Technology and Science

Does science and technology always have a positive effect on society? Technology and society refers to cyclical co-dependence, co-influence, co-production of technology and society upon the other. This synergistic relationship occurred from the dawn of humankind, with the invention of simple tools and continues into modern technologies such as the printing press and computers. The academic discipline studying the impacts of science, technology, and society and vice versa is called (and can be found at) Science and technology studies. Science is â€Å"knowledge attained through study or practice,† or â€Å"knowledge covering general truths of the operation of general laws, esp. as obtained and tested through scientific method and concerned with the physical world.† Science is a branch of knowledge or study dealing with the body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws.Technology, when thought of is what man has created (â€Å" tech† means craft). Technology can govern what is said about art or applied sciences. Technology affects our society because technology is all around us. It is what allows us to advance forward through our eras. Primitive technology could be considered hammers made by Neanderthals. Science is very different from technology. Science is not what we can create, but is more focused on our world and how it functions.Learning how a bird flies is science, but mimicking a bird through aviation would be technology. Science is about gathering knowledge through a systematic perspective and creating theories and laws to prove what we have learned. Science IS our world and that is how it affects the world.Science affects society in many ways it can benefit or make the society to devastate as in when the nuclear or atom bomb were invented they were not was not meant to harm the society but during the world war 2 cities known as Hiroshima and Nagasaki were totally destroyed so science should be accompanied with humanity because if science without humanity is useless the biggest example is global warming, the automobiles were meant to make travelling easy not to harm the environment so science does affect the society but it depends on us that if we take it in a positive way or in a way to devastation of the society Science has resulted in major advances in medicine, which has resulted in increased life expectancy, lower birth mortality rates, and treatments for illnesses that were previously terminal resulting in increased population size.Competition for a place as a  functional member of society is increased, as well as the competition with other societies to increase the capital to support a large society and fuel a progressive economy. Also, science provides us with a sense that there is â€Å"proof†, or factual evidence for the otherwise unexplained. Science and technology has created many new machines for example machine gun, tanks , smoke gas and many mor e which helped nations to fight and win the war without having to loss many solders due to planes travel faster and carry heavy bomb loads. Technology made transportation easier and faster for better transportation for goods and services.Science has also made life easier building elevators and developing of internal steel skeletons to bear weight of buildings and many more building to make life easier for the people to live. Science had taken traditional and modern ideas. The first human to step on the moon. Another better controversy highlights the growing rift between traditional and modern ideas. Science and technology has done a lot for the society which is beneficial but at times it does affect the society in a negative way. Science and technology has a great affection on the society because today’s society runs on science and technology.Science and technology are on our figure tips because known life of young people runs on science and technology mobile computer and oth er new invention has bought the world to a greater standard. From my point of view science and technology has a positive effect on our society. Because of today’s generation can’t lie a single day without phones and internet which clearly show how important technology is for our society.

