Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Australian Government Innovative Climate Change Policy Essay

Australian Government Innovative Climate Change Policy - Essay Example It will mean that the equivalent of 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity will come from renewable sources by 2020 is transformed. The world is moving forward and economies which do not start cleaning up now will fall behind. Australia has spent the last decade working out on how to put a price on carbon pollution is the cheapest way to tackle climate change. The Government’s plan for a clean energy future has been negotiated by the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee. The Committee has agreed to a comprehensive set of measures to help fight climate change. The Government is separately investing in further measures to ease the economic transition to a carbon price, as well as taking additional steps to reduce carbon pollution. BACKGROUND AND ESSENTIAL IDEAS The Government has developed a comprehensive plan for a clean energy future. The need for this plan is clear, from both an environmental and an economic perspective. This plan has been devised in response to clear scientific advice that the world is warming, that carbon pollution from human activity creates. Significant risks and those we can avoid the worst potential impacts by reducing carbon pollution. Taking action on climate change is in our national interest. Australia faces acute risks from climate change. Faced with the serious negative consequences for our natural systems (including national icons like the Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu), our economy and our way of life, it would be irresponsible not to play our part in international action on climate change. Taking action sooner means that the transition to a clean energy future can be more gradual, manageable and...This paper outlines the positive effects of the comprehensive climate change policy, maintained by Australian government. More specifically, the paper describes the impact of Federal Government’s Clean Energy Bill, which was enacted in 2011. The Bill introduced carbon pricing mechanism designed to improve environmental and economic efficiency. In addition the energy bill contained innovative mechanisms to shield it from political and administrative cycles. Climate change will not just damage the natural environment. Left unchecked, it also poses risks to Australia’s economic prosperity. Within the purview of the Bill, all businesses will be required to pay for their pollution under this price mechanism. The carbon price will be beneficial to the economy since it will create a financial incentive that will flow throughout the economy. Households will benefit from tax cuts, higher family payments and increases in pensions. The carbon price will also change Australia’s electricity generation by encouraging investment in renewable energy like wind and solar power and the use of cleaner fuels like natural gas. The government will be committed supporting jobs throughout manufacturing, food processing industries and coal mining since The Government’s Renewable Energy Target, combined with the carbon price, will deliver around $20 billion of investment in renewable energy by 2020 in today’s dollars. It will mean that the equivalent of 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity will come from renewable sources by 2020 is transformed. Under the Government’s clean energy plan, the carbon pricing mechanism will establish a clear price path into the future for reduced carbon pollution.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Stitch in Time Save Nine Essay Example for Free

Stitch in Time Save Nine Essay The history of copyright law starts with early privileges and monopolies granted to printers of books. The British Statute of Anne 1710, full title An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned, was the first copyright statute. Initially copyright law only applied to the copying of books. Over time other uses such as translations and derivative works were made subject to copyright and copyright now covers a wide range of works, including maps, performances, paintings, photographs, sound recordings, motion pictures and computer programs. Today national copyright laws have been standardized to some extent through international and regional agreements such as the Berne Convention and the European copyright directives. Although there are consistencies among nations copyright laws, each jurisdiction has separate and distinct laws and regulations about copyright. Some jurisdictions also recognize moral rights of creators, such as the right to be credited for the work. Copyright are exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. Copyright does not protect ideas, only their expression or fixation. In most jurisdictions copyright arises upon fixation and does not need to be registered. Copyright owners have the exclusive statutory right to exercise control over copying and other exploitation of the works for a specific period of time, after which the work is said to enter the public domain. Uses which are covered under limitations and exceptions to copyright, such as fair use, do not require permission from the copyright owner. All other uses require permission and copyright owners can license or permanently transfer or assign their exclusive rights to othEarly developments The earliest recorded historical case-law on the right to copy comes from ancient Ireland. The Cathach is the oldest extant Irish manuscript of the Psalter and the earliest example of Irish writing. It contains a Vulgate version of Psalms XXX (10) to CV (13) with an interpretative rubric or heading before each psalm. It is traditionally ascribed to Saint Columba as the copy, made at night in haste by a miraculous light, of a Psalter lent to Columba by St. Finnian. A dispute arose about the ownership of the copy and King Diarmait Mac Cerbhaill gave the judgement To every cow belongs her calf, therefore to every book belongs its copy. [1] [This story comes from an author much more interested in a good story than an accurate one and so one can question whether this was the actual decision, or even whether there was a case at all. However the story is quite old and so at least gives us some idea of opinion in the days before the printing press. Modern copyright law has been influenced by an array of older legal rights that have been recognized throughout history, including the moral rights of the author who created a work, the economic rights of a benefactor who paid to have a copy made, the property rights of the individual owner of a copy, and a sovereigns right to censor and to regulate the printing industry. The origins of some of these rights can be traced back to ancient Greek culture, ancient Jewish law, and ancient Roman law. [2] In Greek society, during the sixth century B. C. E. there emerged the notion of the individual self, including personal ideals, ambition, and creativity. [3] The individual self is important in copyright because it distinguishes the creativity produced by an individual from the rest of society. In ancient Jewish Talmudic law there can be found recognition of the moral rights of the author and the economic or property rights of an author. [4] Prior to the invention of movable type in the West in the mid-15th century, texts were copied by hand and the small number of texts generated few occasions for these rights to be tested. During the Roman Empire, a period of prosperous book trade, no copyright or similar regulations existed, copying by those other than professional booksellers was rare. This is because books were, typically, copied by literate slaves, who were expensive to buy and maintain. Thus, any copier would have had to pay much the same expense as a professional publisher. Roman book sellers would sometimes pay a well regarded author for first access to a text for copying, but they had no exclusive rights to a work and authors were not normally paid anything for their work. [5]

Friday, October 25, 2019

Vaccination: A Necessary Precaution Essay -- Medicine Vaccines

The issue regarding vaccinations and their accompanying side effects has been a prevalent debate throughout society and medicine for a number of years. Some continue to believe that vaccinations are harmful and actually promote disease, but the truth is that the concept of immunization is one of the most significant advances in scientific history that has led to the prevention of countless diseases and epidemics throughout the world. Still, despite the overall improvement of public health, the usage of vaccinations remains a controversial concern that is constantly challenged. Vaccination critics argue that the serious side effects associated with vaccines have been underreported, underfunded, and rarely researched. This, however, is false. Vaccinations are a necessary part of society because they prevent the spread of major diseases, reduce the severity of illness, boost one’s immune system, and in turn, protect the populous from potential epidemics. The definition of a vaccination, as stated by the Encyclopedia Britannica, is â€Å"a suspension of weakened, killed, or fragmented microorganisms or toxins or of antibodies or lymphocytes that is administered primarily to prevent disease† (Encyclopedia Britannica). Vaccines stimulate the immune system to attack the specific harmful agent and then cause the anti-bodies to remain sensitized in case the agent should ever reappear in one’s system. Obviously, this can be helpful when trying to prevent disease, or any other illness for that matter, since the anti-bodies specific to that type of illness remain present in one’s body lest the illness returns. Since infants are extremely susceptible to infirmity, many are vaccinated as early as the first month of their life. This helps p... ...ubmed/11032190>. Encyclopedia Britannica. "Science & Technology::Vaccine." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Web. . Fisher, Barbara Loe. "In the Wake of Vaccines." Mothering.com 126 (2004): n. pag. Web. 30 Nov 2010. . Narins, Brigham. World of Microbiology and Immunology. 1. Farmington Mills, MI: Gale, 2003. Web. . Riedel, Stefan. "Edward Jenner and the History of Smallpox and Vaccination." Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings 18.1 (2005): 21-25. Web. 1 Dec 2010. . Williams, Tony. "God's Will and Dead Viruses." Internet Review of Books Sep. 2010: 304. Web. 30 Nov 2010. .

