Gangsta Rap Essays - African-American Culture, Gangsta Rap, Music

Gangsta Rap Gangsta rap is a form of expression which uses words with rhythmic beats to make one point or another. What separates gangsta rap from regular rap is that gangsta rap talks about gang life and rap usually doesn't. Lyrics in gangsta rap that cause the most controversy are the ones that talk about killing people or ones that portray woman as just objects. People like Delores Tucker and William Bennett are currently trying to censor these "filthy" lyrics because they believe that these lyrics corrupt minds. But even though gangsta rappers like Tupac Shakur and "Biggie Smalls" might rap about hurting women or killing people, they are not to be blamed for what people do regardless of what correlation there might be. And even though it is unsure whether or not gangsta rap causes violent crimes, it should never be used as a scapegoat for hiding the more important issues. Delores C. Tucker, chairwoman of the National Political Congress of Black Women in Washington, D.C., is working with William Bennett to censor rap music because of its harsh lyrics and disparaging view of women. It is true that rap music, especially gangsta rap, uses vulgar language and also denigrate women. But rap, like all types of music is a form of expression. Just like poetry or art, it expresses ones view. It doesn't matter that rap uses explicit lyrics but, it does matter if you take away the right to express oneself. Because if ones right to express his or her opinion freely was taken away, then the expression will not be real. Tucker once stated "Stop producing [gangsta rap] and selling it to our children." (?95 Emerge) Stopping the production will not stop anything and Tucker obviously has no idea what the real problems are. Tucker and Bennett should be concerned more about dealing with the more important issues that plague society than trying to take away peoples ! right to free speech. In the video "Gangs in Los Angeles" (?91 Tom Brokaw), real life gangsters are shown in their own neighborhood. Unlike how music video's show gang life, life as a gangster is not as glamorous as it is portrayed in videos. Many of the children born in these "hoods" are most likely going to become gang members as well because of their surroundings and how they are raised. These children might not have the support, love, and guidance of parents or what is more common now, a parent. All they see around them is drugs, gangs, andcrime. By joining a gang, they gain a sense of belonging and pride. But more often, this is just a false sense, and eventually, they lose what should be most important to them. Rap music does not cause them to become gang members or to commit violent crimes, it is just one of the ways gangsters express themselves. The more important issues that should concern politicians and people like Tucker and Bennett should be that of figuring out how they will stop the! cycle of gangs, not going after the rappers. "Power Rangers," (?96 Courie) a documentary on the banning of a television show because of the belief that it promoted violence among young children is a good example of how people often use a scapegoat to hide more important issues. In Canada and New Zealand, a popular television show called "Power Rangers" was put off air because many people believed it promoted violence. Whether or not it did promote violence is irrelevant to the problem. The problem was, children appeared to be more violent. The issue is about the children, not the show they watched the day before. Taking away the show will not solve anything. The problem concerned the behavior of children and people should have focused their attention on that instead of using television as a scapegoat like Tucker and Bennett use rap music as a scapegoat. In conclusion, what people need to do is to stop blaming their own problems on issues that doesn't concern them. Even though scapegoating is not a new issue, people should stop and think about the main problems rather that being quick to blame problems on the small issues. Gangsta rap is not what

