a group of 6 young people or more that are travelling together. This category is divided into 2 groups which are the school-based youth group travel and non-school-based youth group travel. Generally, school-based youth group travel is related to the curriculum or co-curricular activities such as school societies, music performance, sport competition, educational tours, cultural exchange trips and so forth. Those activities are carried out in a group structure and accompanied by teachers or school personnel. In the other hand, non-school-based youth group travel is also in a group structure, it may occurred in smaller groups, but the activities are organized by the societies outside of the school such as sports team, church group, cultural or musical performance troupe, Scouts or Girl Guides, youth club and more. The group will be led by parents or other adults. Literature Review of Travel Motivation 2.1 Motivation Gnoth, 1997 (as cited in Yoon and Uysal, 2005) defined that motivation is an internal and external motives. An internal motive is connected with drives, feelings, and instincts while external motive involves mental representations such as knowledge or beliefs. Motivation is the driving force behind all aspects of human behavior (Fodness, 1994, as cited in Petersen, 2009). Motivation is the fundamental for the development of tourism, it could not exist without any interest or the need to travel (Murphy, 1985, as cited in Bonera, n.d.). 2.2 Travel Motivation Travel motivations defined as the global integrating network of biological and cultural forces which gives value and direction to travel choices, behavior and experience (Pearce, Morrison Rutledge, 1998 as cited by Banerjea, n.d.). According to Crompton McKay, 1997, as cited in Petersen, 2009, travel motivation can be understood as a dynamic process of internal psychological factors which create an unbalanced equilibrium in the individual, and this is what brings the person to travel. Tourism motivation is a multi-motive dimensional (Zhang and Marcusen, 2007). When choosing a certain destination, people will often have more than one motive to visit the place. For example, a person may choose Pangkor Island with a motive of relaxation in a pleasant safe place combined with visiting a local historical heritage. The Theory of Travel Motivation Maslows Hierarchy Theory According to Maslow (1943) as cited in Banerjea (n.d) there are five needs to form a hierarchy based on Maslows Hierarchy Theory, progressing from the lower to the higher needs. The lower needs are physiological, safety, belonging and love. Self-esteem and self-actualization would be the higher needs. Maslow stated that if the lower needs are fulfilled, the individual would be motivated by needs and proceeds to the next level of the hierarchy. For example, a person would not travel to the country that is infected by H1N1, he or she will only visit the particular destination whenever it is safe. Four Motivational Needs Beard and Ragheb (1983) as cited in Banerjea (n.d) stated four motivational needs as derived from the work of Maslow (1970) which are the intellectual component, the social component, the competency-mastery component, and the stimulus-avoidance component. Intellectual component assesses the extent of individuals involve in leisure activities such as learning, exploring, discovering, thought or imagining. The social component assesses the extent of individuals engage in leisure activities for social reasons such as the need for friendship and interpersonal relationships and the need for the esteem of others. The competence-mastery component assesses the extent of individuals engage in leisure activities in order to achieve, master, challenge and compete. The stimulus-avoidance component of leisure motivation assesses the drive to escape and get away from over-stimulating life situations such as the need for some individuals to avoid social contacts, to seek solitude and calm condition s and others. Factors that Motivated Young Tourist to Travel Pull and Push Model Dann (1977) as cited in Bonera (2008) proposed a two level scheme of factors that motivate young tourists in the travel decision making process: push and pull factors. Young tourists are motivated to travel because of the pull and pushed factors. The idea of the push-pull model is the decomposition of a young tourists choice of destination into two forces (Bansal and Eiselt, 2004). The internal or psychological forces pushed young tourists to make travel decision while the external forces of the destination attributes pulled young tourists to travel to that particular place (Crompton, 1979; Dann, 1977; Uysal Jurowski, 1994 as cited in Yoon and Uysal, 2005). The pull motivations are more connected to emotional aspects whereas push motivations are related to cognitive aspects (Yoon and Uysal, 2005). Push factors are intangible factors that pushes a tourist away from home, while pull factors are tangible characteristics pulling tourists towards the destination (Andreu, Bigne ´, Coop er, 2000, as cited in Jonsson and Devonish, 2008). Push factors are intrinsic desires of the young tourist such as the desire for escape, rest and relaxation, adventure, health, or prestige while pull factors are related to the attractiveness of a given destination such as beaches, accommodation and recreational facilities, and cultural and historical resources (Uysal and Jurowski 1994 as cited in Chi and Sung, 2008). Reasons of Young Tourist Travel Young tourists have their very own