Politeness and Culture Essay

1.1 What is politeness? Politeness is a kind of socio-cultural phenomenon in human communication. It has been defined in diverse ways. For Kochman (1984), politeness has a protective mission exercised in putting things in such a way as to take account of the feelings of others: Polite conversation is†¦ a way of showing consideration for other people’s  feelings, that is, not saying or doing anything that might unduly excite or arouse. The ‘gentleman’s agreement’ (though, hardly just confined to adult males) is and was ‘ you don’t do or say anything that might arouse my feelings, and I won’t do or say anything that might arouse yours’†¦ (1984:204) Watts (1992) defines polite behaviour as â€Å"socio-culturally determined behavior directed towards the goal of establishing and/or maintaining in a state of equilibrium the personal relationships between the individuals of a social group, whether open or closed, during the ongoing process of interaction† (1992:50) Therefore, the term â€Å"politeness† may be generally defined as adequate social conduct and tactful consideration of others aiming to avoid interactional conflicts. Politeness can be realized in a number of ways, among which the use of language concerns us most in the present discussion. Politeness is then taken to be the various forms of language structure and usage which allow the members of a socio-cultural group to achieve their conflict-avoiding goals. If politeness is seen as the adequacy of linguistic behavior, then all speakers of different languages are equally polite, since they all have linguistic means at their disposal, which according to their rules of application are adequate in different situations. The concept of politeness, therefore, is universally valid. 1.2 Motives of Being Polite Why do people apologize when they have done something wrong? Why do they compliment on their friend’s hairstyle? In one word, why do people behave appropriately, hence politely? The explanation of such diverse communicative behaviors lies in the consideration of â€Å"face†. Face is thus viewed as a positive public self-image that is maintaining in society. That is, in newly formed contacts the individual engages in establishing a public image for himself. In continued contacts he engages in sustaining and improving the face he has encouraged the others to develop for him. A fundamental preoccupation of people around the world is maintaining or protecting face. Threats to face, whether intended, accidental, or only imagined, are the basis of most interpersonal conflicts. They arise when people feel that their right to a positive self-image being ignored. One conventional way of avioding threats to face in all cultures is to be linguistically polite. To secure this public self-image, people engage in what Goffman calls â€Å"face work†, performing action â€Å"to make whatever they are doing consistent with face†(1967:12), while trying to save their own face as well as the other’s. Goffman (1967) specifies two kinds of face-work: the avoidance process (avoiding potentially face-threatening) acts and the corrective process (performing a variety of redressive acts). However, he says little about how face can be maintained linguistically while damage is occuring. As implied above, face wants are reciprocal, i.e. if one wants his face cared for, he should care for other people’s face. The reason is that, while the individual is absorbed in developing and maintaining his face, the others also have similar considerations for themselves. It is clear that one way of ensuring the maintenance of their own face is to keep everybody’s face undamaged. Normally, the participants during interaction work on the understanding that one will respect the other’s face as long as the other respects his. This point is best expressed by the concise rule in Scripture: Do unto all men as you would they should do unto you. Since face wants are reciprocal, politeness naturally concerns a relationship between two rational participants or interlocutors, whom we may call self and other. In a conversation, self may be identified with speaker or addresser, and other with hearer or addressee. Also it is possible that  speakers show politeness to a third party that is related to interlocutor’s face. 2.0 Language and Culture 2.1 Defining Culture Culture is a large and evasive concept. Sapir (1921) holds that culture may be defined as what a society does and thinks, and language is a particular way of thought. Language, in this way, is part of culture. Culture is also interpreted in the sense of Goodenough’s definition: As I see it, a society’s culture consists of whatever it is one had to know or believe in order to operate in a manner acceptable to its members†¦ Culture, being what people have to learn as distinct from their biological heritage, must consist of the end-product of learning: knowledge, in a most geneal†¦ sense of the term (Goodenough,1954:167). Culture is thus whatever a person must know in order to function in a particular society, including language and conventional behavioral norms that a person must follow or that other people in the society expect you to follow, to get through the task of daily living. When we study a culture, it is not enough to merely learn the knowledge of a language and behavioral norms, as Steinmetz, Bush and Joseph-Goldfare (1994) point out: Studying culture does not mean looking only at customs, insititution, and artifacts†¦, but also studying people’s values, beliefs, and attitudes and how they influence or are influenced by interaction among people. Culture should be studied as a process as well as a product (1994:12). As a combination of these views, culture consists of not only language, behavioural norms, which can be observed, but also values and beliefs underlying them. The famous metaphor of the â€Å"culture iceberg† (Hall & Hall,  1990) indicates that many aspects of culture, such as certain beliefs, world views, and values, are below the surface of consciousness ( in the submerged part of the iceberg). Other aspects of culture, like language, eating habits, customs, are in the conscious area ( above the waterline). It is often the less conscious cultural aspects that influenced the way people communicate with each other. 2.2 Language and Culture We are now in a position to see language and culture in a dialectical relationship. Every language is part of a culture. As such, it cannot but serve and reflect cultural needs. This does not necessarily go against Saussure’s thesis that the signified of a language are arbitrary and hence derive their exact identity from systems of relationships. What needs to be added, however, is that this arbitrariness is not as absolute as he suggested, but is limited by the particular cultural setting from which a language extracts its signified. Within the broad limits set by the specific needs of a culture, a language is free to make arbitrary selections of signifieds. This element of arbitrariness is brone out by the fact that there is of a speech community and its linguistic resources. Thus neither linguistic determinism nor cultural determinism can adequately explain why a language should select its unique system of signs, for these selections are made partly in response to cultural needs and partly owing to the inherent ( limited ) arbitrariness of the process. There is yet another sense in which language is not a passive reflector of culture. Even assuming that culture is in many cases the first cause in the language-culture relationship, language as the effect in the first link of the casual chain will in turn be the cause in the next link, reinforcing and preserving beliefs and customs and conditioning their future course. 3.0 Politeness and Culture 3.1 The Concept of Face In Chinese and English The central to B & L’s politeness theory is the concept of face, and its two concimitant desires—– negative face and positive face, which are defined from the perspective of individual’s wants. B & L maintain that notion of face constituted by these two basic desire is universal (1987:13). This section thus aims to examine whether their notion of face is applicable in Chinese culture. Since they acknowledge deriving their formulation of face from Goffman’s classic account of face and from the English folk notion of face (1987:61), these two sources will be dealt with first. 3.1.1 The Source of B & L’s † Face† The first source is Goffman’s account of face. Goffman characterizes face as â€Å"the positive social value a person effectively claims for himself by the line others assume he has taken during a particular contact†. He sees face not as a private or an internalized flow of events, supported by other people’s judgments, and enclosed by â€Å"impersonal agencies in the situation† (1967:7). Seen in this light, face becomes a public image that is on loan to individuals from society, and that will be withdrawn from them if they prove unworthy of it (1967:10). B & L say that their other sources is the English folk concept of face, which is linked to notions like â€Å"being embarrassed of humiliated, or ‘losing face'† (1987:61). But in fact, such notions of face seem to be Chinese in origin. The word â€Å"face† is a literal translation of the two Chinese characters and ( Hu,1944;Ho,1975). Presumably informed of these two sources, B & L characterize face as image that intrinsically belongs to the individual, to the self. This seems to part with their first source considerably. Here, the public characteristic that is essential to Goffman’s analysis of face seems to become an external modifier rather than an intrinsic constituent of this image. 3.1.2 Chinese â€Å"Face† As pointed out above, two Chinese characters and are used to convey the denotative meaning of the word â€Å"face† ( that is, † the front of the head†); they also encode connotative meanings, which have to do with reputable, respectable images that individuals can claim for themselves from communities in which they interact, or to which they belong (Ho,1957). More specifically, stands for prestige or reputation, which is either achieved through getting on in life (Hu, 1944:45), or ascribed by other members of one’s own community. refers to † the respect of the group for a man with a good moral reputation†; it embodies † the confidence of society in the integrity of ego’s moral character†, and it is † both a social sanction for enforcing moral standards and internalized sanction† (Hu, 1944:45). Chinese speakers, therefore, will be seen as being polite if they know how to attend to each other’s and and to enact speech acts appropriate to and worthy of such an image. 3.2 Difference Between Chinese â€Å"Face† and B & L’s â€Å"Face† The first difference is concerned with their overall conceptualization of face—-a difference that has been briefly alluded to above. B & L focus their notion of face primarily upon the individual—-rather than the communal-aspect of face; that is, the self is the principal constituent that contextualizes the concept of face. The self is â€Å"public† only to the extent that it depends on other’s face being manifested (B & L, 1987:61). The self depends on the public only to preserve its own interests. In short, the overall composition of this self-image, with its negative and positive aspects, only concerns the individual’s wants and desires. In contrast, Chinese face encodes a reputable image that individuals can claim for themselves as they interact with others in a given community; it is intimately linked to the views of the community and to the community’s judgment and perception of the individual’s character and behaviour. Chinese face emphasizes not the accommodation of individual â€Å"wants† or â€Å"desires† but the harmony of individual conduct with the views and judgment of the community. Chinese face, to quote Goffman again, is â€Å"on loan†¦from society† (1967:10); it belongs to the individual or to the self only to the extent  that the individual acts in full compliance with that face. The second difference is related to the content of face. B & L conceive of face as consisting of negative face and positive face. Their negative face refers to, and values, an individual’s need to be free of external impositions, a desire to be left alone to enjoy a sense of one’s â€Å"territorial integrity†. â€Å"Privacy† is a particular term used to describe this typical value, which is much more treasured in English culture than in Chinese; whereas Chinese face emphasizes one’s dependence on society’s recognition of one’s social standing and of one’s â€Å"reputable†existence, and subsequently, on society’s endorsement of one’s attending to it. Relatively speaking, Chinese â€Å"face† does not comprise the element of what B & L term â€Å"negative face†. 3.3 Cultural Assumption In this section, the differences of politeness in English and Chinese will be elaborated in terms of the different historicity that the concept of politeness can be traced back to, and of the fundamental cultural assumptions underlying the two different notions of English and Chinese â€Å"face†. 3.3.1 A Historical Review As we have known, privacy is a value derived from B & L’s notion of face. It is a notion embracing at once the freedom, rights, and the independence of action of man. Such a value is closely associated with the emancipation of man from the yokes of the church on the European continent, and with the opening up of the New World on the other side of the Atlantic—-North America. Consequently, showing respct to an individual’s liberty, his rights, his independence in Anglo-American culture, will be considered polite; lack of it will be improper, hence impolite. On the contrary, Chinese culture has had a 2000-year-long history of feudalism. Chinese civilization has been established on agriculture, and †Ã‚  Generations of peasants were tied to the land on which they lives and worked. Except in times of war and famine, there was little mobility, either socially and geographically† (Hu & Grove,1991:1). From this historicity resulted the collective (group-oriented) nature of Chinese value, which was reinforced ideologically in the Confucian tradition, a tradition that advocates subordinating the individual to the group or the community, and maintains that the ultimate goal of human behavior is to achieve harmony, which leads the Chinese to pursue a conflict-free and group-oriented system of an ever-expanding circle of human-relatedness (Chen, 1993). Namely, an individual is presumed not to satisfy the desire for freedom, but to gain self-esteem in harmony with group. Just as English culture values privacy, Chinese culture values harm ony. In modern Chinese, the equivalent of politeness is believed to have evolved in history from the notion of Li . The ancient philosopher and thinker Confucius (551—479 B.C.), in order to restore the harmony of society when there were constant wars between feudal states, advocated restoring Li. Derived from this book are four basic elements of politeness, or what count as polite behaviors: respectfulness, modesty, attitudinal warmth, and refinement. â€Å"Respectfulness† is the self’s positive appreciation of admiration of the other concerning the latter’s face, largely identical with the need to maintain the hearer’s positive face. â€Å"Modesty† can be seen as another way of saying â€Å"self-denigration†; though â€Å"modesty† varies in the importance attached to it in different cultures, it is to a large extent universal, her to interpret it as self-denigration is uniquely Chinese. â€Å"Attitudinal warmth† is the self’s demonstration of kindness, consideration, and hospitality, the speaker runs the risk of infringing on the hearer’s personal freedom, viz. privacy, thus threatening his negative face. Finally, â€Å"refinement† refers to the self’s behavior to the other which meets certain moral standards laid by society; it represents the normative character of politeness in addition to the instrumental aspect. These four essential elements of politeness are believed to manifest themselves in many Chinese speech events. 3.3.2 Two Construals of the Self: Interdependent and Independent If we examine the â€Å"deep structure† from which the two different notions of English and Chinese â€Å"face† can possibly be derived, them they can be said to have been informed metarphorically by two divergent underlying forces (Mao,1994): the centripetal force, which leads Chinese â€Å"face† to gravitate toward social recognition and hierarchical interdependence, and the centrifugal force, which enables English â€Å"face† to spiral outward from individual desires or wants with the self as the initiating agent. The centripetal force and centrifugal force represent two different face orientations, which correspond to two distinct construals of the self: an interdependent construal of the self and an independent construal of the self respectively(Markus and Kitayama, 1991). The independent construal of the self, endorsed by English culture and most Western countries, builds on † a faith in the inherent separateness of distinct persons â€Å". The normative imperative of this culture is to become independent of others and to discover and express one’s unique attributes (Miller, 1988). Thus achieving the cultural goal of independent requires construing oneself as an individual whose behavior is made meaningful primarily by reference to one’s own internal thoughts, feelings, and actions, rather than by reference to those of others; whereas the interdependent construal of the self, favoured by Chinese culture and most East Asian countries, insists on † the fundamental connectedness of human beings to each other†(Markus and Kitayama, 1991:227). A normative imperative of this culture is to maintain this interdependence, therefore, entails seeing oneself as part of an encompassing social relationship and recongnizing that one’s behavior is organized by what the self perceives to be the thoughts, feeling, and actions of others in the relationship, so that the self within such a construal becomes most meaningful and complete. BIBLIOGRAPHY Blum-Kulka, S. et al. 1984. Requests and apologies: A cross-cultural study of speech acts realization patterns (CCSARP). Applied Linguistics 5(3):192-212 Brown, R. & S. Levinson. 1987. Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge:CUP. Chen, Guoming. 1993. A Chinese perspective of communication competence. Paper presented at the annual convention of the speech communication association, Miami Beach, FL. Goffman, E. 1967. Interactional Ritual: Essays on Face-to-Face Behavior. New York: Doubleday Anchor Books. Goffman, E. 1972. Interactional Ritual. London:Penguin. Goffman, E. 1971. Relations in Public: Macrostudies of the Public Order. Harmondsworth:Penguin Goodenough, W. H. 1957. Cultural anthropologh and linguistics. In Garvin, P.L.(ed.) Report of the 7th Annual Round Table Meeting on Linguistics and Language Study. Washington: Georgetown University Press Hall, E. & M. Hall. 1990. Understanding Cultural Differences. Yarmouth, ME: International Press. Ho, D.1975. On the concept of face. American Journal of Sociology 81(4):867-84 Hu, Wenzhong & C. L. Grove. 1991. Encountering the Chinese: A Guide for Americans Yarmouth, ME: International Press. Mao, L. R. 1994. Beyond politeness theory: â€Å"face† revisited and renewed. Journal of Pragmatics 21:451-86 Markus & Kitayama. 1991. Culture and self. Pshchological Review 98(2):224-53 Miller, J.G. 1988. Bridging the context-structure dichotomy: culture and the self. In M.H. Bond (ed.) The cross-cultural Challenge to Social Psychology. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. 266-81

