Truth or Fiction 11 Biggest Fears About College

Truth or Fiction 11 Biggest Fears About College There’s really no fiction involved when it comes to the legitimate fears that current and aspiring students experience about college. In this article we’re going to get to the truth behind the 11 most common college fears so that you can rest easy and make an informed decision. Sound like a plan? We thought so. Let’s do this. 1. â€Å"I Don’t Know What I Want to Be!† This is by far the most common. Students have no clue what they’ll be doing four, five or six years down the road. They have no clue where the economy will be. The speed of technological innovation is compounding uncertainty like nothing else. What major should they choose? Is it good enough? How will it impact their career? Wait†¦career?! Relax. You don’t have to make a decision from the get-go and many of those who do end up changing their minds anyway. A very tiny percentage of people know what they’re destined to be. That’s a fact. For the first year just get the basic core classes out of the way and while you’re at it do some dabbling (if you can afford it or don’t mind extra debt). Or, you could just hold back from going to college for a little while until you have a better idea. 2. â€Å"I Won’t Know Like Anybody† Social anxiety and fear of not being accepted is common. It follows us everywhere in life beginning in grade school all the way through adulthood. When you step back and look at another way, it looks like this, â€Å"I Won’t Know Freaking Anybody!† That’s right, it’s a chance for a fresh start which is always cool. You’re going to be in college so meeting people is going to happen whether you want it to or not. It’s par for the course so to speak. You’ll meet people. You’ll make friends. You’ll get into relationships. You know†¦life. 3. â€Å"OMG, This is Expensive!† True. Whether you’re paying it with cash upfront (who does that?) or by using a mixture of loans, grants and scholarships. The cost of higher education is inflated by leaps and bounds, over 130% in the last 30 years alone. If you’re worried by how expensive it is, GOOD! Then this should help you fail less classes, take the ones you need as a junior and senior, and make smarter decisions. 4. â€Å"Am I really Ready for This?† The balancing act of priorities during college is meant to prepare you for what it’s like in the â€Å"real world.† So at the end of the day you can’t escape it. Part of growing up is taking on more responsibility and if you’re going to live within society you really can’t go away scot free. Don’t worry, juggling a job, classes and friends is actually an amazing experience. It really is. You’re so productive! You’re in school bettering yourself. You’ve got a social life happening. And, you’re working part/full time so there’s some extra cash laying around. It’s awesome. You’re as ready as you choose to be. No more, no less. 5. â€Å"What if My Roommate Totally Sucks?† You can get a new one. 6. â€Å"What If I Can’t Hack the Classes?† There’s no class you cannot pass. That’s the flat out truth. I don’t care if we’re talking quantum mechanics, organic chemistry or some sort of advanced theoretical astrophysics. If you truly dedicate your mind to passing that class it will happen. Yes, your IQ does determine things to a certain degree. More categorically than anything else. But, we’re all aware of how powerful the human spirit is as well. Don’t fear classes. Don’t fear intellectual challenge. Yes, you can do it. The real question is, â€Å"Do I have the passion it’s going to take to succeed in this major?† 7. â€Å"I’m All On My Own.† No you’re not. Not by a long shot bub. 8. â€Å"I Don’t Want to Get Fat!† Getting fat, or being obese isn’t technically a good thing regardless of where you happen to be. That’s life. If you’re worried, make sure to exercise and eat smart (yep, big shocker). 9. â€Å"What if I Lose Touch with Home?† If you’re going to school on the other side of the country or perhaps in the other hemisphere, you’ve got modern technology to keep you connected. It’s not as good as in-person, but it’s working wonders for the human species. Try it! 10. â€Å"What if I Pick the Wrong University?† Hmm. Yeah about that. In all honesty, focus more on the quality of your education rather than the educational institutions themselves. For the lion’s share of us, our potential employers only care about the knowledge and what results we can bring about. If it’s a reputable college you’re going to be fine. Now, if it’s just the flat out wrong university altogether, then don’t stick around for two years before working up the nerve to bug out. If it’s just purely not a good place for you, leave immediately and fine a better school for you. 11. â€Å"What If My Dream School is a Nightmare?† See #10 pretty much, but this does happen. What you thought was the best school ever for your particular goals ends up being a nightmare. Bail! Does that pretty much cover it or are there some fears you have/had about college that we missed? Let us know!

Make Colored Easter Eggs Using Natural Dyes

Make Colored Easter Eggs Using Natural Dyes Its fun and easy to use foods and flowers to make your own natural Easter egg dyes. The two main ways to use your own dyes are to add dyes to the eggs when boiling them or to dye the eggs after they have been hard-boiled. Its a lot faster to boil the dyes and eggs together, but you will use several pans if you want to make multiple colors. Dyeing the eggs after they have been cooked takes as many dishes and more time, but may be more practical (after all, most stoves only have four burners!). Try both fresh and frozen produce. Canned produce will produce much paler colors. Boiling the colors with vinegar will result in deeper colors. Some materials need to be boiled to impart their color (name followed by boiled in the table). Some of the fruits, vegetables, and spices can be used cold. To use a cold material, cover the boiled eggs with water, add dyeing materials, a teaspoon or less of vinegar, and let the eggs remain in the refrigerator until the desired color is achieved. In most cases, the longer you leave Easter eggs in the dye, the more deeply colored they will become. Here is the preferred method for using natural dyes: Place the eggs in a single layer in a pan. Add water until the eggs are covered.Add approximately one teaspoon of vinegar.Add the natural dye. Use more dye material for more eggs or for a more intense color.Bring water to a boil.Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.If you are pleased with the color, remove the eggs from the liquid.If you want more intensely colored eggs, temporarily remove the eggs from the liquid. Strain the dye through a coffee filter (unless you want speckled eggs). Cover the eggs with the filtered dye and let them remain in the refrigerator overnight.Naturally-colored eggs will not be glossy, but if you want a shiny appearance you can rub a bit of cooking oil onto the eggs once they are dry. You can use fresh and frozen berries as paints, too. Simply crush the berries against dry boiled eggs. Try coloring on the eggs with crayons or wax pencils before boiling and dyeing them. Happy Easter! Natural Easter Egg Dyes Color Ingredients Lavender Small Quantity of Purple Grape JuiceViolet Blossoms plus 2 tsp Lemon JuiceRed Zinger Tea Violet Blue Violet BlossomsSmall Quantity of Red Onions Skins (boiled)Hibiscus TeaRed Wine Blue Canned BlueberriesRed Cabbage Leaves (boiled)Purple Grape JuiceButterfly Pea Flowers or Tea Green Spinach Leaves (boiled)Liquid Chlorophyll Greenish Yellow Yellow Delicious Apple Peels (boiled) Yellow Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled)Carrot Tops (boiled)Celery Seed (boiled)Ground Cumin (boiled)Ground Turmeric (boiled)Chamomile TeaGreen Tea Golden Brown Dill Seeds Brown Strong CoffeeInstant CoffeeBlack Walnut Shells (boiled)Black Tea Orange Yellow Onion Skins (boiled)Cooked CarrotsChili PowderPaprika Pink BeetsCranberries or JuiceRaspberriesRed Grape JuiceJuice from Pickled Beets Red Lots of Red Onions Skins (boiled)Canned Cherries with JuicePomegranate JuiceRaspberries