Free Essays on Huck Finn

Many people think that Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel and they have even gone as far as banning the novel from certain schools. They base this view on the fact that the word â€Å"nigger† is used very often and they see the black people being portrayed in a degrading way to show that they are inferior to the white society. Contrary to this idea, Huckleberry Finn is not a racist novel. Mark Twain actually attacks racism by satirizing the lifestyle of the white people and shows that they have no reason at all to think that they are better than the blacks. This satirizing of the white people is effectively seen in the portrayal of the king and the duke. Mark Twain starts to mock the king and the duke as soon as they are first introduced in the novel. Their appearance gives a negative impression right from the start. The king is described as having, â€Å"an old battered-up slouch hat on, and a greasy blue woolen shirt,† and he’s wearing, â€Å"ragged old blue jeans britches stuffed into his boot tops.†(Pg. 121) The duke is described as much the same. This first impression makes us feel as if these men are scum and we don’t have a very good perception of them. The second thing that these men do also is used to mock society in two ways. The first man (the duke) makes up a story that he was actually the Duke of Bridgewater. He said that he was the son of the infant duke that was ignored to take over a position. Not to be outdone, the second man (the king) makes up a story that he was actually the rightful King of France. Mark Twain uses Huck Finn to show what he thinks of these two men. â€Å"It didnâ€℠¢t take me to long to make up my mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds.†(Pg.125) These men are putting up a false front just like society does and Mark Twain shows through Huck that he can see right through this false front. The second thing that is mocked is the fact that these peop... Free Essays on Huck Finn Free Essays on Huck Finn The Adventures of Hucklebery Finn has many recognizable features which have helped sustain its reputation as a classic over the years, and among one of the most important of these features is the Mississippi river. It carries Huck and Jim upon a winding path through a series of adventures. The river provides symbolization for many important aspects integral to the novel's theme. These aspects include the journey to freedom and subsequent struggle for freedom and Huck’s morals, attitudes, and irrepressible nature. The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is constructed around the 2,350 mile long Mississippi River. Huckleberry Finn, a misunderstood outcast from society, is unhappy with his new life of morality and cleanliness since being adopted by Widow Douglas. In conjunction with that, his drunken bum of a father reappears into his life, subsequently gains custody of him, kidnaps him and beats him. This begins the struggle of Huck’s journey to freedom. He realizes that the river is the ultimate symbol of and tool to his independence and a better life. Huck has never been good at answering to anyone but himself; the river allows for him to be completely responsible for nothing and no one. He fakes his own death and escapes, where he meets a runaway slave named Jim. Huck knows that the baggage of being responsible for another person during his excursion, particularly a runaway slave, is dangerous and cumbersome, but takes him a long anyway because he is a good person at hear t. So, â€Å"The two set off together on a raft down the Mississippi, intending to turn up the Ohio River to freedom† () The Mississippi was such a widely used river that being surreptitious was imperative to the success of the journey-they could only travel at night in fear of somebody seeing the runaway Jim, which posed time and location constraints on the two fugitives. () â€Å"... described how the idea of freedom germinated† Huck Finn, having ... Free Essays on Huck Finn Tom Sawyer Adventures The Adventures of Tom Sawyer The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is concerned with the escapades of a young boy living in a Mississippi River town during a summer in the 1840s. Tom lives with his Aunt Polly, his dead mother’s sister, along with his half-brother, Sid, and his cousin, Mary. By the second chapter, Tom’s mischievous character is revealed with the well-known fence whitewashing scene. Tom meets the new girl in town, Becky Thatcher, and falls in love with her. He begins an intense flirtation with her at school, which leads to his asking her to be â€Å"engaged† with him by lunchtime of her first day. Tom’s vagabond friend, Huck Finn, the town drunk’s son, asks Tom to meet him at the cemetery at midnight, to test the wart-curing properties of his dead cat. While there, the boys stumble upon the murder of Dr. Robinson by Injun Joe during a grave-robbing attempt. Muff Potter also part of the gang, is pinned with the crime by Injun Joe. Tom and Huck, however, are the only ones who know the truth. Tom, Huck, and another friend, Joe Harper, decide to run away from St. Petersburg to Jackson’s Island, in the middle of the Mississippi. There they live the life of pirates, frolicking day and night. After several days, the town prepares funeral services for the boys, by the time being convinced of their death. The boys dramatically return to town in the middle of the Sunday church services, and they are forgiven for their mischief. As the murder trial of Muff Potter gets underway, Tom is racked by guilt over allowing a man he knows to be innocent to be convicted. On the final day of the trial, Tom is called as a surprise witness, and he proceeds to finger Injun Joe with the crime, who springs out of the window and escapes. Tom and Huck stumble upon Injun Joe and a stranger at a deserted house on the outskirts of town, and learn of a stash of gold Joe is carrying.... Free Essays on Huck Finn ‘Should High School Students Read It?’ ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ is a classic novel ad should definitely be read by high school students. The fact that the novel includes racism and vulgarity makes the book even more interesting. The racism wouldn‘t offend anyone assuming that they are educated, that they know that it was purposely written that way, and that times have changed since the setting of the story took place. Themes and Twain’s view of society also add to the great appraisal that I give this book for high school students. The one part of the book I don’t agree with is the authors view of American society. When high-class people are described in the book, they are seen as proper, educated, well-mannered, charitable, frugal, well-invested people, yet they are cruel, racist, cussing, gambling, alcoholic, violent people that want everything for themselves. Such is the example of the Grangerfords and the Sheperdsons. I believe that this view is skewed and somewhat of a development from Mark Twain’s personal childhood memories. I do admit that some people I know do have some of these traits, but not to such an extreme level, most people are well-rounded, they have their goods and bads. There are four main themes to the book, and they all tie together to help form the plot of the book. Here’s my understanding of it: Huck and Jim both want freedom from certain things; while searching for freedom, Huck and Jim must battle loneliness together; and Huck experiences rebirth, (he becomes a new, pure person), as he makes his individual vs. society battle, which is always having to decide between the right, moral, human, logical, pure decision, and the merciless decision that abides with society. There was no easy way to say all of that, which is another reason to read the book as a high school student. The book is a deep, twisting, beast-of-a-novel, and yet, it is humorous, interesting, and under... Free Essays on Huck Finn Huckleberry Finn, the main character, learns he must grow up fast if he wants to survive life. Huck Finn has a drunkard as a father, a hogshead as a home, and a mother of which he never knew. He is a congenital liar, a thief, and someone who has no respect for the rules of society. He will use every technicality to get off with doing something completely wrong, but is ok by him. Huck is not all evil as one would think by this introduction. He in fact believes in personal freedom, something that he never really has had. Jim, a slave to Huck, also has to deal with many problems of society. The greatest one in fact is the fact that he is a slave. Jim is a very modest person; he will sacrifice anything to help his fellow man. Huck sees this and begins to think of Jim as a human being also, and will â€Å"go to hell † for Jim. Although Jim is a slave, he does not think of people based on their skin color, but in fact believes that everyone is equal regardless of skin, and even age. One may ever say that Jim is Huck’s true father. Both Jim and Huck have experienced life at a tedious level. They have their highs and lows, but mainly life is not all it is cracked up to be. For Huck, he must experience having a horrendous father who beats Huck to a pulp any time he is sober. And for Jim, the fact that his family is not considered human by society but rather chattel that can be bought sold or even traded at the slightest whim. Together Huck and Jim must work together to escape the society which has allowed them to live the vile life they had, and move to a place where society will let them start a brand new life. When Pap, was not around, Huck felt better about himself. He enjoyed life a little more, did not have to worry about coming home on time, only to get beat up by his own pap. He kept Huck with him all the time, and he never got a chance to run off. After Huck was kidnapped, life was worse than he ever expected. H... Free Essays on Huck Finn The difference between life on the river and life in the towns along the river is an important theme in the novel ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ by Mark Twain. Twain uses language to draw the contrast effectively as well as through the atmosphere that has been created, the diction, the punctuation and the figures of speech employed. The two paragraphs, which most effectively display this contrast, refer to the peaceful life on the river and the vile nature of the streets and lanes of a town. In the fist paragraph Huck describes in mostly monosyllabic and colloquial expressions how pleasant life on the river is. At the beginning of the passage Huck uses the image of swimming peacefully to describe how the time passes, ‘you might say they swum by, they slid along so quite smooth and lovely. The alliteration of swum, slid and smooth helps to formulate a mental semblance of the swift and steady motion of the river and like the rivers flowing the words also seem to easily flow. This image is appropriate as it directly relates to the motion of the river on which they are travelling. ‘Here is the way we put in the time.’ Presents Huck’s idyllic life on the river is as routine. The words ‘then’ and ‘next’ are repeated several times in the first half of the passage, their function and effect is ensure that the passage flows, much like the river, in a slow and constant sequential manner. A sense of relaxed movement is conveyed and emphasised by diction and alliteration throughout the passage ‘then a pale place in the sky; then more paleness’. The use of onomatopoeia ‘swift’ allows the passage to progress in the same continuous and serene motion as the river. The words and phrases ‘nice breeze springs up’ and ‘smiling in the sun’ particularly emphasise the freshness of the scene. Huck’s use of personification ‘everything smiling in the sun’ depicts the contentment that everything arou... Free Essays on Huck Finn Many people think that Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel and they have even gone as far as banning the novel from certain schools. They base this view on the fact that the word â€Å"nigger† is used very often and they see the black people being portrayed in a degrading way to show that they are inferior to the white society. Contrary to this idea, Huckleberry Finn is not a racist novel. Mark Twain actually attacks racism by satirizing the lifestyle of the white people and shows that they have no reason at all to think that they are better than the blacks. This satirizing of the white people is effectively seen in the portrayal of the king and the duke. Mark Twain starts to mock the king and the duke as soon as they are first introduced in the novel. Their appearance gives a negative impression right from the start. The king is described as having, â€Å"an old battered-up slouch hat on, and a greasy blue woolen shirt,† and he’s wearing, â€Å"ragged old blue jeans britches stuffed into his boot tops.†(Pg. 121) The duke is described as much the same. This first impression makes us feel as if these men are scum and we don’t have a very good perception of them. The second thing that these men do also is used to mock society in two ways. The first man (the duke) makes up a story that he was actually the Duke of Bridgewater. He said that he was the son of the infant duke that was ignored to take over a position. Not to be outdone, the second man (the king) makes up a story that he was actually the rightful King of France. Mark Twain uses Huck Finn to show what he thinks of these two men. â€Å"It didnâ€℠¢t take me to long to make up my mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds.†(Pg.125) These men are putting up a false front just like society does and Mark Twain shows through Huck that he can see right through this false front. The second thing that is mocked is the fact that these peop... Free Essays on Huck Finn Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the greatest, most daring novels in the world. Mark Twain’s style helps to realistically portray early America. Mark Twain tells the story through the voice of Huck, the very kindhearted main character. Everything that Huck says reflects the racism and black stereotypes typical of the era. This has lead to many conflicts from readers since the novel was first printed. However, the story has inspired some. James W. Tuttleton says in an article he wrote that â€Å"Huck Finn is regularly denounced as racist trash† (The San Francisco Chronicle [1885] 6) . Yet, again to oppose that is a quote by a reader, â€Å"Anyone who is offended by this book is obviously ignorant of the true purpose of this book (which does not show slavery to be right, I might add) and perhaps should find out a little more about it than what OTHERS have told them.† (Soapbox [Shumway.2000] ). The author does use the word ‘nigger’ a l ot, he says it to the slave Jim and also to any other blacks that he sees as insulting or of poor standard. Huckleberry Finn still stands as a powerful representation of experience through the brand new eyes of an innocent boy. The only way Huck knows to treat the African American culture is the way he was taught and raised. This is how he treats the African Americans in the story. Twain’s literary style in capturing the novel, Huck’s casual attitude and truthful position, and Jim’s absolute acceptance of the oppression by the names all signify this. Twain uses southern dialect but he does not blatantly degrade the Negro society. If the author wished-for the story to be racist, he would not write about the way Huck felt towards Jim. â€Å"He [Twain] tried to evince the beauty of Huck and Jim's friendship by sealing it in flawed and humble English.† ( Race Traitor [D’Andrea 1992]). It is seen some throughout the book that Huck sees Jim as a white man. Huc... Free Essays on Huck Finn Superstitions in Huckleberry Finn In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, there is a lot of superstition. Some examples of superstition in the novel are Huck killing a spider which is bad luck, the hair-ball used to tell fortunes, and the rattle-snake skin Huck touches that brings Huck and Jim good and bad luck. Superstition plays an important role in the novel Huck Finn. In Chapter one Huck sees a spider crawling up his shoulder, so he flipped it off and it went into the flame of the candle. Before he could get it out, it was already shriveled up. Huck didn't need anyone to tell him that it was an bad sign and would give him bad luck. Huck got scared and shook his clothes off, and turned in his tracks three times. He then tied a lock of his hair with a thread to keep the witches away. "You do that when you've lost a horseshoe that you've found, instead of nailing it up over the door, but I hadn't ever heard anybody say it was any way to keep of bad luck when you'd killed a spider."(Twain 5). In chapter four Huck sees Pap's footprints in the snow. So Huck goes to Jim to ask him why Pap is here. Jim gets a hair-ball that is the size of a fist that he took from an ox's stomach. Jim asks the hair-ball; Why is Pap here? But the hair-ball won't answer. Jim says it needs money, so Huck gives Jim a counterfeit quarter. Jim puts the quarter under the hair-ball. The hair-ball talks to Jim and Jim tells Huck that it says. "Yo'ole father doan' know yit what he's a-gwyne to do. Sometimes he spec he'll go 'way, en den ag'in he spec he'll stay. De bes' way is tores' easy en let de ole man take his own way. Dey's two angles hoverin' roun' 'bout him. One uv'em is white en shiny, en t'other one is black. De white one gits him to go right a little while, den de black one sil in en gust it all up. A bo...