A Study of the Conversion Options for the Bataan

Introduction Between 1993 and 1995, M. E. T. T. S. undertook a study of the options for converting the Bataan Nuclear Power Station to fossil fuel (coal or natural gas) combustion. One aim of the study was to find another market for Philippine and Australian coal or natural gas (LNG). The essential question regarding the Bataan Reactor is: how to obtain a financial return from a very expensive power station that * has never produced electricity; * is costing the Philippinec State a sizeable sum in interest; and * has environmental, safety and social concerns over its use as a nuclear power station.The retrofitting of the turbine generator with a fossil fuel fired steam raising system was suggested as a means of utilising part of the plant, and obtaining some return for past and future expenditure. The report/proposal examined some options for fossil fuel firing, and compared those options with nuclear operation. Background The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was completed in 1984, whilst construction commenced in 1976. It is a Westinghouse light water reactor, that uses pressurised water as it heat exchange medium between the reactor and the steam generators.Its design thermal capacity is 1876MW(t), whilst its rated power output is 621MW(e)1. The technology that is incorporated into the plant is essentially early seventies, but has been modified to incorporate more recent safety devices, such as those recommended by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, after evaluation of the Three Mile Island incident. The plant, which was in the process of commissioning at the time of the EDSA revolution, has not been fired, although nuclear fuel was delivered to it storage facilities.Maintenance has continued, with the integrity of the plant and ancillaries being ensured. Conclusion of Study The Philippine Government has previously stated that the Philippines will have nuclear power, but that power will come from new plant and not the Bataan reactor. President Ramos announced on the 8th October 1994 that the Reactor would be converted to a 1000MW combined cycle gas plant. (Although an announcement for a specific conversion scheme has been made, it is still considered that there is time for other options to be considered. )We found that conversion is technically possible, but economically unwise. New and dedicated coal or natural gas fired power plants would give much higher efficiencies, and thus would give the Philippines much better value per peso spent on fuel consumed. The M. E. T. T. S. ‘s study concluded that the only way of obtaining a reasonable return from the Bataan ‘machine' is to use it as a nuclear power plant. Our report specifically came to the following conclusions: * That the use of the present ‘nuclear' turbine/generator in a fossil fired system would be highly wasteful of energy (fuel), A new pulverised coal power station and/or combined cycle natural gas power stations at other site(s), would be a better investment in terms of fuel efficiency and levellised power costs, * The Bataan site is inappropriate for coal fired plant, due to environmental constraints and materials (coal and ash) handling problems, * More assessable sites could be found for combined cycle natural gas fired plants around Manila Bay, and Batangas, * The Bataan reactor has been maintained in a good condition since mothballing, and The reactor is of basically sound design and construction, and could with modest expenditure become one of the most modern and safest light water reactors in East Asia. To fire the plant as a nuclear facility, the sea water intakes to the condensers would need to be cleaned (with some equipment being replaced), some of the reactor monitoring systems would need to be further upgraded, whilst the second power transmission system would need to be reconstructed. Staff would need to be retrained and re-licenced.A description of the study is presented in the attached article by Clarke, Ebeling and Cordero . The article was presenred at The First Philippine International Conference on Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management, Manila, January 1995. Options for the Conversion of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant to Fossil Fuel Firing Dr. Michael C. Clarke, Director, M. E. T. T. S. Pty. Ltd. , Sydney, Australia Mr. Douglas R. Ebeling, Associate, M. E. T. T. S. Pty. Ltd. , Sydney, Australia Eng. Donato L. Cordero, Engineering Manager, Bataan Nuclear Power Plant The following Executive Summary of a major report formed the basis of a paper presented at the 1st Philippine Conference on Energy Efficiency and Demand-side Management, Manila, January 1995. ) Capital costs and power generation costs are summarised in Table 1, for one coal conversion option, and the conversion of the plant to natural gas fired, combined cycle operation. For comparison purposes figures are also presented for the refurbishment, commissioning and running the plant as a nuclear power station. Electricity costs from n uclear operation are considerably cheaper than for ither the two conversion options. If power costs was the only criteria for operating the plant then nuclear firing would clearly win. Both coal and natural gas conversions will have environmental consequences for the region. By the installation of best available technology and the application of best available practice, the impact will be minimised. The cost of technology and practice however will increase the cost of electricity produced by the plant. Table 1. SUMMARY TABLE, FOSSIL FUEL CONVERSION OPTIONS, BNPP – Revision, March 1995 CONVERSION TO COALCONVERSION TO N.GASNUCLEAR COMPARISON POWER OUTPUT MW(e)8001700 620 ENERGY OUTPUT GWH5,600 (With FGD – 5400)12,2004,613 CAPITAL COST $USm750 (With FGD – 1070)1385380 (UPGRADE) Electricity Cost ? US/kWH4. 82 (With FGD – 5. 94) 5. 24, 4. 34 (FP $230/170)3. 50 Electricity Cost P/kWH1. 21 (With FGD – 1. 49)1. 31, 1. 09 (FP $230/170)0. 88 CAP. COST/POWER OUT0. 94 (With FGD – 1. 34)0. 810. 61 CONSTRUCTION TIME42 MONTHS4218. 24 FGD Flue Gas Desulphurisation (+ Selective Catalytic Reduction) FP Fuel Price, Natural Gas ($US230 /tonne for LNG, $US170 /tonne piped gas) – (Coal $US 55 / tonne) Notes on Table 1For comparison purposes, the two fossil fuel conversion options and the nuclear comparison have each had the electricity cost based on a pay-back period of twenty years. In each case (for the table) it has been assumed that the full capital cost has been borrowed. When financing packages are being considered, different pay-back periods are likely to be used. The periods are likely to increase with increasing debt. With the natural gas conversion option, an equity contribution would probably be included, since a BOT financing scheme may be used, that ties gas production, reticulation and use into one commercial package.The electricity costs for coal and natural gas conversion are based on a reasonably optimistic scenarios , where no excessive ancillary capital works are charged against the plant. If environmental or other factors require such works, then increase in the electricity cost would occur. It is further considered that the plant required for conversion would be sourced from low cost countries; China, India, Australia, the Philippines etc, as far as possible. The costings for conversion are further premised on the use of the site allocated for construction of PNPP 2, in that it is supplied at no cost, and is geologically stable.If the time required for the construction and commissioning is crucial, then the upgrading of the plant as a nuclear station is clearly the preferred choice. Further, the financial analyses indicate that the nuclear firing of the plant offers the cheapest electricity. Given that the nuclear fuel price is likely to remain stable over the foreseeable future (as against likely rises for coal and natural gas), the nuclear upgrading# and operation offers greater financial certainty to investors. # M. E. T. T. S. ‘s estimate for upgrading the nuclear plant to 1997/8 standards is $US380m.It is backed by further external assessment, and includes new safety features. $US300m is the cost of a basic upgrading based on calculations carried out by the National Power Corporation. SUMMARY – COAL FIRING The conversion of the PNPP I plant to coal firing has some advantages. Coal technology is well proven, and only a small variation in the normal use of that technology is required to convert the plant. The power station will have a capacity similar to the design capacity for the nuclear plant, and will not be the largest plant in the new echelon of Luzon's power facilities.The plant of 800 MW(e) capacity will be relatively inexpensive at a capital cost of $US505m – without Flue Gas Desulphurisation, Selective Catalytic Reduction, or excessive expenditure on coal or ash handling and ignoring the previous expenditure on the nuclear system. A con struction and commissioning period of 42 months is envisaged. The coal option however offers unique co-economic opportunities. The ash waste product would be valuable if used in ancillary industry. By using the Lahar produced by the Pinatubo eruption as an aggregate, with the ash, iron oxide and cement, valuable building materials could be produced.The disadvantages include designing and fitting an environmentally acceptable coal fired power station into the Bataan region. The materials handling alone will create many environmental, management and operational difficulties. The infrastructure requirements for materials handling will also raise engineering and environmental questions that will need to be solved before construction begins. Other environmental questions concerning emission reduction and control must also be answered before work can commence.Another major disadvantage is the requirement for premium fuel, that is expensive in 1994, and in all probability will become relat ively more expensive as the demand for ‘clean' coal increases in the future. SUMMARY – NATURAL GAS FIRING (COMBINED CYCLE, GAS TURBINE) Natural gas provides the cleanest option for the conversion of the Bataan power station to fossil fuel firing. It further offers the most flexible power output to the grid. Options exist for running a part (or whole) of the plant as a single cycle peak load provider, or running the whole plant as a base load facility.The environmental hazard that would be created by such a plant is low compared to coal. Thermal pollution to the sea would be greater than the nuclear option, in that if a 1700MW(e) plant was built with 46% efficiency, the waste heat would be 2000MW(t). This heat would be partially dissipated into the atmosphere (250MW) as against to the sea (1750MW). The additional heat discharge to the sea would be about 500MW(t). NOx emissions can be successfully controlled by modern technology.Steam or water injection, ammonia addition or innovative combustion designs will produce acceptable (but not zero) NOx emissions. At 1700MW(e), the power station would be the largest in the Philippines, and would certainly require a review of the Luzon energy plan. The total consumption of natural gas over a twenty five year period would be 2. 5 TCF; over half the entire Philippine projected resource from Palawan. Over a billion dollars in capital would be needed to build the plant, plus an additional substantial sum to supply the fuel; either as LNG or pipeline gas.The security of a large gas holding area would need to be addressed. Such a holding area and power station would make a relatively easy target when compared to a coal fired plant with coal yards or nuclear facilities. The installation of the gas turbines could be achieved in eighteen months, but the construction of the steam generators and carrying out modifications to the existing plant would take a further twenty four months. From the preliminary financial anal ysis, the construction of a new combined cycle power station makes better financial sense. A NUCLEAR COMPARISONUnder the four headings (Technology, The Environment, Social and Political Concerns, and Economy) that were used to examine the coal-conversion option, a brief summary has been made of the nuclear option for comparison purposes. Technology Light water reactors are a very common type of nuclear reactor. They have good safety records, and most have high capacity factors. There development has been continuous, with technology now being available from Japan, Korea, France, the United Kingdom as well as the United States. They are used in close proximity to the Philippines (Japan, Korea and Taiwan) and have been armarked for use in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Bataan unit is 1970/80's technology. It is however essentially the same as new units, and could be readily upgraded to 1990's standards. The Environment The reactor will produce thermal pollution (waste heat) that will be d isposed of, off Napot Point to the South China Sea. An environmental impact assessment cleared the plant for its designed heat disposal, and found that localised heating of the sea would not be excessive, given the strong currents that would ensure dispersion of the hot water.No other polluting emissions could be expected from the nuclear power plant. (Accidental emissions of radioactive material, are most unlikely. Once the plant was upgraded to 1997 standards, one accident in a million years could be expected. ) Social and Political Concerns The perceived problems at the Bataan power plant are its greatest liability. These problems include seismic instability, claims of faulty workmanship and the lack of experience of the operators. Many geological and seismic inspections have been carried out on the site, with the result being that no significant risk is apparent.To convince Philippine Society of the seismic safety of the plant, an educational programme would need to be carried o ut that emphasised the sites stability, and the high seismic safety factor of the plant (0. 4g). Part of the process of refurbishment and upgrading, would be quality assurance on all systems and components of the plant. Modern QA techniques would need to be used to provide the certainty that all significant parts of the plant meet the highest safety and operational standards. Initially foreign experts would be needed to run the plant. The retraining ofPhilippine staff would take considerable time and money, with the retrained staff spending a number of years assisting in operating similar plants in neighbouring countries. Economics By comparison with the costs of conversion to coal or natural gas, the refurbishment and upgrading of the plant for nuclear operation would be significantly cheaper. A maximum price of $US300m (including staff training) is a fair limit, compared to fossil fuel conversion alternatives. The nuclear option should have the shortest lag time in terms of upgrad ing and commissioning.If foreign staff were used to initially man the plant then a period of eighteen to twenty months would be needed for full operation. This relatively short period, may be valuable in that the some of the expensive, old or temporary oil fired power plant could be retired early. Fuel costs, plus operation and management costs for LWRs should cost no more than ? US 2/kWH (0. 54 Centavos/kWH). If the interest on the $US 300m was 12%, with a pay-back period of twenty years for the capital, then a further 0. 9? US/kWH would be added to the power cost.The total power cost would be 2. 9? US/kWH (0. 78 Centavos/kWH). If consideration was given to running the Bataan power station as a nuclear plant, then the environmental and economic benefits (as well as safety) should be emphasised, to overcome social and political opposition. THE PHILIPPINES AND THE NUCLEAR CYCLE The Philippines would be an importer of nuclear fuel and an exporter of spent fuel. The fuel that the react or would use would be lightly enriched. As the uranium 235 is consumed, some plutonium is formed, part of which is also used up as fuel.The spent fuel rods contain a depleted amount of uranium 235, a little plutonium but mostly non-fissile uranium 238. These fuel rods can be reused in heavy water type reactors (CANDU) that are running in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, as primary fuel. All the wastes would be processed by those countries, whilst the Philippines would receive a financial return for its used nuclear fuel. This is a win-win situation. The sale of the used fuel rods could bring the net production cost of electricity (fuel plus operations and management) to under ? US 1. 5/kWH. PLANT SECURITY AND THE NUCLEAR OPTIONUnfortunately there is an ongoing insurgency situation in the Philippines. The insurgency problems are no longer major, and in all probability will recede. All major plant however does need a security system. The Bataan plant was constructed with good external, perime ter and internal security systems. There are commonly perceived notions that Nuclear Plants are susceptible to terrorist attack. These notions are based on a lack of understanding of the compact nature of nuclear plants, and the presence of very considerable containment structures for the reactor and fuel stores – especially American designed LWRs.The plant is easy to guard, and would be able to resist attack with light weapons, including rocket propelled grenades etc. The damage from such an attack would be limited to the knocking out of ancillary plant and structures, including the transformer yard, the auxiliary fuel tanks and administration building. Notes 1. The above power cost figures are based on 1997 projected fuel prices, 12% interest, 85% availability, and 20 years amortisation.. The price of coal and natural gas are considered to be more liable for major increases, than nuclear fuel.The Asian demand for both coal and gas is expected to outstrip supply in the comin g decade. 2. The estimated construction time includes planning and design, equipment construction, site modification, plant erection and commissioning, and staff training (coal and natural gas conversion). If major ancillary works are required (eg. major wharves, ash and coal pipelines, shipping channels etc), then both an increase in the construction time and costs could be expected.

