Adventurous Day Essay

ADVENTURES DAY â€Å"IT WAS RAINNING AND I DASHED TOWARDS A DESERTED BUILDING† with this sentence we should start the essay It was raining and as I dashed towards a deserted building when I was running to find my resort when I had been to a holiday trip GOA during the summer vacation. Previosly when my school’s summer vacation started i was really excited as we finished our exams and got a long holiday after a stressful exams. As days passed I was feeling bored and after some days, I got a call from my friends asking to go for a trip to GOA.As I was feeling bored, to pass my time I had to go for the trip. So we decided to start of the coming Monday ,it was a two week plan .We all were pretty exited about the trip ,after a long wait for about one week the day arrived when we left to GOA,we were going by train as it was more fun and could spend more time. As soon as we reached there we found that there was a vehicle waiting for our arrival ,we all got onto the car and we reached our resort within minutes.that day we all were very tired and so just slept the whole day.According to the plan we had to go to the beach . The next afternoon we went to the beach ,as soon as we reached we foud four wheel cars were there and so we decided to race .the destination was not clear to me but I was going first as everyone else had no much experience as I had cause I had drived the four wheel car several times which goes only on sand.i had no idea where I was going as I was going really fast and even the scene was pretty good following that I went too long which I did not realize until I reached a place where I was surrounded by three sides of water.then I realized that I came too far ,so I decide to follow the way I came but as I was going I reached a place where I found a road where no one was there and so I parked my four wheel car and followed the left side direction and to see it started raining and so I started getting scared and so I started running ,I just felt that some was following me while seeing back I just dashed onto a building which was deserted and then my friends come from the buiding giving m e surprise for my birthday!