reasons to travel, which the reasons can be internally or externally (McGhee, Loker-Murphy, Uysal, 1996 as cited in Yoon and Uysal, 2005). The young tourist will go for traveling because of push motivations such as the desire for escape (e.g. getting away from school or job, escape from responsibilities, reduce stress, being away from demands at home, get a chance to be free, being physically or emotionally refreshed, experience a simpler lifestyle and etc), rest and relaxation (e.g. doing nothing at all, getting a change from a busy work, to relax, to enjoy good weather and etc), health and fitness (e.g. get close to nature, engage in sports, view sport events and etc), adventure and social interaction (e.g. being daring and adventuresome, finding thrills, meeting new friends and local people, rediscovering oneself and etc) , family togetherness (e.g. visiting friends and relatives, being together as a family, visiting places where family came from and etc), and excitement(e.g. being physically active, finding excitements and etc). The pull motivations that affected the young tourists are sun and beaches (e.g. warm and sunny weather, sea and beaches and etc), natural environment (e.g. rivers/lakes/streams, snow or mountains, beautiful scenery and landscapes, quiet rest area and etc), time and cost (e.g. travel time, good value for the cost, easy accessibility, convenient transportation, availability of information about a destination and etc), cultural and historical resources (e.g. educational opportunities, learning something new or increasing knowledge, experiencing a new culture or new life-style or new destination or exotic food and etc). Conclusion In a nutshell, young tourists are gaining markets in the tourism industry. Tourism industry is become more important to great benefits to the society and enhances economies of each country. It helps to develop the country with the infrastructure development, inflow of foreign currency, increases job opportunities and others. On top of that, the government will focus on the panning, management and evaluation of tourism industry development. Travel becomes more important and indispensable among young people in their live as it can satisfy young people needs and wants. In addition, individual development can be achieved via certain enchantments of the travel such as improving their knowledge, understand the other countries cultural and heritage.

Distractions In Life :: essays research papers

Distractions In Life " I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps, it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any time for that one." -Henry David Thoreau Many times I would find myself in a state of mass confusion. It was as if I had no perception of where I would go with my life. I was trapped in a realm of things which were unfamiliar to me. When I tried to experience these new adventures I ended up back where I started in a slow state of death and decay. New ideas and thoughts seemed impossible for me to grasp. It seemed that anything that was new to me was too much of a hassle. How could I move on in a positive manner in this state. All that I wanted to do was the same old thing over and over like a broken record repeating itself over and over until it wore itself out. I finally, wore myself out. I started to feel as if I was the worn out record player and that I would be dropped into the trash when I stopped working the way I was supposed to. After a short while I found some inspiration from an unknown point. I had realized I would not succeed in this battle called life without serious work. The only one who could help me was me. I knew that I wasn't meant to do the exact same thing for the rest of my life. I had to escape this bottomless pit and move on to the next adventure. "I had several more lives to live and could not spare any time for that one." I moved on to another life. My "new" life was very hard to get used to, but was well worth the trouble. I began trying new things and actually enjoyed it. I realize now that I only have a short time in my life and I have to make a

A Balanced Review of Strengths and Weaknesses of Learning

Review of Learning in the Panic Zone: Strategies for Managing Learner Anxiety Introduction It is generally agreed that research can be divided from different perspectives, such as being grouped into empirical and philosophical research according to whether collecting data or not (Allison, 2012). So does â€Å"social research†, which features â€Å"focusing on people in a social setting† (Robson, 2011, p. 5) and aims at achieving research purposes of â€Å"action, change and emancipation† (Robson, 2011, p. 39).In terms of research paradigms, â€Å"social research† can be divided into â€Å"quantitative research† and â€Å"qualitative research†, usually the former focusing on collecting numerical data and the latter focusing on collecting data of words (Robson, 2011, p. 5). Thus being aware of different theoretical approaches, researchers become reflexive, creative, and capable of reinvention and evolution (Robson, 2011, p. 41). Also according to Robson, the kind of research â€Å"refers to applied research projects which are typically small in scale and modest in scope†, is termed as â€Å"real world research† (Robson, 2011, p. 3).It usually solves â€Å"problems and issues of direct relevance to people’s lives† (Robson, 2011, p. 4). And the research under review, which applies strategies into real programs (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 420), seems to be