SWOT Analysis: A Small Family Business

SWOT Analysis: A Small Family Business Privately-run company is certainly a quality for RCDC as in a family claimed business, the proprietors see their as a resource for give to their relatives instead of riches to expend during their lifetimes (carron,1999). Furthermore, as of late contended by Zellweger(2007), the all-inclusive time skyline that portrays family firms diminishes the negligible danger of a venture and subsequently the comparing hazard equal expense of value capital (McNulty,Yeh,schulze and Lubatkin,2002). Subsequently, family claimed firms can take advantage of speculation lucky breaks their non-family rivals don't consider as adequately appealing or consider too risky;such a circumstance offers family possessed firms the chance of building up their exercises unhindered by forceful contenders and of overcoming markets that contenders can't enter(Zellweger,2007,p-9) Besides, families may carry with them critical money related and physical resources,called survivability capital(Simon and Hitt,2003),which can be utilized to continue the business during monetary hardship or after fruitless vital films (Dyer,2006). These components are generally known by clients and suppliers,who may set up and develop enduring connections on account of the generosity and reliability created by the family responsibility (dollinger 1995). 2) Strong Criticism from investors: The ceaseless negative criticism from executives of warwick speculations in regards to the poor profit installment record and the absence of vital heading is really a quality of RCDC as it goes about as a drive for development .It is a result of this critism and the drop in turnover that the Lancasters and Yorks are attempting to locate each conceivable method to spare their business and fulfill the partners. 3) Long-term involvement with the laundry business: According to the case RCDC has been in the laundry business for over 10 years and they have figured out how to maintain the business sensibly well which implies that they have had a decent piece of the overall industry and enough clients to belittle and a genuinely decent information on the specific business. They can utilize this experience to defeat the weaknesss and exceed expectations in their customary business. 4)Flexi-timing: The RCDC has both full time and low maintenance staff which is a quality as it builds the worker confidence ,commitment and duty to the organisation.It diminishes the non-attendance to a specific level and increment the odds of enlisting extraordinary employees.It even aides in decreasing the staff turnover and building up the picture of the business. Shortcomings: 1)High staff turnover: As referenced for the situation, RCDC is confronting a hgh level of staff turnover at both staff and administrative level which is one of the reasons for the decreased authoritative exhibition .Excessive representative turnover can hurt the general profitability of a firm and is regularly an indication of other difficulties.Every association endeavors to have high productivity,lesser turnovers and most extreme profitability.managing turnover effectively is an unquestionable requirement to accomplish the above goals.Abassi and Hollman(200) focused on that the administrators must perceive the workers as significant supporter of the proficient accomplishment of the associations success.Furthermore,highly persuaded and performing people are the urgent components of the hierarchical efficiency. Therefore,there is have to build up a careful comprehension of the worker turnover from the point of view of causes,effect and techniques to limit turnover. 2) Absence of preparing and improvement: This another shortcoming of RCDC which merits referencing as this can be a significant reason for worker turnover as there is no development inside the organisation.according to the case ,the preparation and improvement intercessions are totally nonexistent which implies that there is no degree for representatives to create or achiveve some sort aptitude in their specific professions.Moreover,Training and advancement is asource of upper hand for organizations which assists with expelling execution lacks in workers. There I more noteworthy stability,flexibility and limit with regards to development in an organisation.Training adds to worker steadiness in any event two different ways .Employees become proficient in the wake of experiencing preparing. Effective representatives add to the development of the association and development in trn renders dependability to the workforce. 3)safety Measures at work: The setback that occurred with one of the representatives at RCDC makes it apparent that security measures are totally absent in the organization which implies RCDC is putting the ife of its workers in danger by making them work in a risky situation which thus ruins the picture of the organization. 4) Conflict among the proprietors: There is a ton of contention among the proprietors of the RCDC which is one of the underlying drivers of the underperformance of the company.There is no vital arranging ,no control and no course by any means. Dangers: 1)Competion: One of the primary dangers to all the businesss is rivalry and RCDC is no special case. RCDCs fundamental contender is Bletcheys quick clean plc which operstes around in the equivalent land territory .The Bletcheys can even exploit the interior issues looked by RCDC to take more noteworthy market share.as contrasted with RCDC, the showcasing techniques and estimating approaches of Bletcheys.are better and their prosperity rate is additionally very high which is the reason a large number of the RCDC representatives have joined Bletchey and they have had the option to pull a considerable lot of the clients alongside them. 2) Seasonal work : Typically individuals consider cleaning for woolen and costly garments so the business will in general be higher in winter and fall where as summer is set apart with diminished deals as the garments are machine launderable. 3) Increasing nmber of grocery stores Another danger representing the conventional neighborhood cleaning business is the expanding number of markets having the laundry stores.Most of the pople nowa-a-days think that its helpful to shop from these general stores where they get their garments likewise drycleaned.This can inevitably prompt total elimination of the customary drycleaning. 4)Legal issues: Legal disputes recorded against RCDC by its workers is another danger to the smooth working of the business.Firstly it can ruin the picture of the organization by decreasing the deals and furthermore it doesn't permit the administration to focus totally on their business as the greater part of their time goes in finding better approaches to manage these issues. Openings: 1)Diversification of business: One of the open doors is to enhance their business into zones, for example, shoe repairs,film processing,key cutting and agreement cleaning notwithstanding achieveing a degree of greatness in their center business i.e cleaning.Diversifiacation can help RCDC with expanded productivity and occasional difficulties. 2)Innovative Marketing systems: RCDC can think of some inventive advertising thoughts to top the market e.g:E-marketing,offering limits to its dedicated clients etc.It can likewise improve its client care by giving the choice of home conveyance which can demonstrate helpful to clients having a bustling day by day schedule and can even beat the danger of one quit shopping. 3)Improved organistioanl procedures: RCDC needs to actualize preparing and improvement programs for representatives which can help in pulling in an ever increasing number of individuals for work,reduce worker turnover and will make the procedure more organised.Safety gauges likewise should be remembered for this program so the pace of mishap is limited. 4)Centralisation of tasks: Decentralization Iis a superior open door than centralisation as decentralization would prompt better client care and quick cleaning which could be useful in getting more clients and expanding the benefits .notwithstanding this senior supervisors ought to be given greater obligation and powers with the goal that they can take choices in regards to an issue identified with the particular store as and required and don't need to rely upon getting orders from home office. Present and potential issues looked by RCDC in the accompanying regions: a)Operations the board and authoritative issues: Tasks the board is the movement of dealing with the assets which create and convey items and services.The tasks work is the piece of the oranisation that is liable for this activity.Every association has a tasks work in light of the fact that each association delivers some kind of items and/or services.Page 4 No association can get by in the long haul on the off chance that it can't flexibly its clients effectively.And this is basically what activity s the executives is tied in with designing,producing and conveying items and administrations that fulfill advertise requirements.For any business,it is a fundamentally significant movement. General issues in activities the board looked by little and medium measured associations : Activities the executives is similarly as significant in little associations for what it's worth in enormous ones.Irrespective of their size,all organizations need to create and convey their items and administrations productively and effectively.However,in practice,managing activities in a little or medium size associations has its own arrangement of problems.Large organizations may have the assets to commit people to specific assignments however littler organizations frequently cannot,so individuals may need to do various employments as the need arises.such a casual structure can permit the organization to react rapidly as circumstances or issues present themselves.But dynamic can likewise get confounded as people jobs overlap.small organizations may have the very same tasks the board issues as huge ones yet they can be progressively hard to isolate from the mass of different issues in the association. Present and potential activities the executives issues looked by RCDC can be talked about a follows: 1)No comprehension of the activities vital execution targets: The most importantly obligation

Physical Activity and Gain in Abdominal Adiposity

Question: Talk about the Physical Activity and Gain in Abdominal Adiposity. Answer: Presentation Grown-up weight in Victoria has expanded by roughly 40% in the course of the most recent two decades and right now there are in excess of 2,000,000 fat individuals (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013f). Except if intercessions at the populace level are acquainted with diminish weight, future may decrease which may bring about an inversion where youth will have shorter lives than what their folks had (American Heart Association, 2016). In this report the predominance of stoutness in Shire board will be examined. The pervasiveness of stoutness in men will be talked about with the principle factors that have added to corpulence deconstructed as being low pay status and emotional well-being. A chunk of ice model is utilized in depicting the contributory elements and the means taken by the committee to turn around the circumstance. The Victorian general wellbeing and prosperity plan 20152019 Platform of Change on People Centered Approach has been proposed for enduring change in the Hindmarsh chamber. Corpulence or overweight as characterized by the World Health Organization is the inordinate or strange collection of fat that disables one's health.(World Health Organization, 2016).The unreasonable and irregular amassing of fat emerges from vitality awkwardness that is supported over a significant stretch of time when there is exorbitant vitality consumption through drinking and eating contrasted with using of vitality through physical movement. Being fat or overweight builds one's danger of getting incessant illness, for example, CVD including stroke and coronary illness, musculoskeletal conditions, type 2diabetes, some emotional wellness and malignancy conditions. The danger of mortality additionally increments as weight builds (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2016) WHO characterizes grown-up overweight and weight as BMI equivalent or more prominent than 25 and 30 individually. For kids under 5 years, the weight-for-stature with standard deviation of 2 and 3 over the Growth Standard Median set by WHO is considered as overweight and stout separately. For kids somewhere in the range of 5 and 19 years, the SD is set at 1 and 2 for overweight and stoutness individually (WHO, 2016). Late worldwide assessments made by WHO on overweight and weight uncover that in 2014, the all out number of overweight grown-ups matured 18 or more was 1.9 billion of whom 600 million were hefty. Around the same time, roughly 1% of the worldwide populace was corpulent (15% of ladies and 11% of men). 3% Of the populace was overweight in 2014 (40% of ladies and 38% of men). The commonness of stoutness multiplied over a time of 34 years in 2014. 41 million youngsters underneath 5years were corpulent or overweight. Further, weight and overweigh has been on the ascent in center and low pay nations and all the more so in the urban settings(WHO,2016). The quantity of corpulent and overweight youngsters in 2014 in Africa was around 10.8 million which was twofold the number in 1990 while in Asia near half of kids underneath 5 years were hefty or overweight. What's more, death rates because of corpulence and overweight are higher than those because of underweight. There are more individuals on the planet that are hefty than those that are underweight with the exception of in Asia and Sub Sahara Africa (WHO, 2016). In 20142015, the report by Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that roughly 63% of grown-ups (11.2 million) were hefty or overweight-those that were overweight were around 63% (6.3 million) while 28% (4.9 million) were corpulent. 27% of kids matured somewhere in the range of 5 and 17 years were large or overweight which implies 1 in each 4 kids (1milllion kids) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2015). Men had a higher level of stoutness and overweight at 71% contrast with ladies who were at 56%. The p matured between 65-74 years recorded at 74% (AIHW, 2016). People living in high financial territories had a lower predominance contrasted with those in lower financial regions (58% and 66% separately). Indigenous grown-ups had high heftiness and overweigh commonness in contrast with non Indigenous in 2011 to 2013(43% and 27% separately) (AIHW, 2016). Overweight and heftiness drifts in Victoria The level of grown-up people that were corpulent or overweight was 63% in 2014-2015, an ascent from 56% in 1995. The expansion of normal weight was at 4.4kgs for guys and females. The BMI has seen a move in dissemination with lesser quantities of individuals in the overweight and ordinary classifications and more individuals at present in the large class (AIHW, 2016). The most recent two decades has seen grown-up fat and overweight predominance increment by around 40% with in excess of 2,000,000 individuals as of now fat or overweight (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013b). 10.5% of the nation's weight of ailment is a direct result of dangers that are dietary in nature with 8.5% credited to high BMI and 4.6% because of physical idleness (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 2013). Dietary dangers have likewise added to Australia's diabetes and coronary illness at 22% and 79% individually. Of these, 33% and 71% of coronary illness and diabetes trouble separately are ascribed to high BMI (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 2013). Optional nourishments represent 39% of the complete vitality consumption in youngsters with 12% of kids living in Victoria expending adequate vegetables and 75% devouring adequate measures of organic product (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2014a). 24% of kids in Victoria are stout or overweight with 6% and 18% being hefty and overweight separately (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013c). Of the youngsters matured between 5-12 years, 62% meet the adequate physical movement guidelines(Department of Education and Training 2015b), while just 26% of Year 11, 8, and 5 kids meet the said rules (Department of Education and Training 2015a). Optional nourishments make for 35% of grown-ups' absolute vitality admission with 7% of grown-ups devouring adequate measures of vegetables and another 47% expending adequate measure of organic product (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2015). The grown-up populace that is fat or overweight is 61% with 26% and 35% being corpulent and overweight separately (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013c). Grown-ups that met the adequate physical movement rules were 64% (Department of Health 2014c). Hindmarsh Shire Council From the table above (Hindmarsh MPHWP, 2013, p.12), it tends to be seen that the quantity of overweight and stout men in Shire gathering is at disturbing rates. The absolute number of male fat populace surpasses that of Victoria by an edge of 3.7%. A worldwide patterns overview uncovered that stoutness was the second reason for sudden passing in Europe in the wake of smoking. The examination likewise uncovered that men who were overweight had a higher probability of kicking the bucket rashly contrasted with ladies who were overweight (BBC News, 2016). The above tables(Hindmarsh MPHWP, 2013, p.11) demonstrate the financial condition of the individuals of Shire committee. The populace gains lesser pay per individual and family in contrast with Victoria. The low salary status is a contributory factor to corpulence commonness among the grown-ups and all the more so the guys in Shire chamber. How destitution adds to weight Low salary families have a constrained decision and food financial plan and frequently, they stretch their provisions to arrive at the month's end when the following check will be in. This outcomes in practices that are undesirable in various ways(Lee, Harris, Larsen, 2009, p.505). Families will pick to buy nourishments that are high in fat and vitality thick, for example, prepared meats potatoes, oats, and sugars on the grounds that these nourishments last more and are more moderate than fish, lean meats, and new fruits(Lee,et al., 2009, p.505). At last, monetary frailty, for example, battling to take care of lease and utilities tabs lead to pressure and the most widely recognized method of managing pressure is through eating sweet, high fat nourishments (Lee,et al., 2009, p.505) Other contributory components (other than low income)to corpulence among men in Shire chamber include: Mental Health: This can be delegated an essential driver as found in the ice sheet model. Individuals with sorrows or tension issue or gloom frequently will in general arrangement with their negative sentiments by eating nourishments high in calories (Diamond, 2010). Stationary way of life and physical inertia: These can be delegated an optional reason as found in the ice sheet model above. Physical action is identified with numerous medical advantages (Strasser, 2013, p.141) including limiting the odds of building up various ceaseless ailments, for example, heftiness (Ekelund, Besson, Luan et al., 2011, p.826),metabolic condition (MS)( Hahn, Halle, Schmidt et al., 2009, p.511),and malignant growth (Friedenreich, Neilson, Lynch, 2010, p. 2593). Less than stellar eating routine low foods grown from the ground admission: Studies have indicated that expanded utilization of vegetables a nd organic product in blend with different practices lessens adiposity among grown-ups that are large or overweight (Ledoux, Hingle, Baranowski., 2011, p. 143). Explicit Strategy in Shire committee This will remember raising a mindfulness for more beneficial decisions of food (through web based life) that are accessible in the network. Individuals' information on sound food arrangement will be expanded and solid feast alternatives will be conveyed through Meals on Wheels. Schools will be urged to utilize their projects and customary classes to advance solid eating(Hindmarsh MPHWP, 2013, p.16). Advancement by means of internet based life and bulletins of physical exercises offered inside Shire. Creating and improving existing and new recreational projects and exercises. Formation of conditions that empower commitment in physical activity(Hindmarsh MPHWP, 2013, p.17). Give guiding meetings that are youth centered for guardians and understudies. Offer help for Wimmera Uniting Cares Rural and Remote Engagement Officer. Backing and advancement of Men's shed as a gathering place for men inside Shire. Offer directing and backing for helping hardship from dry season/flood/fire as

