Analysis of Eco-Friendly Bricks

Analysis of Eco-Friendly Bricks SMART MATERIAL IN CONSTRUCTION: DEFINITION : Smart materials are reactive materials. Their properties can be changed by exposure to stimuli, such as electric and magnetic fields, stress, moisture and temperature.(BBC UK) The smart material can of Wood Metal Ceramics Polymers Metals etc In construction these sort of materials are used to achieve the desired strength, they should be economical and prove beneficial to the environment and to the stakeholders. A large number of innovations are seen in this modern world e.g. self healing concrete ,green cement ,carbon neutral cements etc. The materials , which have been recently invented by two MIT students and Professor Carmen Trudall are eco blac brick and Breathe bricks respectively. The detailed analysis of such an inventions are discussed below ECO FRIENDLY BRICKs: INTRODUCTION : Brick is mostly considered as a major component of a building. It is found generally in a rectangular shape with different dimensions. They are famous for their strength at low cost. These bricks when introduced to high temperature during their manufacturing. These kilns are mainly operated by coal and diesel resulting in harmful waste affecting both the environment and the people working in these kilns. NEED OF ECO FRIENDLY BRICKS: Currently the modern world is facing some serious environmental issues , which is resulting in global warming . the fuel used for these kilns are the major contributors to the pollution and the environment is exposed directly to them. In todays day ,the think tanks of the industry and the environmental agencies are trying to make building more greener and at least carbon neutral. Moreover, recently a Chinese artist made a brick from the pollutants entrapped in the air. This shocked the whole country and then the authorities came into action and started to take the environmental issues seriously. For the purposes mentioned above ,it is important to use these sort of bricks to make the environment more greener. ECO BLAC BRICK: The idea of these bricks was first introduced by the students of MIT with the aim that how to manufacture bricks without using kilns. Fig :showing a typical blac brick These bricks are mainly made from boiler ash. Boiler ash is an ash produced by the burning of various materials, mainly paper ,wood etc in the factories or anywhere else. Boiler ash is mainly dumped in the land ,resulting in clogging . The boiler ash is combined with the alkali activation technology .This technology utilizes the boiler ash as an alumino-silicate,fusing it with an alkaline activator solution. When they are combined, the ash dissolves, followed by the construction of a geo-polymer gel, a solid 3D network that gives the bricks strength and durability. This solution reuses industrial waste (70% in the current model) rather than topsoil, and is low-cost and low energy. By using a chemical reaction rather than firing, the bricks gain strength at ambient temperatures, not requiring the massive consumption of coal (roughly 24 million tons annually) in traditional clay-fired brick production. This process also produces no emissions, unlike the traditional kiln technology, which produces carbon dioxide (roughly 76 million tons CO2/ year), carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, black carbon, and particulate matter.(arch daily) These bricks when subjected to different test , had more durability, showed more water resistance and had more compressive strength then the normal clay brick. SALIENT FEATURES: Some features of these bricks are: better for human health than an ordinary brick. better for the environment . better in resource . Less CO2 emissions. Waste consumption. BREATHE BRICKS: Breathe bricks are invented by a Carmen Trudell, an assistant professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispos school of architecture . Fig :showing a breathe brick Fig showing Breathe brick section The Breathe Brick is designed on an idea to form a part of a buildings regular ventilation system, with a double-layered facade ,exterior of the building is made of these special bricks , accompanied by a standard internal layer providing insulation. At the mid , the breathe bricks function is cyclone filtration, an idea inspired from modern vacuum cleaners, which separates out the heavy pollutant particles from the air and drops them into a removable hopper at the base of the wall. Fig showing : structural gravity and lateral loading system of a breathe brick The system is composed of two key parts: concrete bricks, and a recycled plastic coupler, which both helps to align bricks and creates a route from the outside into the bricks hollow centre. The concrete bricks themselves feature a faceted surface which helps to direct airflow into the system, and a separate cavity for inserting steel structure. The Breathe Brick can perform multiple functions i.e. mechanical and passive ventilation systems, as the brick simply transports strained air into the walls general assembly, this air can then be sent to the buildings interior through mechanical equipment or through filter vents driven by passive systems such as stack ventilation In wind tunnel tests, the system was found more efficient filtering 30% of fine particles (such as airborne pollutants) and 100% of coarse particles such as dust. As the entire system is relatively inexpensive, the Trudell