this kind of research. In this assignment, I am going to evaluate the article under review from the aspects of strengths and weaknesses, and relate the analysis to the broader issues of research. Strengths Firstly, to some extent, this article is formally logical and well-organized by using subheadings and questions like â€Å"How do trainers support learners who undertake challenging tasks? (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 427). Realizing the â€Å"GAP† (Shon, 2012, p. 3) in literature that few attention has been paid to positive effec t of stress in real cases (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 420), the researchers formed their research questions, presented their â€Å"RAT† (Shon, 2012, p. 3) and then came the research design and research method, â€Å"multi-strategy design† (Robson, 2011, p. 6) and â€Å"triangulation† (Cohen, 2007, p. 141) respectively. Seen from the perspective of the research design, it is closely related to previous literature and theory, and tries to answer research questions by adopting certain research methods.Finally, with the conclusion indicating that the theoretical strategies are in accordance with the comfort-stretch-panic model in previous literature and recommending further studies (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 435). Secondly, as a social research, it is of great value to have a â€Å"scientific attitude†: â€Å"systematically, sceptically and ethically† (Robson, 2011, p. 15). Specifically, by saying â€Å"systematically†, I mean this resear ch is well prepared and arranged by two experienced trainer and consultant, with â€Å"over six years’ experience of providing consultancy in training† (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 38) and â€Å"more than 30 years’ experience in education and training† (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 420) separately. So they both have a clear understanding of what, how and why they are doing in the research. They made a detailed exposition of literature, including â€Å"theoretical solutions to debilitating learner anxiety† (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 421) and â€Å"practical measures that a trainer can take to prepare learners for challenging tasks† (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 427) and designed the questionnaires in research utilizing the strategies in literature.Such a coherent process of research design is sufficient for the first aspect of â€Å"scientific attitude†. And by saying â€Å"sceptically†, I mean the researchers have recog nized its limitations of using a small sample of 30 potential participants and the absence of trainees’ feedback and thus recommended future work of considering the â€Å"individual personal differences and how these impact differential responses to stressful situations† (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 435), thus â€Å"subjecting ideas to possible disconfirmation† (Robson, 2011, p. 5). And finally, â€Å"ethically† is represented during the questionnaires, which â€Å"were sent only to those who indicated availability to help with the research† (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 428). The third part of advantages focuses on research method. Combining strategies of survey and interview, it is obvious that this research mainly conducts qualitative research method. However, it can also be calledâ€Å"triangulation† because of the close connection among literature, survey and interviews.According to Cohen, â€Å"triangulation† may be defined a s â€Å"the use of two or more methods of data collection in the study of some aspect of human behavior† (Cohen, 2007, p. 141). It is often used to mean â€Å"bringing different kinds of evidence to bear on a problem† (Esterberg, 2002, p. 176). Here in the article under review, by saying â€Å"triangulation†, the researchers adopted the approach of triangulating literature, survey and interview. According to different literatures, there are many types of triangulation and each has its own characteristics, of which â€Å"theoretical triangulation† (Cohen, 2007, p. 42) and â€Å"methodology triangulation† (Cohen, 2007, p. 142) are reflected in this research. According to Cohen, the former â€Å"draws upon alternative or competing theories in preference to utilizing one viewpoint only† and the other â€Å"uses either the same method on different occasions, or different methods on the same object of study† (Cohen, 2007, p. 142). Sometimes different theories and results from conducting different methods lead to conflict conclusions, it does not mean the research is wrong, it may indicates the necessary of further study and research in wider field.So by adopting different types of triangulation, researchers feel more confident of their findings and enhance validity (Cohen, 2007, p. 141). Similar with triangulation, there are also variable kinds of validity. The type I will focus on is â€Å"concurrent validity† because it is the type enhanced in the article I am evaluating. How does the triangulation ensuring â€Å"concurrent validity† (Cohen, 2007, p. 140) is the main concern of this part. â€Å"Concurrent validity† is a variation of â€Å"criterion-related validity† (Cohen, 2007, p. 40), also called â€Å"criterion validity† by Perri and Bellamy, implying â€Å"whether the measures are in line with other measures of the same content that are generally accepted as valid in the wide r research community† (Perri 6& Bellamy, 2012, p. 92). â€Å"To demonstrate this form of validity the data gathered