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Apparts Jacob Riis

This document was written by Jacob A. Riis, an excerpt from his How the Other Half Lives. The author views that most people do not realize the tremendous amount of poverty surrounding them. They do not realize how the â€Å"other half† of the population; meaning the poor, manage to make it through a living. Riis wants to describe the living conditions of the lower class to create Americans an image of how the poor has many difficulties. Place and Time: Jacob Riis wrote this document in the late nineteenth century. This was when immigrants, mostly from Southern and Eastern Europe, came in an abundance amount of number to American cities very rapidly. However, Jacob Riis focuses mainly on New York City in this excerpt, for it was the major entry port for Europeans and possessed more foreign-born residents and more densely populated neighborhoods than any other U. S. city. Prior Knowledge: The first great wave of immigration began in the 1820s during a period in American history that witnessed expansion, innovation, and the beginning of a modern society. The United States offered hope with the prospect of prosperity and security for many Europeans struggling with the post Napoleonic period. The arrival of so many immigrants created massive problems in Northern cities. The Five Points district in New York City spawned the cholera outbreak during the presidency of Andrew Jackson which led to stereotyping immigrants by middle class and wealthy Americans. Emerging slums further intensified sanitation concerns and produced irrational fears. By the 1850s, strong nativist feelings led to the formation of the American party, often referred to as the â€Å"Know-Nothings. † Believing that low-wage earning immigrants would take away jobs and fearful of the perceived authoritarianism of Catholicism, Know-Nothings attempted to pass strict laws restricting immigrants. Both Irish and German immigrants helped forge the new nation precisely at a time when innovation, creativity, and labor were needed. Germans like Horace Mann in the 1830s and 1840s reformed American education. Carl Schurz, a founder of the Republican Party and a refugee of the 1848 Revolutions in Europe, became a national leader, championing Abraham Lincoln, crusading for party reform after the Civil War, and strongly opposing American imperialism at the turn of the century. Audience: Jacob Riis’ intended audience would most likely be anyone that is not aware of the living conditions of the lower class or poor people/immigrants/families; particularly the â€Å"half† of the people who were rich, though. Riis just wanted Americans to have a glimpse of life among the urban poor. Reason: Jacob Riis, who became a crusader for the eradication of tenement slums, intended on describing the crowded conditions and the â€Å"cosmopolitan character of lower New York. † Riis wanted to provide numerous Americans their first glimpse of life among the urban poor. He wanted to show people how the lower classes manage to live in the horrible conditions that they are in. The Main Idea: The main idea was that American cities were vastly and rapidly being populated by immigrants, mostly from Southern and Eastern Europe. However, the majority of these immigrants were living in poverty. They were residing in crowded conditions, not being able to support their family or themselves without any sort of income, food, or property. Being the â€Å"other half† that were poor; they did not get enough if any, attention from the â€Å"other half† that were either rich or classified as the upper class. In this excerpt, Jacob Riis acknowledges the living conditions of the poor; he sees how they get by with their daily lives. He just wonders if they are all corrupted or not, and speedily, by their atrocious surroundings. He also believes however, that things cannot get any worse. He believes that the slums’ sediment was going for a steadier growth. Significance: I believe the significance of this document is how Jacob Riis acknowledges how the lower classes of immigrants in New York City live in their horrible conditions. He points out all the clear facts on how they live in poverty in such, but he also mentions how things could not really get any worse. Most immigrants had absolutely nothing, so the only way they could go, was up. He pointed out that their sediment grew at a steady rate and that a German rag-picker, someone who was considered to be as low in the scale as his Italian successor, could be compared equally to a thrifty tradesman or prosperous farmer today. This shows that if any slum or person of a lower class had motivation to thrive and prosper, he or she could easily do so by steadily working up, or have the optimist’s belief that the world is, after all, growing better, not worse.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

How did Transportation Change During the Industrial Revolution

How did Transportation Change During the Industrial Revolution? The universe had gone through two industrial revolutions. The first revolution began in the 1700s. And the 2nd revolution happened in the 1860s. Both of the revolutions were the most of import periods in the history of human society because they influenced about every facet of life and particularly brought the universe wholly new sorts of transits. Steam engine, waterway, route, and railway experienced chiefly betterment during the first revolution, and the 2nd revolution brought the innovations of car and aeroplane ; both they played an indispensable function in the development of transit in history. The steam engine was one of the most critical constituents that had been invented during the first industrial revolution. It contributed a batch to the betterment of transit. Thomas Newcomen was the first individual who invented the steam engine. However, the usage of the steam engine was expensive and non efficient. ( World History text edition ) Until 1765, James Watt, one of the greatest subscribers to transit, reformed the steam engine to be more efficient and consume less fuel by adding a separate capacitor to Newcomen’s engine. Watt’s betterment had saved about 75 per centum of the fuel that had antecedently been used by the engine. ( Kendra Bolon ) After the betterment, the steam engine had been used loosely on the other transits, such as steam ship and steam engine. The steam engine non merely improved the manner of transporting, but besides the quality of life. For illustration, people could go by taking locomotor and steam ship. Furthermore, they could bask th e life by watching the landscape during the trip. Therefore, the steam engine was the most unbelievable transit in the universe. Roadss, canals, and railroads were three major constituents of transit improved during the first industrial revolution. Peoples used the roads as the basic manner to transport the goods from one topographic point to another. Roadss were in really bad fix before the first revolution, and it were non efficient for people to transport goods. ( World History text edition ) John MacAdam, Thomas Telford, and John Metcalfe all developed the new roads building techniques. Thomas Telford made new foundations in roads with big level rocks. John MacAdam equipped roadbeds with a bed of big rocks ; hence, people could transport goods on a showery twenty-four hours. Canal was another critical portion of transits, which allowed goods to be transported through a series of semisynthetic waterways. Transporting goods by canal lowered the hazards of besotted merchandises during path. Furthermore, a canal flatboat could transport more merchandises than the other signifiers of transit during that clip. C anal besides cost less money for transporting ware. For the ground of transporting heavy goods from topographic point to topographic point, the betterment of railroad began in 1800, which made a great spring in transporting engineering in human history. The improved steam engine led the running locomotor with decently powered technique of turn overing. The betterment of railroads allowed the towns and metropoliss to turn quickly. In the mid-18Thursday, Abraham Darby made a plate manner of dramatis personae Fe on top of tracks that allowed the furnaces working and able to raise the Fe home base. In 1789, William Jessop developed an â€Å"L† shaped rail which held the waggon on the path. Goods could be transferred within a short sum of clip, which helped to further the agricultural and fishing industries. The engine was capable of transporting ternary sum of goods compared to the horse-pulled waggons. ( Mrs. Abiah Darby ) The betterment of route, canal, and railway changed the manner of transporting, the sum and distance of transporting goods increased significantly and affected how people lived consequently. The car and aeroplane were the two most unbelievable signifiers of transits that were been invented during the 2nd industrial revolution in the 1860s. Car was important signifier of transit since it affected the whole universe. The car was foremost invented by Karl Benz in 1886. Later on, in 1908, Henry Ford made the car low-cost for people by presenting the assembly line. ( World History text edition ) Automobile enabled people to travel anyplace they wanted to at any clip. It’s the most convenient tool for people to travel. As for the other of import innovation, aeroplane, was built in 1903 by Wilbur and Orville Wright. ( World History text edition ) Around 400 BC, Archytas was reputed as the first individual designed and built the first automotive winging device. While the Wright brothers made the first successful attempt to transport a adult male rose by aeroplane. The first aeroplane flew of course at even velocity, and descended without harm. Although the flight lasted merely 59 seconds, it marked an of import start of the aircraft industry. The visual aspect of car changed the whole universe wholly in that it provided a convenient and low-cost manner to transport and travel for people. The creative activity of aeroplane broadens the range and distance of the transit, which may transports riders and goods across continents and land. These two innovations both brought important influence to people. In decision, during the first and 2nd industrial revolutions, transit had gone through dramatic alteration and betterment. It non merely brought effectual and efficient manner of transporting, but besides influenced and shaped people’s life, about every facet in people’s day-to-day life. With the progress of engineering, transit progressed. The steam engine led to the application of locomotor and steamboat, which increased transporting capacity and therefore facilitated more production machines for fabrication in other industries. Trade enlargement was fostered by the debut of canals, improved roads and railroads. The innovation of car grounded the basic manner of transit for people while the aeroplane provided a faster manner from topographic point to topographic point. The first and 2nd industrial revolution marked a turning point in human history, and transit played a critical function impacting people’s life socially and economically. Bibliography: Bolon, Kendra.The Steam Engine. N.p. : Kendra Bolon, 2001. N. pag. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.history.rochester.edu/steam/thurston/1878/ . Web. Bustamante, Crystal. Transportation during the Industrial Revolution. N.p. : Crystal Bustamante, 2009. N. pag. Web. 26 Jan. 2009. Bulter, Scott, Keats, Thedawnbringer, Hedleygb, and Peter. How has conveyance changed since the Industrial Revolution? N.p. : n.p. , n.d. N. pag. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Industrial revolution research. N.p. : HTML5 UP, n.d. N. pag. Web.v Mack, Pamela E. Transportation. N.p. : n.p. , 2002. N. pag. Web. 27 Sept. 2002. Roadss, Canals and Railways – the Transport revolution. N.p. : n.p. , UK. N. pag. Web. 2013. The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1900. N.p. : n.p. , n.d. N. pag.KCCIS. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Transportation. N.p. : n.p. , n.d. N. pag. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