Dorm Companion #1 Art

Dorm Companion #1 Art Want a Warhol in your dorm room? This is exhibition week of the Student Loan Art Collection at MITs List Visual Arts Center. The Student Loan Art Program allows MIT students (and only MIT students) to borrow for the entire academic year one of more than 400 noted pieces of artwork from MITs collection. Artists represented in the collection include: Alexander Calder Roy Lichtenstein Joan Miro Cindy Sherman Andy Warhol Each piece in the collection is framed and signed by a leading contemporary artist. Some are photographs, like the original by the late MIT Professor Harold Doc Edgerton above, Making Applesauce At MIT. Others are more abstract works, like the Francesco Clemente at right. Unfortunately, the online collection is only viewable within the MIT community, but the annual fall showing before it is loaned out to students is open to the general public. Students view the collection and enter their top choices into a lottery. Over 4 years, 80% of students should win at least one year. And the chances increase as time goes on, as pieces are added to the collection each year. Selected students pick up their art beginning next week. Any winnings not collected by the end of the week are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to any student who lost out in the lottery. The LVAC says about this plan B, Each year, bleary-eyed students wake up early to be at the head of the line outside the gallery doors for a second chance to participate in this extraordinarily popular program. Why would MIT do this? And isnt there a big risk? The curator of the program told the Weekly Dig: One of the goals of the program is to put art directly in students lives, expresses List Visual Arts Center curator Bill Arning. Theres a really fundamental difference between going to the campus gallery to view art, and waking up and living with it. MIT students are really comfortable doing research, explains Arning on collective campus braininess. If they put something on their walls, at the end of the year theyll know more about it than anyone else; I like how its a trigger for inquiry and learning. Despite this free-for-all handover of moderately expensive framed artworks, theres not much reason for worrying over damage. The worst thing that usually ever happens is that a student forgets to return the piece on time, Arning acknowledges, which leads to some detective work to track down the responsible roommates. Theres been very little loss over the years, he says; though he does recall one peculiar incident: We did have one sculpture [a transparent plastic Buddha by Michael Joo], and someone had it over their salamander tank. It got infested with fruit flies, and we had to get it fumigated. Not a bad concept piece as it turns out; but alas, the infested Buddha is no longer available for loan. Students who live with art in their room learn theres a difference between living with posters and living with real work, Arning notes. MIT lives are better if you can put art directly into them. The artwork is the students to keep until the following May. What a way to decorate your room! Whoever said MIT students dont know fine art?

Beechy6eVol2 SM Ch15 Essay examples - 14166 Words

Chapter 15: Financial Instruments: Complex Debt and Equity Case 15-1 Zebo Limited 15-2 On-the-Crest Ltd. 15-3 Techno Wizard Ltd. Suggested Time Technical Review TR15-1 Convertible Debt, Investor’s Option 10 TR15-2 Convertible Debt, Mandatory Conversion 10 TR15-3 Options and Warrants 10 TR15-4 Share-Based Compensation; Equity-Settled 10 TR15-5 Share-Based Compensation; Cash-Settled 10 Assignment A15-1 Classification; Impact of Debt versus Equity 20 A15-2 Classification 20 A15-3 Classification (*W) 15 A15-4 Classification 25 A15-5 Classification 25 A15-6 Classification 20 A15-7†¦show more content†¦Thus, the security is compound financial instrument. If the convertible debt is convertible at the investor’s option, the initial proceeds are divided between the debt element (both principal and interest) and the equity element, the conversion option. 7. If a convertible bond has a conversion price that is set in reference to the fair market value of shares on the conversion date, then the bond is classified entirely as debt. No (price) risk or reward is transferred to the investor and therefore there is no equity element. 8. When a convertible bond is converted, the common share conversion option account is transferred into the common stock account. If the bond is not converted, this account is still left in equity, but transferred to a different contributed capital account. 9. Interest expense, $76,400 x .08 = $6,112 Annual payment, $400,000 x .08 = $32,000 10. Stock options provide the holder with an option to acquire a specified number of shares in a corporation under prescribed conditions and within a stated future time period. Options that are issued as an attachment to other securities are called stock warrants. Warrants may trade separately while options do not. Options often have a limited life while warrants often have no expiry date. 11. A share-based payment to a supplier is measured based on the fair value of the goods or services rendered. In the rare

The Rape Of Nanking And The Art - 1504 Words

As a species, humans have a long and bloodied history of attempting to eliminate one another to become dominant, from the Armenian genocide to the ethnic cleansing of the Tutsis in Rwanda. This mentality is not a new phenomenon, but has evolved to become even more lethal and prolific with the innovations in weaponry and transportation. Due to this disturbing universality, parallels are easily drawn between Iris Chang’s The Rape of Nanking and the art that was being created in Europe and the United States during the time of Hitler’s reign, including the work Seligmann, Stael and Albright. We must look to other global sources for this insight, due to the lack of photographic documentation in China and creation of art after the fact. The war crimes Japanese soldiers inflicted upon the people of Nanking are one of the most heinous examples of this idea of extermination, resulting in the loss of an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 lives. Thousands of women were raped, forced to take pictures with their assailants in pornographic poses, shamed and seen as being dirty, viewed as being subhuman. Soldiers were warned to eliminate the women they had raped, disposing of the evidence of what they had done. â€Å"‘Perhaps when we were raping her, we looked at her as a woman,’ Azuma [a soldier] wrote, â€Å"‘but when we killed her, we just thought of her as something like a pig’† (50). Rape was often rooted in superstition, the belief that the violation of virgins would provide strength andShow MoreRelatedThe Rape Of Nanking And The Three Of The Art Works During World War II1266 Words   |  6 PagesChinese faced during the war was the rape. Women were the most vulnerable existence during the war, and they were easiest existence to control. We can learn how the horror of the war affects on women. Through out the Iris Chang’s The Rape of Nanking and the three of the art works during World War II, which are Henri Matisseâ₠¬â„¢s Daisies in 1939, Wilhelm Freddie’s Portable Garbo in 1941, and Jean Dubuffet’s Two Nude Woman in 1942, we can recognize how the book and art use the same object, women in differentRead MorePleasing Films for Historians and Mainstream Audiences3072 Words   |  12 Pagesmainstream audiences. The topic of Sino-Japanese relations and China’s anti-Japanese war is frequently explored in the medium of film. Films such as City of Life and Death, Norman Bethune: The Making of a Hero, Devils on the Doorstep, The Last Emperor, Nanking, Flowers of War and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness all seek to investigate this turbulent period in Chinese history and to reflect upon the many different perspectives involved. Although the medium of film can never accurately portray history orRead MoreYear 1 Ib History839 Words   |  4 PagesReforms | * 1925: Emperor Hirohito * 1928: Zhang Zoulin assassination * 1931: Manchurian Incident Manchukuo * 1933: withdraw from LON * 1936: Imperial Way Coup d’etat (Control Faction V.S. Imperial Way) * 1937: Sino Japanese War Rape of Nanking * 1940: New Order in East Asia * 1940: Tripartite Pact (Germany, Japan, Italy) * 1941: US ban oil exports Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor attack | Japan During WWII | Political: * instability due to the frequent change in PM * National GeneralRead MoreChina s Education System Of China Essay2085 Words   |  9 Pagesand science began being taught in schools (China Education Center). Even with these changes, the educational system in the late Qing era were focused on the â€Å"Six Arts†. These â€Å"arts† included music, archery, horsemanship, writing arithmetic, history and knowledge of the public and private life rituals and ceremonies. On top of these arts, there were other subjects taught in this era such as military strategy, civil law, revenue and taxation, agriculture and geography all while keeping the ConfuciousRead MoreEducation2333 Words   |  10 Pagesimprove the economy progress of Singapore, at the same time; we will still remain as harmonious multi-racial country. On the other end, I disagree with Ms. K Bhavani as she is the Press Secretary to the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts. Since she is working under the government, she has the obligation to defend the government by portraying a good image of Singapore’s media. She mentioned that the public is allowed to raise their thoughts on the Internet, in letters to the pressRead MoreEssay The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil1788 Words   |  8 Pagesshall here be considering less dramatic transformations on a human scale that potentially can engage any of us. I lay the groundwork for the rest of the book by vivid descriptions of torture in the Inquisition, in the massacre in Rwanda, the rape of Nanking, and other venues where human nature has run amok. I also provide the initial scaffolding for how the Stanford Prison Experiment may help us make sense of corporate malfeasance, of â€Å"administrative evil,† and most particularly, the abuse and tortureRead MoreRelationship Between China And The United States4301 Words   |  18 Pagesmediation of the 13 merchants in Canton, the British were allowed try the murderers in England (Carroll 59). The Canton System of relations was abolished following the British-Chinese War, commonly called The Opium Wars, resulting the treaties of Nanking and Whanghia. The importation of opium had been illegal in China since 1796, but like the other rules of The Canton System, enforcement was erratic and smuggling was rampant (Latourette 111). Eventually, there was a concerted effort to enforce theRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesopportunities available to them at different times and in diverse settings. She places special emphasis on the important but often overlooked roles they played in politics, particularly those associated with resistance movements, and their contributions to arts and letters worldwide. Drawing on the essay collections and series on women in world history that she has edited over the past decade, Smith’s fully global perspectives make clear that even though gender parity has rarely been attained in any society