from using one instrument must correlate highly with data gathered from using another instrument† (Cohen, 2007, p. 140). To be specific, in this article under review, the data is collected both from survey and interview with the guidance of a large amount of literature, applying â€Å"theoretical riangulation† and â€Å"methodology triangulation†, thus the concurrent validity is relatively ensured. As Lancy indicates, â€Å"using multiple data sources also allows one to fill in gaps that would occur if we relied on only one source† (Lancy, 1993, p. 20). Last but not the least, the research draws on the advantages of its research designs. According to Robson, social research design can be separated into â€Å"fixed design† and â€Å"flexible design† (Robson, 2011, p. 5). And the key to distinguish these two designs is whet her the procedure and focus of research is fixed or not (Robson, 2011, p. ). However, it should be noticed that there overlaps between them. For example, one specific fixed-designed research could be flexible influenced by qualitative data. So for those using both qualitative and quantitative data, there come â€Å"multi-strategy designs† (Robson, 2011, p. 6). Here by saying â€Å"multi-strategy†, which has â€Å"substantial collection of both qualitative and quantitative data in different phases or aspects of the same project† (Robson, 2011, p. 6), I do not mean that it contradicts the qualitative research method.It means a research design of combining qualitative and quantitative elements when conducting the qualitative research method. In a narrow sense, the method used in this article should not be called as â€Å"multi-strategy† because the qualitative elements account for a larger proportion. However, the researchers take advantages of using both el ements. For example, though â€Å"there is tendency for people to over-choose the middle option† (Thomas, 2011, p. 178), the quantitative approach of â€Å"five-point Likert scale† (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 29) does help the researchers from the trouble of getting specific data from the abstract description. And for the analysis, evaluation and interpretation of data and sample, this paper uses â€Å"descriptive statistics (methods used to summarize or describe our observations)† (Rowntree, 2000, p. 19) to summarize the sample of research and indicates that future study is needed for â€Å"inferential statistics†, which â€Å"is concerned with generalizing from a sample, to make estimates and inferences about a wider population† (Rowntree, 2000, p. 1). By using â€Å"opportunistic purposive sampling†, the researchers regarded respondents as representatives of â€Å"a diverse group of trainers from across the UK with male and female tra iners aged between 26-55 years† (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 428), one might hold the opinion that using â€Å"mechanical methods† (Rowntree, 2000, p. 24) of selecting randomly is a safe way to make a unbiased representative sample, however, â€Å"it is conceivable that you could use random methods and still end up with a biased sample† (Rowntree, 2000, p. 25).So considering the rich experience of the researchers, the â€Å"opportunistic purposive sampling† is a better choice to avoid the less representativeness of random sampling. Weaknesses However, there are some reservations. Firstly, when analyzing the effectiveness of different strategies, it seems that the researchers have not thought about â€Å"control variable†. According to David and Sutton, â€Å"control variable† means â€Å"a variable that influences the relationship between the independent and dependent variables† (David & Sutton, 2011, p. 11). Though it is a term in m athematical notation, I would suggest using it and adopting control groups in each training program. Otherwise the variables such as the difference of trainees, trainers and training environment among different programs might influence the validity of data. Maybe this limitation is hard for researchers to avoid because of the fact that the training is not conducted by the researchers themselves. The data are indirectly collected as comments/feedbacks from different trainers.Thus to some extent, it is really hard to make sure the validity of data in this research since there are so many variables. Moreover, even after adopting control groups and comparing data from several groups in one particular training program, the validity of data is easily to be influenced by uncontrollable variables. Taking interviews for example, uncontrollable variables could be â€Å"characteristics of the interviewers†, â€Å"interactions of interviewer/respondent characteristics† and privacy concerns of the respondents (Robson, 2011, p. 241).Although the researchers have tried to do the best by adopting â€Å"semi-structured interview† (Thomas, 2011, p. 164), indicating that â€Å"11 respondents were interviewed in a ‘guided’ unstructured format in which participants were allowed a considerable degree of latitude to express their opinions within the interview framework† (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 429), they have not excluded the influence of the â€Å"framework†. So it is rather difficult for the researchers to ensure the validity of data and to precisely achieve the research purpose.And another influence about the validity the researchers might not consider well is the representativeness of the sample. Considering that the research mainly focus on â€Å"questionnaire-based surveys† (â€Å"Internet surveys† and â€Å"interview