IRAQ essays

IRAQ essays In line with Baghdad's policy of at least apparent compliance with U.N. inspections in the hope of averting a threatened U.S. attack, an Iraqi official said a statement would be provided Saturday a day before time runs out. "We are going to deliver this declaration in the proper time on the seventh of this month and the people here, the UNMOVIC and IAEA, will take this declaration to New York and Vienna," said Hussam Mohammed Amin, head of the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate, referring to the two arms inspection bodies. Asked if the declaration would include any new elements, he said: "Of course the declaration will have new elements but these new elements will not, shall we say, necessarily include a declaration of the presence of weapons of mass destruction. "We are a country devoid of weapons of mass destruction. This fact is known to all countries including the United States of America and Britain and all those concerned." U.S. President George Bush said Monday Iraq had to supply a "credible and complete" list of its nuclear, biological and chemical weapons by Sunday the Dec. 8 deadline set by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441. In the range of Iraqi technology being investigated by U.N. experts, there are many gray areas such as components which can be used to produce weapons of mass destruction, but can also be used in conventional arms or peaceful civilian activities. Baghdad's promised declaration might fall within such gray areas. A source close to the U.N. inspectors told Reuters Iraqi officials had recently admitted to trying to acquire aluminum tubing in violation of U.N. sanctions, but not for use in the production of nuclear arms as the U.S. and Britain alleged. An Iraqi spokesman however denied Tuesday that Iraq had made any such admission at all. ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

s Critical Thinking

I will be showing Walton’s fallacies in the texts I use on â€Å"Communication Between Divorced Parents†. I will demonstrate by using Walton’s fallacies how some parents remain friendly and put the children first in divorce situations. I will also demonstrate Walton’s fallacies on how other parents don’t have anything good to say about each other and tend to put the children in the middle. I will then be able to understand the dynamics of divorced parents better and how miscommunication affects their future communications. Some problems can be overcome with planning and forethought, as we have seen, but this eventuality is difficult to guard against, the best advice being the fullest possible airing of views on every aspect of the topic before marriage (Shreeve, 89). I believe that this fits well with Walton’s argument as a reasoned dialogue. In discussing these issues the couple will go through all types of dialogue: quarrel, debate, persuasion to get the other person to see their point, negotiation to come to an agreement, information seeking – asking further questions, action seeking, and even educational. After applying Walton’s dialogue they will have aired their views on every aspect of the topic of marriage. So thrash out the whole approach you should adopt with your partner beforehand. And however, desperately unhappy and bitter you may feel yourself, make an enormous effort not to let this spill out into your relationship with your child or children – especially if their existence contributed to the stresses that finally broke your marriage (Shreeve, 91). I believe that the author is using Walton’s argument as reasoned dialogue here for the parents to put a plan together on how they are going to handle the children and how they are going to behave towards it each. The author is telling them to go through Walton’s process. I see Walton’s process being used to its fullest here. There will be ... 's Critical Thinking Free Essays on Walton\'s Critical Thinking I will be showing Walton’s fallacies in the texts I use on â€Å"Communication Between Divorced Parents†. I will demonstrate by using Walton’s fallacies how some parents remain friendly and put the children first in divorce situations. I will also demonstrate Walton’s fallacies on how other parents don’t have anything good to say about each other and tend to put the children in the middle. I will then be able to understand the dynamics of divorced parents better and how miscommunication affects their future communications. Some problems can be overcome with planning and forethought, as we have seen, but this eventuality is difficult to guard against, the best advice being the fullest possible airing of views on every aspect of the topic before marriage (Shreeve, 89). I believe that this fits well with Walton’s argument as a reasoned dialogue. In discussing these issues the couple will go through all types of dialogue: quarrel, debate, persuasion to get the other person to see their point, negotiation to come to an agreement, information seeking – asking further questions, action seeking, and even educational. After applying Walton’s dialogue they will have aired their views on every aspect of the topic of marriage. So thrash out the whole approach you should adopt with your partner beforehand. And however, desperately unhappy and bitter you may feel yourself, make an enormous effort not to let this spill out into your relationship with your child or children – especially if their existence contributed to the stresses that finally broke your marriage (Shreeve, 91). I believe that the author is using Walton’s argument as reasoned dialogue here for the parents to put a plan together on how they are going to handle the children and how they are going to behave towards it each. The author is telling them to go through Walton’s process. I see Walton’s process being used to its fullest here. There will be ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Telephone English Practice Exercises

Telephone English Practice Exercises Speaking English on the telephone is one of the most challenging tasks for any English learner. There are a number of common phrases to learn, but the most challenging aspect is that you can not see the person. The most important thing about practicing telephone conversations is that you shouldnt be able to see the person you are speaking to on the phone. Here are some tips and exercises to get you started improving your telephone English. Exercises for Practicing Speaking on the Telephone Here are a few suggestions for practicing phone calls without looking at your partner: In the same room - Put your chairs back to back and practice speaking on the phone, you will only hear the other persons voice which will approximate a telephone situation.Use the telephone - This is pretty obvious, but really not used that often. Give your friend a call and practice various conversations (role plays).Use internal office phones at work - This is one of my favorites and great for business classes. If your class is on site (at the office) go to different offices and call one another practicing conversations. Another variation is for the students to go into another office and have the teacher telephone them pretending to be a native speaker in a hurry. Its then up to the students to make sure they have communicated what they need  or understood what the caller wants. This exercise is always a lot of fun - depending on how good your teacher is at acting!Tape yourself - If you are practicing alone, tape standard answers and then practice using the tape recorder stoppin g and starting to simulate a conversation. Real life situations - Businesses are always interested in telling you about their products. Find a product you are interested in and research it over the telephone. You can ...call a store to find out the prices and specifications.ring the company representative to find out details on how the product works.telephone a consumer agency to find out if the product has any defects.call customer service to find out about replacement parts, etc. Grammar:  Present Continuous for Telephone English Use the present continuous tense to state why you are calling: Im calling to speak to Ms. Anderson.Were sponsoring a contest and would like to know if you are interested. Use the present continuous to make an excuse for someone who cant take a call: Im sorry, Ms. Anderson is meeting with a client at the moment.  Unfortunately, Peter isnt working in the office today. Grammar: Would / Could for Polite Requests Use Would / Could you please to make requests on the telephone such as asking to leave a message: Could you please take message?Would you please let him know that I called?Could you please ask him/her to call me back? Telephone Introductions Use This is... to introduce yourself on the telephone: This is Tom Yonkers calling to speak with Ms. Filler.   Use This is ... speaking if someone asks for you and you are on the phone. Yes, this is Tom speaking. How may I help you?This is Helen Anderson.   Check Your Understanding Answer these questions to check your understanding of how to improve your telephone English. True or False?  Its best to practice telephone calls with friends together in a room.Its a good idea to: a) turn your chairs back to back and practice b) record yourself and practice conversations c) try to use real life situations to practice d) all of theseTrue or False?  You have to remember to use a real telephone to practice telephone English.Fill in the gap:  Could you _____ let her know that I telephoned?Telephoning in English can be difficult because a) people are lazy when they speak on the telephone. b) you cant see the person speaking. c) the sound on the telephone is too low.  Fill in the gap:  _____ is Peter Smith calling about my appointment next week.   Answers False -  Its best to practice in separate rooms with real telephones.D -  All of the ideas are helpful when practicing telephone English.  True -  The best way to learn telephone English is to practice on the telephone.please -  Remember to be polite!B -  Telephone English is especially difficult because there are no visual clues.This -  Use This is... to introduce yourself on the telephone.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

100 Word Each on Student Posts (2 Total) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

100 Word Each on Student Posts (2 Total) - Essay Example You have rightly identified decision-making and problem solving ability as two fundamental traits of effective leadership. From the qualities you have mentioned, I can tell that he is a transformational leader, driving his organization toward positive change and innovation. The organization has chosen 360 degree review as a method of review that must be hard to manage because â€Å"[g]iving 360-degree feedback can be as tough as receiving it† (Fagerhaugh 79). The organizational leader must be sure that he has appointed the right person to do the review for the review to be detailed and thorough and for the judgment thus made, to be rational. Having right people work in the right positions is fundamental to organizational success because their skills and individualistic traits fulfill the demands of those positions. Without the team of right people, management cannot effectively implement its strategies and thus loses control. This imparts the need for the management to establish the positions and recruitment process according to the organizational objectives

Hospital Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hospital Financial Management - Essay Example By developing fixed and variable expenses PPD strategies they find it efficient in paying long-term expenses without running out of all the operational cash. During their 1st Qrt, they expected a fixed cost structure of 20% which in actual budget shifted to 19% making a point value of 1. The same way by budgeting for variable cost structure of 80% and gaining an actual of 81% giving them a point value of 1, it means that the operation of the hospital is very strategically planned. The other reason for the better financial performance of the hospital is because of the better turn out of patients both in and outpatient, the benefits are given to them and the services performed. Despite good profit generation from the hospital, it is still advisable that they develop the good strategy based on the indicators shown by the office of the statewide health planning development (OSHPD). The indicators require the hospital financial management to develop corrective measures such as volunteer t ime so that the salaries benefit can be reduced by at least 10%, the need also to give professional training to lower the professional fee they provide for. The hospital management should be determined in developing ways of reducing their supplies from 15% to some reasonable percentage. The main issue the hospital management should focus on to help their performance is the salaries, variable patients benefit, and the supplies they receive. They should develop strategies that enable them to reduce the cost of professionals pays.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Discussion Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 13

Discussion Question - Essay Example In some occasions, family and friends who visited these patients would participate in the prayer sessions. The three patients, who were all Christians, engaged in prayer to get the necessary spiritual strength to deal with the pain and other limitations caused by the disease. These prayers attracted other Christians within the ward, who were suffering from different diseases. These prayers usually helped the patients deal with the pain, and trust God for their healing. The activity was well-received by other Christians in the ward, but there was some resistance from the Muslims. This came from the different beliefs and praying times followed by the Muslim believers. The Christians would pray in the morning and evening, while Muslims pray three times in a day. The Muslim prayers follow a predefined format whereas Christians do not follow given prayer format. This forced the Muslims to engage in their prayers separately from Christians. However, they were free to join the Christians, and some were involved in the Christian prayer. Patients require spiritual support from nurses, who can participate in their spiritual practices or reinforce their spiritual