Global Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Global Strategic Management - Essay Example The other crucial things like stakeholders and their role has been briefly discussed. A new business is exposed to vulnerabilities and therefore the various contingencies that the newly formed company can face have also been discussed. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 5 Stakeholder consultation and participation 6 Critical Assumptions 7 Vision & Mission 7 Environmental Analysis (PEST) and drivers of future change 9 PEST Analysis 9 7S Framework 10 Structure 11 Strategy 12 Systems 15 Style 15 Staff 16 Skills 16 Shared Values 16 SWOT Analysis 16 Strategic goals and objectives 17 Resourcing 18 Implementation Framework and challenges- Ansoff Matrix 18 Evaluation and Control 20 Performance Management System- 20 Timeframe and Contingencies 21 Conclusion 23 Appendix 24 Reference 25 Bibliography 27 Introduction The project presents a strategic management report for a company to be set up in the UK market. The primary objective is to provide a report for a private equity firm for providing venture capital for the company to set up operations in UK. The company would be established in the retail market in UK which has been showing strong prospects very recently. This is primarily because the market is less flooded with large retailers. The project presents the analysis of the market and designs a complete management strategy for the company that would be established. It outlines the criteria against which the stakeholders’ participation would be secured. It presents the vision and mission statements of the company and makes analysis of the environment using PEST. The resource implications arising from the analysis has been presented in the project. The global drivers of change that might influence the company have been presented also. Finally, a performance management system has been designed for to evaluate and control the progress of activities. Stakeholder consultation and participation The company to be launched will be a p rivately held entity. Therefore, the shares of the company will remain in the hands of selected individuals. The main stakeholders of the company are expected to be shareholders, suppliers and the private equity firm. In a privately held company the shares remain in the hands of selected group of individuals. The main advantage of a privately held company is that ownership vests in the hands of few people thereby facilitating fast approval of crucial business decisions. This is a good feature as the management decisions can be carried out fast without any impending approvals. The shareholders of the company though few in number enjoy rights relating to voting. The directors of the company will be elected from this group of shareholders. The private equity firm can also place its member in the company Board. The directors of the company will take up various responsibilities relating to marketing, finance and other important matters. As the directors of the company are also the owners this will help in avoiding any ‘conflict of interest’. The suppliers of the company also form one of its stakeholders. The company can acquire goods on credit from this group of suppliers. Therefore they too have a stake in the company. However they will not enjoy any say in the company affairs. Initially the company may not be able to attract funds from the banks and financial institutions. Eventually with

Greater Arab Free Trade Agreement Research Paper

Greater Arab Free Trade Agreement - Research Paper Example The Economic and Social Council runs and manages the Greater Arab Free Trade agreement and has involved Algeria as another member state in 2009. This treaty is based on the large number of resources available in these countries, and the income that the countries can generate based on volumes due to large populations within the member countries. The member countries generate significant income based on the multiple objectives of the organization which are described further in this paper (Abedini and Peridy 1-2). Objectives of the Treaty The various objectives of this particular treaty include maintenance of local products in the industries so as to promote the internal economies of the countries, reduction of customs and other export fees in order to generate more income, maintaining and improving communication between countries in order to help promote and generate economic activity, and promoting private sector organizations within industries to help improve economic conditions of e ach country. Each objective has been analyzed in detail as well. The countries that are part of the trade agreement generate about 95% of the trade internally, while this trade also translates to about 90% across the world. The several objectives that this trade agreement aims to meet include 1. Improvement and Reduction of Fees in Customs The Arab countries have reduced their tariffs and customs fees by 10% on a yearly basis (40% reduction has already been performed in the customs fees) in order to help promote trade within the countries and to build on the economic systems through internal trade. 2. Promotion of Local Products within the Arab Nations Within the Arab countries, local products are being promoted as part of the agreement, which has far-reaching economic benefits, not only in terms of improved trade and economic welfare but also standardization of products within the countries as well. 3. Promotion and Enhancement of Local Sectors in the Countries The agreement entail s that each country has to promote its private organizations and local sectors by pushing local products in all the countries. For this purpose, a database has been created by the league which is utilized to promote benefits within the local sectors. 4. Improvement of Communication within and Between the Countries Communication between countries is another aim of the agreement, where improving and easing communication between the Arab countries can help promote better bilateral and multilateral trade for the greater economic progress of these countries. (Abedini and Peridy 4-6) Economic Motivation behind the GAFTA Agreement A larger number of research articles have been written in favor of and describing the nature of the Greater Arab Free Trade agreement without entailing or outlining the economic motivation and the economic benefits that are being derived from this agreement. Researchers like Tahir (331-6), Hadhri (35-8) and Bayar (22-7) explain how the Greater Arab Free Trade agr eement is based on objectives of the economic welfare of each Arab nation; however, the descriptive nature of these researchers does not explain why this treaty has been created in the first place. Some research is also available to explain in a limited manner, the ideology behind economic benefits to some particular countries like Morocco.  