posits the Breathe Brick as a way to lower pollution levels in developing countries, where rapid expansion of industry and less stringent environmental regulations often cause problems. ADVANTAGES OF ECOFRIENDLY BRICKS: Cost efficient High strength Water resistant Eco friendly Carbon neutral Top soil preserved Low amount of mortar used Less labour affected No use of kilns No use of fuels Helping agriculture Conclusion: To conclude, the bricks made of clay has strength but are major contributors to the pollution as on other hand the eco bricks which are made from wastes is useful for the environment as well as the people. With equivalent stent as the ordinary bricks these brisk can take over the future and has the ability to replace these bricks in the near future. REFERENCING https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instantion=1espv=2ie=UTF-8

The Problems of Illegal Immigration :: Cons of Illegal Immigration, Immigrants

Abstract Engraved in the Statue of Liberty are these words: â€Å"Give me your tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore, send these, the homeless, tempest tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door†(Cooper). When the United States was created, it encouraged people of all backgrounds to immigrate. America is known as â€Å"a land of hope and opportunity†. Today, immigrating legally to the United States is a life experience that few are fortunate to experience. Many are forced to immigrate illegally. The United States has created many precautions to stop people from immigrating to the United States, but thousands of people still continue to move to the US illegally. As a result, millions of dollars are spent from tax payers’ money on illegal immigrants. While illegal immigration is beneficial to the United States, it comes with costs and therefore has become an issue that has grown out of control. The amount of illegal residents that now reside in the United States has grown rapidly over the last few years. Two million illegal immigrants have entered the United States since 2000 and there are a reported 10 million illegal immigrants living in the United States today. There are those who believe that illegals are a burden to the United States’ society. Many believe that illegal immigrants take necessary tax payers’ money. â€Å"Illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers about $113 billion a year at the federal, state and local level. The bulk of the costs — some $84 billion — are absorbed by state and local governments.†(Fiscal Burden). Legal US citizens are angered that people come to the United States and â€Å"leech off† of the economy without paying taxes. In opposition is the belief that illegal immigrants are not only beneficial to the United States, but necessary. â€Å"Contrary to most popular conceptions, most experts say illegals are probably not a net drain on the economy† (Nadadur). In fact, illegals do more good than otherwise known. As well, illegal immigrants continue to keep the economy running by working at a minimum wage and doing a majority of the work that otherwise would not want to be done. Immigrating illegally is a risk of a person’s life, but, at times, retreating to the United States is sometimes a last option In turn, if we did not have illegal immigrants working in the US, the United States might not be as accomplished as it is today.

Pregnancy with Gestational Diabetes Essay

Gestational diabetes is a condition characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels that is first recognized during pregnancy. The condition occurs in approximately 4% of all pregnancies. What Causes Gestational Diabetes in Pregnancy Almost all women have some degree of impaired glucose intolerance as a result of hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy. That means that their blood sugar may be higher than normal, but not high enough to have diabetes. During the later part of pregnancy (the third trimester), these hormonal changes place pregnant woman at risk for gestational diabetes. During pregnancy, increased levels of certain hormones made in the placenta (the organ that connects the baby by the umbilical cord to the uterus) help shift nutrients from the mother to the developing fetus. Other hormones are produced by the placenta to help prevent the mother from developing low blood sugar. They work by resisting the actions of insulin. Over the course of the pregnancy, these hormones lead to progressive impaired glucose intolerance (higher blood sugar levels). To try to decrease blood sugar levels, the body makes more insulin to get glucose into cells to be used for energy. Usually the mother’s pancreas is able to produce more insulin (about three times the normal amount) to overcome the effect of the pregnancy hormones on blood sugar levels. If, however, the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to overcome the effect of the increased hormones during pregnancy, blood sugar levels will rise, resulting in gestational diabetes. Complications of Gestational Diabetes Diabetes can affect the developing fetus throughout the pregnancy. In early pregnancy, a mother’s diabetes can result in birth defects and an increased rate of miscarriage. Many of the birth defects that occur affect major organs such as the brain and heart. During the second and third trimester, a mother’s diabetes can lead to over-nutrition and excess growth of the baby. Having a large baby