surveys† specifically) (Robson, 2011, p. 240), which ignores â€Å"the characteristi cs of non-respondents† (Robson, 2011, p. 240), it is doubtable to say that â€Å"the sample of respondents is representative† (Robson, 2011, p. 240).Maybe it is more persuasive to say that â€Å"our statistical methodology enables us to collect samples that are likely to be as representative as possible† (Rowntree, 2000, p. 23) rather than â€Å"the respondents represented a diverse group of trainers from across the UK with male and female trainers aged between 26-55 years† (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011, p. 428). Conclusion To sum up, this assignment evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the article under review in the framework of different methodology and methods.Within the article, by comparing the positive aspects and problematic areas, it is relatively persuasive for the authors to claim their findings. And the contributions they made by putting the theories into practice are highly appreciated since it is a real world research. References: 1. Alliso n, P. (2012). The source of knowledge: Course introduction [Vedio]. United Kingdom: The University of Edinburgh. 2. Cohen, L. , Manion, L. , & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education. (6th ed. ). London & New York: Routledge. 3.David, M. , & Sutton, C. D. (2011). Social research: An Introduction. (2nd ed. ). New Delhi: SAGE. 4. Esterberg, K. G. (2002). Qualitative methods in social research. United States: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 5. Lancy, D. F. (1993). Qualitative research in education: An introduction to the major tradition. New York: Longman. 6. Palethorpe, R. , & Wilson, J. P. (2011). Learning in the panic zone: Strategies for managing learner anxiety. Journal of European Industrial Training, 35(5), 420-438. 7. Perri 6, & Bellamy, C. (2012).Principles of methodology: Research design in social science. Croydon: SAGE. 8. Robson, C. (2011). Real world research. (3rd ed. ). Cornwall: John Wiley&Sons Ltd. 9. Rowntree, D. (2000). Statistics without tears: An introdu ction for non-mathematicians. London: Penguin Group. 10. Shon, P. C. H. (2012). How to read journal articles in the social sciences. London: SAGE. 11. Thomas, G. (2011). How to do your research project. London: SAGE. Self Assessment document When you submit your assignment for this course you also need to include a self assessment document.This is a student version of the mark sheet and must include at least one sentence under each of the headings. Do not suggest a grade for your assignment! POSTGRADUATE ASSIGNMENT SELF ASSESSMENT DOCUMENT Course title: The sources of knowledge Year: 2012 Matriculation number: s1262299 1. Knowledge and Understanding of Concepts [Has the student understood the methodological concepts used (or not) by the authors in the papers? ] Yes, I understand the methodological concepts used by the authors in the paper under review by evaluating it from different perspectives in a balanced view. . Knowledge and Use of the Literature [Has the student shown evidenc e of reading core and supplementary texts? ] Yes, I have shown evidence of reading core and supplementary texts by citing their opinion. 3. Critical Reflection on Theory and Practice [Has the student explained and critically evaluated the pros and cons of the methodology (theory) and methods (practice) the papers analysed? ] Yes, I have explained and evaluated the pros and cons of the methodology and methods the paper analysed in a balanced view.And I have tried to judge on the basis of what the authors set out to achieve and consider the space they have, thus not being too critical. 4. Constructing Academic Discourse [Has the student structured the assignment effectively, adopted an appropriately academic style and tone? Spelling? Vocabulary? Grammar? Format? Fluency? ] Yes, I have structured my assignment effectively and adopted an appropriately academic style and tone. I have checked it to make sure of the correctness of the spelling, vocabulary, grammar, format and fluency. All of the above four areas receive equal weighting

The Prospect Of Building Underwater Environmental Sciences Essay

Population in Egypt increased in the last 10 old ages and reached 80 million with mean one-year growing 2.04 % . Traffic congestion is the largest job that Egypt faces, and it has a great consequence on air quality, going clip, concern, and cost. The authorities ever tries to work out the congestion by constructing new Bridgess, overpasss and metros, but unluckily it fails due to the addition of population. In this study there is a survey on edifice with a new engineering which is constructing underwater. Although submerged edifices exist since 1960 but no 1 have heard about it. Constructing underwater will be advantageous to the environment if people win in accomplishing it. Everything can be built submerged like Houses, hotels, watering place, eating houses aˆÂ ¦ etc. to allow people hold a good life or holiday. The glamour position underwater of fishes, coral reefs and different animals encourages people to construct and populate at that place. This study will discourse the possibility and the advantages of submerged edifices. The first subdivision will specify what submerged edifices are, and demo the advantages and credence of them. The 2nd will discourse the consequence of submerged edifices on the environment. The 3rd one will discourse the consequence of submerged edifices on societal life and the agencies of transit. The 4th will discourse the stuffs used, ways of edifice and particular demands. The fifth will present the jobs which face the submerged edifices. The 6th will demo the airing systems that are used. The 7th, will be illustrations of bing and approaching submerged edifices that make the reader able to visualise the thought good, and able to link all the parts of study together. Finally, the decision will back up and urge edifice and life underwater to diminish congestion and pollution on the surface of the Earth. 