Your Reading Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Your Reading Experience - Essay Example In addition, all the five works take characters that have a background of African origin. In this essay, the themes of isolation and alienation, materialism and social position, race and African identity will be discussed by means of the five works and their analysis. Othello’s being an Alien in Venice and the gulf of culture, race and complexion—that exists between him and the Venetians—in an important theme in the tragedy in Othello. The theme of race and the themes of isolation and alienation can be combined because it is because of the race that the character of Othello considers himself alienated from the Venetian society. Shakespeare forced his audience to see Othello with the â€Å"bodily eye† of Iago. Othello tries to attach himself to the Venetian society on the basis of universal virtues such as love and loyalty. However, Iago’s attempt in realizing himself as an alien makes him to a step that takes him to his tragedy. Therefore, it is quite clear that Othello has evidently awareness of his race and color as different to Desdemona. This racial difference becomes a cause for his consideration that Desdemona has illicit relationships with Cassio. He also considers himself alienated from a society, which is not his. He tries to be a part of that society but he is always aware of his being different due to which, he is alienated and isolated. Like Othello, the themes of isolation and alienation in Everyday Use can also be assembled with the theme of race. The family of Maggie and Dee has an African background while Maggie remains stick to her traditions and culture while Dee wants to stay away from her culture, which is quite impossible. Dee belongs to African culture and she cannot deny this fact. Dee makes many friends, out of which, no one is sincere to her according to Maggie. Due to this fact, Dee is alienated from the society in which, she lives because of

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 58

Discussion - Assignment Example The drum-kit is focused lightly, and the choruses added in the song bring tune and music. As far as the folk version of the song is concerned, the lyrics are more appreciable, and the background music provides an ominous melody as it is a song in a low moan. Examining the history of the song, it is seen that the version shows more sentimental side of music, which was present in Anglo and African American roots showing broken, hearted country ballad. The Leadbelly’s version makes the music cover horrific conjecture of the time of the music at the time of wake of Southern racism in America (Garofalo and Waksman). Hence, the songs follow the tastes of consumers at the time of their emergence. The Leadbelly’s versions take you at the time of Depression and unplugged version follows the tastes of current consumers. The emergence of different versions has made the music business enjoyable as people relate the music to their lives and their time (Garofalo and

Canadas Policy of First Nations Essay Example for Free

Canadas Policy of First Nations Essay Canada is a nation built upon legislation that not only believed there would be no future in society for its First Nation peoples, but specifically created colonial policies that would ensure that this future become reality through the process of assimilation. These policies were created without First Nation input in an in effort to destroy First Nation culture and were used to undermine First Nation treaty rights especially with regard to land distributions by way of the Indian Act. Following the second world war, however, a new outlook of human rights grew in society that highlighted discriminatory policies against First Nation peoples. After government sanctioned study called the Hawthorn report was released raising concerns about the overall health and welfare of First Nation people, the newly elected Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau issued his response to First Nations problems in his controversial 1969 White paper . Unfortunately, 1969 White paper proved to be not only a politically motivated policy objective benefiting the Federal government in the future, by relinquishing its responsibilities following treaties, and inevitably avoiding future law suits, but was yet another attempt to do away with the First Nation culture through assimilation into the dominant society. The signing of the treaties and the misconceptions by both parties entering into them, the First Nations bands and the Canadian government, has served as a platform for future politics problems still going on today. First Nation people understood treaties to mean allowing settlement by non-native people. [but] at the same time, native people would retain large tracts of land on which they would govern themselves [and where their] language and culture would flourish (Bird, Land and Macadam 5). The Canadian government, on the other hand, seen it by way of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which the British Crown recognized that any lands possessed by First Nations in what was British North America, would be reserved for them, unless or until they ceded that land to the Crown (Bird, Land and Macadam 6). This to the Canadian government, following treaties, gave them the right to act in a paternalistic fashion towards First Nation people, who needed assistance to assimilate into mainstream society. This way of thinking, led the Canadian government to establish the Indian Act in 1876 which would unleash a series of policies created to destroy First Nations culture and further the Canadian governments own agenda regarding expropriation of First Nation lands. Due to Indian Act policies, First Nations people endured many years of social problems within their communities, problems that became published in a government sanctioned study called the Hawthorn report.

Mexican Lives by Judith Adler Hellman Essay -- Mexican Lives Judith Ad

Mexican Lives by Judith Adler Hellman   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author of Mexican Lives, Judith Adler Hellman, grapples with the United States’ economic relationship with their neighbors to the south, Mexico. It also considers, through many interviews, the affairs of one nation. It is a work held to high esteem by many critics, who view this work as an essential part in truly understanding and capturing Mexico’s history. In Mexican Lives, Hellman presents us with a cast from all walks of life. This enables a reader to get more than one perspective, which tends to be bias. It also gives a more inclusive view of the nation of Mexico as a whole. Dealing with rebel activity, free trade, assassinations and their transition into the modern age, it justly captures a Mexico in its true light. All walks of life are presented, from prevailing businessmen of white-collar status, to those of the working class and labor industry, as well as individuals who deal in the black market of smuggling illegal immigrants across the border into the U.S. Hellman’s work explores the subject of Mexico’s economic situation in the 1990s. NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) closely tied the United States and Mexico during this period, as well as similar policies such as GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) that were also created. These issues pertaining to economic policies between the two nations, Mexico and the United States are seen highlighted throughout her work. Hellman opens with three individuals at three different times. The reader is first introduced to Lupe Gonzalez at 3 A.M., whose story is a harsh reality for many. She lives in the vecindad of San Miguel Iztacalco where â€Å"eighteen families in eighteen single-room dwellings share a single water tap in the courtyard†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg.15) This is the daily life for many other Mexican families, as well as families from all over Latin America. She lives in a single room home with six children and her second husband. The reason for the set time is due to a schedule that each family must abide by, in order to obtain a simple necessity of life, water for their â€Å"drinking, bathing, cooking, and household cleaning.† (pg.15) With this the reader witnesses how there isn’t even enough water for all members of the community and city for constant usage. They share three beds for all eight family members and make considerably less then minimum... ...ople extort from others. It’s a way of life†¦ The NAFTA treaty isn’t meant to rescue people like us, it’s meant to help the rich" (pg. 157) Later, the reader learns that Maria was driven out of business by competators after NAFTA took effect. Mexican Lives is a rare piece of literature that accounts for the human struggle of an underdeveloped nation, which is kept impoverished in order to create wealth for that of another nation, the United States. The reader is shown that the act of globalization and inclusion in the world’s economies, more directly the United States, is not always beneficial to all parties involved. The data and interviews, which Hellman has put forth for her readers, contain some aspect of negativity that has impacted their lives by their nation’s choice to intertwine their economy with that of the United States. Therefore it can only be concluded that the entering into world markets, that of Mexico into the United States, does not always bring on positive outcomes. Thus, one sees that Mexico has become this wasteland of economic excrement; as a result it has become inherently reliant on the United States. Work Cited: Judith A. Hellman: Mexican Lives.