Peckham Library: A Case Study

Peckham Library. Case Study. Introduction. Peckham Library is a library and community edifice situated in Peckham, southeast London. Peckham Library opened to the populace on 8 March 2000, with an official gap by Mr. Chris Smith, secretary of State for civilization, media and athletics. The library was designed by Mr. Will Alsop from Alsop & A ; Stormer Company and it received the 2000 Stirling Award for architectural invention. It besides won the Civic Trust Award ( April 2002 ) for excellence in public architecture, along with the London Eye and Tate Modern and the Copper Cladding Award for it’s vivid Cu outside. The edifice looks like an upside-down capital missive ‘L’ , with the upper portion supported by thin steel pillars set at random angles. The edifice includes meeting suites, children’s countries and the library. There is besides an Afro-Caribbean subdivision which attracts many visitants. Peckham Library is one of the busiest and most visited libraries, with about half a million visitants a twelvemonth and over 245,000 issued points. The library was designed to be dramatic, to do people funny about what lies indoors and to dispute the traditional position of libraries as staid and serious environments. The building of the library cost 5 million lbs, including 1,25 million signifier Single Regeneration Budget plan. This plan besides covered the creative activity of new low-rise lodging //9 a mixture of owner-occupied and societal lodging ) , Peckham Pulse Healthy Living Center, Peckham Square and Peckham Arch. Peckham Library is considered to be one of the best 5 l ibraries, along with libraries in Zurich, Chicago, Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Southwark council, ( Peckham country council ) , tries to agitate off the violent image of the country with usher to draw in tourers, that is why constructing like Peckham Library were built.In the 1890ss, Southwark was the ssecond most disadvantaged council country in England, and Peckham was one of its worst countries. Housing was hapless, unemployment high and the GCSE base on balls rate was a 3rd of the national norm. The country used to hit the headlines for it’s less wholesome reputes as a hot spot for offense, or cheapjack public lodging. Roger Young, caput of the reclamation squad stated: â€Å"We don’t pretend that the topographic point is perfect, but what we are stating is that there is a batch traveling on here that people should come and see. What people hear about the country comes from flooring headlines, but we have some first material here. Peckham has a electrifying mixture of civilizations, history and architecture† . The undertaking was finished by 1998 and it formed a new inner-city place in London southeast territory of Peckham. Other well-known undertakings of Alsop and Stormer are the North Greenwich station in London and a ferry terminus in Hamburg. The end of this, ( Peckham Library ) edifice was to excite, pull and pull people’s attending so they would get down interweaving with the Library. The library clears at 9am and closes 8pm and includes 70 grownup reading infinites, free cyberspace entree, word processing installations and handicapped entree lavatories. There are many events during the hebdomad which pull local people to the library, such as 1 ) vocalizing Sessionss for kids every Monday 2 ) babe and yearling Sessionss every Tuesday 3 ) book nine Sessionss every Wednesday 4 ) prep aid bead in for kids every Wednesday 5 ) over 50s nine every first Friday of every month Peckham Library has become a really popular topographic point and has reduced the hooliganism around the country. Mr Alsop said in a inquiry: â€Å"If you build a semi-decent edifice, it will non pull vandalism† . Air. Air is the unseeable gaseous substance environing the Earth, a mixture chiefly of O and N. ( Picture of composing of air ) Air travels from countries of high force per unit area to low force per unit area. ( image of how the air moves in a room ) Peckham Library has 22 Windowss which are most of the times shut. The edifice has no air-conditioning, therefore it is of course ventilated. There is shadowing in many different countries around the edifice ; therefore the Sun visible radiation can non easy go through through.This sort of airing is named inactive chilling The concrete frame of the edifice, which is exposed to the soffit, besides helps with the airing, because cross airing occurs and helps the concrete in footings of the air temperature, which prevents heat from come ining the inside ( heat addition bar ) . The window panels, which are laminated with four different movie beds with different coloring material movie, are really utile themselves, because during winter they help to maintain the cold air off and the warm air to stay inside the edifice. However the Windowss can be easy opened, because a library is a topographic point with many people and it needs a certain sum of air so it won’t acquire smothering. The edifice has a radiation system on the walls and the floor, so the room gets a certain sum of warm air during winter clip. ( Diagram of the conditions in the UK ) Pulling figure 1. ( In the floor ) . Pulling figure 2. ( in the wall ) . Light. The Windowss in the ceiling and the Windowss on the sides of the edifice let a large sum of visible radiation to come indoors, but unreal visible radiation is besides used because there is non adequate visible radiation during winter clip or in the early forenoons and late eventides. During my first visit I’ve noticed that the visible radiations in the library were switched on and some of the bulbs which are set in the high ceiling were consecutive illuming the country. The visible radiation made the infinite more pleasant for the visitants and easier to read. Some visible radiations were more inside the ceiling and surrounded by a mirroring consequence, which helps the visible radiation to distribute across the room. This shows that Mr. Aslop was non trusting on natural lighting, as the edifice has 300 visible radiation bulbs. If the visible radiations in the library of all time needed to be changed, it would take four yearss for the work to be done. The closing angered Southwark council leader Stephanie Elsy stated: â€Å"This is merely non acceptable and we ca n't let it to go on again† she said. â€Å"It ‘s quite unbelievable that it has to be closed to make everyday care work. I ca n't believe this is the lone approach† . ( Light around my edifice ) Pulling figure 3. ( speedy drawing of the visible radiations in the 4th floor of the edifice ) ( Pulling of the Windowss on the left side of the Peckham Library edifice ) ( Free manus drawing of how the visible radiation comes in the flat four of the edifice ) Land. Land is the solid surface of the Earth. Earth is made out of many things. Deep inside Earth, near its centre, lays Earth ‘s nucleus, which is largely made up of Ni and Fe. Above the nucleus is Earth ‘s mantle, which is made out of stone that contains Si, Fe, Mg, aluminum, O and other minerals. The bouldery surface bed of Earth, called the crust, is made out of O, Si, aluminum, Fe, Ca, Na, K and Mg. Earth ‘s surface is chiefly covered with liquid H2O and the ambiance is chiefly nitrogen and O, with smaller sums of C dioxide, H2O vapour and other gases. Land is really of import to the procedure of constructing a edifice. Before the planning of a edifice, designers and contrivers are being asked to mensurate out the site and to turn up the piping and electricity. It is besides known that if person wants to cognize about what type of land has an country, he has to look at the old houses at the peculiar country. In old old ages builders used stuffs that were easy found around the country they were construct the house. Peckham Library on the other manus, is modern and futuristic and at first glimpse, it doesn’t look to be the same as the edifices around it. It is made out of concrete, metal, Cu and glass, while the edifices around are made out of bricks. The designer used these