The Host Chapter 7 Confronted Free Essays

string(68) " at the classroom door, locked in a discussion that seemed intense\." Yes, Faces Sunward?† I asked, grateful to the raised hand for interrupting my lecture. I did not feel as comfortable behind the lectern as I usually did. My biggest strength, my only real credential-for my host body had had little in the way of a formal education, on the run since her early adolescence-was the personal experience I usually taught from. We will write a custom essay sample on The Host Chapter 7: Confronted or any similar topic only for you Order Now This was the first world’s history I’d presented this semester for which I had no memories to draw upon. I was sure my students were suffering the difference. â€Å"I’m sorry to interrupt, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The white-haired man paused, struggling to word his question. â€Å"I’m not sure I understand. The Fire-Tasters actually†¦ ingest the smoke from burning the Walking Flowers? Like food?† He tried to suppress the horror in his tone. It was not a soul’s place to judge another soul. But I was not surprised, given his background on the Planet of the Flowers, at his strong reaction to the fate of a similar life-form on another world. It was always amazing to me how some souls buried themselves in the affairs of whichever world they inhabited and ignored the rest of the universe. But, to be fair, perhaps Faces Sunward had been in hibernation when Fire World became notorious. â€Å"Yes, they receive essential nutrients from this smoke. And therein lies the fundamental dilemma and the controversy of Fire World-and the reason the planet has not been closed, though there has certainly been adequate time to populate it fully. There is also a high relocation percentage. â€Å"When Fire World was discovered, it was at first thought that the dominant species, the Fire-Tasters, were the only intelligent life-forms present. The Fire-Tasters did not consider the Walking Flowers to be their equals-a cultural prejudice-so it was a while, even after the first wave of settling, before the souls realized they were murdering intelligent creatures. Since then, Fire World scientists have focused their efforts on finding a replacement for the dietary needs of the Fire-Tasters. Spiders are being transported there to help, but the planets are hundreds of light-years apart. When this obstacle is overcome, as it will be soon, I’m sure, there is hope that the Walking Flowers might also be assimilated. In the meantime, much of the brutality has been removed from the equation. The, ah, burning-alive portion, of course, and other aspects as well.† â€Å"How can they†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Faces Sunward trailed off, unable to finish. Another voice completed Faces Sunward’s thought. â€Å"It seems like a very cruel ecosystem. Why was the planet not abandoned?† â€Å"That has been debated, naturally, Robert. But we do not abandon planets lightly. There are many souls for whom Fire World is home. They will not be uprooted against their will.† I looked away, back at my notes, in an attempt to end the side discussion. â€Å"But it’s barbaric!† Robert was physically younger than most of the other students-closer to my age, in fact, than any other. And truly a child in a more important way. Earth was his first world-the Mother in this case had actually been an Earth-dweller, too, before she’d given herself-and he didn’t seem to have as much perspective as older, better-traveled souls. I wondered what it would be like to be born into the overwhelming sensation and emotion of these hosts with no prior experience for balance. It would be difficult to find objectivity. I tried to remember that and be especially patient as I answered him. â€Å"Every world is a unique experience. Unless one has lived on that world, it’s impossible to truly understand the -â€Å" â€Å"But you never lived on Fire World,† he interrupted me. â€Å"You must have felt the same way†¦ Unless you had some other reason for skipping that planet? You’ve been almost everywhere else.† â€Å"Choosing a planet is a very personal and private decision, Robert, as you may someday experience.† My tone closed the subject absolutely. Why not tell them? You do think it’s barbaric-and cruel and wrong. Which is pretty ironic if you ask me-not that you ever do. What’s the problem? Are you ashamed that you agree with Robert? Because he’s more human than the others? Melanie, having found her voice, was becoming downright unbearable. How was I supposed to concentrate on my work with her opinions sounding off in my head all the time? In the seat behind Robert, a dark shadow moved. The Seeker, clad in her usual black, leaned forward, intent for the first time on the subject of discussion. I resisted the urge to scowl at her. I didn’t want Robert, already looking embarrassed, to mistake the expression as meant for him. Melanie grumbled. She wished I wouldn’t resist. Having the Seeker stalk our every footstep had been educational for Melanie; she used to think she couldn’t hate anything or anyone more than she hated me. â€Å"Our time is almost up,† I announced with relief. â€Å"I’m pleased to inform you that we will have a guest speaker next Tuesday who will be able to make up for my ignorance on this topic. Flame Tender, a recent addition to our planet, will be here to give us a more personal account of the settling of Fire World. I know that you will give him all the courtesy you accord me, and be respectful of the very young age of his host. Thank you for your time.† The class filed out slowly, many of the students taking a minute to chat with one another as they gathered their things. What Kathy had said about friendships ran through my head, but I felt no desire to join any of them. They were strangers. Was that the way I felt? Or the way Melanie felt? It was hard to tell. Maybe I was naturally antisocial. My personal history supported that theory, I supposed. I’d never formed an attachment strong enough to keep me on any planet for more than one life. I noticed Robert and Faces Sunward lingering at the classroom door, locked in a discussion that seemed intense. You read "The Host Chapter 7: Confronted" in category "Essay examples" I could guess the subject. â€Å"Fire World stories ruffle feathers.† I started slightly. The Seeker was standing at my elbow. The woman usually announced her approach with the quick tap of her hard shoes. I looked down now to see that she was wearing sneakers for once-black, of course. She was even tinier without the extra inches. â€Å"It’s not my favorite subject,† I said in a bland voice. â€Å"I prefer to have firsthand experience to share.† â€Å"Strong reactions from the class.† â€Å"Yes.† She looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for more. I gathered my notes and turned to put them in my bag. â€Å"You seemed to react as well.† I placed my papers in the bag carefully, not turning. â€Å"I wondered why you didn’t answer the question.† There was a pause while she waited for me to respond. I didn’t. â€Å"So†¦ why didn’t you answer the question?† I turned around, not concealing the impatience on my face. â€Å"Because it wasn’t pertinent to the lesson, because Robert needs to learn some manners, and because it’s no one else’s business.† I swung my bag to my shoulder and headed for the door. She stayed right beside me, rushing to keep up with my longer legs. We walked down the hallway in silence. It wasn’t until we were outside, where the afternoon sun lit the dust motes in the salty air, that she spoke again. â€Å"Do you think you’ll ever settle, Wanderer? On this planet, maybe? You seem to have an affinity for their†¦ feelings.† I bridled at the implied insult in her tone. I wasn’t even sure how she meant to insult me, but it was clear that she did. Melanie stirred resentfully. â€Å"I’m not sure what you mean.† â€Å"Tell me something, Wanderer. Do you pity them?† â€Å"Who?† I asked blankly. â€Å"The Walking Flowers?† â€Å"No, the humans.† I stopped walking, and she skidded to a halt beside me. We were only a few blocks from my apartment, and I’d been hurrying in hopes of getting away from her, though likely as not, she’d invite herself in. But her question caught me off guard. â€Å"The humans?† â€Å"Yes. Do you pity them?† â€Å"Don’t you?† â€Å"No. They were quite the brutal race. They were lucky to survive each other as long as they did.† â€Å"Not every one of them was bad.† â€Å"It was a predilection of their genetics. Brutality was part of their species. But you pity them, it seems.† â€Å"It’s a lot to lose, don’t you think?† I gestured around us. We stood in a parklike space between two ivy-covered dormitories. The deep green of the ivy was pleasing to the eye, especially in contrast to the faded red of the old bricks. The air was golden and soft, and the smell of the ocean gave a briny edge to the honey sweet fragrance of the flowers in the bushes. The breeze caressed the bare skin of my arms. â€Å"In your other lives, you can’t have felt anything so vivid. Wouldn’t you pity anyone who had this taken from them?† Her expression stayed flat, unmoved. I made an attempt to draw her in, to make her consider another viewpoint. â€Å"Which other worlds have you lived on?† She hesitated, then squared her shoulders. â€Å"None. I’ve only lived on Earth.† That surprised me. She was as much a child as Robert. â€Å"Only one planet? And you chose to be a Seeker in your first life?† She nodded once, her chin set. â€Å"Well. Well, that’s your business.† I started walking again. Maybe if I respected her privacy, she would return the favor. â€Å"I spoke to your Comforter.† And maybe not, Melanie thought sourly. â€Å"What?† I gasped. â€Å"I gather you’ve been having more trouble than just accessing the information I need. Have you considered trying another, more pliable host? She suggested that, did she not?† â€Å"Kathy wouldn’t tell you anything!† The Seeker’s face was smug. â€Å"She didn’t have to answer. I’m very good at reading human expressions. I could tell when my questions struck a nerve.† â€Å"How dare you? The relationship between a soul and her Comforter -â€Å" â€Å"Is sacrosanct, yes; I know the theory. But the acceptable means of investigation don’t seem to be working with your case. I have to get creative.† â€Å"You think I’m keeping something from you?† I demanded, too angry to control the disgust in my voice. â€Å"You think I confided that to my Comforter?† My anger didn’t faze her. Perhaps, given her strange personality, she was used to such reactions. â€Å"No. I think you’re telling me what you know†¦ But I don’t think you’re looking as hard as you could. I’ve seen it before. You’re growing sympathetic to your host. You’re letting her memories unconsciously direct your own desires. It’s probably too late at this point. I think you’d be more comfortable moving on, and maybe someone else will have better luck with her.† â€Å"Hah!† I shouted. â€Å"Melanie would eat them alive!† Her expression froze in place. She’d had no idea, no matter what she thought she’d discerned from Kathy. She’d thought Melanie’s influence was from memories, that it was unconscious. â€Å"I find it very interesting that you speak of her in the present tense.† I ignored that, trying to pretend I hadn’t made a slip. â€Å"If you think someone else would have better luck breaking into her secrets, you’re wrong.† â€Å"Only one way to find out.† â€Å"Did you have someone in mind?† I asked, my voice frigid with aversion. She grinned. â€Å"I’ve gotten permission to give it a try. Shouldn’t take long. They’re going to hold my host for me.† I had to breathe deeply. I was shaking, and Melanie was so full of hate that she was past words. The idea of having the Seeker inside me, even though I knew that I would not be here, was so repugnant that I felt a return of last week’s nausea. â€Å"It’s too bad for your investigation that I’m not a skipper.† The Seeker’s eyes narrowed. â€Å"Well, it does certainly make this assignment drag on. History was never of much interest to me, but it looks like I’m in for a full course now.† â€Å"You just said that it was probably too late to get any more from her memories,† I reminded her, struggling to make my voice calm. â€Å"Why don’t you go back to wherever you belong?† She shrugged and smiled a tight smile. â€Å"I’m sure it is too late†¦ for voluntary information. But if you don’t cooperate, she might just lead me to them yet.† â€Å"Lead you?† â€Å"When she takes full control, and you’re no better than that weakling, once Racing Song, now Kevin. Remember him? The one who attacked the Healer?† I stared at her, eyes wide, nostrils flared. â€Å"Yes, it’s probably just a matter of time. Your Comforter didn’t tell you the statistics, did she? Well, even if she did, she wouldn’t have the latest information that we have access to. The long-term success rate for situations such as yours-once a human host begins to resist-is under twenty percent. Did you have any idea it was so bad? They’re changing the information they give potential settlers. There will be no more adult hosts offered. The risks are too great. We’re losing souls. It won’t be long before she’s talking to you, talking through you, controlling your decisions.† I hadn’t moved an inch or relaxed a muscle. The Seeker leaned in, stretched up on her toes to put her face closer to mine. Her voice turned low and smooth in an attempt to sound persuasive. â€Å"Is that what you want, Wanderer? To lose? To fade away, erased by another awareness? To be no better than a host body?† I couldn’t breathe. â€Å"It only gets worse. You won’t be you anymore. She’ll beat you, and you’ll disappear. Maybe someone will intervene†¦ Maybe they’ll move you like they did Kevin. And you’ll become some child named Melanie who likes to tinker with cars rather than compose music. Or whatever it is she does.† â€Å"The success rate is under twenty percent?† I whispered. She nodded, trying to suppress a smile. â€Å"You’re losing yourself, Wanderer. All the worlds you’ve seen, all the experiences you’ve collected-they’ll be for nothing. I saw in your file that you have the potential for Motherhood. If you gave yourself to be a Mother, at least all that would not be entirely wasted. Why throw yourself away? Have you considered Motherhood?† I jerked away from her, my face flushing. â€Å"I’m sorry,† she muttered, her face darkening, too. â€Å"That was impolite. Forget I said that.† â€Å"I’m going home. Don’t follow.† â€Å"I have to, Wanderer. It’s my job.† â€Å"Why do you care so much about a few spare humans? Why? How do you justify your job anymore? We’ve won! It’s time for you to join society and do something productive!† My questions, my implied accusations, did not ruffle her. â€Å"Wherever the fringes of their world touch ours there is death.† She spoke the words peacefully, and for a moment I glimpsed a different person in her face. It surprised me to realize that she deeply believed in what she did. Part of me had supposed that she only chose to seek because she illicitly craved the violence. â€Å"If even one soul is lost to your Jared or your Jamie, that is one soul too many. Until there is total peace on this planet, my job will be justified. As long as there are Jareds surviving, I am needed to protect our kind. As long as there are Melanies leading souls around by the nose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I turned my back on her and headed for my apartment with long strides that would force her to run if she wanted to keep up. â€Å"Don’t lose yourself, Wanderer!† she called after me. â€Å"Time is running out for you!† She paused, then shouted more loudly. â€Å"Inform me when I’m to start calling you Melanie!† Her voice faded as the space between us grew. I knew she would follow at her own pace. This last uncomfortable week-seeing her face in the back of every class, hearing her footsteps behind me on the sidewalk every day-was nothing compared to what was coming. She was going to make my life a misery. It felt as if Melanie were bouncing violently against the inner walls of my skull. Let’s get her canned. Tell her higher-ups that she did something unacceptable. Assaulted us. It’s our word against hers – In a human world, I reminded her, almost sad that I didn’t have access to that sort of recourse. There are no higher-ups, in that sense. Everyone works together as equals. There are those whom many report to, in order to keep the information organized, and councils who make decisions about that information, but they won’t remove her from an assignment she wants. You see, it works like – Who cares how it works if it doesn’t help us? I know-let’s kill her! A gratuitous image of my hands tightening around the Seeker’s neck filled my head. That sort of thing is exactly why my kind is better left in charge of this place. Get off your high horse. You’d enjoy it as much as I would. The image returned, the Seeker’s face turning blue in our imagination, but this time it was accompanied by a fierce wave of pleasure. That’s you, not me. My statement was true; the image sickened me. But it was also perilously close to false-in that I would very much enjoy never seeing the Seeker again. What do we do now? I’m not giving up. You’re not giving up. And that wretched Seeker is sure as hell not giving up! I didn’t answer her. I didn’t have a ready answer. It was quiet in my head for a brief moment. That was nice. I wished the silence could last. But there was only one way to buy my peace. Was I willing to pay the price? Did I have a choice anymore? Melanie slowly calmed. By the time I was through the front door, locking behind me the bolts that I had never before turned-human artifacts that had no place in a peaceful world-her thoughts were contemplative. I’d never thought about how you all carry on your species. I didn’t know it was like that. We take it very seriously, as you can imagine. Thanks for your concern. She wasn’t bothered by the thick edge of irony in the thought. She was still musing over this discovery while I turned on my computer and began to look for shuttle flights. It was a moment before she was aware of what I was doing. Where are we going? The thought held a flicker of panic. I felt her awareness begin to rifle through my head, her touch like the soft brush of feathers, searching for anything I might be keeping from her. I decided to save her the search. I’m going to Chicago. The panic was more than a flicker now. Why? I’m going to see the Healer. I don’t trust her. I want to talk to him before I make my decision. There was a brief silence before she spoke again. The decision to kill me? Yes, that one. How to cite The Host Chapter 7: Confronted, Essay examples