The debate between pro-choice and pro-life Essay

The debate between pro-choice and pro-life - Essay Example The author of this paper believes that neither of these two candidates has thus far been able to sway those individuals who were pro-choice or pro-life to change their fundamental belief to a new or different philosophical standpoint. Clearly this debate is a lifelong and never-ending deliberation. Therefore should the individuals who are pro-choice just submit to those who are pro-life and accept defeat? You, the reader, be the judge. The Toulmin Model of Argumentation posits six primary elements in the course of an argument, namely, claim, grounds, warrant, backing support, rebuttal/reservation and clarification. Firstly, the claim is the statement of the argumentation. The second element of an argument is the grounds which are substantiated explanation for the claim. The third element is the warrant which refers to theory or the series of analysis that unite the grounds to the claim. The backing is the fourth element and its main purpose is to support the warrant. Rebuttal or reservation is the fifth factor and it gives an account of ‘counter-examples and counter-arguments’ which are two major components of the Toulmin model. The final ingredient is qualification which asserts a boundary to the claim, warrant and backing. This essay is an attempt to utilize the Toulmin model of argument to analyze the various arguments submitted to question pro-choice versus pro-life. Is there a difference between the human and an animal? The author of this paper believes that the animal level belongs to some dogs and other animals that would eat or kill their own offspring immediately upon delivery. The human element in us is that we have a choice- a choice to eat or kill the child or to allow the child to live to develop into all that it was meant to become. The author of this paper claims that the mere fact that a sperm and an egg were allowed to germinate should be basis enough to allow the new life that is been conceived to

Cultural Shows in Atlanta Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Cultural Shows in Atlanta - Personal Statement Example These people are my father, my mother, and my sister. I watched a piano quartet concert in Atlanta a moth ago and I would say that it was a very awesome experience. It was held in a big dome and almost all seats were taken. Four famous pianists made a rendition of all-time favorite classic music as well as pop songs, which perhaps were undertaken in order to suit the taste of different audiences. The quartet was made up of two men and two women, and there were two grand pianos erected onstage used for the performances. The men wore black tuxedos, while the women wore cocktail clothes. The one was in velvet red while the other one was in silk blue. They all looked refreshing. The concert started with a powerful rendition of Love Story (Where Do I Begin) The masterful streaks that each pianist did on the piece made it so amazing. The quartet was supported by a violin and a saxophone on the background, which contributed in making the sound more engaging and fascinating. They followed it with The Entertainer, which was really a very entertaining performance. The classic O Comme Amour gave out a likewise enthralling appeal, making the entire performance a good deal of experience for the audience. The quartet always received a standing ovation from the crowd, of which most are in their middle age and senior years. It was surprising to see some young people in the crowd as well, who appreciate this kind of music despite their generation. It was amazing to know that my favorite singer, Celine Dion, was there to render a song number while the piano quartet performed. There was also another piece played by two of the four pianists - one woman and a man - while th e other two sang in a duet. This piano quartet is a modification of the classic one, made to fit the different audiences in today's post-modern world. I like their classic rendition of Song for Anna, Ballad Pour Adeline, and the piece that thrilled me most, I Got a Crush on You originally sang by Frank Sinatra but is oozing in that frenzied night as the air suddenly shifted into a romantic mood. The allure was sustained by another performance of an instrumental I'm in the Mood for Love and Fascination, followed by Someone to Watch Over Me, which the four sang in blended voices as they tinkered on the black and white keys of the grand pianos. This event night is one of the memorable ones I witnessed, in which the artists' skills were exhibited in total fashion. I have never been as enthralled as I have been in this piano quartet event. I would relate my experience with the piano quartet concert with my father, a humorous but a serious person, fun loving and genuine, loving and wise. The piano concert, which had been a mixture of classic and new music, of old and mainstream songs, which are in total opposite yet jive together in one amazing performance, is just like him. My father is one whom you would like to be always around, and his mere presence is enough to invigorate you. His fun and positive energy uplifts a lonely soul. I believe he just really has these innate characteristics to uplift people in their lowest point. Just like the symphonies performed by the piano quartet, which have the ability to soothe the audience and take them into the journey of their music. I admire my father so much because of the combination of

Vermont Teddy Bear Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vermont Teddy Bear - Research Proposal Example Validation of Organizational Vision In specific, it is an understanding that vision and mission of a company plays the most crucial role in providing a fundamental basis to the organization, as well as a sense of strategic understanding to its employees and stakeholders. However, at the same time, it is essential that processes of the organization should be in line with the identified aims and value statements of the company as mission and values provide a virtual roadmap to achieve some target in the future. For this reason, the proposed research will include analysis of mission, objectives, and value statements of Vermont Teddy Bear (VTBC, 2011) along with their comparison analysis with existing strategic processes of the organization. In this regard, website of Vermont Teddy Bear (VTBC, 2011), as well as published brochures and reports will be an efficient way of getting hold of its mission, objectives, and values statements. At the same time, the same resources will be helpful in the evaluation of their implementation and effectiveness in different processes of the organization.