specific stuffs both to do it outstand and suit into the country at the same clip. ( Picture of earth’s stuffs ) All the stuffs that are used to construct a edifice semen from Earth. Peckham library is made out of: 1 ) Copper cladding steel [ used on the bulk of the outside ( South, East, West and roof ) ] . ( Picture of Cu on its first signifier ) ( Copper at Peckham Library ) 2 ) Glass ( both field and fluorescent, used for Windowss and doors ) . ( Picture of glass at Peckham Library ) ( Pulling of the Indian Sandstone Paving outside Peckham Library, at the front side ) 3 ) Metallic element ( used for the shells and the back uping columns on the Plaza ) . ( Picture of the back uping columns ) A important part of the constructions exterior is covered in Cu steel. Traditionally copper steel is being used chiefly for pipes ; nevertheless the Cu supplied by TECU, a German fabrication company, is used in an unconventional mode in Peckham Library. Alsop’s design required a stuff that would be cheerful but challenging hence TECU ®-Patina supplied the green horizontal sheet cladding which has a really typical visual aspect. By utilizing sheet stuff, Alsop was able to hold the stuff cut in to linear signifiers which produce ‘seams’ . These ‘seams’ run down the frontage which draws attending to the slanted steel supports. The steel mesh which protects the glass is slightly unexpected because there is no demand for protection of the glass although criminalism in Peckham country is really high. The steel mesh is a Sambesi450 merchandise which is made from unstained wire overseas telegrams and rods which are an norm of 7mm midst and weigh approx. 11.2 kg/ m? . Steel is besides used in the slanted rods which support the overhang. Even though I believe that these stuffs where chosen to do the construction lively, playful and absorbing, chiefly because Mr Aslop wanted to pull and pull peoples’ attending so they would get down interweaving with the Library, I besides believe that the stuffs used were intended to stand the trial of clip and survive Acts of the Apostless of hooliganism and inauspicious conditions conditions in Peckham country. Water. Water is a colourless, transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the footing of the fluids of life beings. Information about the H2O and the pipes in Peckham library edifice could non be found, as the people in the library stated that such information is confidential. Alternatively, I found the program of flat four of the edifice and searched for the lavatories. This is where the pipes are more likely to be. The H2O in Peckham Library is black H2O, which means that it is used merely in the sanitation system of the edifice, as the library does non supply other countries that H2O is needed. ( Plan of degree five that illustrates where the lavatories situated in the edifice ) Energy. Energy is the power derived from the use of physical or chemical resources, particularly to supply visible radiation and heat or to work machines. â€Å"Energy can non be created nor destroyed within a system† . Energy can be used for transit, or the industry, or for residential and commercial grounds. There are plentifulness of energy types: 1 ) Oil 2 ) Nuclear 3 ) Solar 4 ) Wind power 5 ) Geothermal 6 ) Hydropower 7 ) Fuelwood 8 ) Coal 9 ) Natural gas ( Picture of fuel ingestion ) Peckham Library has heat demand of 369. ( This information was received from DeMAP ) First the window facade of the edifice is made out of Vanceva Interlayer Colours Windowss. They are made out of different colored beds assembled between beds of clear glass. Therefore when the heat approaches the glass it is redirected back into its environment, which means it provides a good thermic insularity. Second the Cu, which the edifice is made from, is by and large considered to be a good sender of heat, this suggests that the edifice is good stray, nevertheless non all heat is kept in ; some of it is released back to the ambiance. The window frontage is made out of four beds, hence as the heat approaches the glass it is redirected back into its environment, that means it provides a good thermic insularity. Energy within the edifice is used in the signifier of electricity. It is used chiefly for illuming, but for the machines as good ( computing machines, lifts, warmers, run offing machine and automatic doors ) . The energy comes from a generator, which is situated at the back side of the edifice. ( Energy beginnings in a modern edifice ) Recycle. Recycling is a procedure to alter stuffs ( waste ) , into new merchandises to forestall waste of potentially utile stuffs, cut down the ingestion of fresh natural stuffs, cut down energy use, cut down air pollution ( from incineration ) and H2O pollution ( from landfilling ) by cut downing the demand for â€Å" conventional † waste disposal, and lower nursery gas emanations as compared to plastic production. In architecture, recycling chiefly means the reuse of energy, but it can besides intend the reuse stuffs, such as glass bottles can be used to do a wall, or coins can be used for doing floorings. Peckham Library has one recycle bin and one general waste bin on the 4th floor. It doesn’t seem to actuate people to recycle, even though the room has some postings about recycling. There are besides general waste bins and recycle bins at the plaza country. When I visited the library, the flood lamps were on, even during the twenty-four hours. Ironically Southwark Council has published suggestions for low cost ways to be green yet the big cantilever makes the infinite below devoid of sunshine, even on cheery yearss. Harmonizing to a web log reexamining sustainable edifices, the inundation visible radiations cost an estimated ?4,800 a twelvemonth in energy costs. ( Picture of bins on the left side of the library ) Synthesis. Synthesis is the combination of constituents or elements to organize a affiliated whole. The construction of the edifice is a synthesis of two rectangles. Mr Alsop wanted to do something that is attention-getting and really hard to lose. The most obvious structural characteristic of the edifice is the big overhang which is supported by thin, slanted metal columns. From the exterior it appears that the library floor is balanced 12m in the air by the poles and the remainder of the edifice is steadfastly grounded. ( Picture of the combination of the forms of the edifice ) The construction on the interior of the Library is instead interesting. It seems that there are three smaller edifice inside the edifice, in which you can acquire inside and read. ( Picture of programs and lift of the edifice ) The stairway at the dorsum of the edifice is really unusual ; it is made out of concrete, metal and glass. The glass is placed in the center of the stairss so it allows the visible radiation through the whole back portion of the edifice. ( Picture of the synthesis of the stepss ) What I would change/add. If I had a pick to alter something in the edifice I would add a little coffeehouse at one of the three cods or at the roof. I believe that it would be a good thought and that it would pull even more people than it does now. Peoples would hold the opportunity to loosen up and bask a cup of java or tea while they read or relax. Decision. Peckham Library is a public edifice that attracts many people and gives a opportunity to larn about different civilizations and civilizations. This undertaking managed to convey a positive promotion to the country and attract people to come and see it. That has a positive affect non merely at the economic state of affairs of the country, but at the cultural every bit good. Peoples exchange sentiments, learn from each other fitting new people and they broaden their skylines. Beginnings: Voyager Magazine, Archello, KME, The Guardian, Building.co.uk, Website: Southwark Council, Website Physics, User Peckham2 on tumblr, Wikipedia, Website: Recyclart, Website: Coevals of Energy-Efficient Patio Houses With GENE_ARCH, Peckham’s Library file about the library, DeMAP, pictures from Google,