1. Introduction What are submerged edifices? Harmonizing to Dr. Khaled Abdelhady ( Professor in architecture technology, Shoubra University ) , submerged edifices are constructions built submerged for different intents each harmonizing to the type of edifice constructed ( personal communicating, 2010 ) . It all started in the 1960 ‘s by Jacques Cousteau ‘s squad in the signifier of submerged research Stationss ( submerged home ground, 2006 ) . Submerged edifices already exist, but have you of all time thought approximately traveling to an underwater edifice? Underwater edifice is the future foundation that has a great impact on the environment, we will be confronting some jobs while using this engineering but if we win in accomplishing it, it will be advantageous to our environment as it gets populated. It is true what was written in the â€Å" Evolo † magazine: â€Å" Approximately 71 % of the Earth ‘s surface is ocean, even more if clime alteration has its manner ; hence it is merely natural patterned advance that we will dwell the seas someday. † ( Water-Scraper: Underwater Architecture, 2010 ) .1.1 Background on submerged edifice typesWhen Dr. Khaled Abdelhady was asked about the types of underwater edifices he talked about the undermentioned types:1.1.1 Infra StructuresHe said that infra constructions are termss of edifices made under the H2O to allow the edifice itself above the H2O, for illustration the Bridgess linking metropoliss like the aureate gate span shown in figure 1.1 when you can see the base of span placed under the H2O ( personal communication,2010 ) . Figure 1.1: Aureate gate span ( beginning: www.google.com )1.1.2 Research centresSecond, Dr. Khaled talked about the research centres underwater. He said that there are two types of centres, foremost is an submerged lifes research centre which examine and observe animals submerged, and 2nd there are scientific centres which search for crude oil in the underside of seas and oceans ( personal communicating, 2010 )1.1.3 TunnelsAs for submerged tunnels Dr. Khaled Said they are passage ways constructed underwater. There is a type made for cyberspace chief overseas telegrams to be divided all over the universe, telephone lines, and others. Other type is made for autos to travel through submerged channels but for short distance rivers or H2O transitions like tunnel â€Å" Ahmed Hamdi † at the Suez Canal in Egypt ( personal communicating, 2010 ) .1.1.4 MuseumsAs for museums underwater, Dr. Khaled said there are 2 types, foremost one are museums made to see the submerged lifes without holding to travel through the dangers of diving and for really old grownups to be able to see them excessively, 2nd there are museums made to see the old sunken memorials, why underwater? So that you can see them they exact manner they were found in a beautiful originative manner. And it has already been constructed like in â€Å" Vasa Museum † in Stockholm ( personal communicating, 2010 ) .1.1.5 Hotels eating houses and amusementsAnother type that Dr. Khaled Abdelhady talked about was the amusement types of edifices. There are hotels, watering place, and eating houses built underwater so that people could hold a nice a holiday, a massage or a repast while watching the fishes and animals underwater. There are besides games made underwater like in Disney land roller coaster as shown in figure 1.2 when you can see people acquiring into the H2O while on the roller coaster ( personal communicating, 2010 ) . Figure 1.2: Disney land roller coaster ( Beginning: www.google.com )1.2 Advantage and credence of submerged edificesUnderwater edifices have a batch of advantages to people in Egypt. It will take down the crowded topographic points above land. It will increase the engineering use to be able to construct it. It will assist better touristry as people will come from all over the universe for amusement under the ruddy sea, and enjoyment of the amazing legion sorts of fishes and corals, and in same clip conserve the corals from being touched and hurt by people plunging. After inquiring a big figure of people if they would accept traveling to an submerged metropolis for amusement, holiday or touristry, it was surprising that most people accepted the thought. This means that if the thought really gets complete, it will be widely spread between people so rapidly and it will be successful in Egypt. And as you can see in figure 1.3 the figure of people accepting is about trebling the figure of people declining. Figure 1.3: Chart shows the figure of the credence and declining people3. Social facetsOvercrowding is considered the universe ‘s job, which is turning invariably and leads to many other jobs. This serious quandary prompted people to believe about the colonisation of the oceans, which led them to believe about the submerged edifices. As we know, H2O covers 70 % of the Earth ‘s surface, while land countries form a really little per centum. Taking a expression at the Earth from outer infinite, we will happen that