Alzheimer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Alzheimer - Research Paper Example By the year 2006, there was a recorded number of 26.6 million sufferers of the disease in the whole world. Four years later in the year 2012 this  number  had risen by 10%. Introduction Alzheimer’s disease tends to  arise  and develop in remarkably different ways among different individuals. This is in terms of both the time frame and rate of  progress  of the disease. However, the  disease  does have  various  common symptoms among individuals. These symptoms range from  short  memory losses to  loss  of thinking abilities. Most of the early symptoms of the disease mistaken to be age related. The diagnosis for Alzheimer’s disease is through the conduction of tests that evaluate the persons thinking abilities, behavioral characters and a brain scan. Once one receives the  diagnosis  with the disease, the progression of the symptoms would include irritability, aggression, long term memory loss, confusion, and mood swings. The researched av erage life span of a person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is about seven years. More than seven percent of those people diagnosed with Alzheimer disease die within the next fourteen years after diagnosis. Until recently, more than one thousand conducted clinical trials so far during  research, still  lack  success (Brookmeyer  & Grays, 2009). ... It is the most costly  disease  to society prompting  various  cultural beliefs, practices and reactions towards the disease. Discussion The cultural attitudes of people towards this  disease  are different and in most cases  adverse  and lead to  neglect  of the  affected  and  condition  itself. People ignore the presence of symptoms, and they may  go  off unrecognized. This calls for calls for research and development of plans to  popularize  and  provide  health care to such societies, both the affected and the  unaffected  (Boyles  and Andrews, 2010). A selected  population  in  Nyali, Mombasa is to be used in this case. This is a  society  that comprises of  mixed  races and communities. They interact in social and commercial fronts but share different cultural ideologies and beliefs. These beliefs  cause  the  presence  of some level of segregation within the  various  cultures which may sometimes tend toà ‚  affect  other sectors. These people live and interact within the same geographical  region  and  face  to the same environmental and situational effects. As a result of this, they interact within their daily activities and also with other common issues such as in solving an emergent problem. Though the population may be different ethnically, their subconscious faces the same environmental aspects. As such, part of their  psychology  thinks the same and views most circumstances in the same way, such as the Alzheimer disease. Interactions and communication both within and with the  external  societies  has been simplified  through the development in telecommunication but is still under the control of self benefit. This means that communications and interactions  mostly  base  on what the parties stand to  gain  from the activity. As such,