Does the prison exacerbate or improve the mental health of those it Essay

Does the prison exacerbate or improve the mental health of those it contains Consider with reference to contemporary data on the social backgrounds of prisoners and the inherent harms of incarceration - Essay Example Crime and criminality is as old as the history of man. The society’s way of dealing with criminals, however, has changed over the ages and varies from society to society. Crime is recognized as an integral part of the social fabric of the society. French sociologist Emile Durkheim argued that crime is normal and is necessary for society. According to Durkheim one of the benefits of crime is that it ‘establishes and clarifies the moral boundaries of a society’ (Henry & Lainer, 2001). From a historical point of view imprisonment was designed not only as a form of punishment but to separate those guilty of criminal acts from the general population. In ancient societies and in some parts of contemporary societies the guilty is locked away for life or is rewarded by death. Imprisonment, therefore, is not a new phenomenon. In ancient Egypt and as recorded in the Bible, Joseph the Hebrew slave was placed in prison by the pharaoh of the day and was ordered to work while incarcerated. Many stories are also told of prisoners in Ancient Rome and in more recent times with the persecution of Christians and other religious activists. Different methods of imprisonments have been used. In some ancient societies, for example, prisoners used to be locked up in dungeons. In modern society a considerable part of the general population is locked up in penal institutions. Worldwide there are ten million persons who are under imprisonment with the majority being in the United States, China and Russia (Maeyer, 2005). Prison reform, however, came under the microscope when the prison population increased dramatically as a result of many social changes in society. Countries enacted new bills and policies that influenced the prison system. Some of those policies fuelled the increase of the prison population. Sentencing reforms in the United States led to a great increase in the rates of incarceration (Morris & Rothman, 1998). One of the problems that contributes to the