Mythological Creatures from Dante’s Inferno Essay Example

Mythological Creatures from Dante’s Inferno Paper The Inferno (Hell) is the first part of The Divine Comedy, followed by the Purgatorio (Purgatory) and Paradiso (Heaven). It is a classic Christian theological text that uses strong poetic imagination and allegorical allusion. Though originally written in Italian between 1308 and 1321 AD, the work is widely translated and its themes are drawn upon by generations of writers since. Written in first person narrative, the comedy is about the imaginative events and experiences of Dante (and his companion poet Virgil) as he traverses through Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso in his afterlife. Dante meets both mythological and real people during his long voyage. He also comes across mythological creatures that pose moral dilemmas and questions to him. By successfully resolving such challenges, Dante (and by extension anyone with faith in Christ) steadily attains spiritual salvation. The rest of this essay will dwell on the mythological creatures and the nature of their interaction with D ante and Virgil through the Inferno. The first part of Inferno begins on the eve of Good Friday in the year 1300. The world of the Inferno is dangerous and dark. Dante is lost in a thick forest (a symbol for sin) and he is haunted by wild carnivorous beasts such as lions and wolfs. As Dante suffers in despair, the ancient poet Virgil comes to his rescue. Together, both of them seek repentance for their sins. Their sins are broadly classified under self-indulgent sins (lust, gluttony, wrath and greed), violent sins and malicious sins (dishonesty and treason). (Alvarez 89) Having successfully negotiated the diabolical challenges in this hellish underground, Dante and Virgil move on to the gates of the City of Dis in Canto 8, where We will write a custom essay sample on Mythological Creatures from Dante’s Inferno specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mythological Creatures from Dante’s Inferno specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mythological Creatures from Dante’s Inferno specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer â€Å"more than a thousand devils bar their entrance. Since hostility and unwillingness to co-operate are defining traits of infernal creatures, Dante and Virgil are not surprised that their progress has been impeded once again. The first creature to block their way was Charon, followed by the infernal judge Minos. In both of these cases the opposition was overcome easily enough with words uttered like a magic formula.† (Pugliese, 2005, p. 175) The next mythic creature that Dante and Virgil encounter is Geryon. Taken from Greek mythology, Geryon was vanquished in battle by Hercules. Geryon is one among several classical monsters that were defeated by the superior skill and power of Hercules. As Virgil describes in Inferno Canto 6, Geryon is a ‘triple-bodied hybrid’. By virtue of this physique, â€Å"Dante metamorphoses Geryon into a fantastic creature like the classical Chimera (Oion, goat, and serpent), mentioned along with Geryon in the same Canto† (Alighieri, 1996, p. 272) Geryon is described in the 10th Canto through these dramatic opening lines ‘Behold the beast the whole world stink’. This opening signifies the threat and mysteriousness surrounding the creature from the sea. This unusual canto opening points to the fact that, like Cantos 8 and 9, â€Å"it forms a major transition between divisions of Hell, for we now move from the circle of violence to the two circles of fraud (simp le fraud and treacherous fraud.† (Alighieri, 1996, p. 268) Dante makes it clear that Geryon is a manifestation of fraud. The magnitude of this fraud is such that it renders powerless physical barriers and protections such as walls, armour and even mountains. Geryon’s scorpion-like tail is full of poison. Here poison is a metaphor for deception and fraud. The opposing virtues are truth and genuineness. The three headed dog-like creature Cerberus poses a tough challenge to Dante and his companion during their spiritual quest. Cerberus guards the third circle of Hell and devours on those spirits which are guilty of gluttony. Dante’s description of Cerberus is taken after its original imagination by Virgil in Aeneid. Consequently, the three headed dog-like creature that guards the entrance of the third circle. It has an intimidating presence, accompanied by a loud growl and with snakes rising from its neck. His three throats produce â€Å"a deafening bark, and he eagely devours like a dog intent on his meal – the fistful of dirt that Virgil throws into his mouths† Other features of Cerberus, such as his red eyes, greasy black beard, large gut, and clawed hands perhaps link him to the gluttonous spirits who suffer in the sixth circle† (Raffa, 2007, p. 40) One of the unfortunate gluttons meted out punishment in the third circle is Ciacco, who rises up and acknowledges Dante as an inhabitant of Florence. Using his powers of prophecy Ciacco predicts that there were to be an epic battle between the two political factions of the ancient city, with the victory first going to white Guelphs, only to be squandered to the opposing black Guelphs in three years. After giving Dante the identities of other Florentines who are languishing in other circles of Hell, Ciacco â€Å"falls back to the ground, not to rise again until the Last Judgment at the end of time.† (Raffa, 2007, p. 39) Having the obstacle of Ciacco thus removed, Dante and Virgil march on to other circles. The winged creature representing Florence is another terrifying encounter for Virgil and Dante. This reptilian nature of this winged dragon is noted from the description â€Å"he who possesses the sea, the land and the whole globe†. (Alighieri, 1996, p. 406) Plutus is another creature which Dante and Virgil encounter on their long journey through the circles of Inferno. Like Cerberus, Plutus is also a hybrid representing the vice of greed. It is hence coined the God of Wealth. Plutus possesses â€Å"the power of speech and the ability to understand Virgil’s dismissive words, while at the same time displaying animal features and a distinctly bestial rage.† (Raffa, 2007, p. 46) The wolf-like Plutus that informs Satan that Dante and Virgil are approaching the fourth circle. Virgil confronts Plutus valorously and silences him temporarily, which allows the duo to pass through unhurt. Herein arrives an enlightenment for Dante as he witnesses a â€Å"multitude of shades damned for the sin of avarice (holding wealth too tightly) or its opposite, prodigality (spending too freely). The two groups push heavy boulders with their chests around a circle in opposite directions: when the avaricious and the prodigal collide, they turn and, after casting insults at one another, repeat the journey in the other direction.† (Raffa, 2007, p. 45) This scene so disgusts Dante that he loses track of individual identities of the shades fighting. It is the ever alert Virgil who notes the â€Å"presence of many clerics, including cardinals and popes, among the avaricious. He also explains to Dante the divine role of Fortuna in human affairs.† (Raffa, 2007, p. 45)