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Research Proposal

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation - Research Proposal Example Despite of all these benefits, 100 million hectares of forests are air-purifying machines sequestrating world’s carbon dioxide. Sad thing is, these forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Both illegal export and domestic logging play the major role in the decrease of forests. Main reason of this huge mismanagement is the information gap in various Indonesian forests departments as well as absence of strict implementation of forest laws. That is why this research paper is so important because it will bridge this information gap by using ‘Qualitative Research Methodology’. Most forest data that these departments have is outdated or is limited. Data needs to be upgraded and properly archived with regular updating. The paper will look deep inside this matter and will spot specific loopholes and suggest various solutions to them by looking at various methods being used around the world to save and protect forests. An information centered approach will be used to suggest such solutions that will probably help curb illegal logging of priceless forests of Indonesia. Qualitative research method will provide suggestions that will look at both aspects where there is a need of compiling data on current forest boundaries as well as the need for recording changes in the boundaries of forests. Consequently this will be accomplished by proposing laws and various valuable guidelines for proper forestry care. Useful matrices will be provided in the research paper that will give guidelines to the planners and forest managers for collecting forest data and forest products manufacturing

Assn. 2 Environmental Policy & Procedures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assn. 2 Environmental Policy & Procedures - Essay Example city of Tigard, 512 US.374 (1994) the court ruled that development permits must be roughly proportional to the effects the land in question will have to the community. In this case, the applicant sought to replace her hardware store with a larger facility and pave a 39 paving store. She was granted her wish but with conditions to it. The court however ruled in her favor stating that Dolan could not be forced to give up her land without just compensation. The land disputed formed part of wetlands that Tigard wanted to improve but had unfair conditions (Durant et al, 2004). The national environmental policy act is a statute that requires all governments to integrate policy values into decision-making processes considering impacts of their proposed actions. (NEPA Homepage)This institution forces the state agencies to put in consideration the environmental factors in their decision making process but also empowers them to make informed decisions on the same. This was not in existence before (Malone, 2007).The environmental impact assessment is the heart of the implementation of the act. NEPA addresses the larger environmental problem, and has made a significant effort in addressing environmental issues. Its regulations have caused attitude and behavioral change thus leading to better agency decisions. NEPA action forcing strategies to meet their goals have raised concerns and its critics ask if force will help attain quality in the environment. Critics of this act have a problem with the procedural emphasis. All projects must pass through some procedure to determine if they will have negative or positive impact on the environment. For this to be achieved several actions must be taken. The inability for the act to have requirements to guide implementation or abandon of the project is not agreeable with the critics (Anderson, 2009). One of the victory stories is that of the construction of a parkway in Utah that would act as an alternative route to salt lake

Research and Development Methods Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

And Development Methods - Research Proposal Example E-commerce is fast becoming such a powerful tool in global business activity that businesses that do not have an electronic representation are not expected to be as successful as those that have electronic representation. Apart from the fact that e-commerce helps in giving a company a borderless trade opportunity, it also ensures that there an easy and more accessible means of promoting one’s business and consolidating a firm competitive advantage through brand equity (quote). By and large, e-commerce also meets the innovative needs of today’s consumer, who can be said to have been more informed and complicated in trade activity than he was decades back (quote). It is important to note that as much as e-commerce sets the tone for competitive global business activity to take place, e-commerce is only an end in itself that needs a means to success. The means or medium to undertake a successful e-commerce has been identified to be an online presence for a company (quote). This means that for a company or firm to successfully engage in e-commerce, it is important that that firm has an online presence through which it undertakes internet or electronic based transactions. There are a lot of ways in which online presence may be explained or defined, most commonly though, it involves and requires that a company will have a website that serves as a market place for the virtual consumer. Online presence may also involve a heavy use of the internet as a means of advertisement for a company through the use of the new media. Largely though, having an interactive website that serves as an online marketplace is the most ideal requirement. This research pa per therefore seeks to investigate the role of online presence in e-commerce for a mobile phone shop. By this, the research will thoroughly address the issues that ought to be considered when a mobile phone

Management and Organisational Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Management and Organisational Behaviour - Essay Example Management is essentially an act of fulfillment of objectives through people, and efficient management implies getting the maximum output from the people. Therefore, a good manager must encourage teamwork and enhance team spirit by meeting the needs of both the individual and the team. This paper focuses on various theories of management and demonstrates their application with the help of a case study. Roles of a Manager – case of Oliver A business organization is a complex body that requires efficient and skilful management for proper running. A manager has multiple functions and responsibilities. Based on this theory, Henry Mintzberg identified ten essential managerial roles that are required for the fulfillment of the company’s objectives. The ten managerial roles are – 1) Figurehead, 2) Leader, 3) Liaison, 4) Monitor, 5) Disseminator, 6) Spokesperson, 7) Entrepreneur, 8) Disturbance-handler, 9) Resource-allocator, and 10) Negotiator (Watson & Gallagher, 2005, p.34). He has further categorized them in three groups as shown in Table 1. Table 1: Interpersonal Roles Informational Roles Decisional Roles Figurehead Monitor Entrepreneur Leader Disseminator Disturbance-handler Liaison Spokesperson Resource-allocator Negotiator (Lussier & Achua, 2009, p.10) The interpersonal roles define the authoritativeness of the manager and involve maintenance of a positive relationship with the employees. In figurehead role, the manager performs symbolical or ceremonial duties that can be of either social or legal nature. For instance, he needs to do social functions like attending to candidates for jobs, presenting awards, entertaining clients, receiving official visitors, and attending farewell dinners. As legal function he has the authority to sign official papers like cheques, vouchers and contracts. In leader role, a manager supervises and evaluates the performances of employees, hires new employees and provides them training. In liaison role, he maint ains contact with people outside the organization to form a network of services. The second group which is informational roles involves a major part of managerial functions which is to gather and convey information from the employees. In monitor role, the manager needs to gather information regarding problems and solutions of the organization. This can be done by reading journals, magazines, newspapers or by attending meetings inside or outside the organization or by observing and comparing the business activities of the competitors. In disseminator role, the manager receives information from internal sources like higher level of management or from external sources. He in turn transmits the information to the employees through group meetings or emails. In spokesperson role, the manager provides information about the organization to outside people like consumer groups, press, TV and government officials and any other communities who have vested interest in the organization. The third group which is decisional roles involves assessment of various possibilities before making strategies for the benefit of the organization. Such decisions may affect few employees or can affect the entire organization. In entrepreneur role, a manager develops ideas for new projects, makes decisions to abandon any project, develops innovative ideas and new products. In disturbance-handler role, a manager finds means to resolve external or internal