Coconut: the most economically important member of the great palm family Essay

CHAPTER 1 (BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY) In this modern world considered as the era of comforts, we also face poverty and scarcity of resources because of over population. So, people today are searching for some easier and better ways to save money through substituting commercialized products with improvised and homemade products, economizing, etc. In short people today are just being practical on what they will buy or what they will do to meet their needs. The coconut is the fruit of the most economically important member of the great palm family, Palmae. The genus Cocos are Southeast Asians and contain only one species, Cocos Nucifera.  Cultivated in tropical lowlands, almost always near the sea, the coconut has long been distributed throughout Southeast Asia and along the Tropical African and American coasts. The coconut is known for its great versatility as seen in the many uses of its different parts. For centuries, the coconut pal has supplied the people of the Pacific Islands with food, drink, shelter, and most of their needs. The durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio. There are 30 recognised Durio species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. Durio zibethinus is the only species available in the international market: other species are sold in their local regions. Regarded by many people in Southeast Asia as the â€Å"king of fruits†, the  durian is distinctive for its large size, strong odor, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow as large as 30 centimeters (12 in) long and 15 centimeters (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb.). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the color of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale yellow to red, depending on the species. Corn (Zea mays) has been grown in the northeast for generations, and is a demanding crop but one that is highly-valued for its use. Corn, Zea mays, is an annual grass in the family Poaceae and is a staple food crop grown all over the world. Corn is the second most important crop in the Philippines. About 14 million Filipinos prefer white corn as their main staple and yellow corn accounts for about 50% of livestock mixed feeds. Some 600,000 farm households depend on corn as a major source of livelihood, in addition to transport services, traders, processors and agricultural input suppliers who directly benefit from corn production, processing, marketing and distribution. Shoe shining is the process of applying an external substance to the surface of a shoe to improve the materials and make it shinier. Shoe shining has been a part of shoe care for hundreds of years. Adding a shine to a shoe brings polish to an outfit. Shoe polish products are low-value items are frequently purchased as a single but might last for several days. The researchers wanted to produce shoe polish out of the coconut husks, durian husks and corn cobs because we found another use for them. This leads to conduct an experiment using the ashes of coconut husk, durian husks and corn cobs for shoe polish. If these products would be successful, it can help in recycling coconut husks, durian husks and corn cobs and can lessen them to avoid them scattering all over our community. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This study aims to make an effective shoe polish out of ashes from burned coconut husks, durian skins, and corn cobs. Specifically, the study would like to answer the following: * What are the components that are present in the ashes? * How effective is the shoe polish in terms of: – Shine that it could give – Life Span – Color of Polish compared to other brands * What is the difference between the commercial shoe polish from the shoe polish out of ashes from the coconut husks, durian skins, and corn cobs? ASSUMPTION The researchers believed that Coconut husks, Corn Cobs and Durian Skins are effective alternative shoe polish and can make it a source of income. HYPOTHESIS There was no significant difference between the efficiency of our product to the commercial shoe polish that was sold on the market. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY One of the main benefits of a shoe shine is that it helps preserve the material that shoes are made out of. Polishing products also provides the coating of wax on the leather that helps in keeping it waterproof and reduces the dirt accumulated on the leather. Shoe polish also gives a moisturizing effect to the leather and proper care may help in lasting the shoes for several years. Since coconut, durian, and corn is abundant in our country, people can make it a source of livelihood. SCOPE AND LIMITATION The study is focused on the effectiveness of the alternative shoe polish and aims to shine shoes at a long period of time. Furthermore, this study is only limited to the effectiveness, color, shine, duration, and the odor it can give. METHODOLOGY The purpose of this chapter is to present the experimental assumptions underpinning this research, as well as to introduce the research strategy and empirical techniques applied then the materials used in conducting this  study. The chapter defines the scope and limitations of the research design. Materials The researchers utilized the following materials in accomplishing the project: Coconut husks, Corn Cobs, Durian Skins, Coals, Matchsticks, Ashes, Tongs, Strainer, 3 Basins, Pitcher, Water, Measuring Cups, Detergent Bar Soap, Knife, Frying Pan, Spoon, Citric Acid, Glycerin, Dye, and Kerosene. The sun was used as the source of heat to dry the Coconut husks, Corn cobs and Durian skins. The coals and matchsticks are used to burn the three different fruit shells and tongs was used to protect our hands from getting burned. The strainer was used to remove big particles and for us to gather fine ashes. The 3 basins were used as containers of the ashes. The pitcher was used as a container for the water. The measuring cups were used to measure the quantity of the water, citric acid, glycerin, dye and kerosene needed. The knife was used to cut the bar soap. The frying pan and spoon were used in heating up the whole mixture. Procedure The researchers gathered (1) one sack coconut husk, (1) one sack corn cobs and (1) one sack durian skin. After collecting the three different fruit shells the researchers let them stay under the sun for three days to get totally dry. Then after three days the researchers prepared the materials for the burning process. The researchers burned the three different dried fruit shells separately and collected the ashes. Afterwards, they inspect the ashes and they remove the big particles using a strainer. 1.Burn the dried coconut husk, corn cob, and durian skin separately and collect the ashes. 2.Inspect the ashes and remove the big particles. 3.Measure a certain amount of water. 4.Cut the bar soap into small pieces and dissolve it on water. 5.Add the ashes. 6.Heat the mixture until it boils, then stir evenly. 7.After few minutes add the citric acid and the glycerin. 8.Pour into a container. The mixture needs to settle for a number of hours before used.