An Introduction to the Jack the Ripper Mystery

An Introduction to the Jack the Ripper Mystery Someone in London murdered and mutilated a number of prostitutes during the autumn of 1888; the press went into a frenzy, politicians pointed the finger at each other, hoaxers polluted the investigation, and one of several nicknames stuck: Jack the Ripper. Over a century later, Jacks identity has never been wholly proven (there isnt even a leading suspect), most aspects of the case are still debated, and the Ripper is an infamous cultural bogeyman. The Enduring Mystery The Rippers identity has never been established and people have never stopped looking: the publishing rates average is a new book a year since 1888 (although most of these have come in recent decades). Unfortunately, the wealth of Ripper source material - letters, reports, diaries,  and photographs - provides enough depth for detailed and fascinating research, but too few facts for any incontrovertible conclusions. Just about everything about Jack the Ripper is open to debate and the best you can get is a consensus. People are still finding new suspects  or new ways to reframe old suspects, and books are still flying off the shelves. There is no better mystery. The Crimes Traditionally, Jack the Ripper is considered to have killed five women, all London prostitutes, during 1888: Mary Ann Polly Nichols on August 31, Annie Chapman on September 8, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes on September 30 and Mary Jane (Marie Jeanette) Kelly on November 9. In practice, there is no agreed list: the most popular change is to discount Stride and/or Kelly, sometimes adding Martha Tabram, killed August 7th. Authors naming more than eight have achieved very little consensus. At the time Polly Nichols was sometimes considered the second or third person to have been killed by the same person, and plenty of later investigators have searched the world in search of similar killings to see if the Ripper moved on. The Ripper generally killed by strangling his victims, then laying them down and cutting the arteries in their throats; this was followed by a varied process of mutilation, during which parts of the body were removed and kept. Because Jack did this quickly, often in the dark, and because he seemed to have great anatomical knowledge, people have assumed the Ripper had a doctors or surgeons training. As with much of the case, there is no consensus - a contemporary thought him simply a blunderer. There have been accusations that the missing organs werent stolen from the bodies by the Ripper, but by people dealing with them later. Evidence for this is scant. The Letters and Nicknames During the autumn and winter of 1888/89, a number of letters circulated among the police and newspapers, all claiming to be from the Whitechapel murderer; these include the From Hell letter and one accompanied by part of a kidney (which may have matched a kidney taken from one of the victims, but like everything Jack, were not a hundred percent sure). Ripperologists consider most, if not all, of the letters to be hoaxes, but their impact at the time was considerable, if only because one contained the first use of Jack the Ripper, a nickname the papers swiftly adopted and which is now synonymous. Horror, Media, and Culture The Ripper killings were neither obscure nor ignored at the time. There was gossip and fear in the streets, questions at high levels of government,  and offers of rewards and resignations when nobody was caught. Political reformers used the Ripper in arguments and policemen struggled with the limited techniques of the time. Indeed, the Ripper case remained high profile enough for many of the police involved to write private accounts years later. However, it was the media who made Jack the Ripper. By 1888, literacy was common amongst the crowded citizens of London and newspapers reacted to the Whitechapel Murderer, whom they initially christened Leather Apron, with the frenzy we expect from modern tabloids, stirring opinions, fact,  and theory – along with the probably hoaxed Ripper letters – together to create a legend which seeped into popular culture. From the very start, Jack doubled as a figure from the horror genre, a bogeyman to scare your kids. A century later, Jack the Ripper is still hugely famous world over, an unknown criminal at the center of a global manhunt. But he is more than that, hes the focus of novels, films, musicals,  and even a six-inch high model plastic figure. Jack the Ripper was the first serial killer adopted by the modern media age and hes been at the forefront ever since, mirroring the evolution of western culture. Will the Mystery Be Solved? Its extremely unlikely anyone will be able to use the existing evidence to prove, beyond all reasonable doubt, who Jack the Ripper was and, while people are still uncovering material, the discovery of something unarguable has to be regarded as a long-shot. Fortunately, the mystery is so fascinating because you can do your own reading, draw your own conclusions and, with some critical thinking, generally have as much chance of being right as everyone else! Suspects range from people the detectives at the time suspected (such as George Chapman / Klosowski), to a whole gallery of strange suggestions, which include no less than Lewis Carroll, a royal doctor, Inspector Abberline himself, and someone who even blamed their relative decades later after finding some tenuous items.

The Tropical Rainforest Biome

The Tropical Rainforest Biome All tropical rainforests have similar characteristics including climate, precipitation, canopy structure, complex symbiotic relationships and an amazing diversity of species. However, not every tropical rainforest can claim exact characteristics when compared by  region or realm  and there are rarely clear defining boundaries. Many may blend with adjoining mangrove forests, moist forests, mountain forests, or tropical deciduous forests. Tropical Rainforest Location Tropical rainforests mainly occur inside the worlds equatorial regions. Tropical rainforests are restricted to the small land area between the latitudes 22.5 ° North and 22.5 ° South of the equator - between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. The global distribution of the tropical rainforest can be broken into four continental regions, realms or biomes: the Ethiopian or Afrotropical rainforest, the  Australasian  or Australian rainforest, the Oriental or Indomalayan/Asian rainforest, and the Central and South American Neotropical. Importance of the Tropical Rainforest Rainforests are cradles of diversity. They spawn and support 50 percent of all living organisms on Earth even though they cover less than 5% of Earths surface. A rainforests importance is truly incomprehensible when it comes to species diversity. Losing the Tropical Rainforest Just a few thousand years ago, tropical rainforests are estimated to have covered as much as 12% of the land surface on earth. This was about 6 million square miles (15.5 million square km). Today it is estimated that less than 5% of Earths land is covered with these forests (about 2 to 3 million square miles). More importantly, two-thirds of the worlds tropical rainforests exist as fragmented remnants. The Largest Tropical Rainforest The largest unbroken stretch of rainforest is found in the Amazon river basin of South America. Over half of this forest lies in Brazil, which holds about one-third of the worlds remaining tropical rainforests. Another 20% of the worlds remaining rainforest exists in Indonesia and the Congo Basin, while the balance of the worlds rainforests is scattered around the globe in tropical regions. Tropical Rainforests Outside the Tropics Tropical rainforests are not just found in tropical regions, but also in temperate regions like Canada, the United States, and the former Soviet Union. These forests, like any tropical rainforest, receive abundant, year-round rainfall, and are characterized by an enclosed canopy and high species diversity but are without the year-round warmth and sunlight. Precipitation An important characteristic of tropical rainforests is moisture. Tropical rainforests usually lie in tropical zones where solar energy produces frequent rainstorms. Rainforests are subject to heavy rainfall, at least 80 and in some areas over 430 of rain each year. High volumes of rain in rainforests can cause local streams and creeks to rise 10-20 feet over the course of two hours. The Canopy Layer Most of life in the tropical rainforest exists vertically in the trees, above the shaded forest floor - in the layers. Each tropical rainforest canopy layer harbors its own unique plant and animal species interacting with the ecosystem around them. The primary tropical rainforest is divided into at least five layers: the overstory, the true canopy, the understory, the shrub layer, and the forest floor. Protection Tropical rainforests are not all that pleasant to visit. They are hot and humid, difficult to reach, insect-infested, and have wildlife that is hard to find. Still, according to Rhett A. Butler in A Place Out of Time: Tropical Rainforests and the Perils They Face, there are undeniable reasons to protect the rainforests: Loss of local climate regulation - With forest loss, the local community loses the system that performed valuable but unnoticed services like ensuring the regular flow of clean water and protecting the community from flood and drought. The forest acts as a sort of sponge, soaking up the tremendous amounts of rainfall brought by tropical downpours, and releasing water at regular intervals. This regulating feature of tropical rainforests prevents destructive flood and drought cycles.Erosion and its effects - The loss of trees, which anchor the soil with their roots, causes widespread erosion throughout the tropics. Only a minority of areas have good soils, which after clearing are quickly washed away by the heavy rains. Thus crops yields decline and the people must spend income to import foreign fertilizers or clear additional forest.Loss of species for forest regeneration - A fully functioning forest has a great capacity to regenerate. Exhaustive hunting of tropical rainforest species can reduce those species necessary to forest continuance and regeneration. The increase of tropical diseases - The emergence of tropical diseases and outbreaks of new diseases including nasty hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola and Lassa Fever is a subtle but serious impact of deforestation.Destruction of renewable resources - Deforestation can rob a country of potential renewable revenues while replacing valuable productive lands with virtually useless scrub and grassland (desertification).

Emigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Emigration - Essay Example In 2011 alone, the United States, which has the largest number of immigrants in the world, received 87,000 permanent residents from China (â€Å"Wary Future, Professionals Leave China†). Consequently, the increasing number of immigrants has resulted to a number of research studies to understand this phenomenon. One effective way to understand the concept of emigration in the present time is to examine its causes. People emigrate for various reasons, but the most common causes are education, employment, freedom, and war. These causes are the prime motivation for people around the world to emigrate to other countries. Education, which is a product of globalization, is one of the leading causes of emigration. Globalization has pushed immigrant children to move to the first world countries like the United States to obtain their education. People seek for a better quality of education for them to be globally competitive and hirable in their own chosen fields. Education in the form of research and development is another result of globalization. Academicians accomplish their research studies in other countries where they are able to utilize more advanced facilities and technological equipments to get better results. Scholarships also largely contribute to the number of immigrants in the academe. It enables immigrants to avail low cost and yet high quality education through scholarships. Employment is another leading reason for emigration as people in poor countries work overseas. As developed countries have good economic conditions, industries in these countries offer much higher salaries than poor countries do. In addition, the worker’s rights and benefits are top priorities for these countries as developed countries have more stable policies that protect employees’ welfare. Lastly, these countries have high employment rate that means that they offer many job opportunities. Other people emigrate to find more freedom in the things that

Professional Resume and Cover Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Resume and Cover Letter - Essay Example CH2M HLL is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations, and program management where success of turnkey projects is critical part of organizational success. My skills and professional expertise in office management can be judiciously exploited to accelerate the progress of ongoing projects. I strongly believe that role of leaders, managers and the administrators of the organizations have increasingly become more challenging especially when new strategy and policy decisions are introduced in the organizations. As such, I have often undertaken leadership role to ensure effective feedback through participatory approach and helped solve the problems and workplace conflicts. My professional competencies, experience and my desire to acquire more knowledge would help me to become top performer in your company also. My work experience has involved extensive interaction with major clients and public, thereby equipping me with necessary traits of effective verbal communication techniques. I have attaches resume for your kind perusal. My key strength have been my ability to function under limited direction and worked independently using initiative and good judgment. I can assure you that my personal and professional competencies would add value to your organization. I would appreciate an opportunity to discuss the same with you in person and look forward to meeting you. Strong leadership initiatives in performing liaison work for CEO and proven record for excellent office management. Talent for organizing meetings and ensuring effective coordination with different stakeholders for resolving conflicts and promote communication. Highly efficient in managing confidential information and drafting agendas for important meeting and ensuring smooth conduct of the same. Exceptional organizational skills; Leadership initiative in prioritizing