Characteristics of Change Management Models

Characteristics of Change Management Models 1.1 Evaluate the characteristics and application of a range of change management models for different organisational structures. Organisational structure is there to determine how the roles, power and responsibility are assigned, controlled and coordinated and how information flows between the different levels of management. There are many different structures and this depends on the organisations objectives and strategy. Hierarchical this structure has a longer chain of command, each on a different level one above the other, like a pyramid. The advantages of this is authority and responsibility are clear and well defined, opportunity for promotion motivates employees and employees can specialise and develop expertise in their field. On the other hand the disadvantages are communication between departments may be less effective, decision making can take longer, may be harder to adapt and change or even rivalry between departments. Functional this is one of the most common especially in larger businesses they do this by dividing the business via departments such as sale, marketing, finance, human resources etc. The advantages of this structure is that it is specialised so departments focus on one area of work, productivity as they are specialised the staff are skilled in the tasks they perform, accountability there are clear lines of management and clarity everyone understands their roles. On the other hand the disadvantages may be closed communication, co-ordination may become difficult and they may be resistant to change. Flat this occurs when there are no management levels, when all staff report to one overall manager mainly seen in small businesses. The advantages to this structure are: better communication and relationship between different roles, simple, fast decision making process, easier to change and adapt. On the other hand the disadvantages may be that employees may be less specialised and it is difficult to maintain this structure as the company grows. I would say we are between a flat and hierarchical structure because we are still relatively a small business but growing, there are fewer levels of management. We have our directors, managers and room leaders so it is a fairly direct chain of command with leaders having access to the directors very easily as we all work very closely together but you can see as we grow levels will be added. Change management theories Business environments are constantly changing and evolving such as social media and mobile capability have changed they way we do business which means there is an ever increasing need to change and therefore change management. Change is a key source of competitive advantage and change is all about survival. There are several key change management models such as Kotter J.P.(2012) invented the eight step model for leading change. Create a sense of urgency if people think the organisation is doing fine there will be little motivation for change. It is important that your employees see the need for change. This is the most important and difficult step to make sure everyone is on the same page in order to make the change happen. Bring everyone together it is essential to have a strong leader to convince employee that the change is necessary. Create a clear vision and strategy having a clear vision allows people to remember easily what your are asking them to do. Communicate your vision to others- share the visions and make sure all staff understand what we are aiming for. It is important to talk about your vision often and use it daily to make decision and solve problems. Remove obstacles- to clear obstacles and have a can do attitude this will help empower employees execute your vision and move forward. Motivate with short term wins- this will build confidence and allowing staff achieve short term goals will give them a taste of success. You want it to be achievable with little room for failure, so that they will want to get to the final stage of the change process. Build on the change- saying the above you need to be careful not reward too early and keep moving forward and building on the change. Change to become the core of the organisation- to avoid old habits creeping back in the change that came in place needs to be imbedded into the heart of the company. The real change requires a subtle motivation driven approach and is broad based rather than narrow and built on inclusion. Therefore collaboration is the base for success and to achieve that there must be a wide spread perception for change. We need to look at our own competitive situation and effective communication is key to getting the word out and achieving employee engagement. Change is only possible if everyone participates. In relation to how this Kotters change model is suitable for a change process with our organisational structure can be shown through an example of change we have currently put into action in our company. As part of a requirement by our governing body in the childcare industry we must keep a learning journal for each child, tracking and tracing the developments in their learning during their time in our nursery. For many year this was a manual hand written process, each child had a large word processed book that our members of staff needed to complete throughout the childs duration in the nursery. We then needed to keep these records for numerous years. Looking back on this now it was a lot of paperwork and you need a lot of space to store these records. Over the last two years we have introduced a change in this form of record keeping procedure and are now processing everything on a on-line program called Tapestry. This on-line learning journal is an innovative, time effective and kind to the environment form of keeping these records. We can give this change as an example of how we can use Kotters theory to bring this change to life. As stage one says the hardest job of this change was to explain the need of it to the staff. It was important to educate the staff and get them to understand the urgency for this change. The urgency being to move with the times and go paper less and digital, this was a daunting thought for them as many did not have strong IT skills and feared this process being difficult. We need to match our competitors and make sure we were part of the change that was happening in the industry. This application Tapestry is not only for inputting information about a child but it has an interactive live element to it where parents can log in and see the work we are doing and their childs achievements. This was a major reason for us wanting to introduce this change so that we can improve our communication with parents and give them a live insight to what we do with the children in our setting. After numerous meetings and discussions with our staff they understood the need for this change which really helped us move forward. By educating them and giving them so much information about the program, training them how to use it and explaining the benefits to us all they all came on board excited to get started. We created a clear vision and made sure it was communicated and brought in to our daily working lives. We set them small and achievable steps to show them they can do it and motivated them with rewards for their achievements. We recognised the staff that did a great job and told them all that by working and helping each other we can be better.ÂÂ   We offered a lot of training in groups and one on one so that no one was left behind or struggling. We empowered them by setting deadlines for information about their key children to be inputted and then checked their work and give them feedback on their achievements. This really motivated them as they were proud of what they have accomplished and felt that we really took time out of our day to say well done. Now two year into this change we are about to go live to parents and are looking forward to this being the start of a new era. Using this programme has really become a part of our daily working life and cant imagine going back to the old way. There are so many ways we can and are moving forward in our industry today but this is just one example of how we can manage change. In saying the above we can look at how Kubler-Ross (1960) change curve model can be discussed in relation to the example of us changing programs to Tapestry. Kubler- Ross Change Curve is a reliable tool to understand change and the stages associated with it, it is about us being able to help our employees adapt to change and move towards success. As we can see from the model above it is translated into the 5 stages of the grieving process. The 5 stages included in this model are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, this also holds true when it comes to business or employment and we need to understand during the change process at what stage our employees are at. If our employees do not make personal changes or transitions during our change process we will not see the benefits of this change or move forward. It is important to support our staff through every stage of any change we implement in order for us to ensure success, this can be shown in the amount of training we invest in and support we give our staff to give them the tools they need to achieve. Â   At stage one this can be shock or denial to the fact that change needs to occur and they may need to adapt to something new. Information is key at this stage, it will take time to digest and giving them knowledge and constantly communicating will empower them to be confident in the change. Stage two once all has settled and everything becomes clear they may begin to feel fear of what lies ahead of them. It is natural to panic and believe that you can not make this change happen and question yourself and your capability. It can also make them feel anger or resentful because they may have been comfortable in what they were doing and change means learning something new. This is an important stage to manage and ensure it is controlled so that employees stick with you. Once again communication is essential. Stage three at this point employees understand the change and may start to bargain and possibly learn only what they think is necessary. This is when training is key and vital to ensure that everyone receives the best information and access to mentoring. It is important not to rush this stage and why we have taken nearly two years for our staff to trial the program before it goes live to parents. Allowing them to make mistakes and learn from them so that we are well equipped when this system is introduced. Stage four is the point at which moral and motivation can be low so when providing our training we try and make it as interactive and fun as possible so not only do they remember what is being taught but enjoy themselves in the process meaning they will do their best. Stage five is when we all really start to embrace the change and when we will really start moving forward. There are numerous other theories available for us to look at when discussing change management but for the two that I have analysed we can clearly see the difference between the two model but their relevance and importance are still the same in the example I have given regarding Tapestry. In conclusion it has shown me that when it comes to any change within the organisation we need to ensure everyone is on board, educated, supported and enthusiastic about the project in order for it to succeed. Change can not be made to happen by one person it takes the whole company to want to come together to move us forward, therefore we need to make sure we are able to manage the change/project, our staff and ourselves throughout the whole process. 1.2 Analyse stakeholder mapping techniques used for managing and evaluating change When it comes to managing projects and implementing ideas the actions you take can effect a lot of people and some of these people will have more influence over the success of our project more than others. Therefore knowing who these people areÂÂ   before you start is incredibly important. This is because you are more likely to succeed if you have the support of your key stakeholders.ÂÂ   Stakeholders are people interested in our business they can be internal i.e. employees and owners or external i.e. suppliers, customers and government. It is important to understand who our key stakeholders are, this is where you would use a stakeholders map. The actions you take when you look at the power versus interest the stakeholder has being high or low. Stakeholder Power and Interest Mapping Bryson (2004) (Sourced: Mindtools.com) From the drawing above you can see there are four types of stakeholders, those of:Â   High power/high interest these are your most important stakeholders that you should keep informed and close to your project. For us this would be our Directors and managers High power/low interest these stakeholders are to be kept satisfied, their power is high so they can influence your project but their interest is low so this is unlikely. Low power/high interest keep these people informed as this can support your project. For us this would be our employees and customers. Low power/low interest to be monitored with little effort as these stakeholders cant influence your project and are unlikely to be involved. This analytical tool will help you better understand where to focus your energy and time. It is important to spend a lot of strategic effort thinking about where your real power is held and knowing how to keep our key stakeholders engaged. In relation to keeping them engaged we need to ensure we are communicating with them using the right channels and tools of communication. The disadvantage of this tool is that unless you really know your stakeholders well you can place them incorrectly on your grid. A common mistake is by putting a stakeholder where you want them to be not where they really should be. Thats why it is important to know who they are, meet them, interview them and understand their values and beliefs, this knowledge will help place them in the correct position on the grid and will really give us a clear picture of who to focus on. In regards to managing and evaluating change such as the example I gave above of us introducing a new on-line learning journal Tapestry I would use this grid to pin point all stakeholders and approach them about my project. I would do research on their thoughts and ideas for this new system and use this information to make my decisions. Making informative decisions is the key to success and having lots of information from the relevant people will make my project and change run smoothly. The more preparation we take at this beginning stage the easier the transition will be to make a big change in our business. Stakeholder Salience model (Mitchell 1997) Unlike the power/interest grid above this model uses three parameters to categorise: power is the ability to influence the business, legitimacy is the authority and level of involvement they have on a business and urgency is the time expected to respond to their expectations. Source: Creative communication From the diagram above where these three factors meet shows you who your ultimate stakeholder is and these are the people you need to focus on. The other type of stakeholder that should have your attention is the dominant one as their power and legitimacy is high but their urgency is low. 1.3 Analyse techniques to evaluate change It is important and vital for us to evaluate the changes we make and measure their results. We need to know if we were successful or not in order to learn for future projects. Evaluating ourselves and our projects allows to better make decisions and helps reduce uncertainty, increases learning and control of what we are doing. One method of evaluating change is through Key Performance Indicators (KPI) this is when measures can be set against our objective to see if they are working. We need to gather data and information over time. By doing this it gives us a snapshot of our company and give us warnings to something that may be wrong. We need to look at what the key factors of our business for us is our customers and ensuring that people keep enquiring and joining our nursery. We can measure the number of enquires we get and then look at the success rates of those enquirers, did they register and did they join the nursery? These questions and results will give us a clear picture of what we are doing wrong and how we can do better. What can come out of this is that we need more training for the people who are giving the nursery tours, educate them in marketing and sales techniques to ensure every person that steps through our door leaves wanting to be a part of our business.ÂÂ   When we look at a KPI we need to make sure they are meaningful to us and that we are tracking something that will help us make better decisions. In relation to the example I have been giving above use moving to using Tapestry we are currently at the piloting stage where we are going live to 4 parents to trial the system and learn about the other side the customers point of view, what do they see, how useful is it, what problems do they have using it etc. We are using this trial period to educate us before we go live to the whole nursery, we are selecting a variety of parents and children to get a broad perspective of their views. This evaluation stage is key to seeing if this change was worth the effort and time. Obviously before this point we are confident that we made the right choice to move the company forward in regards to technology and moving with the times but we could be wrong and that this system will not bring that many benefits but until we listen to our customer, ask the questions we need answering we will not know, we would be assuming. 1.4 Evaluate the relationship between change management, business continuity and crisis management This is a process of preparing for something that most likely will never happen, we may find this a waste of time but it is important. Change management as we have seen is about thoughtful planning, implementation, consultation and involvement of the people affected by the change. From this we have learnt that there are many theories and models to manage change but overall its about preparation which links into business continuity. Its all about being ready for example like the Y2K crisis everyone believed the whole world would shut down in the year 2000. Business continuity is about anticipating the worst and being as ready as you can for this. Anything that interrupts normal business activity such as power outages, system failure, natural disasters etc can happen and we need to think about this and be prepared. An example of something basic we do is fire drills, invacuations, risk assessment etc. These are small examples but if we are well prepared then it can not end in disaster. Crisis is not about if it will happen to you its about how, when and why will it happen. It may seem like a single event but its not it can set off a chain reaction. It is important to identify the things that are creating conditions where crisis can happen and proactively form a divert crisis portfolio. This about preparing for a wide era of crisis and pick up early warning signals, look at key assumptions, build a damage control plan, think and act. Coming out of a crisis well can really move your business forward or not being crisis prepared can damage our company to points of no return. Examples can be what if our utilities failed such as our toilets, heating etc, we need to have maintenance companies on hand to have things repaired quickly so that we dont need to close the nursery. This happened last week when on of our toilets broke, I have a contract with a company that can help with plumbers, electricians, decorators etc so if I call they can send me anyone to repair the problem. It is important that I am prepared if something goes wrong, closing the nursery is the last measure. I have to have contacts and information of people who can help me in times of need. Another crisis issue we deal with is recruitment, we can do our best to have a bank of staff CVs but once a staff member has handed notice we dont have long to find someone to replace them. The only way to avoid this crisis is about prediction and having good communication with your staff and knowing if they are unhappy or are looking to further their career. If we have this information then we will not b e surprised if they want to leave or we can try and get them to stay with incentives like pay increase, further training, promotions etc. This simple information can really make a difference to the way we prepare for these events. Knowledge is power and allows you to be in control. I need to know how to identify risk and how to handle them. We do daily risk assessments and check our building to make sure we are catching early signs of anything going wrong to ensure it doesnt become crisis point, its about being aware and proactive. Because we are taking these proactive measures everyday to instil trust in our employees, customers and stakeholders that we know what we are doing. If something was to happen we are well prepared and trained in handling the situations. If you are not prepared for the worst it can destroy your company and you will loss your reputation.