increases risks during labor and delivery. For example, large babies often require caesarean deliveries and if he or she is delivered vaginally, they are at increased risk for trauma to their shoulder. In addition, when fetal over-nutrition occurs and hyperinsulinemia  results, the baby’s blood sugar can drop very low after birth, since it won’t be receiving the high blood sugar from the mother. However, with proper treatment, you can deliver a healthy baby despite having diabetes. Risks for Gestational Diabetes: The following factors increase the risk of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy Being overweight prior to becoming pregnant (if you are 20% or more over your ideal body weight) Being a member of a high risk ethnic group (Hispanic, Black, Native American, or Asian) Having sugar in your urine Impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose (blood sugar levels are high, but not high enough to be diabetes) Family history of diabetes (if your parents or siblings have diabetes Previously giving birth to a baby over 9 pounds Previously giving birth to a stillborn baby Having gestational diabetes with a previous pregnancy Having too much amniotic fluid (a condition called polyhydramnios) Many women who develop gestational diabetes have no known risk factors. Gestational Diabetes Diagnosed: High risk women should be screened for gestational diabetes as early as possible during their pregnancies. All other women will be screened between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy. To screen for gestational diabetes, you will take a test called the oral glucose tolerance test. This test involves quickly drinking a sweetened liquid, which contains 50g of sugar. The body absorbs this sugar rapidly, causing blood sugar levels to rise within 30-60 minutes. A blood sample will be taken from a vein in your arm 1 hour after drinking the solution. The blood test measures how the sugar solution was metabolized (processed by the body). A blood sugar level greater than or equal to 140mg/dL is recognized as abnormal. If your results are abnormal based on the oral glucose tolerance test, another test will be given after fasting for several hours. In women at high risk of developing gestational diabetes, a normal screening test result is followed up with another screening test at 24-28 weeks f or confirmation of the diagnosis. Gestational diabetes is managed by: Monitoring blood sugar levels four times per day before breakfast and 2 hours after meals. Monitoring blood sugar before all meals may also become necessary. Monitoring urine for ketones, an acid that indicates your diabetes is not under control. Following specific dietary guidelines as instructed by your doctor. You’ll be asked to distribute your calories evenly throughout the day. Exercising after obtaining your health care provider’s permission. Monitoring weight gain. Taking insulin, if necessary. Insulin is currently the only diabetes medication used during pregnancy. Controlling high blood pressure. Monitor Sugar Levels Testing your blood sugar at certain times of the day will help determine if your exercise and eating patterns are keeping your blood sugar levels in control, or if you need extra insulin to protect your developing baby. Your health care provider will ask you to maintain a daily food record and ask you to record your home sugar levels. Testing your blood sugar involves pricking your finger with a lancet device (a small, sharp needle), putting a drop of blood on a test strip, using a blood sugar meter to display your results, recording the results in a log book, and then disposing the lancet and strips properly (in a â€Å"sharps† container or a hard plastic container, such as a laundry detergent bottle). Bring your blood sugar readings with you to your medical appointments so your health care provider can evaluate how well your blood sugar levels are controlled and determine if changes need to be made to your treatment plan. Your health care provider will show you how to use a glucose meter. He or she can also tell you where to get a meter. You may be able to borrow it from your hospital, as many hospitals have loaner meter programs for women with gestational diabetes. The goal of monitoring is to keep your blood sugar as close to normal as possible. The ranges include Time of TestTarget Blood Sugar Reading Before breakfastplasma below 105; whole blood below 95 2 Hours After Mealsplasma below 130; whole blood below 120 Insulin treatment is started if above levels are not maintained. Insulin for  Gestational Diabetes Based on your blood sugar monitoring results, your health care provider will tell you if you need to take insulin in the form of injections during pregnancy. Insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar. If insulin is prescribed for you, you may be taught how to perform the insulin injection procedure. As your pregnancy progresses, the placenta will make more pregnancy hormones and larger doses of insulin may be needed to control your blood sugar. Your health care provider will adjust your insulin dosage based on your blood sugar log. When using insulin, a â€Å"low blood glucose reaction,† or hypoglycemia can occur if you do not eat enough food, skip a meal, do not eat at the right time of day, or if you exercise more than usual. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include Confusion, Dizziness, Feeling shaky, Headaches, Sudden hunger, Sweating, Weakness Hypoglycemia is a serious problem that needs to be treated right away. If you think you are having a low blood sugar reaction, check your blood sugar. If your blood sugar is less than 60 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter), eat a sugar-containing food, such as 1/2 cup of orange or apple juice; 1 cup of skim milk; 4-6 pieces of hard candy (not sugar-free); 1/2 cup regular soft drink; or 1 tablespoon of honey, brown sugar, or corn syrup. Fifteen minutes after eating one of the foods listed above, check your blood sugar. If it is still less than 60 mg/dL, eat another one of the food choices above. If it is more than 45 minutes until your next meal, eat a bread and protein source to prevent another reaction. Record all low blood sugar reactions in your log book, including the date, time of day the reaction occurred and how you treated it. Diet Change with Gestational Diabetes If you have gestational diabetes, follow these eating tips: Eat three small meals and two or three snacks at regular times every day. Do not skip meals or snacks. Carbohydrates should be 40%-45% of the total calories with breakfast and a bedtime snack containing 15-30 grams of carbohydrates. If you have morning sickness, eat 1-2 servings of crackers, cereal, or pretzels before getting out of bed. Eat small, frequent meals  throughout the day and avoid fatty, fried, and greasy foods. If you take insulin and have morning sickness, make sure you know how to treat low blood sugar. Choose foods high in fiber such as whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice, fruits, and vegetables. All pregnant women should eat 20-35 grams of fiber a day. Fats should be less than 40% of calories with less than 10% consumed being from saturated fats. Drink at least 8 cups (or 64 ounces) of liquids per day. Make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals in your daily diet. Ask your health care provider about taking a prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement to meet the nutritional needs of your pregnancy. Regular exercise during pregnancy can improve your posture and decrease some common discomforts such as backaches and fatigue. Being fit during pregnancy means safe, mild to moderate exercise at least three times a week. But, regardless of gestational diabetes, every pregnant woman should consult with her health care provider before beginning an exercise program. He or she can give you personal exercise guidelines, based on your medical history. Since both insulin and exercise lower blood sugar, you should follow these additional exercise guidelines to avoid a low blood glucose reaction: Always carry some form of sugar with you when exercising, such as glucose tablets or hard candy. Eat one serving of fruit or the equivalent of 15 grams of carbohydrate for most activities lasting 30 minutes. If you exercise right after a meal, eat this snack after exercise. If you exercise 2 hours or more after a meal, eat the snack before exercise. Pregnancy Weight Gain The recommended amount of weight gain during pregnancy depends on your pre-pregnancy weight, whether there is more than one fetus, and the trimester. Typically more weight gain is expected during the second and third trimester and recommended intakes of calories should increase at that time. Gaining the right amount of weight during pregnancy by eating a healthy, balanced diet is a good sign that your baby is getting all the nutrients he or she needs and is growing at a healthy rate. It is not necessary to â€Å"eat for two† during pregnancy. It’s true that you need extra calories from nutrient-rich foods to help your baby grow, but you generally  need to consume only 200 to 300 more calories per day than you did before you became pregnant to meet the needs of your growing baby. Ask your health care provider how much weight you should gain during pregnancy. A woman of average weight before pregnancy can expect to gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. You may need to gain more or less weight, depending on what your doctor recommends. In general, you should gain about 2-4 pounds during your first 3 months of pregnancy and 1 pound a week for the remainder of your pregnancy. Where the weight goes Baby8 pounds Placenta2-3 pounds Amniotic fluid2-3 pounds Breast tissue2-3 pounds Blood supply4 pounds Fat stores for delivery and breastfeeding5-9 pounds Uterus increase2-5 pounds Total25 to 35 pounds Baby After Delivery Your baby’s blood sugar level will be tested immediately after birth. If the blood sugar is low, he or she will be given sugar water to drink or by an intravenous tube in the vein. Your baby may be sent to a special care nursery for observation during the first few hours after birth to make sure he or she doesn’t have a low blood glucose reaction. If you had gestational diabetes, there is an increased risk that your newborn will develop jaundice. Jaundice is a yellow discoloration of the skin that occurs when bilirubin is present in the baby’s blood. Bilirubin is a pigment that causes jaundice and is released when extra red blood cells build up in the blood and can’t be processed fast enough. Jaundice goes away rapidly with treatment that often involves exposing your baby to special lights to get rid of the pigment. Gestational diabetes does increase the risk that your child will have diabetes in the future. Usually with gestational diabetes, blood sugar levels return to normal about 6 weeks after childbirth because the placenta, which was producing the extra hormones that caused insulin  resistance, is gone. Your doctor will check your blood sugar levels after your baby is born to make sure your blood sugar level has returned to normal. Some doctors recommend an oral glucose tolerance test 6-8 weeks after delivery to check for diabetes. You should also be screened for diabetes in the future. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 60% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later-in-life. By maintaining an ideal body weight, following a healthy diet, and exercising, you will be able to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In addition, women who have gestational diabetes during one pregnancy have a 40%-50% chance of developing diabetes in the next pregnancy. If you had gestational diabetes during one pregnancy and are planning to get pregnant again, talk to your health care provider first so you can make the necessary lifestyle changes before your next pregnancy. Get tips on eating right with Diabetes by consulting with a dietician or your primary care physician. Sources American Diabetes Association: â€Å"Gestational Diabetes.† Diabetes Care 2008 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: â€Å"Gestational Diabetes: A Guide for Pregnant Women.† August 2009 American College of Nurse Midwives: â€Å"Gestational Diabetes.† JMWH org. 135 2006

Airborne Express case study Essay

Airborne Express, an air express transportation company has succeeded to compete with a few big competitors such as Federal Express and United Parcel Service (UPS) even it does not have funding as much as its competitors. In 1996, it held third position in the industry with 9 percent of the market. Even Airborne is smaller size company compared to its main competitors, it still can survive with the competitive advantage through its resources and capabilities. With some unique resources and core competences, a company may have competitive advantage over its competitors, and this is the way small capital company able to compete with its competitors. Airborne Express is the first and only air express transportation company that owns an airport. Because of the limited control, Airborne has purchased an airline at Wilmington in 1980. Since then, the airport became the hub of the company, and all the operations of the company were conducted here. It is also the biggest privately owned airport in United States. With the ownership of the airport, Airborne is able to control the operations more easily. Besides that, Airborne does not need to pay for any landing or service fees to the airlines company like its competitors. Comparably, Federal Express and UPS own the planes but still need to lease the airport from other party. It helps Airborne to save a lot of costs. Apart from that, Wilmington airport is one of the strategic airports in United States. It means that the place is having a well weather record. For express air transportation industry, weather is a big factor that can affect the daily business operation. If the weather is bad, the shipments will not be sent to the final destination at the promised time. Time is the promise to the customers and it does affect the confidence of a company’s customers. Besides airlines, Airborne also has a complete system of ground transportation. With the establishment of trucking hubs in some places, Airborne able to deliver the shipment that near to the hub using the ground transport. Almost 25 percent of the company’s domestic volume is dealt with ground transport. However, the cost of service by ground transport is not transparent to the customers who assume that the packages are flown. Thus, the charge is same with the air-transported goods. Compare to air transport, ground transportation costs five times lower. From here, the profit margin  has been increased. In the other way, the company also can offer lower price for ground transportation packages. Instead of making more profit, the company can utilize the low cost benefit to compete with its competitors. In 1996, Airborne Express owned a fleet of 105 aircraft. To keep the capital expenditure down, Airborne has purchased only used planes. The planes will be modified to suit its specification for air express transportation. The cost of purchase and modification is $30million lower than purchasing a new plane. Compare to other companies, a big amount of money is being saved by Airborne. Further more, Airborne’s DC-9 and YS-11 aircraft require only two person cockpit crew compared to normal three person crews required in Federal Express and UPS. Labour cost has been saved again. Airborne also have its own maintenance facility in Wilmington. It is the only all-cargo carrier to do so. It can handle most if the maintenance works except major engine repairs. It was estimate that the labour costs of $16 per hour is $49 lesser than the subcontracted labour cost. It was a major source of annual cost savings. Instead of serving all kinds of customers, Airborne decided to focus on serving the needs of high volume corporate accounts. It is because the severe competition and the cost of serving small customers. The company is able to establish scheduled pickup routes and use it as ground capacity more efficiently. Due to this factor, the unit cost structure has been reduced. According to the Airborne executives, their unit cost