SWOT Analysis for Employability Skills

SWOT Analysis for Employability Skills Introduction With the rapid development of society, the competitions between companies are also increasing, what the employers want for the graduates are not only focus on the degree but pay more attention to their employability skills. In order to win their competitors in the fierce competition, employers want graduates who have a wide range of skills to bring to the work environment and need the employees with multi-skilled to fulfil many different roles. à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ Foster, 1998, p.4à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. So graduates who coming into the workforce must have the skills needed by employers. With the purpose of making ourselves become more competitive in the future job market first we should find out what the employability skills the employer want for graduates, then according to the employability skills do the personal SWOT analysis and make an action plan to improve ourselves. Discussion of employability skills What skills do employers want Employability skills are defined as skills required not only to gain employment, but also to progress within an enterprise so as to achieve ones potential and contribute successfully to enterprise strategic directions. (DEST 2002a) Today, despite the degree, companies are paying more attention to the employability skills of the graduates, but there is no uniform standard of employability skills. What employability skills the graduates should have are depend on companys actual operating conditions and different companies have different standards. Through a wide range of literature research, the result of what the employability skills needed by companies are almost the same, and can be roughly divided into the following eight basic skills: Communication skills, Teamwork skills, Problem solving skills , Self management skills, Planning and organizing skills, Technology skills, Life-long learning skills and Initiative and enterprise skills. (MONASH, nd) Why do companies want these skills? Communication skills The CIPDs views are based on the latest CIPD/KPMG quarterly Labor Market Outlook, a survey of over 1,400 UK employers, the key attributes employers look for in school leaver recruits are communication skills (40% of employers rank this in their top three required attributes), work ethic (39%) and personality (32%). (CIPD,2006) .Communication happens all the time in the workplace, having effective communication skills can make us have a good relationship with colleagues and superiors ,thus can create a good working environment and help us complete the work more efficiently. Whats more , have good communication skills not only can make the existing customers become more satisfy with the products and services provided by our company but also can attract more clients cooperate with us . Teamwork skills In Todays society, only have the individual working ability is not enough, more and more works need a group of people to complete together .Work in groups can speed up the progress of work and also through brainstorming to create a better idea of the company Problem solving skills In this competitive world, companies will faced various problems at any time, solving the problem successfully enable the company ride out the storm or it will fail. Self-management skills Companies also need graduates have self-management skills to complete the work alone or almost alone, without the need for someone to stand over the employees constantly and tell them want to do.à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ Foster, 1998, p.14à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. Planning and organizing skills Employers need graduates to make plans and organize the limited sources to achieve both short and long-term goals of company. Technology skills In the technological age, technology skills become increasingly important, company need employees use computers and telecommunications systems proficiency, understanding current trends and gathering information to predict the companys operating condition through technology. Life-long learning skills In order to make the company development sustainably, only require employee continuous learning can let the company keep pace with this rapid-developing society, and employees who have the life-long learning skills can also bring benefits to the company. Initiative and enterprise skills Employees recruited by the company are all with multi-skilled, the company may frequent transfer their employees to different departments and to take different roles within a company. (Heather and Peter, 2006, p.2) .So this require the employee have the initiative and enterprise skills to adjust themselves easily to new situations and can take the job quickly. Personal SWOT Analysis After identify the employability skills that needed by companies, I make a personal SWOT analysis based on actual experience and self assessment test through the internet. Strengths : I have good team work and organizing skills. According to the results of my self assessment test, I have a great mark in humanistic-encouraging and affiliative. (See Appendix 1) In the group work I can build on ideas with other members and as team leader I usually will make plans to allocate tasks to the group members to make sure everyone enjoys the tasks they are assigned to. I am good at Self management. I can management my time well and get thing done without being pushed. Usually I will write down the things what I need to do and sort them out according to the importance and the time sequence. After that I will write them to the calendar so that I can know clearly what and when should I do next I do well in learning. I willing to put in time and effort to learn new skills. As a student, beside the major I also join the free English class and the Assessment Centres mini module to improve myself. I have technology skills. I am not only having the basic computer skills but also can use specialised software packages. Since I have learned the business decision modelling in my first year and now I also learning the applied management and decision modelling, all of them need to use the specialised software packages so I learned how to use them in the course. Weaknesses I have no employment experience, even the part-time job experience. I am weak in problem solving; when I face problems usually I can not see all sides of them and can not provide good solution of them. My Communication skills are weak. I am an introvert (Result in appendix ) and I am not good at communicate with others .I feel shy when I talking to strangers. Opportunities I can find a part-time job through the future of our school to learn new skills to enhance my CV. I am more employable than others if I get work experience in UK. 65% of international employers indicate that they are more willing to employ graduates with overseas work experience. (Archer and Davison, 2008.). I have an opportunity to get a good job if I return to China after I graduate. China is widely expected to become the worlds largest human capital market in the future, requiring an explosive number of talented professionals. Companies seeking to hire Mainland Chinese returnees: born and raised in China, studied/worked in the U.S. or Europe and then returned to China. They offer international experience, plus language and cultural skills but are in short supply (Davy, Lau). I can enjoy a variety of preferential policies for overseas student which provided by the Chinese government if I back to China. Threats In recent years, explosive growth trends of Chinese overseas students choose to return home which will increase the competition of getting jobs in China. Employment pressure both in China and UK. Not only Chinese graduates for job-hunting with anxiety, graduates of British also face the same problem. The jobs shortage was blamed on a substantial backlog in the number of jobless graduates from previous years creating additional pressure on the employment market in 2010. (Articlesbase, 2010). Personal Action Plan After I finished the personal SWOT analysis, according to my own situation I make an action plan base on SMART Skill to be improved Specific Actions Measure Target date Communication skills: Participating in the activities that organized by school community orinvolvingin the school communitydirectly. Make a lot of friends. Take the initiative in making acquaintances. Do not feel nervous when talking to strangers Next month Take the mini module about communication that provided by the future in our school Presenting and participating in class discussions Semester 2 Through the IELTStestto improve my English speaking, writing, reading and listening skills. Take the IELTS test Christmas holidays Problem solving skills Apply for the volunteer opportunities provide by the futureHelping people solve problem while improving my problem solving skills. Become a volunteer Semester 2 Analysis the requirements of school assignments Meet the assignment requirements of teachers Deadline of assignments Initiative and enterprise skills Find part-time jobs in our school or become a volunteer Get part-time jobs, become a volunteer Semester 2 Become a trainee of a company for 1-2week Work in a company as a trainee Christmas holidays Teamwork skills Working on group assignments Do the Group work assignments Deadline of group assignments Planning and organisation skills Arranging study and daily lives at university Make plans everyday and do thing according to plans Everyday Self-management skills Summing upthe gaps in skills and knowledge Doself-reflection whenteachers give assignment feedback At the end of semester 1 Learning skills Learning new skills that needed by employers Attend courses and finish courses Semester 2 Technology skills Learn something about Photoshop or database. Participatethe relevant courses During semester 2 Conclusion There is no doubt that employees who having a good degree will gain an excellent starting point, since a good degree helps employees open the door of finding a job, however, a degree alone is not enough, employers want much more from their graduate employees, they want employees can bring benefits to the company and let the company in an invincible position during the fierce competition. Through extensive research I summed up eight kinds of employability skills that most needed by companies. And I made a personal SWOT analysis based on employability skills and self assessment test through the internet and actual experience which made me become more aware of myself. After that I made an action plan for myself. Ill stick to the plan and I hope that it would help me improve my employability skills after I finish it .And get a good job in the competitive job market after I graduate.