An Invention the World Could Live Without

What invention would the world be better off without, and why? One major substance in the world can change your life forever. The most popular invention that I feel the world can go without is Cocaine. This drug can cause much turmoil in your life. Just one try and you can become an addict. An addiction is a habit that can't be broken unless you have assistance. Cocaine can cause you to have health Issues, family Issues and cause you to Illustrate.Cocaine Is a white substance sold on the street. This Is a drug that can cause serious health Issues. Some people Intake the drug through the noise sniffing It up through the nostrils. This can cause nose bleeds. A constant sniffing, deterioration of brain cells. Another way to intake the cocaine substance is liquid formula shooting it through the veins with a stencil. Besides the minor health issues that occur, u can also cause your heart to explode, have seizures, and go into traumatic shock. This is a absence that can kill you.Besides th e fact that cocaine is an illegal drug and can kill you. For females that are with child this drug can also cause pregnancy Issues. Females can have children with birth defects such as: A. D. H. D, Down syndrome, hearing Impaired, vision impaired, not fully developed. Sometimes you even loose the baby. If the child does make It through the turmoil of drug abuse sometimes the child will come out addicted to the substance. Some parents even sell their child for the drugs because hey just have to have it.Or even come out as a ward of the state, because the parent is a drug abuser and has lost everything. So, now that you know the drug is illegal and can be fatal. Remember that the drug is not Just a white powdery substance, but can also be sold toy in little rocks. This drug can make u very delusional, causing you to see things that are not there. You won't be able to remember anything that has happened or is going too happened. This drug causes the nerve system to slow down can someti mes cause your reheating to be very shallow or even to speed giving you a rush.But the crash after It all will leave you shattered. Cocaine is a drug that will take everything away from you. Even family. A white lives. And only leaving hurt turmoil, and death behind. This is a drug that was invented for people to get rich and watch others loose all that is important. I feel this invention would be an invention that the world would be better off without. Cocaine is still killing people breaking up families and leaving people with great regret. So say no to this invention.