Video games addiction Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Video games addiction - Assignment Example A timid youngster can abruptly got gregarious; an uninvolved kid can get forceful. (Neils & P.shauvan, 2009) Youngsters, who regularly feel weak in their every day lives, all of a sudden can summon armed forces, drive (and accident) autos, and wreak devastation on a virtual world with no genuine outcomes. This is enticing! Also when that kid or young lady is discovering it a test in "this present reality" to make companions, PC and feature amusements offer an approach to interface with others in their "virtual world," without the pain of eye to eye collaborations. Feature amusement and Internet habit are not real Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV groupings, despite the fact that the American Medical Association is looking into exploration keeping in mind the end goal to figure out if they ought to be incorporated in the following redesign of the manual in 2010. Numerous mental wellbeing experts feel that feature amusements are like betting as an addictive methodology. By a few assessments, upwards of 10 percent of gamers show addictive conduct Parents have to take up the challenge and try helping the youngsters, as it’s the case with any other form of addiction, there may be imperviousness to change and withdrawal side effects. It will undertake your part to help your tyke discover hobbies and exercises to supplant feature diversions. Furthermore it may require outside help, for example, a specialist or medicine program, if there are underlying issues that prompted the diversion fixation in any case. At the same time feature amusement habit could be dealt with, and your youngsters require your assistance. (Neils & Shauvan, 2009). Feature amusement dependence has turned into a real issue in our social order. Numerous youngsters and adolescents play an over the top measure of hours of feature diversions as shown in figure

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Video from TED Talks Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Video from TED Talks - Movie Review Example In order to meet the required energy levels to sustain such a trip, it is critical to have a reliable source of energy. Over and above that, the chosen source of energy must have adequate capacity to propel the aircraft without taking high risks that threaten life. It is interesting to have an environmental enthusiast like Bertrand Piccard. However, his project will take long to make a difference as far as use of fossil fuels is concerned. Today, flying has increasingly become commercialized. Airlines have invested billions of dollars in air transport, an area in which Bertrand Piccard is far from proposing a reliable solution. As he speaks, Bertrand Piccard has invested significantly in the project. The project only accounts for a couple of people as Bertrand Piccard plans to fly around the world. While Bertrand Piccard might actually fly around the world in a solar-powered aircraft, his arguments or propositions will probably take ages to be adopted. There are diverse and dynamic resource criticalities that would have to be addressed before such an ambitious project is commercialized for public use. Bertrand Piccard’s approach to environmental sustainability, however, is highly

Painting Styles, Impressionist, Post-Impressionist & Modern Essay

Painting Styles, Impressionist, Post-Impressionist & Modern - Essay Example The essay "Painting Styles, Impressionist, Post-Impressionist & Modern" explores such painting styles as Impressionist, Post-Impressionist & Modern. The group included the rebellious young Artists looking for new ways for the expression of ideas in painting. They attempted to question the traditionalists by portraying objects and scenes that lacked definition, and tried to explain how the eye interpreted objects. Exponents of ‘Impressionism’ also exploited the light sources for exploration and translation of light on the canvas, and the subject matter was the modern world, particularly landscapes. The founding members of ‘Impressionism’ were Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro."Images of suburban and rural leisure outside of Paris were a popular subject for the Impressionists.† The artistic technique of ‘Impressionism’ includes strong strokes of brush on canvas, and this style uses vibrant shades and attempts to translate scenes with mood and feeling. The Painting-â€Å"Autumn Evening,† by the Russian Painter Oleg Frolov in the year 2001, an oil painting on canvas, can be considered as an example of typical ‘Impressionist Painting.’ Post-Impressionism: Post-Impressionism is less easy to define and it differs from Impressionists on dissimilarity in personal styles, and subjects. In the transitory effects of light and spontaneous compositions, they share similar interest with Impressionists and concern with light, but their personal styles vary greatly. The term Post-Impressionism was coined.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Video from TED Talks Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Video from TED Talks - Movie Review Example In order to meet the required energy levels to sustain such a trip, it is critical to have a reliable source of energy. Over and above that, the chosen source of energy must have adequate capacity to propel the aircraft without taking high risks that threaten life. It is interesting to have an environmental enthusiast like Bertrand Piccard. However, his project will take long to make a difference as far as use of fossil fuels is concerned. Today, flying has increasingly become commercialized. Airlines have invested billions of dollars in air transport, an area in which Bertrand Piccard is far from proposing a reliable solution. As he speaks, Bertrand Piccard has invested significantly in the project. The project only accounts for a couple of people as Bertrand Piccard plans to fly around the world. While Bertrand Piccard might actually fly around the world in a solar-powered aircraft, his arguments or propositions will probably take ages to be adopted. There are diverse and dynamic resource criticalities that would have to be addressed before such an ambitious project is commercialized for public use. Bertrand Piccard’s approach to environmental sustainability, however, is highly

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Understanding the new hazards associated with terrorism Essay

Understanding the new hazards associated with terrorism - Essay Example The basic purpose of this education campaign is to make sure that the general public allays its fear of terrorism and gets to know a better idea of how things shape up within the relevant scheme of things as far as the discussion of terror is concerned. This will be resolved amicably if there is an understanding that the terrorism is a sin in its most heinous form and shall always be tackled in a proper manner. The public education campaign would bank on detailing the hazards that would mar the very basis of spreading terrorism (Masse, 2009). The efforts would be on hand to make sure that the people remain abreast of the changing terror related events that are spread all over the world, and can happen anytime anywhere. What is most important under such a setting is to know that people are being told what they ought to know so that sanity could prevail within their related ranks. This public education campaign will list down the significant steps that need to be understood by all and sundry, as well as apprise the people as to how they must change their respective courses over a period of time. It will tell the audience what precautionary measures they need to take and how proactive attitude could lead to minimal loss of life and property in the long run.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Training for improving service quality at Honda Essay Example for Free

Training for improving service quality at Honda Essay This case is about Honda American Motor Company which tries to improve quality due to blended learning approach. They split it in three different phase. 1. Phase one: The first phase takes place online. For two to three weeks, learners access a series of online modules that introduce the logical processes for effective problem solving and decision making. Learner progress is essentially self-paced, but since the content is driven from a Web server, the instructor can follow the progress of each learner and provide on-going encouragement and support. During phase one, learners are also asked to identify situations to which they intend to apply the techniques so they can focus on these situations when they attend the workshop. This powerful combination of initial learning and preparation for applying the concepts to real-life issues ensures the following phase will not only be efficient but also build deep understanding and significant motivation to use the ideas on the job after training. 2. Phase two: The second phase takes place at the workshop. Guided by the instructor, learners spend two days deepening their understanding of the concepts, discussing best practices and additional techniques for problem solving and decision making, and practicing on detailed case scenarios. Since skill transfer and results occur most rapidly when starting with the learner’s on-the-job issues, a significant portion of the session is spent working on the problems, decisions and plans identified in phase one. Simultaneously, learners receive coaching and feedback from the instructor and one another. Learners leave the session ready to fully apply the concepts and with a plan in hand to move successfully from the workshop to consistent use of the concepts back on the job. 3. Phase three: The final phase takes place back online. In the three weeks following the session, learners resolve the on-the-job issues they began to work on during the workshop. They document for instructor review, feedback and approval the specific techniques they used to resolve the issues. During phase three, learners have access to a host of online support tools and information. They can contact the instructor with questions at any time. The goal of this phase is to ensure use of the learned concepts and build  confidence. Advantages of Honda’s blended learning approach Quality of individual output is improved. Employees have the same way of thinking and working - Makes it easier to work with manager and all the co-workers. Deep understanding and strong motivation from the employees Personalized support Reduce their time away from the job Take advantages of expanding technology capabilities and infrastructure Assure tangible transfer of skills Format which best support the overall emphasis on growth and quality Questions After the presentation of our case some questions have been asked by the students of the class. We have discussed about them and tried to bring some explanations. There were different kinds of questions. The first kind was about the learning model itself. The main questions were the followings: 1. How can you measure the quality improvements? Overall and in figures? 2. Is the learning time too short? 3. Can you find in the library some video clips? 4. Is it not to theoretical this learning system? For the first one we think that it is really difficult to measure in term of figure this kind of program. Indeed it is not a small part of Honda’s employees that are training but the whole company. In addition it is not a program for the short term but for the long term. The global quality of Hondo production will increase due to the learning program that means that the customers will be more satisfy. In the long run they will come back to the company to buy their next car. It will take years to quantify the real impact on the turnover. However it is possible to conduct some survey to the customer to know if they think that the quality has improved. The company  can also check if the time to make a car decrease or if there are less failure with the production. For the second one we do not think that the learning time is too short. 6 weeks is enough for this time of training. Moreover it is not because you have done it one time that you cannot do it anymore in the future. With a short training you can be focused on the main point and do not lose time on secondary information that the employee will never use. For the third one we do not know if it is already available on the intranet of Honda. But it can be a really good idea if it does not exist yet. People prefer to watch somebody explaining something (and see how it is working) than only read it in a book. The last one if one of the most important question for this kind of program where you mix theoretical and manual learning. Where is the border between too much of one or the other? At the first view it seems that two days of practice is not enough. However when the employee start is manual formation he has already learned lots of information. So the trainer will not lose lots of time to explain easy and obvious things but can be directly focus on the main important information that the trainee must learn. The second kind of question was more about the employees and their interaction with the learning program. The following questions have been asked to us: 1. How can you motivate the employees, with which kinds of incentives? 2. What about the learners who are not ready after phase 2? 3. What are the interactions among the employees? By participating into an important process in order to improve the quality of their company, the worker feels involved and useful. Indeed, its not sufficient for the most part. Regarding to the low wages that the workers can perceived, a money incentive can be a real motivation to make them want to learn. Moreover, they can motivate them by establishing in the company policy, a rule that explain that if the worker is efficient and provides good work quickly, he can whether be promoted or get bonus in the end of each month. The answer of the second question is quite simple. Indeed, the instructors  can easily evaluate the learners by watching him doing the job. If the learner applies the method perfectly, the instructor will give him the permission to go to the next phase. Otherwise, according to his level of difficulties, the instructor will send him either in the first phase or remake the second phase. Employees interact each other every time (within the company, lunch breaks), but also on the intranet through forums or instant messages. Thus, they can talk easily about working problems, or for instance, share tips and solutions about technical problems. Every single solution is directly saved into the database. Lot of communication channels allows workers to interact easily each other. How does Honda doing compare to its competitors? First of all it is a really complex process to compare sales and figures with quality management. As we learned during the lecture there is no guaranteed effect between sales of products, Stock price progress and quality. Therefore it is even challenging for Managers to analyze the effects of quality improvements. In ours point of view there is one obvious point how to compare it. The annual recalls of Cars. Toyota US 2013 (Toyota US, 2014 Reuters, 2014) Cars Sold: 182’152 Cars Recall â€Å"Nearly 19 million vehicles globally from late 2009 to early 2011 due to unintended acceleration claims.† Honda US 2013 (IBT, 2014 Reuters, 2014) Cars Sold: 135’255 Cars Recall â€Å"Between 2008 and 2011, Honda was forced to recall about 2.8 million vehicles after finding a defect with driver-side airbags supplied by Takata.†  « Honda (2.8 million), Hyundai-Kia (2.2 million) and Ford Motor Co. (1.2 million) rounded out the top five in terms of vehicles recalled in 2013.  » Conclusion To conclude, this system of training in three phases has many advantages. It permits to all employees to feel involved in it because it is not only a theoretical learning system, to have a personalized support and a control at each phase permit to really evaluate their progression. Furthermore this system of training allows them to reduce their time away from their job. We have analysed some questions about this system such as the measurement of the quality improvement because we can’t really quantify the real impact on the turnover now. The project is on the long term and it will take some few years to measure the satisfaction of the customer, if they will buy another car of this brand or not. The other questions were about employees and their interaction with the program. The money is not the only motivation for employees; they are also motivated by the self-satisfaction (increase their knowledge, promotion, or belong to a company of quality). This program permits the skills transfer also, to discuss of problems on the intranet (forums) Despite some â€Å"issues† such as measuring the efficiency right now of this system or the non-guarantee of effect between sales of product, stock price progress and quality; Honda is the company with the lowest annual recalls of cars. Bibliography IBT http://www.ibtimes.com/here-are-december-2013-big-eight-us-auto-sales-numbers-gm-ford-chrysler-toyota-honda-nissan-1525492, 16.04.2014 Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/11/us-toyota-recall-idUSBRE93A04D20130411, 16.04.2014 Toyota US http://toyotanews.pressroom.toyota.com/releases/tms+march+2014+sales+chart.htm, 16.04.2014