the bluish colour dominates, and this will raise a batch of inquiries about how to work these countries. From this point, people begin to analyze the possibility of edifice underwater and do usage of such great surfaces. Let ‘s happen out if people will welcome the thought of life underwater in the hereafter, or it will be a useless undertaking. Due to high cost, these submerged edifices will be limited to a certain degree of people, and may be considered as a sort of prosperity. However, if we take into history that the engineering progresss, so there will be a manner to cut down the cost. But if complete metropoliss were built submerged, would people accept such alteration in their life. Some people can non populate without the Sun and do non conceive of themselves in a topographic point slightly isolated. Others want truly to seek this new life, and bask the composure and the glorious vision. In decision, populating underwater may go a world if its benefits overcome its troubles and jobs.3.1 Means of transitAfter seeking for the possible agencies of transit to populate under H2O, it was found that there are two possibilities. First, as many people will believe, pigboats would function as the chief mean of transit. For illustration, believing about its cost and pertinence, we will happen that it is the suited 1. Let ‘s move to the other possibility, at a larger graduated table, and speak about submerged tunnels. There are some bing submerged tunnels, which would be really effectual to achieve a certain submerged edifice or complete metropolis in the hereafter. For illustration, in Dubai, Hydropolis is an submerged hotel, but it is still under building. As it is described in figure 3.1, the developers of this undertaking explains: â€Å" It will include three elements: the land station, where invitees will be welcomed, the connecting tunnel, which will transport people by train to the chief country of the hotel, and the 220 suites within the undersea leisure composite. â€Å" ( Joachim Hauser, N.D. ) . Figure 3.1: The land station of Hydropolis ( Source: Design construct, ND. )4. Construction and construction facets4.1 The stuff usedA Although many stuffs exist for edifice, the 1 that meet the demands with the lowest costs are to be chosen. At this degree the cost will be minimized. . When taking the stuffs to be used in the building, it is of import to guarantee that the weight bound is non exceeded. ( Carl T.F. Ross & A ; Mark El-Hajj†¦ ) The chief stuff used for building underwater was a particular type of steel and acrylic. The acrylic stuff is used chiefly for visibleness, while the steel is used for supports ( supports ) . ( Carl T.F. Ross & A ; Mark El-Hajj†¦ ) High strength steel is used as it is comparatively inexpensive, and has its high output strength. It is non besides a good music director of electricity and heat. It is a high corrosion opposition. ( Carl T.F. Ross & A ; Mark El-Hajj†¦ ) A Acrylic stuff is used alternatively of glass ; It is better than glass due to being less dense, and it is besides has higher impact strength than the glass. Acrylic gives the natural size and colourss of the environing stuffs than glass. It is besides good dielectric of electricity which is good in seeking the wellness and safety of clients and submerged animals. ( Carl T.F. Ross & A ; Mark El-Hajj†¦ )4.2 ConstructionIt is known that the rewards for submerged building would be greater than on land building, due to the trouble faced during the on the job underwater. Another job would originate ; the edifice is big in size. For work outing these jobs, they divide the edifice into parts and edifice each portion on land so piece them under the H2O. ( Carl T.F. Ross & A ; Mark El-Hajj, †¦ †¦ †¦ .. )4.3 CareThe care procedure is a dearly-won procedure particularly when covering with an submerged care. The below figure shows us how this job can be solved, by spliting t he edifice into parts that can be separated from the whole edifice ; these parts can be transferred to set down so that a cheaper care can take topographic point. ( Carl T.F. Ross & A ; Mark El-Hajj†¦ ) Figure 4.1: The care procedure ( Beginning: Carl T.F. Ross & A ; Mark El-Hajj ) The crystalline portion of the edifice should be ever clean, so that the clients can see the marine clearly in all the clip. This state of affairs can be achieved by an machine-controlled system which uses a ego cleaning surfacing known as the smart stuff. ( Carl T.F. Ross & A ; Mark El-Hajj†¦ )5 Problem which face underwater edifice5.1 CostConstructing under H2O is a really expensive procedure due to the machines, instruments and skilled workers. Constructing under H2O besides contains some of public assistance as figures ( 5.1, 5.2 ) illustrate and it needs to immense budget. Figure 5.1: Example of under H2O ‘s public assistance ( Beginning: blog.hotelclub.com/top-five-underwater-hotels/ ) â€Å" Dreams, nevertheless fabulous, remain unrealized without the hard currency to back up the committedness ; the hardest portion of the procedure was happening sponsorship to the melody of a‚ ¬550m.That ‘s what brought me to Dubai. Still, it was a conflict which took two-and-a-half old ages and proved tougher than developing the undertaking itself. No bank would pay such an sum. It ‘s a hazardous investing, as there are no pilots. We had to convert investors that it is safe and will convey returns on investing. † ( Hauser, ND ) , so companies accept to co-operate with its challenger to finish under H2O edifice undertaking.5.2 The job of