Improving The Design Of Buildings After 9 11 Environmental Sciences Essay

Following the terrorist onslaught on the New York World Trade Center in 2001, this paper seeks to look into the design features that would heighten the safety of tall edifices. Design/methodology/approach – Using a questionnaire, informations have been collected via electronic mails and by station from designers and civil applied scientists ( AEs ) in Singapore. Structured interviews were conducted with public governments. Findingss – The consequences show that AEs perceive tall edifices to be by and large safe in footings of structural design, fire safety characteristics and agencies of flight. The consequences besides show that AEs confirm the demand to better the safety of tall edifices further, are doing an attempt to turn to the heightened safety concern, will give full support to enterprises to turn to heightened safety concerns, will hold to carry on hazard appraisal during the design stage and will welcome a performance-based design codification. AEs do non hold that edifices should be designed to defy hydrocarbon fires or aircraft onslaughts. The study consequences further reveal that the four most effectual methods to better the safety of tall edifices are supplying issue marks with illuming at floor degrees, a separate design codification for super tall edifices, supplying fire safety and deliverance floors, and the decentalisation of fire systems. Originality/value – The importance of this paper is that it investigates the safety characteristics and steps that can cast some visible radiation on heightening the safety of tall edifices. The findings may be used by constructing governments to explicate future steps and codifications to better heighten the safety of tall edifices. Based on the findings, farther research on each executable method of bettering the safety of tall edifices may be undertaken. The unprecedented devastation of the New York World Trade Center ( WTC ) by terrorists on September 11, 2001 ( 9/11 ) signified new menaces to tall icon edifices and has led to heightened concerns over the safety facets of tall edifices. Present safety characteristics in tall edifices might be unequal in get bying with such hazards, particularly when current edifice design and building have concentrated on the more normal types of accidents and catastrophes that can bechance constructions and their residents. There may be a demand to do edifices more robust and to guarantee better protection for a edifice ‘s residents. After 9/11, some issues need to be addressed. For illustration, is it necessary to guarantee that edifices are capable of defying the sort of impact suffered by the WTC? In reevaluating the hazards to the built environment, should edifices be designed to defy aircraft onslaughts, or simply to guarantee that there is sufficient clip for the residents to evacuate before the edifice prostrations? The aims of this survey are: to look into how safe tall edifices are/should be ; and to analyze the feasibleness of assorted methods to better the design of tall edifices to do them safer. The positions of designers and civil applied scientists ( AEs ) and relevant edifice governments in Singapore were obtained through a questionnaire study and interviews. Singapore is a relevant state for this survey to be conducted because it is a little city state, where land is scarce, and tower block, high-density life is the norm. Singapore besides likely has one of the highest concentrations of tall edifices per hectare of land in the universe. The importance of this paper is that it investigates the safety characteristics and steps that can cast some visible radiation on heightening the safety of tall edifices. The findings may be used by constructing governments to explicate future steps and codifications to better heighten the safety of tall edifices. Based on the findings, farther research on each executable method of bettering the safety of tall edifices may be undertaken. Proposed methods to better safety of tall edifices To measure the deductions of 9/11, the USA and the UK edifice governments and other related authorities bureaus have established groups and undertaking forces consisting edifice experts around the universe. These groups and undertaking forces seek to place life-safety issues and suggest new methods to better the public presentation of future tall edifices and guarantee sufficient emptying clip for edifice residents. In planing edifices against menace, Mr Robert Prieto, of Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc. , highlighted the three Rs of menace design: â€Å" Design to defy the menace. Design to react to the menace. Design to retrieve from the menace † ( Post, 2001a ) . From a literature reappraisal, some of the methods that have been suggested by applied scientists and practicians in an attempt to better the safety public presentation of tall edifices are summarized in Table I. Column 2 of Table I shows that there are 23 possible ways to better the safety of tall edifices. These are categorized into five chief headers: structural design ; fire technology ; agencies of flight ; stuffs engineering ; and codifications and ordinances. How executable these methods will be is still unknown and remains to be determined. Therefore, this paper aims to happen out the suitableness of these methods by proving them in the field. Methodology The survey comprised a sample study and structured interviews to garner the positions of AEs and edifice governments, severally. The intent of the study was to happen out AEs ‘ perceptual experiences of the safety of tall edifices in Singapore and the feasibleness of steps that could be adopted to better the safety degrees of tall edifices. The intent of the interviews was to analyze the edifice governments ‘ attempts in turn toing the safety of tall edifices after 9/11. A questionnaire was designed for the study. The first subdivision of the questionnaire sought to find the profile and demographic inside informations of the respondents. In the 2nd subdivision, respondents were asked to rate the safety degree of tall edifices in Singapore ( V1 to V4 ) on a ten-point Likert graduated table, where 1 denotes â€Å" really insecure † , 5 denotes â€Å" satisfactory † and 10 denotes â€Å" really safe † . They were besides asked to rate the ability of these edifices to defy accidents and onslaughts ( V5 to V6 ) on a five-point Likert graduated table, where 1 denotes â€Å" strongly disagree † , 3 denotes â€Å" neither agree nor disagree † and 5 denotes â€Å" strongly agree † . The respondents ‘ positions on the heightened safety concern and the critical issues related to 9/11 ( V7 to V16 ) were besides obtained utilizing the same five-point Likert graduated table. The 3rd subdivision sought to find the fea sibleness and pertinence of the methods uncovered from the literature reappraisal. Respondents were asked to bespeak whether they thought the proposed method should be adopted, non adopted, or were diffident. They were besides encouraged to notice and give grounds for their responses. The complete mail study bundle comprised a screen missive, the questionnaire and a stamped, self-addressed and envelope. Data for the study were collected via electronic mail, surface mail and telephone. AEs were targeted for the study because the work that they do is straight relevant to constructing safety. Eighty and 160 questionnaires were sent to randomly selected AEs in the public and private sectors, severally. Public-sector AEs were identified through the Singapore Government ‘s published directory. Private-sector AEs were obtained from Internet Yellow Pages ( 2002a, B, degree Celsius ) . Besides the study, structured interviews were conducted with authorities functionaries from the Building and Construction Authority ( BCA ) and the Fire Safety and Shelter Bureau ( FSSB ) . The intent of the interviews was to happen out their attempts in turn toing the safety of tall edifices. The BCA was selected because it is the chief regulator of Singapore ‘s building industry ( Building and Construction Authority, 2002a, B ) . The FSSB is the local authorization in fire safety and bomb shelter ordinances ( Singapore Civil Defence Force, 2002 ) . E-mails explicating the intent of the research were sent to the governments to bespeak permission to carry on the interviews. Agreements for the interview Sessionss were so made with interviewees who were involved in the reappraisal of edifice safety after 9/11. Survey consequences and informations analysis Thirty-four questionnaires were received, giving an overall response rate of 14 per centum. The public sector response rate ( 28 per centum ) was higher than the private sector response rate ( 8 per centum ) . The good response rate from public-sector respondents may be because the several Human Resource Departments agreed to administer the questionnaires. The low response rate from the private sector respondents may be because these AEs felt that their chief duty is to follow the design codifications, and it is up to the authorities to alter the codifications. To increase the response rate, phone calls were made to the AEs to bespeak their engagement. Unfortunately, some of the mark respondents were normally busy or administrative staff were loath to set the calls through. The profile of the respondents is summarized in Table II. It can be seen that the bulk of the respondents held senior places in their organisations. The bulk of the respondents were applied scientists, and many of them were from the public-sector lodging authorization. Furthermore, the bulk of the respondents ( 79 per centum ) had worked in the building industry for more than five old ages. This would do their feedback more accurate and dependable. Almost all the respondents ( 88 per centum ) had been involved in the building of tall residential edifices. The public-sector respondents focused more on residential edifices, while the private-sector respondents were more involved in tall commercial edifices. We now describe the profile of the interviewees. The interviewee from the BCA was a senior director who had a civil technology grade. Prior to fall ining the BCA, he had worked in the building industry for 25 old ages and was involved in the building of major substructure and edifice undertakings. The FSSB interviewee held a sheepskin in stuffs and measures in add-on to his civil technology grade. He had worked in the FSSB for more than 15 old ages and was involved in reexamining the Fire Code. The positions of these capable affair experts ( SMExperts ) were incorporated in the relevant treatment subdivisions. Datas were entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences ( SPSS ) package for analysis. Average evaluations for all the variables were calculated ( Table III, column 3 ) . A one-sample t-test of the mean was carried out to look into whether the population would hold with the variables surveyed. For variables V1 to V4, the void hypothesis ( H 0 ) that tall edifices are regarded as insecure and the alternate hypothesis ( H 1 ) that tall edifices are regarded as safe are set out as: H 0. I?a†°Ã‚ ¤5. H 1. I? & gt ; 5. I? is the population mean, and is taken as 5 on a ten-point evaluation graduated table. For variables V5 to V16, the void hypothesis that respondents disagree with the variable and the alternate hypothesis that respondents agree with the variable are set out as: H 0. I?a†°Ã‚ ¤3. H 1. I? & gt ; 3. The degree of significance ( I ± ) was set at 0.05. If the deliberate p-value is greater than or equal to 0.05, H 0 is non rejected and the consequence is non important. If the p-value is less than 0.05, H 0 is rejected and the consequence is important beyond the 5 per centum degree. The consequences are shown in Table III ( columns 4 and 5 ) . An independent samples t-test was carried out to find whether the public and private sector respondents shared the same positions on the variables surveyed or otherwise. The degree of significance ( I ± ) was besides set at 0.05. The nothing and alternate hypotheses are: H 0. I? public=I? private. H 1. I? publica†° I? private. When H 0 is non rejected, it is concluded that there is no difference in the average evaluations by both sectors. The rejection of H 0 agencies that both sectors of the building industry have differing positions with regard to the variable being tested. Levene ‘s Test was used to look into for equality of discrepancies between the two groups of respondents ( Gray and Kinnear, 1997 ) . It was found that there was no important difference, and hence a pooled estimation of the population discrepancy was used. The consequences of the t-test of the difference between agencies are given in Table III ( columns 6-9 ) . The consequences show that there is no important difference between the positions of public and private sector respondents except for point V16. In point V16, both public and private sector professionals disagreed that tall edifices should be designed to defy aeroplane onslaughts, but private sector professionals disagreed to a greater extent. In the 3rd subdivision of the questionnaire, the respondents indicated whether a suggested step should be implemented ( agree ) , non implemented ( disagree ) or they are diffident about its pertinence in bettering the safety of tall edifices. The consequences are shown in Table I ( columns 4-7 ) . The four most popular methods are: supply issue marks with illuming at floor degrees ; supply a separate design codification for ace high-rise edifices ; supply fire safety and deliverance floors ; and supply a decentralized fire system. These consequences are now discussed. How safe tall edifices are/should be The one-sample t-test consequences ( Table III ) show that in general, the respondents are of the sentiment that tall edifices in Singapore are safe ( V1 ) . They besides have more than equal structural design ( V2 ) , fire safety ( V3 ) and means of flight ( V4 ) . Among the four safety appraisal of tall edifices, the average safety evaluation for structural design is highest at 7.88. Respondents felt that this facet of the edifice is the most earnestly considered in guaranting the safety of edifices. In add-on, tall edifices will be able to defy normal accidents ( V5 ) , but will fall in upon an aircraft onslaught ( V6 ) . The above consequences may be biased towards the sentiments and perceptual experiences of the respondents. This is because the population surveyed is likely to react that edifices are safe because they are involved in the design procedure, and stating that a edifice is insecure brings into inquiry their design patterns. In add-on, a big per centum of public functionaries responded to this study. These public functionaries can non be seen to hold no assurance in the safety of tall edifices when they have a responsibility of attention to normal citizens. Of the 10 steps proposed ( V7-V16 ) , six ( V7, V9, V10, V11, V13, V14 ) are significantly of import ( p & lt ; 0.05 ) . Respondents felt that there is a important demand to better the safety of tall edifices ( V7 ) . Consistent with this response, the respondents disagreed that tall edifices do non necessitate extra safety steps ( V12 ) . This shows that there is room for betterment and supports the demand to heighten edifice safety. Respondents felt that they have the expertness to better the safety of tall edifices ( V9 ) . The findings are promoting. It shows that AEs have the proficient capableness to do tall edifices even safer. The respondents besides agreed that they have made an attempt to turn to the heightened safety concern ( V10 ) . In add-on, they will give fullest support to the building industry to turn to the safety of edifices ( V11 ) . However, this issue is non their chief concern ( V8 ) , possibly because the tall edifices are already structurally safe ( V2 ) . Respondents agreed that there is a demand for hazard appraisals to be conducted on tall edifices during the design stage ( V13 ) . These hazard appraisals will help edifice interior decorators in placing the likely menaces faced by edifices ( Broughton, 2002 ; Linn, 2002 ) . Buildings are so designed to turn to the menaces to heighten their safety public presentation. Respondents besides agreed that a performance-based codification might supply better safety counsel than the normative codification for tall edifices ( V14 ) . The SMExperts revealed that the governments have already recognized the demand for a performance-based codification because it offers more flexibleness to interior decorators. For alone edifices such as airdromes and large-sized indoor bowls, interior decorators may non be able to use the conventional normative codifications straight. The findings show that respondents are opposed to planing edifices to defy hydrocarbon fires ( V15 ) and aircraft onslaughts ( V16 ) . This may be because it will be excessively expensive to construct such constructions, when the menace is improbable and unpredictable. SMExperts confirmed that edifices are designed based on possible burden events and believable jeopardies. Aircraft onslaught is non a sufficiently believable jeopardy to be considered in the design of edifices, and therefore edifice codifications do non necessitate that such events be considered for edifices in Singapore. The deduction is that edifices may non defy such utmost impact, particularly in the presence of the resulting fires because these constructions have non been designed for such menaces. SMExperts emphasized that it is more executable to concentrate on other signifiers of menaces such as truck and handheld bombs, which are physically transported by human existences. Resources should be directed towards air power and other security steps instead than to beef uping edifices against aircraft impact. Fire in edifices is a believable jeopardy which has been addressed in most edifice design. Harmonizing to the SMExperts, if edifices are improbable to see any menace posed by jet fuel, edifices need non be designed to defy hydrocarbon fires. How to plan safer tall edifices A ranking of the feasibleness of the proposed methods, based on the per centum of respondents who agreed with the method, is shown in Table I ( column 7 ) . For the intent of this survey, a proposed method is considered executable to do tall edifices safer when more than 50 per centum of the respondents