is $3 lower than its main competitor, Federal Express. Besides that, because of the different consumer behaviors between different groups, the focusing of the service is one of the ways to win a part of market in severe competition. By matching the needs of the groups, the company will have a better chance to win the customers than its competitors. Another aspects that Airborne get competitive advantage is the creation of the only privately certified Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) in United States at its Wilmington hub. In a FTZ, merchandise is tax-free and no customs duty is paid until it leaves. It is a big attraction to the foreign companies. The companies can keep their inventories in Wilmington hub, and the inventories  will be delivered to the destination by Airborne when needed. The local companies that implement Just-In-Time policy will prefer the service very much. It is because the inventories cost will bear by the suppliers that keep inventories in Airborne hub. For foreign companies, not only can satisfy the needs of local customers, but also can save the cost of tax and duty paid. The FTZ is a good factor that will help Airborne to set foot into the international market. However, because of the capital constraint, Airborne still unable to compete with Federal Express and UPS in the international market. Normally, large sizes A-containers are used in the air cargo business. Around $1million per plane is required to install cargo doors to take A-containers. To solve the problem, Airborne has developed C-containers that are six times smaller, and can fit through the passenger doors of the aircraft. The equipment to load the C-containers also about 80 percent less expensive than the equipment needed for A-containers. The shape of C-containers also designed to allow maximum utilisation of the plane space. To prevent other competitors copy the design, Airborne has taken out the patent on the C-containers. Therefore, C-containers seem to be the speciality of Airborne Express. It helps the company to save a lot of costs. It is a long term cost savings because it involves in daily operation. Therefore, it also a long term competitive advantage over the other competitors. Apart from that, through its subsidiary company, Advanced Logistics Services Corp., Airborne is promoting a range of third-party logistics service. It provides customers with the ability to maintain inventories in a 1 million square foot â€Å"stock exchange† facility located in Wilmington hub. The customers can choose to manage the inventories themselves or subcontract to Airborne. In â€Å"stock exchange† service, third party will involve in the instruction for movement of the inventories. It easier the process of the movement of inventories, and also help the customers to minimise inventory holding costs. Airborne is the first and only air express transportation company that provide this unique service. It actually involves a complex system. Therefore, knowledge or human resource is very important in order to develop the system. Since it is the only company, customers who interested  with the â€Å"stock exchange† service will come to Airborne. The unique competence gives Airborne a competitive advantage. Science and technology is developing rapidly in the world. Information system becomes more and more important in the business world. The more developed system a company has, the more competitive advantage it gets. Airborne uses three information systems to help in its daily operation. LIBRA II system is a metering device and computer software that easier the transaction between Airborne and customers. It also lowers Airborne’s operating costs. FOCUS is the main system provided by Airborne and it benefits customers the most. It is a worldwide tracking system that help the customers to track the location their package through Internet link. It increases the company’s reliability and service quality. With the trust on the company, customers will be more confident to give the job. The third system is the Customer Linkage electronic data interchange program. It eliminates repetitive data entry and paperwork by the customers. It also a system that created purposely to benefit its customers. The company also benefits from lowering the costs by eliminating manual data entry. From all the resources and capabilities mentioned above, we could realise that most of the competitive advantages Airborne has over its competitors is through costs reduction. According to Porter’s Generic Strategies Model, Airborne is actually implemented a cost-focus strategy to get the competitive advantage. Because of the lesser capital, Airborne is unable to compete with the giant of the industry, such as Federal Express and UPS. If Airborne can be the cost leader in the industry, it can give a severe competition to the competitors. Besides that, the unique resources such as C-containers and Foreign Trade Zone are also giving core competences to the company. In conclusion, facing the competition from competitors that have powerful funding, Airborne not only can survive, but also get a strong position in the air express transportation industry. A correct and suitable strategy adopted by a company can change the company position. A company, which can fully and smartly utilise its resources and capabilities, it can have  competitive advantage over the other competitors and it really benefits the company a lot.