Strategic Channel Plan for Startech company Essay

Strategic Channel Plan for Startech company - Essay Example With increased uptake of technology in the 21st century, many businesses are beginning to redefine their business channels with the previously existing channels being done away with and a surge in consumer to business channels. This has not only seen a change in business, marketing strategies but has also seen a growth in new businesses and also a formation of relationships that tend to lean on consumer satisfaction by most business. For a business like Startech the internet is of huge rewards to them as they can expand their business to reach clients from all over the world, in addition clients can easily access their services via the web and they clients can have ease of access to the Startech customer support who would help them with products and services and most important consumers can now access quality goods and services as well as Startech can maintain contact with the customers. For any company that is operating in a dynamic environment such as that Startech is operating in the channels of business need careful consideration and several factors need to be put into careful consideration. The most important factor in this is the clientele. What does the clientele mostly need and does the business have it? Such careful consideration will help the organisation set mechanisms and frameworks that will help the clients access the goods and services. It also helps the firm come up with considerations on what channels they will set up. To begin with we shall study the marketing channels by looking at the strategy, framework and the functions. A marketing channel is the link that a business has built to see te transfer of goods from the point of manufacturer to the point of consumption. Marketing channels are generally involved in the transfer of ownership and are important to any business organisation as they facilitate the linking of the producer and the consumer of the goods. Through the various marketing channels and through the transfer of ownership of the goods the producer is able to understand and note the needs of the consumers and work towards meeting them. It is also important in that it helps n organisation come up with a pricing mechanism by factoring in all the costs involved in the transfer of the goods from the producer to the consumer, a firm is able to come up with prices that will enable them maintain their margins as well as ensure the goods and services are competitive in the market. A marketing channel also incorporates several factors into it by being involved in the promotion and advertising of the particular goods that is up for sale. Through marketing channels, firms are able to boost and increase their sales in the business which subsequently leads to better revenues and profits. The marketing channels are normally conducted by a department in an organisation or by an independent company tasked with the mandate of ensuring that the company’s goods and services are fast moving in the market. The marketing channel is also known as the distribution channel and is overall involved in activities that promote brand loyalty and brand visibility. The marketing channel of a business also institutes policies and frameworks that are geared at helping the business achieve its short term and long term goals as far as sales are concerned through setting targets and acting in line with company goals and objectives. There are normally three types of communication channels. Th e communication channel which is involved in the exchange of information between the producers and

International business(fail in emerging economies) Essay - 1

International business(fail in emerging economies) - Essay Example This is because globalization of markets, as Czinkota, et al (2010) says, has also led to the globalization of business risk. There can be a myriad of reasons for these divestments but there has not been any detailed research to investigate the underlying factors that affect the divestment. The most generic definitions of divestment is a situation where a business willingly sells off some of its assets as a result of a discontinuation of part of it operations (Nees, 1978). Divestments can therefore happen locally or in a situation where a firm requires divesting from a one of its overseas branch (Davis, 1974, p. 16). There are some generic reasons why a firm may opt to divest. These include raising funds, need to focus on core business, specialization, asset consolidation and cleansing (removing dysfunctional parts of the firm) etc (Hamilton & Chow, 1993, p.479). The current trend to divest from international markets may indicate that none of these may be involved and therefore there is a need to investigate the real dynamics behind multinational divestments from emerging markets. Wal-Mart is one of the oldest and most successful retail chains in the US. The firm runs hundreds of stores in America and across a number of other countries across the world (Wall Mart, 2013). Wal-Mart was one of the first retail chains to use information technology to help in meeting customers’ needs and also in increasing efficiency. To achieve this, the firm uses high end computer servers and system that make data sharing easy and efficient. The firm is able to have a real time data sharing using a wide area network that connects all its stores. With this kind of sharing of data the firm is able to increase efficiency and therefore make customer service better (Wall Mart, 2013). For instance, data collected at the point of sale units in every Wal-Mart satire is sent to a computer in real time. This data is used in managing inventory and also in helping

Hackers Tools and Techniques Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hackers Tools and Techniques - Term Paper Example Hackers gain access to vulnerabilities through tools such as malware and locate the backup of the system. PayPal is a web-based application which provides secure transfer of funds between members. It uses advanced fraud prevention technologies to enhance the security of the transactions (SearchSoa, 2005). Nevertheless, the members do receive spoof mails and unless the members are aware of such mails, they become easy prey to such hacking techniques. While it has become essential to keep tab on the professional hackers, the banks are facing huge losses due to constant evolvement of the hacking tools and techniques. The malicious hacker will use whatever information available to them. The security professionals, in turn, need to keep abreast of the latest hacking tools by monitoring certain websites of researchers (Skoudis, 2003). It is hence proposed to conduct a study into the hacking tools used by the hackers in the banking and financial services industry, with focus on PayPal. The study would also look into the security strategy employed by the sector and particularly by PayPal. SearchSecurity. (2009). Hacker attack techniques and tactics: Understanding hacking strategies. Retrieved September 8, 2010 from

Fashion Glasses and Contact Lenses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Fashion Glasses and Contact Lenses - Essay Example The essay "Fashion Glasses and Contact Lenses" discovers the Glasses and Contact Lenses in Fashion. Style and fashion is associated with social status, cultural background of people belonging to various social groups. Changes in tastes and fashions call for innovations in design, quality and use of materials that enhance aesthetic values associated with the product. Gasses and contact lenses have evolved into fashion objects and undergone radical changes keeping in tune with the technological developments, though utility value of these products cannot be underestimated. Combination of fashion and utility in fact ensured sustainable growth of the eye glasses as fashion objects of style and fashion in the industry. When people are under compulsion to go for glasses either for vision correction or protection of their eyes, the next logical decision in buying involves proper selection of glasses. This decision is based on several factors which are guided mostly by cultural background of the consumer. But, the important aspects of decision making are style and fashion, keeping in mind the personality and social status of the person. Values are the beliefs or ideals shared by people in a culture which influences a person’s behaviour and attitude. In study of fashion emphasis is on the way in which the objects of fashion such as jewellery, garments and accessories like shoes and glasses acquire meaning in specific historical and cultural contexts. Tilley, C. stated The concept of objectification may be held.