Affirmative Action Essay Example for Free

Affirmative Action Essay Affirmative action is policies to give special attention or compensatory treatment to members of previously disadvantages group. There is a lot of history and events behind this policy. First, in 1978 the Supreme Court addressed the issue for the first time with the case of Alan Bakke. He was a 31 year old who had been wait-listed for admission by the University of California at Davis. His scores and grades where higher than all the other African Americans so his rejection was declared illegal because they determined his admission by his race. Also, in 1979, the court ruled that a factory and a union could voluntarily adopt a quota system in selecting black workers over more senior white workers for a training program. As a result in 1980, Ronald Reagan, an ardent foe of for affirmative action was finally supported. Following this event, in 1989 the supreme court handed down five civil rights decisions limiting affirmative action programs and making it harder to prove employment discrimination. Lastly, in 1990 Congress passed legislation designed to overrule the Court’s rulings, but President George Bush vetoed it. Then in 1991 Congress made a weaker version of the Civil Rights Act the overruled the Supreme Court rulings which prohibited the use of quotas or affirmative action. The arguments for affirmative action is that there should be a certain number of a race admitted to a college or job. There should be quotas that have to be met with different minority groups. Only the â€Å"superior Caucasian race† should fill the schools or job positions. Everyone else is labeled â€Å"not good enough for the position. † The argument against affirmative action is that it is racist and violates all the civil rights laws we fought for. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to fill the position no matter his or her race, gender, ethnicity, etc. In my opinion, I don’t think affirmative action is needed today. I think it is 100% wrong and racist. Why should my race matter if I get the job or get accepted to a college? It shouldn’t matter, especially if I can work or study just as hard as a Caucasian student. We fought to hard for civil rights in order for this to be acceptable. Reverse discrimination is when a minority is the majority. This mainly happens with groups geared towards that minority. That minority would treat other with affirmative action just like they have probably been treated in the past. For example, college that is historically black will probably accept more African American students compared to any other race. Yes, I believe that reverse discrimination still occurs today. Those minority groups want majority groups to feel what they felt and experience affirmative action. With each candidate I considered his or her grade, scores, and extra curricular activities. I considered their GPA and activities over their SAT/ACT scores because I believe that not everyone is a good test taker. I believe that those tests shouldn’t determine whether you get accepted to a college or not. I don’t think that those scores can tell whether a student is going to succeed in college or not. I think that their GPA and high school grades should determine that. I also think that, that test shouldn’t determine anything because it isn’t fair; it is geared toward Caucasian students. I believe that race should not play any role in whether a student gets accepted, denied, or put on the waitlist. Just because I’m African American and the next student is Caucasian doesn’t mean we are different. At the end of the day both students are applying and attending college to get an education and fulfill their goals and ambitions. Admissions officers should consider how unique a student is and how much they genuinely appreciate education. All colleges should interview their possible applicants because anyone can write anything on a piece of paper. The process is probably really difficult because there are a lot of excellent applicants. Race should not be stated when selecting students for college. I believe that will eliminate affirmative action and other issues. For a college to â€Å"set aside† a certain place for minority groups or to give special treatment to certain groups could mean one of two things in my opinion. First it could mean that they are being racist and believe one group is superior over another. It could also mean that the college is trying to make that student comfortable by giving them people they can relate to. Most minority groups flock together anyway. I do believe that it is wrong for those groups to have special treatment over others because we are all equal. I don’t think colleges engage in this activity today, but they probably have in the past. This probably happened in the past when race played a big factor in everyone’s life. I believe that colleges should make each applicant anonymous when applying so that everyone has an equal and fair chance. Admissions officers should only know the students abilities and accomplishments which will admit them to the school or not. I think that it is very unfair how colleges resort to picking students to attend their schools. I wish this process could change for the better in the future. If a student worked hard in high school and has excellent criteria to attend the school, then why should they be denied over someone whose race is more unique? I believe that we are all equal and we should all get the same treatment no matter our race.

The Renaissance Period Essay Example for Free

The Renaissance Period Essay The renaissance began around the mid fourteenth century. It was a time of awakening for Europe, which is why it was called a â€Å"re-birth†. I agree that the renaissance was unmatched to any other time in world history with its political and economic upheaval. Many things changed like their politics, economy, and the social changes they had. Politics was a factor that changed during the renaissance. An example of change was the separation of christianity from politics. They wanted a separation from the church and state, to have more freedom for themselves. Another example of change was they brought an end to feudalism around the fifteenth century. The three main reasons for that were the black plague, the 100 years war, and many political reforms in England. A last example is they established an effective central government. There were many other changes made to politics. The politics and government did have a changing effect to the renaissance. Another factor that changed the renaissance was the economy. For instance, the move there was toward using money. There were more than 20 city-states in Italy using its own currency. People began using coins to buy goods, which created a money economy. There was a need for people to change money and convert one type of currency to another. Thus, many merchants, crafts people, and bankers became important in society. Another example is Medici’s bank. In the 15th century Cosimo de Medici opened a bank, and began to open up branches in major cities in Europe. Therefore, it shows the economy during the renaissance changed in an uprising way. My last factor of change during the renaissance is the social change. In the middle age, they found trade routes to be able to trade in goods from different city-states. The trade grew between cities, states, and other countries. Trades in goods and in ideas also had increased. Along with the trade, Florence became a wealthy city inspite of its inland location away from the major trade routes. Italian cities became important as trade centers and commercial centers. Therefore, the wealth of it helped sustain the social and political changes that were occurring at that time. Overall, people became wealthier, and the changes in their trade became a social  change. In conclusion, the renaissance did have a change in society, that is unmatched to anything else in world history. The renaissance changed greatly throughout time. It changed in its political ways, the largest change being separating the church from state. The economy changed greatly, for instance the move to using money. People started using coins to buy goods and the economy rose. Then there was the social change that also had an effect. From prosperous growing cities to the increase in ideas and goods. Overall making the renaissance, the biggest uprising changes in history.

Competitive strategies: UK supermarkets

Competitive strategies: UK supermarkets Research background UK retail supermarkets employ some competitive approaches in their business, this study emphases mostly on these marketing techniques. This study describes future of business strategies used by chief retail supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Retail strategy can be explained as the general proposal which is taken in action by retailers for gaining achievements in the competition of supermarkets. (Barmen, B. Evans, J. 2006). Recently extraordinary competition originated in the environment of retail supermarkets. Huge investment in infrastructure done by major supermarkets such as Asda, Tesco, Morrison and Sainsbury increased their product quality. Advancement in technology, increase in the range of products, quality and pace resulted vast advancement in supermarket industry of the United Kingdom. (Harvey, 2000). According to the market shares owned by major supermarkets in the United Kingdom according to the statistics of 2006 March 9th, first four supermarkets in the United Kingdom own 74.4% of the overall market. Among the four Tesco is at the first position with a marketing share of 30.4% in the United Kingdom. Main competitors of Tesco in the United Kingdom market are Morrison, Sainsbury and Asda. Asda has a marketing share of 16.6% while Sainsbury Morrison hold marketing shares of 16.2 % and 11.2% correspondingly. In UK competition among retail supermarkets are tougher but Tesco is most successful among all supermarket chains in United Kingdom. (Source: BBC news, 9 March 2006). The above mentioned four supermarket giants dominate UKs retailing markets. Currently Tesco, Sinsburrys, Asda are the top retail supermarkets rules grocery retailing in the UK. The industry construction is characterized by many attributes such as greater store size, lowering prices of goods and adopting different formats to satisfy the consumers expectation. (Andrew Holingworth, 2004). Research question The first and foremost question focused on this research is: How effective is the competitive strategy employed by giant supermarket in UK? With these competitive strategy how these giant supermarket each other withstand in this current competitive market? How the competitive strategy helps in maintaining customer relationship management and the sales of the supermarket? Also,To identify the overall performance of these supermarkets. Literature review Review of literature is a body of content that aims to reconsider the vital points of existing knowledge on a specific topic. This literature review is done to recognize the existing knowledge in the section of competitive strategy employed by giant supermarkets.. According to Porter ME, 1980 competitive strategy can be defined as the â€Å"plan for how a firm will compete, formulated after evaluating how its strengths and weaknesses compare to those of its competitors. For example, a small meatpacking firm may decide to concentrate on a special niche product offered in limited areas after determining it cannot compete on price with major competitors.† Competitive strategy consists of the actions which are taken to attract customers, to withstand the competitive pressures of the market and also to help and strengthen the firms market position. The main objective of the competitive strategy is to earn a competitive benefit or advantage and to cultivate a clientele of loyal customers and knock the sock off the rivals ethically and honorably.(Philip Kotler, 2001) Tesco holds the largest market share which is of 31.6% for which the Tesco is controlling the large sector of the current retail market and also they have 50% of grocery market where as Sainsburys has about 22% of the current market share. Tesco sells a very huge variety of product range and also they do buy the products in a massive volume and sell those goods cheap, as considered to Sainsburys they only purchase goods of popular brand name and sell their own brand products in the super market. The Tesco has the super power to have their super market which is at the main location, it has the largest acquisition which enable Tesco to acquire nearly about 1/3rd of the retail market but concerned as Sainsbury they do not have the power to acquire land.(Julian finch, the Guardian) To sell every product, every where and everyone target which includes in the national and overseas, success level has been achieved by Tesco. With introduction of this strategy Sainsburys should have to work hard, and will have a hard time keeping up the Sainsburys giant retail market. The giant supermarket Tesco put effort to attract the people from all level of peoples or customers where as Sainsburys tries to attract customers with the middle , average class people by their middle class value or price. Tesco put more efforts to reduce the price and attract the customers where as Sainsbury keeps concentration in particularly in food, i.e. the quality of food they provide to the customers. After several years of decline in market, Sainsburys have emerged with independent ideas in stabilizing the current competitive environment. In the year of 2004 chief executive of Sainsburys Mr. Justin King introduced new recovery programs to attract the customers and to retain them using competitive strategy method and this had increased their market shares from 15.8%.customer relationship management is introduced as a new discipline which can create and nourish the sales and profitability(Julia Finch, The Guardian). During the period 1999 asda was owned by the US corporation company Wal-mart, it is the only one supermarket in United Kingdom which has the potential to be a thorn for the Tesco   as currently Asda in the world is eight times biggest company in the world , compared to annual sales against Tescos. Despite of the very tough trading competition environment Asda has grew up its total sales in a ‘high single digits which is excluding the petrol for a period upto September 30th. A figure which was published by the TNS shows that Asda is growing in UK market twice in speed. Even at the time when customer are price conscious supermarket Asda still continues with quality goods in cheap price agenda At a time when customers are increasingly price conscious, ASDA continues to drive its low cost agenda enabling it to fund lower prices for customers. As a result it has further strengthened its price advantage over its competitors. ASDAs profit grew ahead of target with good cost control despite rising energy costs. The delivery of ASDAs sustainability programme has contributed to lowering operating costs as well as reducing its carbon footprint. Methodology The technique for examination taken for this research proposal is qualitative research to obtain descriptive and qualitative understanding about the competitive strategy followed in giant supermarket. Errors occurred can be found in eloquent way with quantitative examination of information. Qualitative analysis/examination is defined as â€Å"the data collected in relates to the demographic or the behavioral of the respondent under the study† by Kothari (1990). This study is conducted to acquire qualitative as well as expressive understanding of causes and means which are connected to the completive approach with Tesco, Sainsburys and Tesco. Competitive strategy includes many processes like technology, innovation, process and combining people. Supermarket giants use this technique; in this method consultation has been conducted to disclose outlooks, philosophies, primary inspiration and emotional state on competitive approach engaged in major hypermarkets on client correlation. Data collection The data collected for analysis is from both primary and secondary data. Primary data is the data directly collected by the researcher himself. Primary data is original in nature and is directly from the first hand experience. Secondary data is collected from some other sources which were collected for some other purpose. Secondary data collection is cost effective and time effective. In-depth interview and direct observation would be done. They are cost effective and take less time. Face to face interview will be conducted with the staffs and employees of Tesco, Asda and Sainsburys and also a keen direct observation will be made to know the satisfaction of the customers and sales effectiveness, also the strategy method used in customer relationship management strategy and the other strategy followed is observed to know what attract the customers and retain customers. Datas are also collected from secondary sources like books, journals, newspaper archives, internet etc. The data collected for the research is through non probability convenience sampling method. Convenience sampling as word suggests is the sample selected by the investigator by his personal and convenient interest. It helps in focusing into new insights and ideas into the research problem. Convenience sampling method takes less time and is cost effective Data analysis Data analysis is the most important section of the research. Data analysis enables to understand and obtain the exact result of the research. Here data is analyzed through SWOT and PESTEL analysis. The data that is collected from direct observation, interviews ,questionnaires and other sources is evaluated and examined to understand the strength, weakness, opportunity and external threats and also evaluates macro factors like political, economical, social, technological, ecologicaland legal. Enhancement in research techniques Research impact Time scale Activities Nov 09 Dec 09 Jan 10 Feb 10 W1 W2 W3 W 4 W 1 W 2 W 3 W 4 W 1 W2 W3 W4 W1 Topic selection x Read journals and magazines x x Analysis on the topic x x Data collection x x X Preparation of proposal x x Proposal submission x Feedback x Preparation for data collection x x x Data Analysis X x Further literature review x Submission of draft x Draft revising x Print x Submission X