Managing Across Culture

{draw:rect} {draw:rect} 000579613; 000573398; 000573202; 000583118;000527971 {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Managing Across Cultures- Group Report on Case Study Analysis of Alcatel-Lucent BY TEAM: Meenak*shi Mukherjee* 000579613 Carlos Andres Serna 000583118 Quasirat Hasnat 000573202 Sangeet Premkumar 000573398 Imran Shahzad 000527971 Executive Summary This paper examines a case study sprouting mergers of two firms Alcatel and Lucent technologies. This paper provides an insight into the French and American cultures taking into consideration the parent company cultural imbroglio. Alcatel, an American company, was previously owned by the technological giant, the AT&T group. However in the year 1996, the company parted ways from the group of AT &T and merged with the French company, Alcatel. Alcatel, headquartered in France, provides hardware-software services to the telecommunications sector involving service providers and enterprises. On the 1st December, 2006, Alcatel- Lucent merged to explore greater productivity by utilizing jointly owned resources, products and services. Cross-cultural barriers hindered Alcatel-Lucent’s strategic advantageover its competitors. In this paper, the Alcatel- Lucent merger will be critically analysed with help reference frameworks and cultural tools such as Hofstede’s dimensions, Trompenaar’s theories on culture and related articles from newspapers. In the recent years, companies have been adopting the strategy to expand their markets globally with different strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, licensing etc. However, companies trying to achieve synergetic benefits often fail in their process of expansion due to the cultural problems revolving between the host and home countries. Introduction Alcatel-Lucent, headquartered in Paris, France, is the Telecom giant with over 77,000 employees in its payroll a with annual revenue generated as reported in the financial report standing at a staggering 16. 98 billion Euros. The merger of parent companies Alcatel and Lucent was anticipated to be the ‘shining star’ of mergers and was aptly phrased as a merger of equals (Sutherland, 2006). This paper discusses the importance of cultural differences and indicates the problems that can be create when different cultural interaction occurs between different strata’s of organizations. Short Brief about different cultures Culture can be considered to be a vast word having no unified idea that can summarize the true essence of it. Some scholars and researchers define Culture as a part of our environmental conditioning, usually distributed among members of similar nations, regions and areas (_Sorensen_, 1984). This case study is used to communicate the study of cross culture and its related problems. In regards to job environment, the French Culture believes in providing security for the members of the society. The Culture is competitive yet assertive but however is risk averse and consumes too much time to take decisions to deal with a situation. On the contrary, the American Culture is easy going and flexible. Americans believe in quick decision making with a â€Å"win-lose† approach and as a result accept uncertainties in a positive manner. In a recent article, Holstein (2007) stated, that the two parent companies addressed the issue of crisis taking measures differently. In times of crisis, the Americans believe in reducing costs through scaling down job opportunities whereas the French have a supportive approach towards their employees with the government acting as the back bone to resolve such issues making the process of decision slow but unaffected by the crisis piling on the company with additional operational costs. The inclination of the American Culture is towards achieving short term goals such as profit making, however, the French culture denotes a negative aspect of doing business with haste. The French decision making processes are long and tend to measure each step taking important aspects into consideration. Literature review The Dutch anthropologist, Trompenaars , conducted a research over 10 years and eventually publishing his work in 1994. Expatriates in an organisation can benefit from his dimensions by having knowledge on the managing tasks in different cultures (Trompeenars et. al. , 1997). Universalism Vs Particularism: According to Trompenaars , Universalism and Particularism are terms used to denote a culture which is governed by rules and relationships. In the words of French (2007), rules are flexible in particularistic societies and relationships are given more importance than rules. Trompenaar’s classifies of USA as aUniversalistic society bound by rules. Hence, Lucent as a company believes in developing rules, codes and standards that can be applicable to everyone in every situation without any modification. In USA, negotiation takes place in written agreements, shows that a formal procedure is to be followed to do business. However in a particularistic culture, the type of relationship determines the business. Whereas the French culture is average in Universalism indicating Alcatel, the French company is neither too particularistic nor too universalistic and rationally develop inter personal relationship and trust bearing in mind the expected standards (Gesteland, 2005). Affective/ Emotional Vs Neutral: Affective and Neutral are terms used to represent emotions with in a culture. In affective cultures individuals tend to show their emotions explicitly in public like the American culture. However Neutral cultures believe in implicit behaviour towards their emotions. According to French (2007), different cultures exhibit different behaviours when it comes to emotions. American people tend to deliver their disgust spot-on using verbal communication where as the French do so with sign language such as frowning and smirks. The US and French cultures are both alignedvery close to each other in terms of how emotional or neutral they are. Both of them are moderately average, which means people working in Lucent as well as Alcatel neither express their feelings too enthusiastically nor do they try to hide their feelings (Gesteland, 2005). Specificity Vs Diffuseness: According to Hampden (1998), Specificity is a term used to represent cultures where difference between work life and personalised life are applicable. In diffused cultures, the society is non- segregated as work and personalised life are closely interlinked. According to Guirdham (1999), the French are diffused in their cultural believes hence personal and professional life is considered to be a part of the culture whereas the Americans believe in keeping the two separate. Achievement Vs Ascription: Trompenaar describes cultures which believe in achieving status through performance with a generic belief that status can be gained and lost if performances are not measured accordingly. Ascribed status is where people believe that status is gained through inherent right and not according to what they perform in everyday life(French,2007). Achievement oriented societies formed by individuals who believe in achieving goals independently. For example the reigning President of the United States of America, Barrack Obama is an individual who became the president with his qualities and perseverance. In Ascribed societies, people believe in the status and the background of individuals. This juxtaposes the idea that in France one can participate in politics only if their family has been inclined politically in the past. The American culture is achievement oriented thus at Lucent, social status or position of an employee is derived from his/her achievements. The employees in Alcatel could grow only if their business links with the superiors are concrete (Guirdham, 1999). Sequential Time vs. Synchronisation: The word, sequence, is used to describe time where events follow one another whereas in synchronised time, events are arranged at a parallel basis. Multi-tasking is the main feature of synchronisation. Lucent being a North American company follows monochromic time that is tangible and divisible. They view time as a narrow spectrum of distinct, consecutive segments. Hence they perform only one activity at a time with greater focus, keeping a strict schedule of appointments and showing a strong resistance from deviating their plans (Gesteland, 2005). Whereas Alcatel being a Mediterranean country follows Polychromic time, for them time is indivisible and flexible. Time is viewed as a norm and people perform multiple activities simultaneously which makes them distracted very easily. For them appointments are approximate and can be changed at any point of time, schedules are not as important as relationships are. Future Vs Past Orientation: Lucent focuses more on the present and the immediate future than what has happened in the past. They concentrate on achieving result within a short span of time. In Alcatel, the present and future are valued by looking at events that occurred previously. Any given situation is compared to the previous happenings. Time orientation does matter a lot when companies operate in different cultures. It creates chaos specially in taking long term decisions. High Vs Low context cultures: Lucent (USA)- as a company possesses the attributes of a low context culture where it relies on information explicitly provided, detailed communication and even higher detailed instruction at workplace. However at Alcatel (France), employees practice moderate levels of cultural context interms of communication, information and even instruction at workplace. Alcatel being a French company practices very high power distance, which means a wide gap exists between leaders, subordinates and management decisions are made at the top level only without the consent of fellow employees. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Dutch Anthropologist, Geert Hofstede defines culture as â€Å"The collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another† (Hofstede, 2001). Using his survey at the IBM involving employees from world over, he formulated the cultural dimensional framework. High Vs Low Power Distance: Power distance is related to a society which is divided into classes and ranks. In USA, ranks are least important to individuals as they believe in Equality. Organisational ranks often make employees feel uncomfortable and are not practiced widely. In France such distinction between classes and ranks are acceptable. Though high organisational ranked employees believe in respecting employees of lower ranks but make sure that the distinction is clear. In such countries it is wise for a subordinate to use terms such as ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’. Whereas, at Lucent- a US based company, power distance is relatively low. The gap between superior and subordinate is minimal likewise salary and decisions are made consulting with everyone, though organizational hierarchy exists but for convenience. High Vs Low Uncertainty Avoidance: The term Uncertainty denotes societies that are risk averse and risk takers. In US, the culture believes in taking risks and with France, risk taking is not a wise decision and is often followed with monotonous long-term decision making. The French are known for high uncertainty avoidance. Hence at Alcatel people prefer not to take risks unnecessarily, they usually are loyal to their employers and have long work records. The organization is structured with explicit rules and regulations with the employee (French, 2007). Therefore, Lucent as an organization is not well structured and people are eager to take risk, thus being flexible that makes them not loyal enough and are clear indicators of short term employees. As France is extremely cautious about uncertainty decisions, thus employees at Alcatel are extremely concerned about job losses. In a recent article Sutherland (2006) stated that: â€Å"About 10 percent, or 8,800 employees, will be laid-off. Lucent could not answer which percentage of the job losses will be borne by the U. S. Company, but French laws tightly control when employers can fire workers† (Cited in, Sutherland, 2006). Individualism Vs Collectivism: In Individualistic societies, individuals tend to look after their family and themselves. Organisational goals are based on individualistic performance and not on the group effort. Team works are performed with individual rewarding system. Collectivist countries believe that the essence of good performance is based on team work. Individuals must sacrifice their personal interest for the benefit of the team. Rewards and bonuses are according to the team’s performance on activities. The French and American individualistic characteristics are common, causing a clash of cultures while working in conglomerate companies such as Alcatel-lucent. Individualism evolved when the two companies merged because the people started thinking of their own self interests instead of considering the company on the whole. This leads to chaotic asynchronous processes that are disruptive for productivity (French, 2007). Masculinity Vs Femininity: Masculinity and femininity are characterized by behaviours such as assertiveness, competitiveness, caring and loving. Masculinity is a composition of tough values whereas Femininity shows tender traits. Both the nations are masculine in nature but the roles of women in the two societies are very different. In USA, Women can reach the top layers of the organisation whereas in the France it is the other way round and men are given more precedence as the society male dominant. In an article Holstein (2007) stated that: â€Å"One is that there is confusion about who’s in charge. Russo became CEO of the combined entity and Tchuruk became chairman. In American cultural terms, that means Russo runs the company. After all, she’s the CEO. But in a European context, and particularly a French setting, the chairman is the boss. Confusion at the top is deadly† (Cited by, Holstein, 2007). Masculinity is relatively high in Alcatel compared to Lucent. At Alcatel, people believe in competition, performance and male dominance. Whereas at Lucent ,people seek equal opportunity, better quality of work, solidarity over other factors including competitive behaviour. Patricia Russo, a successful business entrepreneur from the USA is an example of a Masculine dominant society where women scale the height of opportunities. According to Verwaayen (2008), decisions making in Alcatel-Lucent remains a crucial factor as the two companies have different reporting standards. In Alcatel the Chairman is the head who takes the final decisions relating to a company and in Lucent the CEO is the person who delegates decisions. The two different distinct approaches have clearly confused the role of employees in both the companies. Verwaayen (2008) also stated that in mergers, long distances usually creates trauma as processes cannot be co-ordinated hence provides freehand edge to competitors. According Gubbins (2007), it is important for the government to have a top- bottom flat structured system so as to make the operations of the company smooth and efficient to survive the competitive environment. Cultural clashes were so evident that Patricia Russo, the chief executive decided to leave the company and stakeholders expected changes after his reign. This can be analysed from the newsfeed of Alcatel-Lucent (2009) stating that: â€Å"We hope that a new CEO will be able to bridge the cultural divide between the Americans and the French and get all sides pulling together† (Cited in, Windsor, 2008). Analysis of Opportunities, *Challenges,* Considerations Opportunities Alcatel-Lucent partners a project phrased as the â€Å"Cercle Passeport Telecoms†,in France, which is a business program for corporate mentoring of multicultural students from humble backgrounds in their pursuit for higher academic opportunities (Alcatel-Lucent,2008). As a part of the recruitment opportunities, Alcatel Lucent revamped its business training programs into sessions that integrated technical training with hands-on experience on security products and data transmission . Further emphasis on sales methodologies, reaching out to partners to engage with the end-users and to carve out solutions to address their needs. In order to convert innovative ideas into reality products or services, Alcatel-Lucent launched the Entrepreneurial Boot Camp housed in Belgium in the spring of 2006. Aimed at a constructive build of a global knowledge base where creativity blossoms, a business foundation like the Boot Camp is a grooming factory for all the budding business developers of the next generation. Alcatel-Lucent’s strategic security partnership with renowned financial sector reseller Abraxas Partners paves wave for new job opportunities showering prosperity in the near future (Alcatel-Lucent, 2008). Considerations The primary objective of a merger is the integration of skills, resources, and business networks and their harmonic implementation. Taking into account Cultural differences, mergers are drafted, and contingency plans are prepared in order to tackle such differences. When cultural differences arise at higher level of the organizational hierarchy, the execution of these pre planned contingencies become haphazard(Turner & Trompenaars, 2000). The analysis of this uber-merger case study has given us a clear insight in to the detrimental situations aroused by unsuccessful execution of mergers. The cultural differences seem irrelevant considering the fallacies involved with it are not redundant while assessing shifts in fiscal trends. The persistent pressure enforced a moral obligation, convincing the American chief executive, Patricia Russo and the French Chairman, Serge Tchuruk to step down. (Ruitenberg,2008). The