Employee voice Essay

‘Employee voice’ suggested by Geoff Armstrong (cited in Armstrong,2001) in the recent issue of Industrial Participation Association (IPA) Bulletin, historically meant collective bargaining, and that this ‘chosen method of joint regulation became a straitjacket inhibiting the very things we needed to be doing to win and keep customers! ’ Win and keep the customers because feedbacks and suggestions came from the employee who deals with the customers every day of their work. Companies are able to get the facts from how the customer complaint about their product and to what satisfies them. The word ‘voice’ was popularized by Freeman and Medoff (cited in Freeman & Medoff, 1984) who argued that it made good sense for both company and workforce to have a ‘voice’ mechanism. This had both a consensual and conflictual image; on the one hand, participation could lead to a beneficial impact on quality and productivity, whilst on the other it could detect problems which otherwise might ‘explode’. Dundon et al (cited in Dundon, 2004;MC Cabe & Lewin, 1992; Wilkinson et al,2004). The four principal strands of the thought or forms of ‘voice’ that are available to employees are: an articulation of individual dissatisfaction; existence of a collective organization; a form of contribution to the management decision-making; and as a form of mutuality in the organization. In the articulation of individual dissatisfaction, the employee aims to address a specific problem or issue with the management that is usually presented in the form of grievance procedure or ‘speak up’ program. An opportunity for employee representatives – union or non-union – to communicate the views of the workforce to managers either through partnership or collective bargaining is the form of collective organization. As a form of contribution to the management decision-making its purpose is concerned with improvements in work organization and efficiency more generally, perhaps through quality circles or team working. It is achieve by a dialogue with employees providing ideas to improve the organizational performance. The last form is the mutuality in organization in delivering long term viability for the organization and its employees, often through joint consultation, collective bargaining and or partnership. In an article by Sharon Shinn (2004,p 18), The Maverick CEO, he asked Ricardo Semler that if business students were reading a case study of Semco what was the valuable lesson they would they take away and he answered that, â€Å"the main lesson is that freedom is a prime driver for performance. † Through my research I believe that all of the employees’ benefits from ‘employee voice’ just revolve around Semlers’ idea. When an employee has the freedom to express himself it empowers him to decide the courses of action that must be done to achieve a certain objective of the company according to his ideals in work and life in general. When one has the freedom to say what for him is wrong or right it gives him the dignity of not only a worker of the company but someone who can make a change and influence people on top for the better future of the company. A sample of the ideal is displayed in Semco where employees can vote to veto new products or new product ventures. At Semco, (cited in Samler, 2004) â€Å"workers approve their own bosses and people only attend meetings if they think the meetings are important. It works because of peoples’ self-interest. Nobody wants to stay in boring meetings or work for bosses they didn’t choose. † Furthermore, â€Å"of course, you can make people come to meetings and look alert, but it’s more difficult to get them to perform what was decided at the meeting. We want people to follow their instincts and to choose as bosses people they respect – even if they don’t like them. This often happens at Semco. † ‘Employee voice’ can be channeled between union and non-union voice. Comparison of benefits between union and non-union voice has been noted. (cited in Freeman and Medoff, 1984) argued that only union forms of voice would result in voice benefits for workers and management. The reasoning behind this argument is that without a union to ensure fair treatment and an equitable distribution of the fruits of success, individuals lack the incentive to pursue public goods. Union voice promotes ‘independence’ unlike direct voice mechanisms’ where its effectiveness is challenged in their capacity to transform the power relations in an organization due to lack of sanctions for non-compliance, collective power and access to independent sources of advice or assistance, non-union voice mechanisms are more susceptible to managerial influence and control (cited in Golan,2009; Terry,199; Wilkinson et al, 2004). On the contrary, non-union or direct voice has been also argued to be superior to union voice for 2 reasons: first, barriers between employers and employees can be disintegrated by dealing directly with employees rather than through an intermediary (cited in Bryson, 2004; Storey, 1992); and second, direct voice allows managers to better respond to the heterogeneous interests of workers (cited in Storey,1992). Another distinct benefit of ‘employee voice’ is evident in the ‘monopoly face’ of unionism, whereby unions seek to restrict the supply of labor to the irm in pursuit of higher wages and benefits. In a general point of view because of the ‘employee voice’ managers give more positive responses to employee needs, greater levels of control over the work process and increased influence over job rewards. In relation with the benefits that can be gained by employees’ through ‘employee voice’ the said firms that practices this kind of system have a lot to gain out of it. One important factor that affects the companies’ profitability is its labor cost. Voice is considered important, in their classic work on US trade Unionism, (cited in Freeman and Medoff, 1984) post it that it is theoretically possible for trade unions to enhance the productivity of firms because they provide voice to workers. They argue that union voice can be productivity-enhancing where voice costs are lower than the costs of dissatisfied workers quitting, and lower quit rates encourage firms to invest in human capital, resulting in a more skilled and productive workforce. In union voice it may also reduce the transaction costs that employees face, for example, by enforcing and monitoring contracts (cited in Booth, 1995; Kaufman, 2004; Kaufman and Levine, 2000). The company of Semco is a great example of this, (cited in Shinn, 2004) Semler and a radical management team completely upended traditional business theory at Semco, doing away with conventional organizational charts while allowing employees more and more freedom to choose what products they would work and how they would produce them. Many employees were eliminated by job reconstruction or left because they couldn’t handle the turmoil. But those who remained became passionate about Semco and their place within it. At Semco they also believe in continuous growth and development so (cited in Samler, 2004) â€Å"people at Semco, by setting their own timetables and workloads, are more apt to take time out for learning. † He said that there were also sabbaticals, and a system whereby people can diminish and increase their work weeks by arrangement with their teams. They also have Retire-a-little where people can take a day, or half-day, off every week, to do what they would when they retire. Because of such changes, (cited in Semler, 2004) noted that it have raised Semco’s revenue from a $35 million to $160 million in the last six years. In addition, (cited in Shinn, 2004) Semler is deeply involved in promoting a workplace where freedom and flexibility is celebrated that he established a school in Sao Paolo practicing his values. (cited in Samler ,2004) â€Å"the school is in place and has started enrolling two-to-ten year olds. We want to change things at the starting point. At this school, our kids determine the rules and makes decisions ever week at a school meeting. We don’t want to holler and point fingers at kids. They are perfectly able to settle disputes and regulations alone. We do sit in to facilitate, when they want. † Furthermore, â€Å"at the Lumlar Institute, which runs the school, we develop a mosaic technology to teach free children effectively, something that the educational world knows nothing about. Since our kids are obliged to be in school but not in class, it behooves us to interest them – and we do. Children are already staying 1. 84 times longer at our school, out of free will, than at other schools in the system. After defining that there were two system of ‘employee voice’ which are non-union (direct) and union, in addition reviewing the benefits of implementing ‘employee voice’ to both the employees and company, Australia seems to place more importance to non-union voice that than union voice. Result from the studies of researchers proves that, for example, AWIRS (the Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey) shows that only 16% of work places were there employee representatives on boards in 1995. (cited in Morehead et al, 1997; 506-67). Moreover non-union of employee representation was not institutionalized as they are in EU (European Union). With the Decline of Union membership, with 22% of employees now being unionized (and only 17 percent in the private sector), there is a growing ‘representation on gap’ for employees’ with some academic experts arguing that works councils could fill that gap. (Knudsen & Markey, 2002). However, there seems little political will to progress this issue at the moment, with major interest focused on the recent Work Choices Legislation, rather than a broader discussion of work place governance. Thus, it appears that for the most part, participation in Australia will remain a matter for the firm rather that a broader social issue and its extent will be largely governed by management strategy and enthusiasm for the various direct participative approaches. Pyman et al (2006) In practical sense, the effectiveness of employee voice in Australia workplaces is dependent on a plurality of arrangements, that is multiple, mutually reinforcing channels. While achieving this is likely to present challenge for employers, employees and unions, the findings to do highlight the significance of labor- management interaction and thus the value of a union-employer partnership approach predicated on mutual benefits. Such an approach is seriously threatened by the recent changes embodied in the Work Choices Act 2005. This legislation unequivocally privileges direct or non-union representative voice mechanisms, while undermining union voice and multi-channel voice arrangements.