Mummy Case of Paankhenamun Essay -- Archeology Egypt Analysis Essays

Mummy Case of Paankhenamun Works Cited Not Included The work I chose to analyze was from a wall fragment from the tomb of Ameneemhet and wife Hemet called Mummy Case of Paankhenamun, found in the Art Institute of Chicago. The case of the Mummy Paankhenamun is one of the most exquisite pieces of art produced by the Egyptian people during the time before Christ. This coffin belonged to a man named Paankhenamun, which translates to â€Å"He Lives for Amun† (Hornblower & Spawforth 74). Paankhenamun was the doorkeeper of the temple of the god Amun, a position he inherited from his father.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Interestingly, X-rays reveal that the mummy case of Paankhenamun does in fact contain a mummy inside dating back to the years of c. 945 – 715 B.C. The practice of mummification was the Egyptian people’s way of preserving the spirits of the Gods/Goddesses and royalty. The idea was that when these beings came back to life, they would be preserved and well prepared for their next lives. By the time of the New Kingdom, the Egyptians already had developed techniques of mummification, which were done under a priest’s supervision (Stokstad 114), and since Paankhenamun was the priest of Amun, he was most likely was in charge of these procedures. In the ancient Egyptian culture, the belief was that there was a life force and spirit inside of the body, known as the ‘Ka’. Therefore, mummification was performed as a ritual to preserve the physical features of the body as well as to protect its inner spirit, mainly to ensure that the ‘Ka’ could recognize the body where it may dwell in the eternal life. Thus, the funerary psychology of ancient Egyptians was that death did not bring an end to living, but instead was only an escape from the physical human life and a gateway to immortal being. Due to the fact that a being’s life span was short in ancient times, people’s main hopes rested in their afterlives, where they would be with the gods (Stockstad 121). Aside from being a priest, the importance of Paankhenamun’s position was due to his association with the Amun, who was a significant god of Egyptian Thebes. Viewed as chief divinity, Amun was often equated with the famous god Zeus and he even had his own worshiping cult (Freedman, 322). Moreover, Amun was originally one of the eight gods of Hermopolis, known as the god of air. However, at the time of the New Kingdom, this ch... ...rown, and in particularly gold. The gold color was used thoroughly, but due to ageing, it seemed to have changed shades and turned into brownish color (Freeman 321-2). An example of that could be illustrated by the face, which has a golden touch to it but is seen to be roughly all turning brown. These decorative features were also seen on other mummy coffins, such as on the coffin of Tutankhamun, found on the Valley of the Kings in Dynasty 18 (Stockstad 120-2). Tutankhamun’s case also demonstrated similar golden tones being used, which as a result of aging varnished and fainted in some areas to a darker golden- brownish and yellowish shade (Stockstad 123,125). The Mummy Case of Paankhenamun has great significant in that it provides us with very fundamental evidence from ancient history. It does not only exhibit a complex form of art, but it also demonstrates the religious practices of ancient Egyptians in association with their beliefs in life after death, as well as their great fascination with immortality. It not only teaches us about the great science of mummification, but it also provides us all with the incredible opportunity to learn about the life of an ancient person.

JFK Assassination :: essays research papers

Conspiracy: The Killing of a President In 1976, the US Senate ordered a fresh inquiry into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who was murdered in 1963 during a motorcade in Dallas, Texas while campaigning for re-election. People who had been involved in the original Warren Commission investigations were asked to make fresh statements. The FBI and the CIA were persuaded to release more of their documents on Oswald. New lines of inquiry were opened and individuals who had not previously given evidence were persuaded to come forward. Most important of all, pieces of evidence such as photos and sound recordings were subjected to scientific analysis using the most up-to-date methods and equipment. The House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) completed their investigation in 1979 and they finally came to a discrete verdict that Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots at Kennedy, one of which killed the president. A fourth shot was fired from the grassy knoll, which was contradictory to the statement printed by t he Warren Commission 16 years earlier. They concluded that John Kennedy was assassinated as the result of a conspiracy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The investigation was ordered directly after the assassinations of two other major political figures; the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King and the Presidents brother Robert Kennedy, in 1968. Naturally these incidents aroused immense suspicion and the American public started questioning why so many key US figures had been assassinated in the space of just four years, when previously this type of incident had been rare. The HCSA was interested in looking into the possibility that the assassinations were related. At the time there was also an increasing awareness of corruption and scandal within the government. The Watergate Scandal in 1974 involving President Nixon had clearly shown that American government was not entirely free of foul play. As a result of this, people started questioning the behavior of the government, and how much it was holding back from its people. This is most likely why Americans became more receptive and attracted to the idea of a conspiracy behind Kennedy's death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The public became even more interested in the Kennedy assassination after books such as Rush to Judgment, by Mark Lane and Inquest, by Edward Jay Epstein began to come off the press. They immediately became best sellers and played a large role in raising awareness regarding the assassination. As a result people started to inquire more and theories arose that other people or organizations had been involved in Kennedy's assassination than had been previously thought.

Using Nazi Tactics Against Smokers Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive A

Using Nazi Tactics Against Smokers Prior to the 1930s, Germany was Europe's most hospitable country for Jews. While Jews were only one percent of the population, they were one-fourth of Germany's law and medical students. In some German cities, Jews were the majority of doctors. While Jews were only five percent of the Berlin population in 1905, they paid 31 percent of all income taxes collected. For Germany as a whole, Jewish income was more than three times the national average. In his book, Migration and Cultures, Dr. Thomas Sowell adds that Jews were so highly integrated into German economic and social life that in nearly half of all Jewish marriages during the 1920s one of the spouses was Gentile. During World War I, Jewish-American publications were investigated and prosecuted by the U.S. Government for writing favorably about Germany, a nation at war with the U.S. Much of German history has been one of racial toleration. This is partially seen by their anti-slavery positions in Brazil and the United States. In the United States, Germans had a large hand in assisting runaway slaves by way of the "underground railroad." Germans also had an established reputation of getting along very well with American Indians. So why the story about pre-Nazi Germany? I think examining it raises an interesting question that few bother to answer; namely, if Germany was so hospitable to Jews, relative to other countries, how in the world did the Holocaust happen? There are several alternative explanations such as Hitler's massive consolidation of government power. Then there's the fact that German culture places high values on regimentation and obedience to authority. An important part of the answer of how Germans came to accept Jew... ... no more. The nation's tyrants have now turned their attention to the vilification of fast food chains such as McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Kentucky Fried Chicken, charging them with having created an addiction to fatty foods. Thus, the tyrants claim, fast food chains have contributed to obesity-related problems and growing healthcare costs. Like the anti-tobacco zealots they call for regulation, compensation for injury and taxes on foods they deem to be non-nutritious. In addition to fast food chains, these tyrants have targeted soft drink and candy manufacturers. Chinese and Mexican restaurants are also in their sights because they have meal servings deemed to be too large. In their campaign against fast food chains, restaurants and soda and candy manufacturers the nation's food Nazis always refer to the anti-tobacco campaign as the model for their agenda.