Hebrew Bible and Christian First Testament Essay

Hebrew Bible and Christian First Testament - Essay Example The early part of the history of Israel is technically Biblical history. On this note, it is vital to point out that the history of Israel, rather than using a theological reading only, ought to be governed by religious perspective. This is particularly so as it makes relevant connections with the past and present, though at different timelines. A brief outline of the history of Israel starts with the call of Abraham when he went to the land of Canaan. From Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, the history of Israel as a nation begins to take shape. The jealousy of Joseph’s brothers changes fortune and Israel takes his sons to Egypt to escape the seven years of famine. Migration and conquest of Canaan start with Moses and ends with Joshua. Briefly, a number of judges rule Israel, amongst them Deborah, Samson, and Gideon until the birth of Samuel when Israel later demands an earthly King. Historically, this period takes place somewhere around the 1300 B.C and covers the reign of Dav id Solomon and the division of Israel. The division of Israel into Southern and Northern Kingdoms follows closely with the fall of Israel and the exile into Babylon. The history of Kingship in Israel is widely covered in first and second Kings. This critical period marks Israel’s fall away from God and subsequent punishments by being exiled. The prophecy of Daniel actually takes place in exile.Around 539 B.C., Babylon falls and prophets Ezra and Nehemiah led the first phase of return into the Promised Land.... The jealousy of Joseph’s brothers changes fortune and Israel takes his sons to Egypt to escape the seven years of famine. Migration and conquest of Canaan starts with Moses and ends with Joshua. Briefly, a number of judges rule Israel, amongst them Deborah, Samson and Gideon until the birth of Samuel when Israel later demands an earthly King. This period has a number of prophecies and promises. Historically, this period takes place somewhere around the 1300 B.C and covers the reign of David Solomon and the division of Israel. The division of Israel into Southern and Northern Kingdoms follows closely with the fall of Israel and the exile into Babylon. The history of Kingship in Israel is widely covered in first and second Kings. This critical period marks Israel’s fall away from God and subsequent punishments by being exiled. The prophecy of Daniel actually takes place in exile (Scott, 2000, p. 357). Around 539 B.C., Babylon falls and prophets Ezra and Nehemiah lead the first phase of return into the Promised Land. The history of Israel during this time majorly dwells on liberation prophesies and various small revolts that are not covered in the Bible. During this time, Christianity has not been born but there are prophecies by Major Prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, pointing to a salvation of humankind through a God chosen Messiah. God restores the Israelites back to their land in readiness for the birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah. This is what Scott (2000, p. 307) refers to as the Messianic hope. This happened during the Roman reign at when Caesar Augustus was at the helm of Roman leadership. Other events happen in the context of the New Testament although they still form part of the history of Israel. A critical

Contemporary Supply Chain Management and Consultancy Management Essay

Contemporary Supply Chain Management and Consultancy Management Techniques - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the ever-increasing competition especially in the global markets, that are characterized by the short life cycles of products, high quality of a product, cheap prices and short delivery times in order to satisfy consumers who are demanding, are most likely to strictly prevail. Firms should be always continuous in supplier development in order to ensure that the suppliers have similar capabilities and as well as same time, share same objectives and policies as theirs so as to compete in a competitive environment. The study was conducted by reviewing of various secondary sources. In today’s business climate that is competitive, firms are increasingly relying on their suppliers in delivering defect-free products, technologically advanced goods, in a cost-effective state and timely. However, often the suppliers may be devoid of the capability to perform sufficiently in these areas. If the goods or services that are offered by a supp lier is somehow deficient in some respect, the purchasing firm might face the decision of either to look for another source of supply or working with the suppliers that exist to remedy shortcomings. However, due to the uncertainty that concerns the locating of a better source, and the higher cost of looking for and evaluating of new suppliers, the buying firms might choose to continue to work with the present suppliers in order to improve the performances. In addition, in order to facilitate the innovation process and achieving the objectives of reducing cost and as well providing quality, companies focus on strengthening and differentiating their capabilities and brands. Therefore, branding management has increasingly become significant while a large section of the development processes and production are handed to the suppliers. For example, the Japanese manufacturers that are led by Toyota company, have displayed very close relationships with their suppliers, in a way that includ es exchanging information extensive and directing assistance to the suppliers.

Empiricism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Empiricism - Essay Example We should reject knowledge claims concerning matters of fact about the nature of the world which are not supportable by the evidence of experience. This leads to a tendency among empiricists to emphasize that the limit of human knowledge and imagination is bounded by the limit of our experience. Empiricists reject the rationalist claim that it is possible to come to know by a priori reason alone the nature of an intelligible real world inaccessible to experience that stands beyond appearances. The empiricist may argue that concepts (such as substance), and the terms that express them, are meaningless or else must relate to some possible experience, since concepts and terms get their meaning by reference to some possible experience, but a world beyond experience cannot be a world that might possibly be experienced; in either case it is not possible to use meaningful concepts to talk of a world beyond possible experiences. The tendency in empiricism is also to deny the existence of natural necessity: necessity is a property only of logical relations between concepts, or of logical relations between ideas or thoughts, not between things or events in the world whose existence, nature and connections are all contingent; such natural contingent connections can be discovered not by reason, which can establish only necessary truths and necessary connections, but only by experience. Empiricism is inclined to argue that there are two exclusive and together exhaustive types of proposition. (a) Propositions whose truth, logically speaking, can be known merely by understanding them, or by deductive reasoning alone, independently of the evidence of experience: truths of reason. (b) Propositions whose truth, logically speaking, cannot be known merely by understanding them, or by deductive reasoning alone, but which depend on the evidence of experience: truths of fact. All propositions which tell us anything about the real or actual world are truths of fact. Propositions stating matters of fact cannot be known to be true merely by our understanding them, or by our deducing them from other propositions known to be true by the understanding alone; if we can know them to be true at all, they must be known through consulting experience. It should be noted that the distinction is not the genetic one of how we come to have, acquire, or understand these different sorts of proposition, but a logical question concerning on what, once acquired or understood, the truth or falsity of a proposition depends, and on what knowledge of the truth or falsity of a proposition depends. If the truth or falsity of a proposition depends only on the meaning of the terms in it, then it is an a priori proposition whose truth or falsity can be known a priori by reason alone independently of empirical evidence. If the truth or falsity of a proposition does not depend only on t he meaning of the terms in it, then it is an a posteriori proposition whose truth or falsity can only be known a posteriori by empirical evidence, not by reason alone. (Frederick Copleston, 1964, 54) The basic contrast between rationalism and empiricism is an argument about the extent and nature of what truths it is logically possible to know a priori by the understanding independently of experience, by intellectual intuition