US Postal Service Mail Holding Service Online Request

US Postal Service Mail Holding Service Online Request You spent months planning the perfect vacation and at last, its time to hit the road. The bags are packed, the car is loaded, and the dogs in the kennel. But wait. What about having days of mail stacking up in your mailbox where robbers and identity thieves might get their hands on it? No problem. Just go online and arrange to have the  U.S. Postal Service  (USPS) hold your mail while youre gone.   The USPS mail holding service offers postal customers the option of having their mail held for from three to 30 days quickly and easily. When you go on vacation, the last thing you need is to be concerned about the safety of your mail while youre away. Our Hold Mail Service addresses this issue almost effortlessly, said Francia G. Smith, USPS vice president and Consumer Advocate. This service represents our continued commitment to increasing customer access- making it easier and more convenient for customers to use the Postal Service when and where they need to. You can request USPS mail holding services up to 30 days in advance of the day you want it to start or as early as the next scheduled delivery day. You should request your mail holding start date by 3 a.m. EST (2 a.m. CT or 12 a.m. PST) on your requested day, Monday through Saturday. If you are going to be away from home for more than 30 days or if you are making a long-term move, you can also set up temporary or permanent USPS Mail and Package Forwarding Services. If you are making a permanent move, you can also use the forwarding service to update your official address. If you are just moving temporarily, you can use the Postal Service’s mail and package forwarding service for a period as short as 15 days or as long as one year. After the first six months, you can extend for another six months. How to Do It After you get online, just  go to the Postal Service home page. In the menu under Track Manage at the top of the page, click on the Hold Mail menu option.   Youll be asked to enter your delivery address information and the dates on which you want the Postal Service to start and stop holding your mail.   At the end of the mail holding request process, youll be given a  confirmation number so that you can modify the request if you come home early or decide you want to stay on vacation a little bit longer. The online service electronically notifies your local post office, and all of your mail will be held for the time specified and delivery is resumed on the requested date. Having the Postal Service hold your mail while you are away is one of the best steps you can take to prevent having your mail stolen. Request Mail Holding by Telephone   You can also request the USPS mail holding service over the phone by calling toll-free  1-800-ASK-USPS and following the menu options.   Whether requested online or by phone, millions of Postal Service customers have taken advantage of this convenient service since its 2003 launch.

Oceanography as viewed from space essays

Oceanography as viewed from space essays At first thought, studying the oceans from space seems to be a bizarre idea. Space observation helps oceanographers do research with manned and unmanned space systems. The space systems can be satellites and/or space shuttles that observe various features of the ocean such as sea-surface winds, sea-surface temperatures, waves, ocean currents, frontal regions, and sea color. Technological advances have greatly improved the ability of oceanographers to gather and use information that is received. Oceanography as viewed from space has and will become more and more valuable as we begin to understand more of the world's oceans. Space oceanography uses a number of different sciences to research the oceans that include physics, geology, biology, chemistry, and engineering (Cracknell 13). This is evident in the projects that send satellites into space for observation of our oceans. In 1992, the Topex/Poseidon project was launched to observe the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere (Cracknell 17). The Topex/Poseidon mission is to gather information about sea level heights and ocean currents (Cracknell 17). The Topex/Poseidon orbits above the earth at 840 miles and has a 10-day repeating cycle in which it takes pictures of all of the earth (Cracknell 17). Information about the how the sea level changes can tell scientists that there are changes in ocean currents and in climate patterns (Cracknell 25). This information is valuable to both oceanographers and meteorologists because it gives information about the phenomena, El Nino. Figure 1 is a picture of how the Topex/Poseidon works. The Topex/Poseidon receives information as to what it is supposed to do from a beacon on earth. The satellite then gathers the information it is supposed to gather and then sends it to the beacon on earth. The beacon on earth processes this information so that scientists can use it. As the Topex/Poseidon nears the end of observation new developments ...

Renewable Energy Consumption in the Future Research Paper

Renewable Energy Consumption in the Future - Research Paper Example At current consumption rates, we are left with 200 years of coal, 40 years of oil and 60 years of gas. Fossil fuels, Nuclear, and hydroelectric power plants also pose a danger to the environment (Hargreaves, 2011). If we are to address the issue of global warming, brought about through carbon emissions, then we will have to use the right energy sources, and dispose of the waste produced in our day to day lives in an effective manner. The use of solar panels is leading renewable alternative energy source used globally. Solar panels work by harnessing the radiation from the sun and converting it to electricity. Its main advantage is the abundant availability of the sun’s rays and widespread accessibility across the globe. But supply can be variable and intermittent, depending on weather conditions and time frames. These factors would probably underscore why the uptake of solar panels has not been as widespread as would be expected. According to the Pew Center on Global Climate c hange (2010), solar power only produces one percent of the energy requirement of the whole world in 2008. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (2010), Americans generated approximately 2.3 million tons of waste, in the year 2009. 53% of that waste was dumped, 33.8% recycled and 11.9% burned. This would seem to indicate that only a small portion of waste actually gets recycled. According to the grassroots recycling network (grrn.org), many of the products that we think are recycled are actually â€Å"downcycled†. For example, newspapers are turned into low-value products like insulation material and cow bedding. The problem with this type of waste management system is that it leads to the continual degradation of the environment, and depletion of natural resources likes forests. A huge part of the waste is constituted by paper products, and if we are not careful how we source for more paper materials, we could end up cutting more trees, and thus furth er compounding the greenhouse effect. The best way to achieve the reduction of carbon emissions is by looking for better and more sustainable renewable energy sources and by utilizing better recycling methods. Enhanced Geothermal Systems This system generates electricity by harnessing the heat naturally generated by the earth (Blodgett & Slack, 2009). To accomplish this, you need to dig into a rock located in a cold area. The fractured network is then improved to make a basin into which supplementary wells are going be pierced in. Chilly H2O is then squirted towards the wells, through the fractured network, gripping the warm temperature from the rock as flows into the rock. The end result is, steam is captured from the resurfacing water, which is then used to power steam turbines. Afterward, it is then redirected to the fractured network to repeat the whole cycle again. This method of power generation produces zero carbon emissions and is currently in use at Copper Basin in Australi a. Smart Grids A Smart Grid is a â€Å"computerized† electricity grid. It involves adding two-way digital communication technology devices to an electricity grid (Williams et al, 2007). Each electronic device on the network can gather data, through sensors, plus two-way digital communication between the field and the utility’s network operation center. This connectivity can then allow the operator to adjust and control each individual device.

Questionare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Questionare - Essay Example The descriptive phase follows, in which the demographic and statistical information on the target population and target program emulations are determined in respective forms of their completeness and efficiency. â€Å"Exploratory studies are most typically done†¦ to satisfy the researcher’s curiosity and desire for better understanding, to test the feasibility of undertaking a more careful study, and to develop the methods to be employed† (Babbie, 1995, p. 84). #12 Between Kà ¤rtnerstrasse, Graben and Kohlmarkt, which is the most popular street? Why? ________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ #13 How much would you expect to spend in a typical day of shopping? On how much designer products would this money typically be spent? ______ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Multiple choice form is optimal for diversity since it also affords anonymity and privacy while simultaneously reducing the amount of confusion often attendant upon a questionnaire interview that is evinced by so many. The survey that is given to individuals representing two different sides of the issue of the effectiveness of research into presented issues. Respondents are instructed, Please circle the letter that seems best to