The Crucible society Essays

The Crucible society Essays The Crucible society Essay The Crucible society Essay Mrs Putnam was jealous of Rebecca Nurse. This was because Rebecca had a large healthy family with all living children whereas all but one of Mrs Putnams children had died. Mrs. Putnam had seven babies that each died within a day of its birth. You think it Gods work you should never lose a child, nor grandchild either, and I bury all but one? said Mrs Putnam who channelled her anger into blaming Rebecca for their deaths as she was convinced that Rebecca used witchcraft to murder them. This eventually lead to Rebeccas death because as Rebecca was Mrs Putnams midwife and seven of Mrs Putnams babies died, Rebecca was wrongly charged with being a witch and that accusation was believed. Abigail wanted Elizabeth Proctor dead. This was because following her and Proctors affair, all she wanted was to be with John Proctor. She hoped that if his wife was out of the way she could have John. Betty accused Abigail saying: You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctors wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor! Abigails vanity also led her to believe that John Proctor would want her to be his wife rather than Elizabeth. This makes her think that if Elizabeth was out of the way she could have Proctor. She thinks to dance with me on my wifes grave. Also Abigail was found with a needle stuck in her stomach. She accused Elizabeth of using a poppet as a sort of voodoo doll to stick the needle in her. Cheever told Proctor, when Elizabeth showed him the poppet that Mary had made for her earlier that day stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. And demandin of her how she come to be so stabbed, she testify it were your wifes familiar spirit pushed it in. Cheever wouldnt have thought that Abigail would stab herself and that made him believe Abigails untrue story that Elizabeths spirit pushed the needle in and therefore was a witch. Dancing was entirely forbidden and was linked with the Devil. When the girls were caught casting spells whilst dancing they blamed others so they wouldnt be punished. In one scene, all the girls screamed that they had seen other women from the village with the Devil as a diversion that sought to draw the attention away from the girls themselves, I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget with the Devil! People were more that willing to accept witchcraft so were easily able to believe stories told to them. Parris was willing to accept that his daughter Bettys illness was unnatural rather that risk his reputation. The unknown illness was considered linked to the Devil as there was no cure and it followed the night of dancing and casting spells. Pride in his scholarship and his belief in witchcraft makes Hale willing to accept the girls accusations (of innocent women) as genuine. Even though he quite likes the Proctors, the girls have accused Elizabeth of witchcraft, which makes him question the Proctors faith, I thought, sir, to put some questions as to the Christian character of this house, if youll permit me. But in the end Hale does come to question the girls accusations following his interrogations of Abigail and later he returns to the town to try and stop the trials because he becomes deeply troubled, claiming that if Rebecca Nurse is tainted, there is nothing to stop the whole world from burning. The two judges Danforth and Hathorne had so much pride that they couldnt accept that the girls had manipulated them with false accusations. They were too interested in being strict in court and asking question after question until the accused person broke down and confessed to save their own life (or deny and be killed). Even after Abigail had vanished, Danforth and Hathorne found it very difficult to believe that the girls had been lying and they still hung John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse. Danforth cried Hang them high over the town! Instead of believing what Proctor says about the girls being fakes, the judges condemn him to death. However, the judges did begin to doubt the truthfulness of the girls stories when Abigail takes all of Parris money and runs away with Mercy but their doubt came too late to save the life of Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor. Proctors pride also leads to his death as he would not falsely confess to witchcraft to save his own life. Once the girls denounced the women it was very difficult to retract their accusations. This was because so many villagers believed the accusations and the girls were frightened of what the court might do when they were discovered to be liars. When one of the girls, Mary, confessed none of the other girls support her and it back fired because the other girls accused her of witchcraft. In the end the easiest way out for Mary was to withdraw her confession. (Pointing at Proctor): Youre the Devils man! The girls accusations were believed because circumstances in Salem allowed people to have revenge upon others to hide their own wrongdoings, for example, when Abigail shouted I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! This took the focus away from her. Conclusion All these factors in Salem society allowed the girls stories to be believed and taken so seriously that innocent lives were taken. After John Proctor had been imprisoned, Abigail found that it was all too much. She couldnt retract her accusations and she could continue with them so she fled. Parris said My niece, sir, my niece- I believe she has vanished. Once the girls had accused other women in the village of witchcraft and the executions had begun, it was very difficult for those involved to admit that dreadful mistakes had been made. But there are three main reasons why the girls stories were readily believed. One is the fact that there wasnt a really strong leader in the town although Parris was supposed to be a leader. Two, Salems court system seems faulty especially as there was no hearing for the victim, even if they were really innocent they had two choices of either confessing or being put into jail or denial which got them executed. Once they were accused they couldnt win. Land and cattle also became available when people were hung after being accused of witchcraft too. Three, people were not allowed to have beliefs and views that were different. When the girls lied about dancing in the woods, they did it to protect themselves and their families. The girls said that they saw members of the town standing with the devil as they believed they could put the blame on to others and not be held responsible for their own sins. Although Abigail and the other girls started the accusations, the responsibility for the deaths of many innocent people lies with the whole community which broke down.