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Is Death Natural? :: essays research papers

Is Death Natural? Many of the most beautiful and meaningful facets of life are the way they are £Ã‚ ¬ because they are ephemeral. I know that death is natural; Life runs its course before coming around again. Something present in or produced by nature is natural, such as an earthquake or typhoon, or a poisonous mushroom. Death is natural in the sense that to die is to conform to the ordinary course of living things in nature. Death has been modeled as an exponential increase in the rate of illnesses with age. Even with no micro-organisms attacking, the body is not well enough designed to function indefinitely. Something always breaks down eventually. What breakdowns, how many, and when they happen, is randomly distributed among individuals, except for conformance to average delays which may have been sculpted by evolution. Some of those functions our medicine can't re-establish or substitute for and some of those are necessary for life. In general, death is an unremarkable event in nature. To die of "natural causes" is not to expire in old age, as is the case in modern human societies, but to typically die young. Average human life spans between 20 and 30 years for most of our species history. Most people today are thus living highly unnaturally long lives. Because of the high incidence of infectious disease, accidents, starvation, and violent death among our ancestors, very few of them lived much beyond 60 or 70. There was therefore little selection pressure to evolve the cellular repair mechanisms (and pay their metabolic costs). As a result of these circumstances in the distant past, we now suffer the inevitable decline of old age: damage accumulates at a faster pace than it can be repaired; tissues and organs begin to malfunction; and then we die. It may turn out to be impossible to live forever, strictly speaking, even for those who are lucky enough to survive to such a time when technology has been perfected, and even under ideal conditions. The amount of matter and energy that our civilization can lay its hands on before they recede forever beyond our reach is finite in the current most favored cosmological models. As for age and death, one of the biggest factors actually has to do with cell replication. Most of our cells are not meant to live forever  ¡Ã‚ ­. We are meant to die. Your cells divide and divide and divide and their daughter cells do the same, so one and such forth.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Leaving your city: Analysis :: essays research papers

The Poem that I chose to analyze is Agha Shahid Ali's titled Leaving Your City. This is a very appropriate choice of title because it clarifies and helps you to understand the movement of the poem. We have the writer and another character meeting and spending time together and then they are not together and the title helps us to understand that the writer has left the city of the newly met companion. Also the title is not stated with in the poem and is not a real clichà © title so I believe that that makes it work even better.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The way Ali has broken up this poem is very interesting. He makes use of full sentences and only uses capitalization at the beginning of each sentence. However the way that each stanza is broken up puts a great deal of emphasis on specific lines throughout the poem. There is also enjambment throughout the entire poem and it makes you keep reading a sentence and at the same time has you look at the line the reader just read more carefully. There is also a great deal of end-stopped lines and line breaks which introduce an unexpected emphasis. There is one line that is just one word, the word meticulous, and that word alone really paints the picture of the nameless character that is involved in someway with the speaker. The way you are forced to read allows for a great reading experience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ali pulls together very unlike images and makes them work very well together. The images however seem to be somewhat abstract. The stanza that really stands out to me is â€Å"you sharpened the knife   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   on the moon’s surface,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   polished it with lunatic silver.† (Ali) This is just very uncertain and it makes the reader have to think about what the speaker is saying. There are just so many different ways in which you can deduce that set of lines, which is definitely a good thing because then the reader definitely has their own interpretation and experience of the writing. The speaker never uses a simile flat out but everything that the speaker says is very important because there are so many events and movements that take place in this piece, yet it is all withered down to a few precise words that encapsulate everything the speaker is trying to convey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tone that the speaker sets is also very important to the reader empathizing.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Philips vs. Matsushita: A New Century, a New Round Essay

1. How did Phillips become the leading consumer electronics company in the world? Philips started its business in 1892 in Eindhoven with its basic product, a light bulb. The company focused on only producing light bulbs at the beginning, and could therefore specialize and create significant innovations. The rapid growth to being the leader in industrial research, helped to broaden its product line. During the post war era Philips gained success and the company was able to adapt to country-specific market conditions. This helped Philips expand to other countries and also generated in a broadened sales volume. Phillips also developed National Organizations (NO ´s) in different countries, which helped to serve other markets more easily. NO ´s were after the Second World War helpful to distribute products to the customer while taking care of specific customer needs as well as country and market needs. This greatly increased self-sufficiency. The company ´s change to a multi-national company in the 1930s was also a specific point why Phillips was the leading cons umer electronics company. How did Matsushita succeed in displacing Philips as No. 1? Matsushita focused its competitiveness in high quality, low cost, and standardized products during the 1970s and 1980s. Also they had rapid product and process innovation and their company wanted to focus on exporting sales to world markets. Matsushita represented 40% of appliance stores in Japan as they capitalized greatly on their broad line of 5,000 products by opening 25,000 domestic retail outlets. This resulted in a direct access to market trends and consumer reaction as well as an increase in sales volume. Being the first Japanese company to adopt a divisional structure gave each division of the company a clearly defined profit responsibility. This structure created a small business environment to maintain growth and flexibility. It also generated competition amongst divisions. Matsushita’s global organizational model centralized the product and process innovation and then the development and manufacturing of the  products were the product division’s responsibi lity. What were its distinctive competencies and incompetence? Philips competencies: Ability to adapt in Local market conditions, strong national organizations, employee centric values, 14 product divisions (PDs), and NOs built their own technical capabilities and product development Philips Incompetence: No Economy of scale in manufacturing, many technological innovations, but its ability to bring products to market was weak. Difficulties in reorganizing the company when dealing with its growing problems. Matsushita competencies: Broad line of Products, Centralized structure, Fast follower’s strategy Matsushita incompetencies The tough leadership, Lack of resources for new development, inability to compete with other companies that outsourced to low cost factories. Why is the change so hard for both Matsushita and Philips? What recommendations would you make to Gerald Kleisterlee? And to Kunio Nakamura? The change was hard due to the difficulty of changing a company with a strong history and culture without changing the companies’ core values. As the changes were radical and made the companies change to a new way of acting and thinking, the companies had a hard time following and adapting to these changes which altered the core of the companies. Recommendations for Philips: As Philips success initially was in developing new products, though they were not able to successfully introduce them in the markets, this is an area they should exploit further. Also in this area they have capabilities that competitors do not possess. They need a better relationship and coherence between the NOs, PDs and the head quarter to be able to successfully introduce new technologies and products to the market. Also they need to make the whole company adopt the product and not just parts of it. Once they achieve a better coherence they can concentrate on improving their corporate marketing strategy to better position the new products. As Philips is a decentralized company they should work on being more towards a centralized company. They should also not give up its value proposition of being a ‘technology developer and global marketer’, which could be the result of outsourcing the majority of its production. Recommendations for Matsushita As Matsushita had a centralized organization, which was a large disadvantage and a reason for slow market responsiveness, they should work towards a more decentralized organization. Matsushita will need to anticipate on the globalization of the market, so that they are capable of sustaining their competitive advantage in low-cost production. To strengthen their position they need to focus on coherence between subsidiaries and headquarters.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Amazon.com Company Essay