ignorance of demographic and geographic interests might have had a negative impact on the merger. Previous acquisitions and mergers may have misunderstood the merger as a change in organizational goals. According to Jolly (2008) ,Alcatel-Lucent’s current vision can be quoted as â€Å"CSR is about being a value driven company, where values are not words on pieces of paper but things we do automatically . It’s about being a company that is inclusive and has respect for the individuals, respect for differences and respect for cultures â€Å". Challenges Mergers and Acquisitions have a tendency to confront various issues and involve constant reframing of policies. Differences can be resolved at the nascent stages of the Merger or Acquisition only. Alcatel-Lucent faces a challenge in restoring their longstanding relation with their previous collaborators like Bell Labs, Packet Engines and Xylan who might have experienced difficulties while the management underwent changes, so that they may continue providing and developing their services. They also face the challenge of retaining existing customers especially those who might have endured inept services while the organization resolved its differences. The merger of the parent companies has taken a toll of time and the company has experienced positive development in turnovers, cultural integration thus reoccupying the held market share and brand goodwill. Internal Organization Alcatel-Lucent’s design and consultancy service convolutes the vital processes necessary to ensure an integration of cost-effective, flexible network infrastructure. Business Consulting, Operations Consulting, Applications Consulting, Security Consulting, Network Consulting & Design, Network & Service Optimization are Business units and processes that constitute this esteemed organization (Alcatel-Lucent,2008). Conclusion and Recommendation Complications usually occur when two companies from two different countries merge to benefit synergetic effects. In terms of Alcatel- lucent, the two parent companies follow an individualistic approach which motivates employees to work towards individualistic goals and often the objective of the company is not taken into mere consideration. The essence of good successful business is to adopt a collectivistic approach giving the goal and the mission of the company at the top priority. Team work will motivate employees of Alcatel- Lucent to take decision jointly (Alcatel-Lucent, 2008). To bridge the gap between America and the France, it is important to reduce the distance by sending employees of each company onto expatriate missions. To understand a culture, it is important to stand in the threshold of the other. Managers in expatriate missions will gain better understanding of the French and the American cultures thus adjusting to the new inter-cross culture. Leadership should be vested in hands of one and not many, therefore confusion at the top should be avoided by integrating processes with clear objectives. Employees should be made to report to only one superior. It is important for the company, Alcatel- Lucent, to use new technologies such as video conferencing to reduce communication barriers between the employees of the two countries. In this time of financial crisis, it is important to cut costs to sustain in the global business market. Top heavy structures in the company with higher pay packs to the employees could create operational loss. In the reduction of financial position, the competitors would benefit by reaping advantage of the situation and overlapping it by way of acquisition. As the French are more protective about the job loss scenario, the company should take effective measures such as putting employee rolls stagnant thereby reducing its financial cost. References French, R. (2007),â€Å"Cross Cultural management in work organizations,† Kerry Press LTD, London. Hofstede, G (2001) â€Å"Cultures and organizations: software of mind† McGraw Hill, New York. Turner,C. H. & Trompenaars,F. 2000) â€Å"Building Cross cultural Competence,† John Wiley &Sons Inc, USA. Alcatel-Lucent, (2008) â€Å"Alcatel-Lucent launches new channel recruitment drive in UK and Ireland and announces security partnership with Abraxas† [Online] Available at: http://www. subtelforum. com/articles/? p=190 (Accessed on 2nd Dec. 2009). Alcatel-Lucent, (2009) â€Å"Alcatel-Lucent announces Chairman Serge Tchuruk a nd CEO Pat Russo to step down† [Online] Available at: http://www. alcatellucent. com/wps/portal/! ut/p/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLd4x3tXDUL8h2VAQAURh_Yw!!? LMSG_CABINET=Docs_and_Resource_Ctr&LMSG_CONTENT_FILE=News_Releases_2008/News_Article_001159. xml (Accessed on 2nd December 2009). Fons,T. , Turner,H. , Charles, (1997), â€Å" Riding the waves of culture†, Gardners [Online] Available at: http://www. businessmate. org/Article. php? ArtikelId=5 (Accessed on 10th Nov. 2009). Gubbins,E. (2007), â€Å" UBS: Alcatel faces mobility decline, culture clash† telephony online: Penton media online press [Online] Available at : http://telephonyonline. com/wireless/news/alcatel_mobility_revenue_121907/ (Accessed on :23rd Nov 2009). Hall,E. T. and Hall,M. T. (1990), â€Å"Understanding Cultural Differences, Germans French and Americans† , USA, pg 129;130. Holstein,W. J. (2007), â€Å"Lucent-Alcatel: Why Cross-Cultural Mergers Are So Tough†New York Times [Online] available at: http:// www. nytimes. com/2007/11/01/business/worldbusiness (Accessed on 10th nov. 2009). Jolly,D. (2008), â€Å"Culture clash hits home at Alcatel-Lucent† New York Times [Online] available at: http://www. nytimes. com/2008/07/29/business/worldbusiness/29iht-alcatel. 4. 14867263. html? pagewanted=1 ( Accessed on 1st December 2009). Ruitenberg,R. 2008),† Alcatel-Lucent's Russo, Tchuruk to Quit; Loss Widens† Bloomberg[Online] Available at: http://www. bloomberg. com/apps/news? pid=20601085=a6fn02kzojwE=europe (Accessed on, 20th November 2009). Sorensen,G. (1984) â€Å"How much Poison is Another Man's Meat? † Notes on the Logic of World Systems Analysis, page 29. Sorensen,O. J. (1984) â€Å" Marketing Systems a nd Economic Development. An Institutional-Structural Approach† page 41. Sutherland,E. (2006), â€Å"Lucent Brushes Up on French With Alcatel Merger† Internetnews [Online] Available at: http://www. internetnews. com/bus-news/article. hp/3596246 (accessed on 23rd Nov 2009). Verwaayen ,B. (2008), â€Å"Alcatel-Lucent: New CEO, Same Three Problems† The Wall street journal. Windsor. R(2008), â€Å"Alcatel-Lucent confronts its cross-cultural challenges† BBC News[Online] available at: http://leaderswedeserve. wordpress. com/2008/07/31/alcatel-lucent-confronts-its -cross-cultural-challenges (Accessed on 5th Nov. 2009). Managing across Cultures, INDU 1033 – Team Reflection – Questions to guide the Team Presentation and Written Report Draw on your experiences: how would you qualify the teamwork in terms of {text:list-item} Keeping in mind the scarcity of information available in journals and online web content a strategic plan was devised to search online material using key trigger words that would facilitate in text referencing. The presentation time being short was a challenge for me in my role( Meenakshi Mukherjee) as group leader to define specific roles to my team mates to quantify the case study of Alcatel –Lucent keeping in mind the cultural heritage both companies’ native countries share. A well defined work with ample support from team members in way of skills and research makes me happy and feel good as a budding manager graduating from this esteemed university. {text:list-item} I would like to reflect on the fact that our team being truly multicultural, representing various nations of the world knit as family segregating this task into sections of expertise . Taking the reference frame work set forth by the respected lecturer and tutors, each subtopic in the case study was carefully classified and analysed. Disputes about the content were usually friendly group discussions in a professional manner. How much could difficulties be related to national variations in approaches to group work ? Multicultural teams like ours have different rational thinking capabilities . Innovative ideas streamlined. But the pipeline for these ideas was the standards we must set . Work can be left to interpretation. A consensus of the group eradicated doubt and hesitant notions. What elements of the process would you do differently next time. NB various approaches may exist among the different members of the team The data collection was done in large qualities from various limited resources. The case of Alcatel Lucent is primarily neglected in the business world. Careful selection of the company of reference could have been more articulate and the constrains of time and word limited was a real burden . Optimum utilization of resources can be improvide in future. The following members of the team declare to have fulfilled a