Change Management in Delta Airlines Research Paper

Change Management in Delta Airlines - Research Paper Example The next portion of the project would be dealing with the diagnosis of the business conditions of Delta Airlines. This part would be discussing the mission and vision statement of the company followed by its objectives and business strategies. The third part of the project would reflect change management within the organization by an implementation of Kotter’s eight-step approach. The Eight Step Model of Kotter is one of the most popular models for scheduling, implementing and finally sustaining a change process. Company Overview As already discussed above, Delta Airlines is a popular American Airline whose headquarter is located in Atlanta, United States (Federal Aviation Administration, 2013). This airline generally operates both international and domestic networks having its service routes in all the continents excepting Antarctica. The company along with its subsidiaries operates more than 5000 flights regularly. The company employs 80000 employees approximately (Delta Air lines, n.d.). The hub is located at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which is one of the busiest airports in the world, in terms of passenger traffic as well as the total number of takeoffs and landings. It is the sixth oldest international airline because of its foundation date. Moreover, it is one of the oldest airways in United States as well. The company is one among the 4 founding members of Sky Team Airline Alliance, the other 3 being Air France, Aeromexico and Korean Air. The company has been declared as the largest airline in the world in 2011and 2012 in terms of the total fleet size and the scheduled passenger traffic (Rediff, 2013). It has also been rewarded for becoming the second largest airline in respect of the total revenue-passenger kilometers carried in the year 2012. The Delta Connection provides regional service to the company. Diagnosis The foundation of the company is based on the reliable and safe air transportation, providing differentiated cu stomer service to the travelers or passengers. Delta Airlines leads in the airline industry for providing the best airline transportation. The company entered into the industry in the year 2013 by further strengthening its business strategies. It is continuing to improve the performance by executing strategic initiatives. While many of the competitors of the company were focusing on the restructuring efforts or the significant integration, Delta Airline undertook the strategy of advancing its market position across the globe. The innovative business strategies of Delta Airlines (including the re-branding technique) have helped the company in strengthening its position in the world. The acquisition of Northwest Airlines proved to be one of the successful business strategies for the company. This strategy helped the company in reshaping the business goals. In past few years, the company has taken various steps in improving its balance sheet, expanding its operations by getting into gl obal partnership, investment in airlines, such as Virgin Atlantic and finally purchasing oil refinery. It increased its flexibility in these two years in order to reduce its flaws and strengthen the market reputation. However, the launch of the company’s song as a low cost airline followed by its ‘codeshare agreement’ with the Northwest Airlines and the Continental Airlines initiated the declining phase of Delta Airways.  Ã‚  

Financial Accounting and Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Accounting and Report - Essay Example different users of financial statements and their needs, the legal and regulatory influences on financial statements, the implication of the regulations for the users, the role of the accounting and reporting standards and how the information needs of different user groups vary. The first category of people who use financial information is investors. Investors who provide capital to a company are concerned about the levels of risk, and return from their investments. They need financial information to help them decide whether they should buy or sell shares of a particular company. They are also interested in information that enables them to assess the ability of a company to pay cash dividend. The second category of people is employees. Employees need to know whether their employer is financially stable. They use this data to evaluate the employer’s ability to implement a fair remuneration package, provide retirement benefits and be able to offer employment chances (Lasher 2008, pp. 64). Lenders use financial information to access the ability of a company to promptly pay both the principal and interest on loans. Suppliers and other trade creditors are interested in financial information to enable them to determine whether the amount owed to them will be paid without default. Customers are interested in financial information to determine the life span of an enterprise, especially when they have a long-term association with an enterprise such as the presenting solutions to both short and long-term problems. Government and their agencies use the financial information to regulate the activities of an enterprise and to determine tax policies. They also use the information to compute national income. Lastly, the public use financial information to determine the trends and recent development activities of an enterprise to help them assess the possibility of a major economic contribution by an organization (Saudagaran 2009, pp. 51-56). To determine the regulatory