ErosionErosionA is the procedure ofA weatheringA and conveyance of solids ( deposit, A dirt, A rockA and other atoms ) in the natural environment or their beginning and deposits them elsewhere. It normally occurs due toA transportA by air current, H2O, or ice so applied scientists should take the appropriate stuffs for u nder H2O edifice.5.3 The location of crude oilFigure 5.2 shows that any accident may go on in the sea to the boring machines and machinery for seeking for oil or to any ship in the sea may harm the design of the edifice and it is out of control. Figure 5.2: The accident of the boring machine ( Beginning: hypertext transfer protocol: //Oc-Po/Petroleum-from-the Ocean.htmlhttp: //www.waterencyclopedia.com hypertext transfer protocol: //www.waterencyclopedia.comHYPERLINK â€Å" hypertext transfer protocol: //blog.hotelclub.com/top-five-underwater-hotels/ † HYPERLINK â€Å" hypertext transfer protocol: //blog.hotelclub.com/top-five-underwater-hotels/ † hypertext transfer protocol: //www.waterencyclopedia.comunderwater-hotels/ )5.4 The job of heat of H2OThe temperature of the H2O is extremely variable over the surface of the H2O, it is heated from the surface downward by sunshine, but at depth most of the H2O is really cold. ( Martha R.A Scott, ND )5.5 The job of force per unit areaPressure plays a large function in act uponing the foundations of the edifice besides workers face troubles either during the building procedure or during the care procedure.6. Environmental edifice facetsNo uncertainty that the first thin g that comes in our head while speaking about submerged edifices is the job of airing. Ventilation is defined as a: † procedure of providing fresh air to an enclosed infinite and taking from it air contaminated by olfactory properties, gases, or smoke â€Å" . Therefore, there must be a beginning of renewable air that helps in external respiration, and acquiring rid of unwanted gases, like C dioxide and others. Let ‘s research a solution, for the airing job, that was applied while constructing Holland tunnel, an submerged tunnel. Tunnels, specifically, have a great job with airing, due to gases produced by trains and cars. This job was addressed by Clifford Holland, the tunnel ‘s interior decorator. His purpose was to happen ways to unclutter exhaust exhausts and pump in fresh air, accomplishing this by utilizing airing towers, like the one illustrated in figure 5.1, and fans to travel air in and out. Finally, air can be renewed every 90 seconds. ( Howstuffworks, ND. ) Figure 6.1: Inside a Holland Tunnel airing tower ( Beginning: Eric and Edith Matson, ND. ) The airing systems that can be applied while edifice, can be divided into two methods: natural airing and mechanical airing. Natural airing depends on an unfastened window if the architecture permits, so it can non be used in submerged edifices. Therefore, mechanical airing is applied to air out these edifices. The most of import thing is the manner to acquire O needed for take a breathing. Breathing under H2O could go on in several ways ; such as hydrolysing the sea H2O, change by reversaling osmosis, or suctioning methods through air pumps. ( Chamberland, ND. ) . Oxygen can be extracted from saltwater since people will populate underwater, and it will be a practical method. Rearward osmosis is an effectual method used in H2O intervention ; and in the hereafter it will be used to acquire O, while populating underwater. Suctioning O, utilizing air pumps, would assist in both acquiring O and supplying good airing.7. Examples7.1 Dubai Underwater HotelIt is still under development. The hotel location will be 33 pess submerged. Its entire cost is over $ 550 million. The land station will be connected with the submerged subdivision with a 515 metre long tunnel through which an automatic train will transport people to the submerged hotel. It is 260 hectares country consisted of 220 suits bubble s haped 20 metres underwater. The hotel will besides hold several security steps. It has a series of watertight doors in instance of any ecstasy. It will besides hold its ain missile defensive system in instance of any terrorist onslaught.7.2 UNDERSEA RESORTS- Poseidon Mystery IslandThe thought was for the American applied scientist Bruce Jones. The Poseidon Resort ‘s Mystery Island shown in figure 7.1 could be reached by lift. It is a 1.1 million square pes, 40 pess under H2O. Room standard country is 550 square pes. ( wayfaring,2007 ) . The budget of the undertaking is $ 100 million. Figure 7.1: Poseidon Mystery Island ( Source: www.wayfaring.info )7.3 Ithaa underwater eating houseIt is the 1st of its sort in the universe. It is 16 pess below the surface of Indian Ocean. It is encased in clear acrylic. The ithaa eating house can be reached by a wooden paseo shown in figure 6.2 from over the H2O. It was difficult to construct it on the beach of rangali due to proficient challenge, limited resources and quality jobs. ( Wikipedia, 2010 ) . It was constructed in Singapore. Its building began in May 2004, and it was completed in October 2004 including installing of the acrylic arches, air conditioning and electric canals. Its life span is 20 old ages. Figure 7.2: Ithaa underwater eating house ( Beginning: World Wide Web. Wikipedia.com )7.4 Jules Undersea LodgeIt is the universe ‘s first submerged hotel, originally built in the early 1970s. It was opened to the populace in 1986. ( hotelclub,2007 ) .The entryway to the hotel is 21 pess underwater on the sea floor. The Lodge is to the full stocked with tight air.