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living – Book Review

Notes on Author: Dale Breckenridge Carnegie (November 24, 1888 – November 1, 1955) was an American writer, lecturer, and the developer of famous courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills. About the Book: The book is a compilation of Dale Carnegie and his students’ experiences in facing the problems and how they have come out of the depression by conquering worry. He tells us how and why to not worry about criticism, six ways to prevent fatigue and worry from keeping your energy levels. He also includes few experiences of some inspiring personalities. In this book Carnegie discusses how to analyze your worries and how to solve problems without worry. He discusses the negative effects of worry to your health and your success. He teaches how to break the worry habit, seven ways to cultivate a mental attitude that can bring you peace and happiness and a â€Å"perfect way† to conquer worry. This book is very readable and well organized. It is written so that even a school-going kid could easily understand it. This book has suggestions at the end of each chapter summarizing the material and telling the reader how to apply it. It gives simple ideas which can make a difference in our lives. It has good, positive and powerful ideas which help us to overcome the difficulties and face the problems boldly. What I learnt from the book: †¢ If you want to avoid worry live in â€Å"day tight compartments†. When our mind is occupied with work, we won’t have time to worry. It applies not only to worry, but to all kinds of negative thoughts as well. We will greatly decrease their influence if we are busy doing something constructive. †¢ We should know how to analyze and solve worry problems. We can do that by finding and collecting all the facts, analyzing those facts, making a decision, and act on it. †¢ Count your blessings, not your troubles. If we want to be happy, we should focus on all the things that work well in our life and forget the other things that don’t. †¢ One of the best ways to increase your productivity is to take rest regularly. Take rest before you feel tired. Doing this simple thing will energize yourself throughout the day and enable you to accomplish more. †¢ One of the best teachers is your own experience. You can learn from it by taking notes of the fool things you have done and criticize yourself. If you constantly do this, you will constantly improve yourself. †¢ We should not worry about what other people say about whether or not we have done our best. Once we have done our best, we can be happy no matter what people say. †¢ Often we aren’t happy because we try to change things we can’t change. We should learn to identify those things and accept them.

Assignment 2: Calculating Inventory

Assignment 2: Calculating Inventory Finland Upholstery Inc. Oscar L. Galvan Argosy University The firm's selling and administrative expenses are operating expenses; therefore they are treated as Period Cost rather that Product Cost. This type of cost is unrelated to manufacturing overhead and cost of goods sold. | Manufacturing Overhead:Manufacturing overhead includes all costs of manufacturing such as indirect material, indirect labor, property taxes, maintenance and repairs, insurance etc. It excludes the direct material and direct labor.The selling and administrative expenses will not be reported in the manufacturing overhead since they are not incurred for the production of the goods. | Cost of Goods Sold:| Cost of goods sold is a cost incurred to obtain the raw material for the production and  for producing the products that are sold to the consumers. Cost of goods sold: (Beginning merchandise inventory + inventory purchases – ending inventory. ) Since the selling and a dministrative expenses are not incurred for obtaining the raw material as well as manufacturing the product they will not be reported in the cost of goods sold.Selling and Administrative Expenses: The selling and administrative expenses are incurred for delivering the goods to the consumers, and also for the advertising of the products. The following are examples; management expenses, salesman salaries, clerical expenses and advertisement expenses. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1. Calculate the company’s predetermined overhead application rate. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Budgeted Overhead| 5,460,000 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Budgeted Direct Labor| 4,200,000 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Predetermined Overhead Rate| 130%| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2. Calculate the additions to the work-in-process inventory account for the direct material used, direct labor and m anufacturing overhead. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Direct Material used| 5,600,000 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Direct Labor| 4,350,000 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Manufacturing overhead| 5,655,000 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Total Addition| 15,605,000| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | . Calculate the finished-goods inventory for the 12/31/01 balance sheet. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Direct material cost| 156,000 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Direct labor| 85,000 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Manufacturing overhead | 110,500 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Finished goods inventory| 351,500 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |All amounts in the Work-in-Process must be transferred to Finished-Goods-Inventory due to the fact that there is no Work-in-Process at year end. Therefore:| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Dr. | Cr. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Finished goods inventory| 5,811,800|   | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Work in process Inventory|   | 5,811,800| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4. Calculate the over-applied/under-applied overhead at year end| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Applied overhead | 5,655,000. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Actual overhead| 5,554,000. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Over-applied overhead| 101,000. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Calculation of Actual Overhead:| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Indirect materials used | 65,000. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Indirect labor | 2,860,000. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Factory depreciation | 1,740,000. 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Factory insurance | 59,000. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Factory utilities | 830,000. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Total | 5,554,000. 0 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Dr. | Cr. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Manufacturing Overhead| $5,554,000|   | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cost of Goods Sold|   | $5,554,000| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5.Explain if it is appropriate to include selling and administrative expenses in the cost of goods sold category. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Company’s cost of goods sold totals $15,309,300| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Finished-goods inventory, Jan 1| 0. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Add: Cost of goods manufactured| 15,761,800. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cost of goods available for sale| $15,761,800. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Less: Finished-goods inventory, Dec. 1| 351,500. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Unadjusted cost of goods sold| 15,410,300. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Less: Over applied overhead| 1 01,000. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cost of goods sold| $15,309,300. 00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The firm's selling and administrative expenses are operating expenses; therefore they are treated as Period Cost rather that Product Cost. This type of cost is unrelated to manufacturing overhead and cost of goods sold. |

Nutrition and Milk Essay

Babies have very specific nutritional needs to be able to develop through the first stages of life healthily. They require milk that is high in protein for the essential amino acids to aid growth. The milk must also have a high fat content to support the quick growth rate of babies. They also require a combination of vitamins and minerals; Iron, for growth and healthy blood Zinc, for enzymes and immune function Calcium, for healthy teeth and bones Vitamin D, for calcium and phosphorous absorption to support healthy teeth and bones Vitamin A, for vision. Vitamin C, for healthy connective tissue, antioxidant protection and iron absorption Fluid is also very important for babies as the kidney and other organs are not developed enough at birth to function fully. The Department of Health recommends that babies are breast fed for the first 6 months before any solid foods are slowly and individually introduced. Breast milk is the best nutrition for babies for several reasons. It carries the mother’s antibodies helping the baby’s immunity from disease and infection. The milk will be tailor made for the babies particular nutritional needs and will change according to the baby’s changing needs. It is easier for a baby to digest than any other type of milk. It will be sterile and at the right temperature. At about six months old, when a baby can sit up and hold its head steady, solid food can be slowly introduced in stages in addition to the baby’s milk. The first stage would be to give very soft food for example, pureed fruit or vegetables, baby rice or porridge or plain dhal. Finger food may also be introduced, such as bread crusts or soft fruit. This is more for the baby to practice the motions of eating and to start using the relevant muscles, than for nutritional value. It is important to introduce foods individually in case the child has an allergic reaction to something. This allergen can be identified more easily if it is a new food. CYPOP2-5. 1 The second stage at about 8 months old starts to expand on the variety of foods and textures. It is important to add foods with soft lumps to encourage the use of muscles in the mouth. This is early preparation for speech. Foods may be introduced such as meat, fish and eggs. Harder finger food such as raw vegetables can help with teething and exercise the jaws and chewing muscles. The third stage of weaning at about 10 months children can start to eat the same sort of foods as the rest of the family. Meals can be chopped or minced and finger foods such as toast and biscuits can be given. It is important that children under one year old still continue to have some form of milk in their diet. They also need plenty of other fluid. Water and some cool herbal teas are preferable to juice and squash as they are high in sugar content. As a practitioner involved in a child’s weaning it is important to do so according to the parent’s wishes. They may have cultural or religious practices to be adhered to or may want their child to fed organically or on a vegetarian diet. Some families prefer to let the baby wean themselves. This is known as ‘Baby led weaning’ and is done by giving the child a choice of finger foods and letting them choose what and how to eat. Food and eating can become a psychological issue and difficulty for many children. Parents can become frustrated and concerned about eating habits and children can use food as a tool for getting what they feel they want. It is important to try to make eating a pleasurable and fun experience for children and to not make meal times stressful for everyone. Ref; SMAnutrition. com CYPOP2-5. 3 Evaluate the benefits of different types of formula that are commonly available. There are different types of formula milk for different stages of babies’ development and different types of diets. Babies require different levels of nutrients as they grow. Some babies find digestion of proteins difficult and some families prefer not to give their babies animal products. Most formula milk is based on cow’s milk that has been changed to resemble breast milk more closely. Vitamins and minerals are supplemented and the levels of carbohydrates and proteins adjusted. This type of formula is suitable for most babies, although the proteins in cow’s milk are the most difficult to break down. This difficulty manifests in many children as eczema. Goat’s milk formula may be used as an alternative as the proteins are less complex. Soya bean based formula may be given to babies but is not recommended for those younger than six months old. Children can have severe allergies to soya and may also have difficulty breaking the proteins down if their digestive system is not yet developed enough. Some babies have allergies and intolerances to certain substances from birth. If breast feeding is not possible, or sometimes in addition to breast milk, they may be prescribed a Hydrolised-protein formula. This formula already has broken down protein and therefore should be easier for the baby to digest. Children that are not gaining weight and developing sufficiently or ‘failing to thrive’, may also be prescribed an extra fatty formula, sometimes in addition to breast milk.