agreed with it. Twelve methods are found to be executable and are discussed in the undermentioned subdivisions. Structural design Four possible methods to better the safety of tall edifices through structural design were proposed. One of these was found to be acceptable by more than 50 per centum of the respondents ( see Table I ) . The bulk of the respondents agreed with hardening of stairwells ( point 1.3 ) against blast impact. Strong stairwells are of import because flight stairwaies are the chief agencies by which edifice residents evacuate from edifices in an exigency. Existing codifications normally permit the usage of dryboards and masonry for stairwell enclosures, and these are susceptible and more prone to damage. This will do flight stairwaies to be blocked by fallen stuffs from stairwell walls. Reinforced concrete walls will hold higher opportunities of lasting a blast onslaught. It is recommended that codifications be changed to indurate stairwells. The bulk of the respondents did non hold with supplying prostration floors ( point 1.1 ) , which would be provided between, say every 10 floors, to transport the weight of the dust of the floors that prostration above it, and act as a arrest to progressive prostration ( Lane and Clark, 2001 ) . Some respondents felt that prostration floors impose significant structural demands ; for illustration, closely separated columns of larger sizes may be necessary. The bulk of the respondents did non hold with the proviso of a sacrificial facade ( item 1.2 ) . In this system, there is an exterior wall, a perpendicular air pocket behind it and another structural wall indoors. The exterior wall is designed to absorb blast impact and contain harm, and act as a first line of defense mechanism for the edifice ‘s structural unity ( Nadel, 2002 ) . Some respondents felt that this system may give architectural the look of edifices and blockade the positions of the residents. Furthermore, the facade may necessitate to be spaced far apart from the internal wall for effectivity, and this would take up valuable infinite. Respondents besides did non hold that heavy tonss should non be allowed on roofs ( point 1.4 ) . In the WTC towers, heavy tonss were placed on the roofs to stabilise the edifices ‘ wind-induced sway, but these could be a conducive factor to the prostration ( Building, 2001b ) . Some respondents felt that it is the norm to use rooftop infinite to house works and equipment such as lift motor suites and H2O armored combat vehicles, and interior decorators may confront the job of re-siting edifice services if rooftop infinite is non utilised. Furthermore, for practical grounds, some M & A ; E systems rely on gravitative force per unit area to work. Fire technology Four possible methods to better the safety of tall edifices through fire technology were proposed. Three of these were found to be acceptable by more than 50 per centum of the respondents ( see Table I ) . Astaneh-Asl ‘s ( 2002 ) probe of the WTC prostration revealed that the firefighting systems were centralized at the stairway nucleus. This bunching together of the services meant that when that location was hit, the whole firefighting system may hold failed. He hence recommended that sprinkler pipes, moisture and dry risers should be decentralized, and placed at different locations of the edifice. Respondents agreed with the method ( item 2.3 ) , but some cautioned that this would take to increase in cost. A sum of 61 per centum of the respondents agreed that supplying burden detectors ( point 2.4 ) is executable, and may increase the safety of tall edifices. Load detectors can be used to understand and supervise edifice behaviour. Prompt action could be taken and exigency forces alerted one time information is fed to the monitoring system. Furthermore, burden detectors, if decently developed, are utile tools in supplying warning signals to determine whether edifices are safe for entry during an exigency event. This would supply better protection to firemans and exigency forces, as they are able to measure the hazard of partial or entire prostration of a edifice under menace. A sum of 53 per centum of the respondents agreed that supplying a separate firemans ‘ stairway is executable ( item 2.1 ) . In the WTC incident, firemans running up the stairwells rushed headfirst into office workers who were hotfooting down on the same steps ( Post et al. , 2001 ) . Respondents who objected to a separate firemans ‘ stairway argued that the current fire codification already has a dedicated lift for usage by firemans. The infinite required for a firemans ‘ stairway might be indefensible as this reduces salable infinite and may imply excess building and care costs. One respondent questioned how edifice residents could be prevented from utilizing this stairway during an exigency. Respondents did non hold to planing redundancy in fire systems ( item 2.2 ) . This may be because excess standpipes for firefighting, separate fire pump suites, excess sprinkler systems, excess fire dismay systems, and double fire bid Centres will necessarily take to be addition. Some respondents weighed the pertinence of this method against cost effectivity, long-run care, cost and clip of installing and other options. Meanss of flight Nine possible methods to better the safety of tall edifices through agencies of flight were proposed. Six of these were accepted by more than 50 per centum of the respondents ( see Table I ) . A sum of 63 per centum of the respondents agreed that wider stairwaies might be necessary for tall edifices ( item 3.3 ) because these could suit more people to rush up emptying. Unfortunately, wider stairwaies would increase cost and cut down gross due to reduced salable floor infinite. There is besides debate sing cut downing the standard breadths of stairwaies because there is rarely a demand to evacuate the whole edifice at one clip, as normally merely occupants on stray floors in the affected country demand to be evacuated ( Post and Angelo, 2001 ) . Supplying issue marks with illuming at floor degree ( item 3.4 ) received the most support from the respondents. Well-marked and lit marks are cardinal constructing design characteristics that facilitated the emptying of many edifice residents at the WTC Towers ( Federal Emergency Management Agency/American Society of Civil Engineers, 2002 ) . Such a safety characteristic would hold the extra advantage of assisting residents in following flight paths if they have to creep on the floor. However, certain issues need to be addressed, such as the care of issue marks near floor degree, which are capable to more wear and tear and hooliganism. The construct of fire safety and deliverance floors is appealing to the respondents ( point 3.5 ) . Fireproof refuge countries can harbor people in the center of an emptying and service as deliverance points ( Post, 2001a ) . These countries should non incorporate furniture, and are designed to be wholly fireproof. Some respondents commented that proprietors may non hold to supply these countries as they can non bring forth gross but alternatively incur care costs. A sum of 58 per centum of the respondents agreed to the proviso of extra stairwaies in tall edifices ( item 3.6 ) . Similarly, some respondents are concerned about infinite and cost. Some suggested that the figure of stairwaies be increased merely at lower floors to provide to the big Numberss of falling residents from upper floors. This could forestall congestion and easiness emptying, peculiarly in exigency instances affecting mass emptying of residents. This suggestion is a good via media between cost and safety. Fifty-six per centum of the respondents perceived sky Bridgess to be executable in edifices ( item 3.8 ) . Besides being an alternate flight path, sky Bridgess could function as normal entree between edifices. Twenty-six per centum of the respondents did non favor sky Bridgess in position of the possibility that the construction of the sky Bridgess might be affected when a edifice was under menace. Besides, sky Bridgess could be a agency to let the spread of fire to the other edifice. A sky span that is overloaded with escapees may fall in, doing more human deaths. Some respondents, peculiarly designers, were concerned about the aesthetics of edifices. Seventy per centum of the respondents agreed that rooftop helipads could increase the safety of tall edifices ( item 3.9 ) because residents trapped in the upper floors of tall edifices can be rescued. However, there is a bound to the figure of residents that can be rescued utilizing choppers. This construct may besides be impractical because the human inclination is to fall instead than go up to upper floors during exigency events. Furthermore, deliverance by choppers requires particular deliverance squads and accomplishments, which might non be readily available. The bulk of the respondents did non hold that fireproof lifts ( point 3.1 ) would heighten the safety of tall edifices. The chief concerns are the supply of electricity to power lifts, the demand to protect against power failure during fire, and agencies of flight if lifts fail. Some respondents pointed out that big crowds waiting at lift anterooms may do pandemonium during emptying. However, some respondents suggested that lifts are utile to evacuate the disableds, the aged and kids. Mr Jeremy Hodge, of Building Research Establishment Ltd, believed that another reply to get awaying to safety is the installing of flight chutes, which would non take up much room but would enable people to skid to the bottom really rapidly ( Lane, 2001a ) . In this survey, half the respondents felt that flight chutes were executable ( item 3.2 ) . Respondents suggested that the stuff used for the flight chutes must be fire-retardant and lasting, particularly if the system is deployed out in the unfastened. Escape chutes functioning single floors might be more efficient, and the issue points of the chutes must be decently controlled. Of the respondents that did non hold to this method, some felt that this flight means is non suited for the aged and kids. Skiding down from great highs entails high kinetic energy, and people may be injured when residents collide into one another during the sliding procedure. The bulk of the respondents besides did non hold with inward emptying ( item 3.7 ) . The chief ground for the expostulation is that residents might be trapped in the edifice. Furthermore, the human inclination would be to fly an onslaught site and people would be unwilling to wait inside a damaged edifice to be saved ( Post, 2001a ) . This expostulation by Singapore respondents is surprising because Singapore already has in topographic point an inward emptying system, in the signifier of bomb shelters being built in each high-rise flat. Behaviour of stuffs under utmost temperature Three possible methods to better the safety of tall edifices through improved stuffs engineering were proposed. None of them were considered executable by the bulk of the respondents ( see Table I ) . Blast-resistant glazing may cut down casualties originating from winging glass in the event of a blast ( Madine et al. , 2001 ) but less than 50 per centum of the respondents agreed with utilizing it to better the safety of tall edifices ( item 4.1 ) . Some respondents questioned the extent of protection, particularly in the event of an aircraft or bomb onslaught. One school of idea is to beef up window systems by cramping their corners, so that glass is more hard to interrupt ( Madine et al. , 2001 ) . However, the respondents in the present survey did non hold with this ( item 4.2 ) . One respondent warned of the possibility of over design with immense connexion inside informations, when the beef uping consequence may be limited. Madine et Al. ( 2001 ) suggested adhering the glass into window frames for greater strength as the blast burden could be transferred to the construction of the edifice. Again, respondents were non agreeable to this ( item 4.3 ) . Some respondents considered blast-resistant glazing more effectual than adhering the glazing into window frames to control blast impact, as the strength of glass panel itself is more important. There might be troubles in building and assembly of such Windowss, in position of factors such as thermic consequence and enlargement articulations. Codes and ordinances Three possible methods to better the safety of tall edifices through amendments of codifications and ordinances were proposed. Two of these were accepted by more than 50 per centum of the respondents ( see Table I ) . Respondents did non hold to the infliction of a height bound on edifices ( item 5.2 ) . This is consistent with old surveies ( Angelo, 2001 ; Forgey, 2001 ; Galloway, 2001 ) . In land-scarce metropoliss, holding rigorous height bounds does non let the optimum usage of land. A height bound imposed on a edifice may forestall developers from maximising returns on investing. The bulk of the respondents agreed that codifications may necessitate to be revised to supply for longer flight clip ( item 5.1 ) . Some respondents said that when stipulating the flight clip several factors have to be considered, such as flight waies and obstructors, occupant features ( aged, kid, handicapped, etc. ) and the location of the last individual to get away from the edifice, whether this individual is on the highest floor or at the remotest location in the edifice. It was suggested that the flight clip, if implemented, should bind in with the fire structural demands of edifices. Seventy-nine per centum of the respondents agreed that a really tall edifice should hold a separate design codification ( item 5.3 ) . The chief ground is its possible as a mark for terrorists and a long emptying clip ( Post et al. , 2001 ) . Having a separate design codification may be a good via media between safety and cost, since the codification allows a high appraisal attack to constructing design. The SMExpert from the FSSB said that his organisation has programs to revise the Fire Code every five old ages. Code demands will be refined and amended to take likely terrorist menaces into consideration. Any lacks in edifice demands that may allow terrorist Acts of the Apostless will be identified, and betterments made. The FSSB will besides implement a codification of behavior for firemans in measuring the fortunes for them to come in a edifice under menace. In the USA, security-related codifications and criterions are besides being reviewed ( Ichniowski, 2001 ; Lane, 2001b ; Maas, 2001 ; Pearson, 2001b ) . Decision In the wake of 9/11, the issue of safety in tall edifices was brought into greater focal point. In measuring the safety of tall edifices originating from the 9/11 incident, this survey sought the positions of AEs and edifice governments in the building industry in Singapore. While the respondents in this survey in general perceived tall edifices in Singapore to be safe, there may be sample prejudice because the respondents were involved in the design of edifices and many are public functionaries. Notwithstanding this, with rigorous authorities ordinances, all edifice designs reference functionality, lastingness and fit-for-purpose affairs. The governments interviewed attributed the good safety records of edifices to strict conformity with edifice codifications and an efficient firefighting squad. Notwithstanding this, AEs felt that it is of import to farther better edifice safety ( V7 ) . This survey besides found that edifices in Singapore can defy normal edifice accidents, but are likely to fall in upon aircraft onslaught. This paper found that AEs ( see Table III ) : have the necessary expertness to better edifice safety ( V9 ) ; are doing an attempt to turn to heightened safety concerns ( V10 ) ; will give full support to enterprises to turn to heightened safety concerns ( V11 ) ; agree to carry on hazard appraisal during the design stage ( V13 ) ; and will welcome a performance-based design codification ( V14 ) . These findings indicate that the attack to constructing design may hold to alter after 9/11. While bing designs are equal, respondents besides felt that extra safety steps are necessary ( V12 ) . However, there is no demand to overreact to the point of guaranting that all edifices can defy hydrocarbon fires ( V15 ) and aircraft onslaughts ( V16 ) . The paper contributes to knowledge by bring outing that the four most effectual methods to better the safety of tall edifices are supplying: issue marks with illuming at floor degrees ; a separate design codification for super tall edifices ; fire safety and deliverance floors ; and decentalisation of fire systems. Eight other steps were besides found to be executable ( see Table I ) . A height bound on edifices and limitation of burdens on roof are the most unwanted steps. Future surveies on bettering the design of tall edifices may do usage of these findings. It is recommended that farther surveies into the strength decrease of stuffs subjected to intense fires should be carried out. This is because constructions may be able to defy the impact of aircraft onslaught, but may finally neglect after a decrease in their stuff belongingss with lifting temperature. While many of the methods proposed may be able to better the safety of edifices, increased cost is a critical concern ( Leftly and Lane, 2001 ) . Before the alterations materialize in the codifications, it is necessary to find whether the building industry is able to absorb the new steps and whether AEC professionals and clients are convinced of the demand to beef up edifices further. Safety steps proposed must be practical without doing edifice proprietors bear unneeded costs. Besides seeking to do edifices stronger by supplying redundancy or more back-up beds, it is recommended that the relevant parties explore and detect new agencies to contend fire. Finally, it is of import to look at edifice safety as a whole system alternatively of supplying bit-by-bit back-up beds or increasing the border of safety. Ultimately, each edifice may hold a alone solution depending on factors such as cost, infinite, proficient, economical and political issues. A balance between realistic costs and highly improbable events should be maintained. Table IPossible methods to better the safety of tall edifices Table IIProfile of respondents Table IIIResults of study and statistical trials