Amazon.com is an e-commerce company based in Seattle, Washington. Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, Amazon was one of the first companies to sell goods on the internet. After it launches, it has been the largest retailer on the worldwide web with its fast growths. Amazon is classified as Consumer Discretionary sector and also Internet Retail industry which sells a broad range of items from books to consumer electronics to home and garden products. Today, Amazon, now became one of Fortune 500 company, was ranked 35th among the largest U.S corporation. The company’s management team consisted of Jeff Bezos who is Chairman of the Board of Amazon.com and also Chief Executive Officer, and an eight-member board of directors. Amazon.com started its business with only a unit of book. Jeff Bezos decided to sell books for first on his website with some special reasons. In 1994, when he started Amazon.com, customer’s reliability on e-commerce was rather lower, so people used to be afr aid of getting delivered wrong products from internet purchases. Therefore, people used to keep aloof from buying products online. Considered this, Jeff Bezos selected books that people could be guaranteed same quality of product regardless of where they purchase. One more interesting about Amazon.com is that it launched in 1994, but the actual transaction happened a year after, in 1995. They established databases of enormous amount of books and convenient purchasing services for a year. In result, Amazon.com was able to carry more than 110 M kinds of book. Amazon.com has brought $ 74,452M revenue which is an increase of 17.9% from 2012. Amazon.com controlled $32.555M in 2012 and $40.159 in 2013. It also profits $274 M which is an increase of 114% from 2012. In 2013, their total cost of goods sold was $18.806 M and gross markup reached to 27.2%.By introducing two new product categories every year for almost a decade, its market share represents one third of U.S e-commerce sales. Amazon.com is often referred as The Everything Store. As we can notice from its second name, Amazon.com carries every items that web retailer could sell. Its top three business units are including books, electronics and Toy & Games. Book has been one of the bestselling categories of Amazon.com. As demand of e-book is going up, electronic book also has recorded high sales (actually, higher than its book sales). With Its own table for e-book and various kinds of books they carry, Amazon not only has competitive advantage among its competitors, but also has already been making high sales on them.  Another bestselling product of Amazon.com is tablets. Amazon has launched its own tablet ‘Fire HD’ which has similar feathers and its own OS but price is much cheaper than any other tablets currently selling in the market. Currently, Amazon has 5.8 percent shares and it maintain in third place following after Apple and Samsung. With its own tablet, Amazon is increasing their market shares on tablets. Amazon already has its own game studio to produce video games and its own Fire receiver, so that they attracted many gamers. Recently, Amazon is planning to take over the video game streaming video platform twitch TV to start their new game business. With so many different products and services, Amazon has a divisional structure. In a divisional structure, different departments for different products and services allow department heads to appropriately focus their resources and results, as well as monitor the organization’s performance. This structure is best for such a large organization because it is the most flexible. Amazon’s organizational structure is comprised of CEO and founder Jeffery Bezos and an eight-member board of directors. The CEO oversees the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Technology Officer and the 8 departments: Business Development, e-Commerce Platform, International Retail, North America Retail, Web Services, Digital Media, Legal & Secretary, and Kindle. The CFO oversees the Real Estate and Control department. International Retail oversees three separate departments: China, Europe and India. North America Retail oversees the following five departments: Seller Services, Operations, Toys, Sports & Home Improvement, Amazon Publishing and Music & Video. The Web Services department oversees Amazon S3 and Database Services. Other departments include Product Development & Studios, Europe Operations, Global Advertising Sales, Computing Services, and Global Customer Fulfillment. 1.3 E-businesses are rapidly evolving and intensely competitive. The principal competitive factors in its retail businesses include selection, price, and convenience, including fast and reliable fulfillment. Additional competitive factors for its seller and enterprise services include the quality, speed, and reliability of our services and tools. As consider these factors, the two top competitors of Amazon.com are E-bay.inc and Google.com. First, between Amazon and Google, the two companies now compete in a wide range of areas such as online advertising, distribution, mobile terminals, cloud computing. Currently, Google is challenging to amazon’s main businesses which are shipping and shopping. So, Google recently has launched its own shipping service ‘Google Shopping Express’ which feathers same as like Amazon prime but with cheaper annual membership fees to enhance its competitiveness. Amazon.com also entered to ‘cloud’ market which Google has strong power on the market to compete. Amazon is expanding the territory of business, so that it is becoming integrated IT enterprise like google. Therefore, of the two companies, are expected to go over further intensify competition. If we put those groups in comparison by company performance, Amazon.com made $ 74,452 M and Google had $59,825M revenues in 2013 which means Amazon.com has more revenue than Google by 19.6%. On the other hands, for the profit and total asset of companies, Google is in the higher position. Google controls $110,920M of total asset, while Amazon controls $40,159M. In addition, Google profits $12,920M, while Amazon is a mere $745M. For number of employees, Google has 52,069 employees and Amazon.com has 132,600 employees. Second, between E-bay and Amazon, E-Bay is always been pointed out as amazon’s top competitors. eBay Inc., (stylized as e bay), is an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide. E-bay has same feather as it is running retail business with Amazon.com, but there is critical difference in that e-bay has auction-style sales. When we look at E-bay’s company performance, it has less revenue which is $16,047M than any its competitors referred above. However, it controls $41,488M which is bigger than amazon has for their total asset. Also, E-bay profits $2,856M in 2013, while Amazon.com did $274M, meaning E-bay made 10times more profits than Amazon.com. E-bay has made 33,500 employees. Alibaba which is noticed as a big foreign competitor of Amazon is a company founded in china. Alibaba’s consumer-to-consumer portal Taobao, similar to eBay, features nearly a billion products and is one of the 20 most-visited websites globally. The Group’s websites accounted for over 60% of the  parcels delivered in China by March 2013, and 80% of the nation’s online sales by September 2014. Alipay, an online payment escrow service, accounts for roughly half of all online payment transactions within China. China’s huge trading merchant Ali Baba’s company value has estimated as $215 billion dollars by IPO. This is astounding figure which is higher than Amazon and e-bay combined and also because other its competitors such as Google and Amazon.com have made better sales than Ali Baba. Investors focus on its high profit and fast growth. Also, it possesses many its stores in china and it has still a high potential for growth within China. Amazon.com,10K, 2013 Emil Protalinski â€Å"IDC: Apple’s iPad fell to 33.8% tablet share in Q4 2013, Samsung took second with 18.8%, Amazon third with 7.6%† from TNW blog. Google.com/finance (income statement, annual data) www.Amazon.com/ investor relation (Annual Reports and Proxies and officer and directors) Ryan mac â€Å"Amazon Pounces On Twitch After Google Balks Due To Antitrust Concerns† on Forbes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alibaba_Group (Amazon.com main financial performance for 2013) from google finance (E-bay main financial performance for 2013) from google finance (Google.com main financial performance for 2013) from google finance