Bacteria Outline Essays - Microbiology, Biology, Bacteriology

Bacteria Outline Essays - Microbiology, Biology, Bacteriology Bacteria Outline Bacteria - Oldest, structurally simplest, most abundant forms of life - Only organism with prokaryotic cellular organization - The only members of the kingdom Monera (4800 different kinds) - Characteristics change depending on growth conditions - Maintenance of life depends on them - play vital role of productivity and as decomposers - Capable of fixing atmospheric N for use by other organisms - Used in production and fermentation of various food and as antibiotics and is being tested for insect control - Prokaryotes vs. Eukaryotes - Multi-cellularity - All bacteria fundamentally single celled - Sometimes cells adhere within a matrix to form filaments - Activities of bacterial colonies less integrated and coordinated than in multicellular eukaryotes Eukaryotes Bacteria Cell Size 10x size of bacteria 1 micrometer (m) diameter Chromosomes Membrane bound nucleus w/ chromosomes w/ nucleic acid & proteins No nucleus/chromosomes w/ DNA DNA contained in cytoplasm Cell Division and Genetic Remcombination Mitosis involving microtubules Sexual reproduction - meiosis/syngamy Binary fusion Lack of sexual reproduction - no equal participation Internal Compartementalization Respirational enzymes packed into mitochondria Corresponding enzymes bound to cell membranes Cytoplasm - no internal compartments/organelles (except ribosomes) No cytoskeleton Flagella Complex 9+2 structure of microtubules (whip-like motion) Simple w/ a single fiber protein flagellin Spins like a propellar Autotrophic Diversity Enzymes for photosyn. Packed in membrane-bound organelles (plastids) Only 1 type of photo. - release of O2 Enzymes bound to cell membrane Several patterns of aerobic/anaerobic photo. w/ formation of S, O, sulfate Chemosynthesis - process where certain bacteria obtain energy from oxidation of inorganic compounds and obtain C from CO2 - Bacterial Structure - Lypopolysaccharide - polysaccharide chain with lipids attached - Molecules of it deposited over layer of gram positive - forming outer membrane - Makes gram negative bacteria resistant to many antibiotics to which gram positive bacteria are susceptible - Capsule - gelatinous layer surrounding cell - Bacilli - straight, rod-shaped bacteria - Cocci - spherical bacteria - Spirilla - spirally coiled bacteria - Spores - single-celled bodies that grow into new bacterial individuals - Some bacteria change into stalked structures, grow long, branched filaments or form erect structures that release spores - Bacterial cells have simple structures - 2 kinds of cell walls - gram negative/positive - Cytoplasm of a bacterium contain no internal compartments/organelles & is bound by a membrane encased w/i a cell wall composed of 1/more polysaccharides - Pili - other kinds of hairlike outgrowths that occur on some bacteria cells - shorter than flagella - Help bacterial cells to attach to appropriate substrates - Endoscopes - resistant to environmental stress; may germinate & form new bacterial individuals after decades/centuries - Bacterial Variation - 2 processes lend variability to bacterial reproduction - Mutation - Because of the short generation time of bacteria whose populations often double in a few min., mutation plays important role in generating genetic diversity - Genetic Recombination - Transfer of genes from one cell to another as portions of viruses, plasmids, other DNA fragments *Intestinal bacterium: typhoid, dysentry, other diseases - Bacterial Ecology and Metabolic Diversity - Bacteria most abundant organisms in most environments - Obligate anaerobes - organisms cannot grow in presence of O2 - Facultative anaerobes - organisms that function as anaerobes/aerobes - Aerobes - organisms that require O2 - Autotrophic bacteria - Heterotrophs - get energy from organic material formed by other organisms (most bacteria) - Autotrophs - obtain energy from nonorganic sources - Photosynthetic bacteria - contain chlorophyll but not held in plastids *Cyanobacteria, green/purple sulfur bacteria, purple nonsulfur bacteria - Different colors caused by photosynthetic pigments - Chemoautotrophic bacteria - derive energy from the oxidation of inorganic molecules (N, S, Fe compounds, gaseous H) - Heterotrophic bacteria - Saprobes - bacteria that obtain nourishment form dead organic material - Autotrophic bacteria, capable of making their own food, obtain energy from light or the oxidation of inorganic molecules - Heterotrophic bacteria obtain energy from breaking down organic compounds made by other organisms - By-products of bacterial metabolism - Antibiotics - valuable - Botulism - food poisoning - Salmonella - gastrointestinal disease - N-fixing bacteria - N fixation - carried out by nodule-forming bacteria - Bacteria releases fixed N (when they break down proteins) - N cycle carried out exclusively by bacteria - Bacteria as plant pathogens - Most plant diseases caused by bacteria - Most bacteria that cause plant diseases are from a group of rod-shaped bacteria called pseudomonads * Citrus canker (Florida) - destroy citrus seedlings - Bacteria as human pathogens - Cholera, leprosy, tetanus, bacterial pneumonia, whooping cough, diptheria - Many diseases dispersed in food/water - Legionnairess Disease - Severe pneumonia - fatal in 15-20% of victims if untreated - Caused by legionella - small,

Akagi Aircraft Carrier in World War II and the Battle of Midway

Akagi Aircraft Carrier in World War II and the Battle of Midway Ordered in 1920, Akagi (Red Castle) initially was designed as an Amagi-class battlecruiser mounting ten 16-inch guns. Laid down at Kure Naval Arsenal on December 6, 1920, work progressed on the hull over the next two years. This came to an abrupt halt in 1922 when Japan signed the Washington Naval Treaty which limited warship construction and placed constraints on tonnage. Under the terms of the treaty, signatories were permitted to convert two battleship or battlecruiser hulls into aircraft carriers so long as the new ships did not exceed 34,000 tons. Assessing the ships then under construction, the Imperial Japanese Navy selected the incomplete hulls of Amagi and Akagi for conversion. Work resumed on Akagi on November 19, 1923. After a further two years of work, the carrier entered the water on April 22, 1925. In converting Akagi, designers finished the carrier with three superimposed flight decks. An unusual arrangement, it was intended to allow the ship to launch as many aircraft as possible in a short period of time. In actual operation, the middle flight deck proved too short for most aircraft. Capable of 32.5 knots, Akagi was powered by four sets of Gihon geared steam turbines. As carriers were still envisioned as support units within the fleet, Akagi was armed with ten 20 cm guns for fending off enemy cruisers and destroyers. Commissioned on March 25, 1927, the carrier conducted shakedown cruises and training before joining the Combined Fleet in August. Early Career Joining the First Carrier Division in April 1928, Akagi served as Rear Admiral Sankichi Takahashis flagship. Conducting training for most of the year, command of the carrier passed to Captain Isoroku Yamamoto in December. Withdrawn from frontline service in 1931, Akagi underwent several minor refits before returning to active duty two years later. Sailing with the Second Carrier Division, it took part in fleet maneuvers and helped pioneer Japanese naval aviation doctrine. This ultimately called for carriers to operate in front of the battle fleet with the goal of using massed air attacks to disable the enemy before ship-to-ship fighting commenced. After two years of operations, Akagi was again withdrawn and placed in reserve status prior to a major overhaul. Reconstruction Modernization As naval aircraft increased in size and weight, Akagis flight decks proved too short for their operation. Taken to Sasebo Naval Arsenal in 1935, work began on a massive modernization of the carrier. This saw the elimination of the lower two flight decks and their conversion into fully-enclosed hangar decks. The topmost flight deck was extended the length of the ship giving Akagi a more traditional carrier look. In addition to engineering upgrades, the carrier also received a new island superstructure. Counter to the standard design, this was placed on the port side of the flight deck in an effort to move it away from the ships exhaust outlets. Designers also enhanced Akagis anti-aircraft batteries which were placed amidships and low on the hull. This led to them having a limited arc of fire and being relatively ineffective against dive bombers. Return to Service Work on Akagi came to an end in August 1938 and the ship soon rejoined the First Carrier Division. Moving into southern Chinese waters, the carrier supported Japanese ground operations during the Second Sino-Japanese War. After striking targets around Guilin and Liuzhou, Akagi steamed back to Japan. The carrier returned to the Chinese coast the following spring and later underwent a brief overhaul in late 1940. In April 1941, the Combined Fleet concentrated its carriers into the First Air Fleet (Kido Butai). Serving in the First Carrier Division of this new formation with the carrier Kaga, Akagi spent the later part of the year preparing for the attack on Pearl Harbor. Departing northern Japan on November 26, the carrier served as flagship for Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumos Striking Force. Akagi During World War II Sailing in company with five other carriers, Akagi began launching two waves of aircraft early on the morning of December 7, 1941. Descending on Pearl Harbor, the carriers torpedo planes targeted the battleships USS Oklahoma, USS West Virginia, and USS California. The dive bombers of the second wave attacked USS Maryland and USS Pennsylvania. Withdrawing after the attack, Akagi, Kaga, and the carriers of the Fifth Carrier Division (Shokaku and Zuikaku) moved south and supported the Japanese invasion of New Britain and the Bismarck Islands. After this operation, Akagi and Kaga fruitlessly searched for American forces in the Marshall Islands before launching raids on Darwin, Australia on February 19. In March, Akagi helped cover the invasion of Java and the carriers aircraft proved successful in hunting Allied shipping. Ordered to Staring Bay, Celebes for a brief period of rest, the carrier sortied on March 26 with the rest of the First Air Fleet for a raid into the Indian Ocean. Attacking Colombo, Ceylon on April 5, Akagis aircraft assisted in sinking the heavy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire. Four days later, it mounted a raid against Trincomalee, Ceylon and aided in the destruction of the carrier HMS Hermes. That afternoon, Akagi came under attack from British Bristol Blenheim bombers but did not sustain any damage. With the completion of the raid, Nagumo withdrew his carriers east and steamed for Japan. Battle of Midway On April 19, while passing Formosa (Taiwan), Akagi and the carriers Soryu and Hiryu were detached and ordered east to locate USS Hornet and USS Enterprise which had just launched the Doolittle Raid. Failing to locate the Americans, they broke off the pursuit and returned to Japan on April 22. A month and three days later, Akagi sailed in company with Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu to support the invasion of Midway. Arriving at a point approximately 290 miles from the island on June 4, the Japanese carriers opened the Battle of Midway by launching a 108-plane strike. As the morning progressed, the Japanese carriers evaded several attacked by Midway-based American bombers. Recovering the Midway strike force just before 9:00 AM, Akagi began spotting aircraft for an attack on the recently discovered American carrier forces. As this work progressed, American TBD Devastator torpedo bombers commenced an assault on the Japanese carriers. This was repulsed with heavy losses by the fleets combat air patrol. Though the American torpedo planes had been defeated, their attack pulled the Japanese fighters out of position. This allowed arriving American SBD Dauntless dive bombers to strike with minimal aerial resistance. At 10:26 AM, three SBDs from USS Enterprise dove on Akagi and scored a hit and two near misses. The 1,000 lb. bomb that struck penetrated to the hangar deck and exploded among several fully fueled and armed B5N Kate torpedo planes causing massive fires to erupt. Sinking Ship With his ship badly stricken, Captain Taijiro Aoki ordered the carriers magazines to be flooded. Though the forward magazine flooded on command, the aft did not due to damage sustained in the attack. Plagued by pump problems, damage control parties were not able to bring the fires under control. Akagis plight worsened at 10:40 AM when its rudder jammed during evasive maneuvers. With fires breaking through the flight deck, Nagumo transferred his flag to the cruiser Nagara. At 1:50 PM, Akagi came to a stop as it engines failed. Ordering the crew to evacuate, Aoki stayed aboard with the damage control teams in an effort to save the ship. These efforts continued through the night but to no avail. In the early morning hours of June 5, Aoki was forcibly evacuated and Japanese destroyers fired torpedoes to sink the burning hulk. At 5:20 AM, Akagi slipped bow first beneath the waves. The carrier was one four lost by the Japanese during the battle. Overview Nation:  JapanType:  Aircraft CarrierShipyard:  Kure Naval ArsenalLaid Down:  December 6, 1920Launched:  April 22, 1925Commissioned:  March 25, 1927Fate:  Sunk June 4, 1942 Specifications Displacement:  37,100 tonsLength:  855 ft., 3 in.Beam:  102 ft., 9 in.Draft:  28 ft., 7 in.Propulsion:  4 Kampon geared steam turbines, 19 Kampon water-tube boilers, 4 Ãâ€" shaftsSpeed:  31.5 knotsRange:  12,000 nautical miles at 16 knotsComplement:  1,630 men Armament 6 Ãâ€" 1 20 cm guns6 Ãâ€" 2 120 mm (4.7 in) AA guns14 Ãâ€" 2 25 mm (1 in) AA gun Selected Sources World War II Database: AkagiMidway 1942: Akagi