The Effects Of The Rising Chinese Economy To The Job Opportunies Essay Example for Free

The Effects Of The Rising Chinese Economy To The Job Opportunies Essay This topic first came to me while browsing the business section of a Border’s bookstore.   Admittedly, at the time, I was searching for ideas for the Research Seminar class.   I was looking for a subject area that met three requirements: it had to be a business-related topic, something that would interest me, and something I knew very little about so that I could learn about something new.  Ã‚   A couple of hours later, I was getting anxious, it was taking longer than expected and absolutely nothing drew my interest. Then a book title caught my attention, â€Å"CHINA  « INC. HOW THE RISE OF THE NEXT SUPERPOWER CHALLENGES AMERICA AND THE WORLD.†Ã‚   The book describes how China, â€Å"once hobbled by poverty and Communist ideology† has come to be the â€Å"supercharged center of global capitalism†.   It discusses the global impact of â€Å"300 million rural Chinese walking off their farms, heading to the cities in the greatest migration in human history†. It talks about China’s growing dominance as an industrial superpower and the profound shift in global economies and how it is already affecting all of us.   I was immediately shocked, curious and fascinated.   All of these are happening and I was completely oblivious to such important developments in China.   I immediately knew that this was the topic for my paper.   Happy with my evening’s work, I made my purchase and left the store. On the train ride home, I began reading the book, which proved to be equally interesting and unsettling.   Many of the predictions do not bode well for workers in the United States, including me!   But that is good, even more reason to focus on this subject matter.   Fishman is just one writer, the purpose of the paper is to research and report on the opinions and studies completed by a number of experts.   Already I was coming up with the paper title â€Å"The rise of the Chinese Economy, Threat or Opportunity for the United Sates† or something of that nature. In the following weeks, I spent many, many hours engrossed researching the growing Chinese economy and how it affects the world.  Ã‚   It seems that the growth of China influences the U.S. in every way.  Ã‚   Since the fall of the USSR, the world has had one superpower, the United States, now China fast and furiously is becoming the rising star and superpower of the East.   Along with becoming an economic power to be reckoned with, it has a growing military strength, something the U.S. fears.    Its economic success means its people have more and want more. China is now second to the U.S. in the demand for commodities such as oil, steel, concrete, water, etc and its demands are growing, again a threat to the United States as they are competing for the same resources.   A booming economy also increases the political standing of the country, so previously where the â€Å"slumbering giant† stayed out of global events that did not impact China, the Chinese government have more and more clout not only within Asia but also Europe and Latin America as well. When the time came to write the paper, I ran into problems.   I had too much information and did not know where to begin.   In many ways, I had over-researched the topic but not really focused on a particular aspect.   The information I had collected was enough for a book, not a chapter. This meant returning to the drawing board and revising the paper but using the information already available to me.   I decided to focus on a very current topic, the role that China has in rising job losses within the United States.   Thus the title for the Research Paper.   BACKGROUND   Since the World Wars, the United States of America has made its presence felt in the world scientifically, economically and politically.   The United States, along with Europe, has led the world in producing new technologies, which other countries adopt, buy and imitate.   The United States also wield economic and political power through its control of food and media.   It is the major supplier of corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton (USDA) and he who controls food controls the world, at least the third-world countries.   This is not to mention it being the foremost supplier of pesticides and fertilizers.   It sells its surplus at cheap price making buying countries dependent on it.   Subsequently, dependence equals power (Greene, 2000). China is the oldest civilization and has been leading in the arts and sciences but it was set back by civil wars, famines, military defeats, and occupations. After the great World Wars, it was imposed under strict governance and not until the leadership of Deng Xiaoping that it reviewed its economy (Huang, 1997).   Now, China is one of the major key players in the international markets and even sending fears to paranoids.   China was once a very Communist country and it may be pitching for world dominance through economy. The People’s Republic of China, an Asian country, has an underestimated population of 1.3 billion people as of 2003 (National Bureau of Statistics, 2003).   It has the largest in the world and the target of different industries, each hoping to get even a small percentage of its buying population. Since 1978, the Chinese economy have quadrupled its GDP and improved its agriculture and industrial sectors.   Its government though is a product between socialism and capitalism. America had been totally under the British rule until some colonies decided cry for independence in 1776.   It was just a colony and now it is undeniably the most powerful country in the world leading in almost everything.   Experiences such as the Civil War of 1861-65 and the Great Depression of the 1930s were the saddest part of its history (Allen, 1967).   Its economy enjoys steady growth, low unemployment and inflation rates and continuous advancement in technology. The United States of America has controlled various economies through their agriculture and military and is currently the lone superpower after the Cold War. The US has market-oriented economy where private entities make their own decisions with the full support of the federal type of government. According from the CIA World Factbook, the United States has the largest economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $42,000 while China has a GDP of just $7,198 per capita.   The former is known for its power, the latter for its population, but, as you know, the GDP is calculated using population.   The lower GDP does not automatically mean that China is poor, only it has a large number of inhabitants.   Imagine if both countries have the same population, which do you think between the two will have the greater GDP?   But GDP does not dictate the richness or poorness of a country.   Even with a small GDP China is actually the second largest economy in the world after the US.   The reality is China’s enormous population is its biggest asset. Furthermore, the United States with its most advanced economy is suffering a decline in its status.   Though it is enjoying solid increases in real output, low inflation rates, and a drop in unemployment there are emerging problems such as inadequate investment in infrastructures, rapidly increasing medical costs, trade deficits, and stagnation of family income.   This is the opposite with what is happening to China.   China has become the largest trading partner of Asian countries, which are not exactly few. The United States is doing its best to maintain its hold as the most powerful country and the rise of the Chinese economy seem to pose a threat.   Feelings of dissatisfaction over the administration is being felt all over the United States worsened by the lost of jobs , which is attributed to the economy of China getting stronger? China is beginning to influence the world.   Noticeably, it is making a turn around which is not missed especially in the business community as it becomes an industrial powerhouse of the world (Kynge, 2006).  Ã‚   The writer said that China used to account for the third of the global economy and after falling due to different conflicts, it is reemerging as a force in the world. Different studies have been made to establish the facts behind China’s ascent to world economics and the further effects it can bring to global trade.   They intended to identify the factors behind its recovery and the foundation of its economic policies. Also, different studies intended to show the connection between the Chinese rising economy and the rising job losses in the United States.   They tried to prove if there were basis for the claims that there were really links. Results of the studies could be basis for further looking into the Sino-American trade relations and if the US and China will be continuing its agreements or if cooperation is still worth sharing. Results provided general overview about the rising discontent among Americans and what they feel towards China and its policies.   Likewise, they highlighted China’s attitude towards America and its accusations, current economic growth and its overall view to United States as a trading partner. LITERARY REVIEW   Numerous studies have been made regarding US economics and economics in general.   Numerous studies have been made that links one country’s policy with another’s but few have had focused on China as a strong force behind them, that was until the last quarter of the century when governments and different industries recognized that China have been making a comeback and its enormous population is actually being an asset than a liability and they could profit from it. Also, there were articles, reports and journals all devoting discussion towards the emerging economy and its effects to America and the whole world as a whole.   They contain facts and figures alluding their respective claims, some true; sadly, some are not so true. Deficit is produced when the expenditure is higher than the income.   In the case of the US and China it when the outgoing dollar is greater than the incoming Yuan.   In 2003, US-China Economic and Security Review Commission stated that there was a $124 billion US deficit and as of February 2006, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that the international deficit reached a record of $726 billion for year 2005 $60.3 of which is from US-China trade relations.   That is with China edging to the automobile and oil industry.   Specifically, the value of Yuan, China’s currency was particularly blamed for the deteriorating US economy. The deficit is blamed for the job losses in the United States.   