Arts In The Education Of Young Children Education Essay

Art is an first-class signifier for immature kids to show feelings, thoughts and their apprehensions about themselves and the environing as they see it. They enjoy experiences in ocular art, music, play, motion and dance. Piaget ‘s influence of drama a critical human features besides categorise drama as activities of humanistic disciplines such as playing music, doing and executing dramas, painting images and reading novels. These experiences allow them to be originative, inventive and expressive ( Swanwick, 1988 ) . Loris Malaguzzi as cited in McArdle ( 2003 ) states that humanistic disciplines open a window of chances for kids to utilize a 100 linguistic communications, a 100 custodies, a 100 ideas, a 100 ways of thought, of playing and speech production. My statement on the importance of humanistic disciplines in immature kids instruction will be with specific illustrations from ocular and music. Fraser ( 2005 ) states that in many parts of the universe the preschools have rich resources of art stuffs like clay, pigments, montage stuffs and play dough available but rarely integrated into the plan. The instructors rarely promote the kids make usage of the stuffs other than for centripetal geographic expedition. In our preschool and many other preschools in Singapore it is merely displayed as a show piece to demo new walk in parents coming in for questions that such resources are available but they are non liberally used in the plan. Duffy ( 1998 ) states that to elicit kids ‘s originative and inventive experiences sufficient infinite to work and easy accessible resources must be offered to them. The esteemed Reggio Emilia early childhood plan that Singaporeans believe has a civilization of holding pedagogues who consider art non in isolation but integrated as one of the 100 linguistic communications kids use to look into and stand for the universe ( Fraser, 2005 ) . An i llustration will be exposing clay, wood, stones, shells and dried grass that are beautifully laid on the tabular array for kids to believe how birds use clay to construct their nests and the instructor scaffold the kids to propose how the kids can research with the stuffs themselves. These art signifiers provide immature kids with chances for self-awareness, societal interaction, geographic expedition, use that stimulate their senses and enhances their acquisition and originative thought. Spencer ( as cited in Swanwick, 1988 ) states that art should non be dissociable from instruction as leisure but occupy the leisure portion of instruction. Pulling is cardinal to all ocular communicating and yet in a recent study by Clement in1994, 60 per centum of the instructors do non cognize how it might best be taught and they requested further in service preparation if they are to learn the art course of study ( Cooke, Griffin and Cox, 1998 ) . Cooke, et Al. ( 1998 ) states that pulling arouses imaginativeness and it helps in entering their observations in other countries of course of study. The beauty of the kids ‘s work in Reggio ‘s 100 linguistic communications of kids, exhibit the undertakings that utilize kids ‘s symbolic linguistic communications, which include pulling, painting and building clay modeling. Cooke, et Al. ( 1998 ) states that representational drawing are ocular communicating which is comparatively easy to read and is used in different civilizations at different times throughout history. Children in Reggio Emilia usage drawing as the fastest and most direct manner of seting their thoughts across and doing them seeable. This processes show the kids ‘s manner of doing sense of the universe through representation. They spontaneously use pulling as a linguistic communication to stand for their thoughts to show their emotions and pass on the thought of immature kids. Kolbe ( 2001 ) states that ocular humanistic disciplines is an unbelievable powerful tool that enables kids to explicate things to themselves and to others. Children understand their potencies for personal looks by experimenting with art stuffs and procedures. They develop good motor control, linguistic communication and job resolution schemes, societal accomplishments and aesthetic consciousness and grasp. Children early exposure to ocular humanistic disciplines in Reggio Emilia enable them to hold deep apprehension of making high quality art. They are introduced to line, coloring material, forms and signifier, form and texture. Lines are everyplace and kids are introduced to forms such as long, short, thick, fat, heavy, thin horizontal, perpendicular, diagonal, jagged, smooth, uninterrupted and broken. Children are besides introduced to the names of colors as primary and blending two primary colorss to do secondary colorss and observe sunglassess of colorss such as warm, cool, dull, light, pale and dark. Shape and signifier refers to the country of an object or image, lines or colorss that create boundaries within a image that create forms. Children can pass hours gleefully making three-dimensional representations of things they see utilizing clay, dough or blocks and introduced to vocabulary such as unit of ammunition, ellipse, trigon, wide, narrow and broad. In images and three-dimensional graphicss, kids can look out for represented or contrasting colorss, lines, forms or combinations of these elements. Texture refers to the haptic quality of objects, either in existent life or simulated by combination of art elements in a image. Children may look for and screen out objects of different texture to make a image. They could besides look at a image and conjecture if an object is unsmooth, smooth, furred, prickly, slippery, difficult or soft. The rules of the ocular humanistic disciplines are unity, beat, proportion, design, balance, harmoniousness, contrast and repeat. Pulling picture and working with clay hence should be the nucleus countries of ocular art plans and should be offered daily, so that kids come to understand and utilize these media for cognitive and expressive intents. There are cumulative phases in a kid ‘s development and as psychologist, Eleanor Maccoby ( as cited in Swanwick, 1988 ) mentioned that development occur in a consecutive order and Maccoby ( as cited in Swanwick, 1988 ) mentioned that the series of kids ‘s imperfect development is at a reasonably standard timetable. Swanwick ( 1988 ) states that the influencing factors are the familial heritage and the environment illustration the place, school and society where the kid is exposed. Piaget ( as cited in Swanick,1988 ) states that feeling of power is the pleasance of a kid researching and get the hanging the environment and an illustration is the babe larning to reiterate a vocal sound or agitate a rattling continuously. Music is representational and Swanwick ( 1988 ) states that the kid is able to copy and the kid is able to make new relationship through imaginativeness. Swanwick ( 1988 ) besides states that the critical human features play is per se bound with playing musi c. A kid ‘s self-generated music behavior through Piaget ‘s theory of meaningful drama triggers imaginativeness than the structured music instruction. Winston ( 2010 ) states that playing is a verb applicable to the originative procedure illustration instrumentalists with melodious and harmonic possibilities to the development of accomplishments practised through playing. The right hemisphere of the encephalon maps and probes have shown that the right encephalon has particular maps of the sensuous, the spatial and the intuitive that all helps in the imaginativeness procedure ( Swanwick, 1988 ) . If instructors work with a standardized theoretical account, the kids ‘s inventive qualities are lost as they are tuned merely to the creative activity of music of what the instructor ‘s learn them to compose ( Young and Glover, 1998 ) . Learning music is bound by the theoretical trigon of command, imitation and imaginativeness and the rhythm is continues with the kid ‘s different phases of growing and besides when larning a different musical instrument. A kids ‘s first response to the music before they turn one twelvemonth old is the tone by larning to reiterate what they hear and master the tone. The following phase will be copying the physical motion in relation to the beat of the music and it occurs between 18 months and 2 old ages old. Around the age of four kids are able to build inventive vocals and to scaffold their cognition a good acquisition environment is essential.Their natural intrinsic musical endowment the kid manifest can be farther developed through extrinsic schoolroom larning environment. Andress states that music play country should pull kids to trip wonder so that they will be motivated to affect in doing and reacting to music. Opportunities should be given to kids to make their ain music with broad picks of musical instruments available and besides to listen to others music and learn to copy the music that they prefer. Music should be integrated as portion of the plan in the schoolroom and pick of single and group musical activities should be provided. The activities should be combination of child-directed or grownup facilitated as a group. The type of musical activities can be composing and improvizing with instruments and voice, notating, listening to music, playing instruments, singing invented or canonic vocals. The activities can be interconnected to complement one type of activity to do it more lively and disputing for the kids. The adults function will be placing the kids ‘s potency and help the kids in developing their musical competency and enjoyment. The importance of humanistic disciplines can merely be felt and appreciated if the lead comes from the Education Ministry. Singapore instruction system is structured with accent on the degree Celsius onfucius philosophy on meritocracy. They give strong support in the acquisition of Science and Mathematics related topics but really small support on humanistic disciplines. Gifted kids on Science and Mathematics ( Ministry of Education, 2012 ) are identified at an early age of nine and specially groomed to heighten their familial capablenesss. Parents by and large feel that Science and Mathematics are more of import than humanistic disciplines and many kids who have natural endowment and involvement in humanistic disciplines are non given the chance to supply an environment. Our authorities besides do non supply avenues for kids with natural endowments in humanistic disciplines to be identified and specially groomed. I am besides one of the luckless individual whereby I loved ocular hum anistic disciplines but I was non given an chance because during my clip technology topics were favoured so that we can procure successful and high salary calling when we grow up. If importance in humanistic disciplines is given at the primary and higher degree instruction I believe parents perceptual experience on the importance and the demand for presenting humanistic disciplines at an early age will alter. This will promote preschool pedagogues to give more accent on incorporating humanistic disciplines in the pre-school course of study as day-to-day activities.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Development of a Conference Centre in London Essay

Development of a Conference Centre in London - Essay Example Several changes over the past 20 years have made London a fitting venue for international conferences and their development is the subject of this paper. Among these changes are the globalisation of economic sectors, the dominance of the finance and business sectors, interlinked with advances in technology; increased inter-relationship between major economies, internationalisation of investment and trade, developments in telecommunications and transport which has shrunk distances between people, markets, and business decision makers; movement of people across borders with their fresh ideas, new cultures, enhanced skills and access to new markets; growth of incomes and wealth with particularly strong demand for leisure and tourism activities; and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games that will be hosted by the city of London. Greater London, the administrative subdivision of London, England covers the City of London including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and 32 London boroughs: City of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth, Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Islington, Camden, Brent, Ealing, Hounslow, Richmond upon Thames, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Sutton, Croydon, Bromley, Lewisham, Greenwich, Bexley, Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Newham, Waltham Forest, Haringey, Enfield, Barnet, Harrow, and Hillingdon. As of mid-2006, the population of Greater London was at 7,512,400 official residents in an area of 1,579 square kilometers (Reference.com, 2008). According to Yell Limited (2008), there are over 300 conference facilities and services providers in London. This makes it seem like developing a new conference centre within the area would face tough competition. The objective of this paper is to conduct an analysis of the macro-environmental factors which come into play when planning for the development of a conference center, specifically within the Greater London area. Analysis PEST analysis stands for Political, Economic, Social, and Technological which describes a framework of macro-environmental factors used in the environmental scanning component of strategic management. It is part of the analysis of the external environment which helps in understanding market growth or decline, business position, and potential and/or direction for operations. Political factors include political stability, legal framework for contract enforcement, trade regulations and tariffs, anti-trust laws, pricing regulations, taxation, wage legislation, work week, mandatory employee benefits, industrial safety regulations and the like. Economic factors include type of economic system, government intervention in the free market, exchange rates and stability of currency, efficiency of financial markets, quality of infrastructure, skill level of workforce, labor costs, economic growth rate, unemployment rate, inflation rate, interest rates and the like. Social factors include demogr aphics, class structure, education, culture and gender roles, environmental consciousness, leisure interests and the like. Technology factors include technology developments and impact of technology on the business (NetMBA, 2007). Politically and economically speaking, London is very politically and economically stable. This is evidenced by the fact that London is a major centre for international