Assessment on MFL with ICT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Assessment on MFL with ICT - Essay Example characterized by some or all of the following features: under-performance in all four language skills; the setting of impossible or pointless tasks for average (and in particular less able) pupils and their abandonment of modern language learning at the first opportunity; excessive use of English and an inability to produce other than inadequate or largely unusable statements in the modern language; inefficient reading skills; and writing limited mainly to mechanical reproduction which was often extremely inaccurate. Such was the opinion of HMI. A teacher writing in the Audio-Visual Language Journal in 1978 described a number of other problems, too. He analyzed the situation from both his and the pupil's point of view. He wrote: It has been very hard work, demanding an inordinate amount of preparation and a great expenditure of energy in an attempt to motivate the apathetic core that exists in every CSE class. But the examinations are always a bitter disappointment and a derisory return for those children who have shown interest and worked well: a grade higher than 4 is rare, even though the candidates always include children who have the potential for a 1 or 2. From these two perspective... The CSE (Certificate of Secondary Education), first introduced in 1965, and the GCE 'O' level (General Certificate of Education Ordinary level) examinations, in existence long before, seemed inappropriate and needed revision. It was in this context of producing an examination better suited to the needs of learners of all abilities, and of motivating all children aged from 11 to 16, and especially those of average and below average ability, that the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and Graded Objectives in Modern Languages (GOML) were developed. A combination of the new, joint 16+ examination and the GOML movement were seen by many people as realistic ways of assessing and motivating the whole ability range of pupils in secondary schools. Graded Objectives in Modern Languages The Graded Objectives movement achieved its momentum in the 1970s. It was prompted largely by a feeling among teachers that, in the context of the proposed new 16+ examination, the majority of their pupils could not be expected to sustain their interest and motivation for five years without some formal indications of successful learning. The principle of the five year course which must be completed before a public examination could be taken [was considered unacceptable]. The first principle of the graded objectives scheme was therefore that the traditional five year course to CSE/'O' level should be broken up into a set of shorter term objectives, each one leading to the next and each one building on its predecessor. (Harding, Page and Rowell 1980:3-4) The second principle of the Graded Objectives movement was that learners should be given worthwhile and realistic tasks to do which were (A) Achievable by all abilities

Data Model and Data Warehouse Design Architecture & XML Essay

Data Model and Data Warehouse Design Architecture & XML - Essay Example For the purpose of this scenario, the information sources are represented by these operational database systems which are actually relational databases, and are required to be integrated in the data warehouse. Every clinic has also a manager and a number of staff, such as, cleaners, nurses, and etc. Since, data warehouses are capable of handling server tasks connected to querying, therefore, the proposed implementation of data warehouse would support the company’s transactions systems to complete transactions within a desirable time frame by running the reports and queries on a server. Allow the users (company staff) to obtain reports and make queries efficiently as data warehouse gives the user control over the response time by storing the older data and the recent data in well-organized manner. Despite the fact that the company can enjoy many benefits from implementing the proposed implementation, there are some major drawbacks as well which are highlighted in another article at Exforsys (The disadvantages of a data warehouse, n.d.): Since, data warehouse contains historical data about a company’s transactions, the value of this information might be limited because the businesses operating in today’s market are in constant transition, and therefore, it may not be always worthy to use a historical data. The process of extracting, transforming, and loading data from the source systems in real-time can be one of the most challenging tasks for any data warehouse. The ETL process normally requires downtime of the data warehouse, and therefore, it is usually carried out late at night to avoid any inconvenience because users cannot access data warehouse during the process. However, there can’t be any system downtime when the data is being loaded continuously in real-time. Unfortunately, most of the traditional ETL tools and systems are incapable of supporting continuous updates in the data warehouse without