Monday, October 7, 2019

How revolutionary was the American Revolution Essay

How revolutionary was the American Revolution - Essay Example British forces in Boston massacre in1770 butchered many blacks. One-third colonists remain neutral and one third supported revolution. Rest of people supported British act in colonies. Ultimately, the revolution ended in 1783 (Frey, 1999). Slaves were imported to work as labour force for Cotton and tobacco crops in southern states of America for cheap labour. Slaves did produce great output in raising the agricultural exports of America (Quarles, 1961). Blacks were ruthlessly used as labour and their culture and lifestyle saw a decline. White people of America made every effort to tease the blacks by social inequality and kept all sorts of educational facilities away from the reach of blacks (Quarles, 1961). Slave markets were introduced in America and women and children were separated from the men. This created a lot of hatred against white Americans in the hearts of black. There were no labour or social law and blacks were punished brutally for any mistakes. Slave masters sexually harassed young black women in the absence of women rights. Women were not allowed to raise voice against social and moral inequality (Frey, 1999). Inhuman policies made people to take revolutionary steps for their rights. Many events eventually led to revolution. Black African wanted to live lives as per their social and cultural values. Finally, blacks were successful to some extent to snatch their rights from American authorities (Quarles,

Sunday, October 6, 2019

The Relationship between the International Court of Justice and other Essay

The Relationship between the International Court of Justice and other International and Regional Courts and Tribunals - Essay Example It shall also discuss any conflicts between these courts, and the challenges and issues which are seen with the emergence of these multiple courts. An evaluation of what this relationship should be will also be discussed. Body Hybrid domestic-international tribunals International courts also operate within the context of hybrid domestic-international tribunals which provide another approach to transitional justice, where societies consider accountability for mass atrocities1. These hybrid courts blend both international and domestic laws and the international courts recognize their existence in so far as they do not conflict with the principles of international law. These courts include foreign judges sitting with domestic judges and hearing cases which are argued by local lawyers within the countries where the cases are being tried2. The judges apply the domestic laws which have been fashioned to accommodate international legal provisions. They operate in an ad hoc manner based on o n-the-ground innovations and processes3. These courts have been seen as tools in the management of mass atrocity, especially seen in instances where there are no political tools for the international tribunals or courts to use. ... his lack of general acceptance is mostly based on the fact that hybrid courts have faced much resistance on both sides – from both the domestic and the international scene. Moreover, hybrid courts who do favour the more international brand of adjudication see these courts as alternatives to the international tribunals. Many national governments, including the US, and other western nations, reject the view that hybrid courts represent trends for the future5. These governments seem to believe that the hybrid courts may eventually end up as replacements for international justice, and that these hybrid courts may undermine the better application of international justice. States who resist international justice, on the other hand view hybrid tribunals as â€Å"carrying too many of the trappings of international courts†6. This general resistance towards hybrid courts is considered unfortunate because they present better adjudicatory benefits based on international and local j uridical concerns. Hybrid courts adjudicating in the Kosovo case The NATO launched an attack in 1999 which sought to end the ethnic cleansing goals of the Serb forces against the Albanian population in Kosovo. This prompted a declaration from the UN Security Council forming the UN Mission in Kosovo, where the mission was assigned to establish peace and security in the region and to carry out administrative functions, as well as to coordinate humanitarian and disaster relief efforts and to promote human rights. The responsibilities of the mission specifically included the establishment of law and order, as well as the apprehension and prosecution of those who committed war atrocities7. This goal was however not adequately met by the mission because many of the court infrastructures and equipment in

Saturday, October 5, 2019

HW Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

HW - Assignment Example For example, from the scale it indicates that there is no specialization of tasks which eliminates competition among employees. There is no competition among the employees and merit is a group pride but not an individuals. I would recommend that the two organizations have similar ratings on any of the scales because both have different hierarchy. Despite the two organizations following different hierarchy, they can be evaluated on the same scale (Daft, 2012). This is because they follow different norms, their method of leadership is different and their level of specialization differs. For instance, Daft compares a tall, horizontal and government agency on the same scale. From the given scale, while evaluating the formality of the organizations, one has many rules while the other has almost no rules. Therefore, this makes it possible to rate them on same scale. Another reason is that they are not producing similar products. One is a product based organization while the other is a service based organization (Daft, 2012). From the given scale, GoPro technology is product based while Morning Star is service based organization. Similarly, Daft compares the three organizations that do not offer similar products on the same scale. One is a software development company, the other is a retailing company and the last one is a government service company. Therefore, both GoPro and Morning Star are comparable on the same

Friday, October 4, 2019

Compare between two institutions policies Essay

Compare between two institutions policies - Essay Example The recruitment procedure provides an open door opportunity for a large pool of candidates to apply for the diversified posts. Furthermore, recruitment procedure assists the organisation in attracting qualified candidates. Recruitment facilitates to devise a strategic mode of selection procedure which is aligned with the organisational goals and objectives along with the specific human resources requirements (Robert 3-26). Thesis Statement. With these considerations, the report intends to discuss the recruitment processes being followed by Qatar Petroleum and Google Inc. The report primarily desires to compare and contrast the recruitment process of the two institutions. LITERATURE REVIEW OF RECRUITMENT AS AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF HRM According to the view of Schuler and Jackson, recruitment is a process in which an organisation can rely upon the internal or the external labour market for absorption of the resourceful candidates. It has been further noted that although at the entranc e level the recruitment process is not that important but it frames a vital part for other jobs of higher level. It is always considered as a vital process as it enables to draw in an extensive amount of resources. In keeping with the importance of recruitment, it can be well articulated that internal recruiting process mainly relates with the promotion criteria (211-219). According to French and Rumbles, †If the HRM function is to remain effective, there must be consistently good levels of teamwork, plus on-going co-operation and consultation between line managers and the HR manager† (170). In the recent scenario, there have been a number of organisations that are facing problems regarding the accumulation of a pool of quality candidates. The jobs and the vacancies that pertain the requirement of specialised skills and knowledge absorb a longer phase of time (Brown 50-108). COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF DECISION MAKING PROCESS WITH RESPECT TO RECRUITMENT OF QATAR PETROLEUM AND GOOGLE INCORPORATION Recruitment Process of Qatar Petroleum. In keeping with the recruitment procedure being followed in Qatar Petroleum, it entails basically four steps. The HR recruitment section of the company effectively manages the entire process that starts with the need identification to the job specification. This entire process is executed by the selection and the interview procedures of the resources. On part of the recruitment process of the company, it has been further ascertained that the department managers gain the full support of the HR personnel. Each of the candidates being selected is based upon merit. Furthermore, the selection of the candidates greatly depends upon their basic skills and competencies (Qatar Petroleum, â€Å"

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Education in Britain Essay Example for Free

Education in Britain Essay ?Each child in England at the first school term after their third birthday, is entitled to 15 hours per week free childcare funding. This entitlement is funded by the government through the local council. The Early Learning Goals cover the main areas of education without being subject driven. These areas include Personal, social and emotional development (prime area) Communication and Language (prime area) Physical education (prime area) Literacy (specific area) Mathematics (specific area) Understanding the World (specific area). Expressive Art Design (specific area) Until the mid-1980s, nursery schools only admitted pupils in the final year (three terms) leading up to their admission to primary school, but pupils now attend nursery school for four or five terms. It is also common practise for many children to attend nursery much earlier than this. Many nurseries have the facilities to take on babies, using the Early Years Foundation Stage, framework as a guide to give each child the best possible start to becoming a competent learner and skillful communicator. A primary school (also Elementary school) an school which where children receive primary or elementary education between the ages of about five to about eleven, coming before secondary school and after preschool. It is the first stage of compulsory education in most parts of the world, and is normally available without charge, but may be a fee-paying independent school. In England and Wales secondary school is for children from the ages of 11 to 18. After 11 years of compulsory education ends, and young people can decide whether to continue their studies further at school or sixth form college, or leave the education system. After five years of secondary education, at the age of 16, pupils take the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examination. When they are in the third or in the forth form, they begin to choose their exam subjects and prepare for them. After finishing the fifth form pupils can make their choice: they may either leave school  and go to a Further Education College or continue their education in the sixth form. Those who stay at school after GCSE, study for 2 more years for A (Advanced) Level Exams in two or three subjects which is necessary to get a place at one of British universities. The typical first degree offered at English universities is the bachelors degree, and usually lasts for three years. Many institutions now offer an undergraduate masters degree as a first degree, which typically lasts for four years. During a first degree students are known as undergraduates. The difference in fees between undergraduate and traditional postgraduate masters degrees (and the possibility of securing LEA funding for the former) makes taking an undergraduate masters degree as a first degree a more attractive option, although the novelty of undergraduate masters degrees means that the relative educational merit of the two is currently unclear. Some universities offer a vocationally based foundation degree, typically two years in length for those students who hope to continue on to a first degree but wish to remain in employment. Postgraduate education Students who have completed a first degree are eligible to undertake a postgraduate degree, which might be a: Masters degree (typically taken in one year, though research-based masters degrees may last for two) Doctorate (typically taken in three years) Postgraduate education is not automatically financed by the state.