It was said that the deficit came from the trade deficit caused by the import-export relation of the US and the People’s Republic of China.   In an article of Robert E. Scott in AsiaTimes, he claimed that the deficit with China is the reason for the allegedly 1.5 million productions or service related jobs lost starting the last decade of the century.   What was alarming that those jobs were not just on the labor-intensive work but also in the once American-dominated industries like electronics and communications.   This situation worsened when China joined the World Trade Organization. Scott furthered that the most affected states in terms of numeric terms were California (199,922), Texas (99,420), New York (81,721), Pennsylvania (69,822), Illinois (69,668), North Carolina (62,698), Florida (60,026), Ohio (58,094), Michigan (50,991) and Georgia (46,848).   For the total state employment were Maine (14,951, or 2.47%), Arkansas (19,123, 1.67%), North Carolina (62,698, 1.65%), Rhode Island (7,548, 1.56%), New Hampshire (9,443, 1.53%), Indiana (43,533, 1.50%), Massachusetts (46,463, 1.46%), Wisconsin (39,668, 1.43%), Vermont (4,211, 1.41%) and California (199,922, 1.39%). There have been public outcries regarding the job losses. An example was given by then Republican candidate for the US Congress, Jay Helvey.   He stresses that one of the hardest hits was the State of North Carolina suffering from huge job losses blaming the China Currency Policy and pled that the US citizens must be â€Å"armed† so that they can â€Å"fight† the unexpected losses (Helvey, 2003).   China though has made changes over the years. Expectedly, most of the criticisms were directed towards the administration.   Though one out of four factory jobs had disappeared since 1979 giving a total of 2.5 million jobs lost, still, it took more than two decades to lose them compared same amount lost since Bush took office in January 2001 (Vieth, 2003).   The elections even were dictated by the stands of the candidates towards the Sino-American trade.   Voters were as thorough as they were regarding the Iraq issue. As overview, US exports increased fourfold from $5.8 billion in 1989 to $26.1 billion in 2003.   However, it started decreasing and it fell 2.3% to $66.5 billion this November 2006. Likewise, imports increased from $11.9 billion to $151.7 billion and unlike the export figures, it actually increased 1.3% to $155.85 billion during November.   Both resulted to a Sino-American trade deficit increase. What is interesting is that there is a very big similarity between the bulk of China’s export to the US and US’ exports to China: manufacturing goods.   If the US is exporting manufacturing goods, does it make sense to import the same kind of goods as well?   Under globalization it is.   The aim of the free world trade is competition among products based on their quality and value (Destler and Balint, 1999).   Ironic that the blueprint of the American economy is what is creating the reason Americans are claiming responsible for the job losses.   Naturally, consumers would go for cheaper goods.   In this case, they are obviously â€Å"Made from China.†Ã‚   Of course, this deal did not bode well for the US manufacturing industry as affirmed by the ballooning trade deficit. On the other hand, though there have been a slowdown for the previous year (2005), the services and goods sectors of the United States economy achieved strong marks. There have been increases in the services industry growing by 4.1% while the goods industry grew by 2.6%.   Findings for 2005 by the Bureau of Economic Analysis are as follows: information-communications-technology-producing industries experienced double-digit growth of 11.9 percent in 2005, down slightly from 12.9 percent growth in 2004, growth in accommodation and food services accelerated to 4.8 percent in 2005, exceeding its average annual growth of 3.9 percent over the period 1995-2000, and for the second consecutive year, professional, scientific, and technical services growth of 7% exceeded its average annual growth of 6.9 percent over the period 1995-2000    China’s key economic indicators as published by Chinese State Statistical Bureau showed that exports in 1999 from $194.7 billion jump to $249.1 billion in 2000, which was a 27% increase.   Likewise, imports in year 2000 posted an increase of 35% having a value of $214.7 billion from $158.7 billion in 1999.   Both the export and import for 2001 posted an almost 10% increase.   Also, notice that the manufacturing data posted an initial increase of almost 13%. Recent findings stated that: China has been the receiving end of the bulk of US exports ranging from $35 billion to $71 billion in the recent years, exports of electronics, computers, and communications equipments are faring better in sales than that of shoes, apparel and plastic products, China has become one of the worlds leading largest trading nations competing with the United States and Germany as its foreign trade value reached US$1 trillion in the first 11 months of 2004, and Shanghai has overtaken Rotterdam as the No 1 port in terms of cargo handling an average of 380 million metric tons of shipment So far, countries have recognized China as a major player in the market.   Some of them were   Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand declaring China as having a full market economy status.   This means that the Chinese government has been enjoying   advantages when dealing in the foreign market (Gelken, 2006). Undeniably, whatever some people claims, trade relations between the United States and China has brought something good for both countries.   The trade has given a growth of more than $70 billion since it started in 1978 (US Department of Commerce).   The United States is Chinas single largest export market while China is, as mentioned, is likewise.   The large population of China is also an attraction for US investors as China sales can keep a business very competitive.   On the other hand, China gets the latest technology the US has. For every rise of China in the world market, incidentally there is a corresponding fall for the United States.   Allegedly, the rate of dollar versus yuan is causing tremendous blows to the US economy.   The yuan has been pegged at 7.92 against the dollar since the mid-1990s, and Beijing has begun to allow a modest fluctuation in the last year or so (The Wall Street journal). At the turn of this century, both the Democrats and the Republicans favored the new trade agreements with the world, believing that such agreements would create global markets, creating jobs and raising incomes in the Untied States. (Scott, pg 7)  Ã‚   In 2000, the Clinton administration actively supported China in becoming a member of the World Trade Organization. Likewise, the Bush administration endorsed new international trade agreements.   In 2002, the Senate approved the fast-track trade negotiating authority (Trade Promotion Authority) which Bush described to be a â€Å"watershed moment.†Ã‚   It emphasized foreign trade agreements, creating jobs resulting to higher incomes for American workers (Bush, 2002). Scott, in a research paper for the EPI, investigated Sino-American trade between 1989 and 2003 and its impact on jobs and industries in the U.S.  Ã‚   His research paper showed that international trade agreements have indeed resulted in a growth in exports, but the U.S. trade deficit rose at an alarming rate.   Between 2001 and 2003, exports to China increased by $8 billion, up 44% and during the same two-year time period, U.S. imports increased by $50 billion, or 49%†, the resulting trade deficit increased by 50%.   He concluded that the growing U.S. trade deficit with China between 1989 and 2003 has displaced production supporting 1.5 million U.S. job opportunities (Scott, 1, 7). In the mass of reports and studies, the most affected were the American people, especially the blue-collar workers.   Trade Unions were angry and in March 2004, The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) filed the Section 301 Petition Against China.   The Petition was filed on behalf of the 13 million members of the AFL-CIO, including 6 million manufacturing workers. The AFL-CIO demanded for stiff tariffs on Chinese imports and it claimed that the Chinese government through violation of workers’ rights and failure to enforce its labor laws give China an unfair competitive advantage.   It stated that the exploitation of the Chinese workers costs hundreds of thousands of U.S. manufacturing jobs and puts a heavy weight on U.S. wages.   The petition contended that the difference between the prices of American-made and Chinese-made goods was the result of low wages and the lack of workers’ rights in China.   It should be noted that the Petition was not approved Looking back at the events leading to the China prosper, and if all of the findings were true, it is funny that the US itself had a hand on its decline. It was President George W. Bush who requested to fast-track China’s membership to WTO believing that it would create more jobs for the American people.   During his term, former President Bill Clinton saying China being a member of WTO would be a win-win situation also endorsed it. The most famous analogy for this was that if the United States exports 1,000 products, say, computers, to China, many American workers would be employed in the production.   Interchanging, if the US imports 1,000 computers from China then a similar number of Americans who otherwise could have been employed domestically will have to find other work. In short, increase in exports support the domestic employment while increase in imports displaces domestic production. A study reported by the Nixon Center reported that membership of China to WTO would have encouraged reforms and stability in Asia not to mention it would strengthen the ties of China and United States.   Then Deputy Treasury Secretary Eizenstat outlined the many economic benefits of the bilateral trade deal with China.   He said that the deal is, †¦the most one-sided trade agreement in our favor that has ever been signed with any foreign government. â€Å"To thrive as a WTO member, China will need to become more market based, more respective of personal and commercial goods, and more open to the free flow of information and ideas.   Eizenstat further stressed that the old deal with China regarding trade relations was not enough for the US to access key market concessions.   Besides, the WTO membership would have improved the relationship of Taiwan and China, which were both had tensions way back then (May and Sgro, 2000). Chinas entry into the WTO was supposed to provide openings for a sufficiently rapid growth in US exports to reduce the trade deficit with China. While the export growth rate has increased since 2001 (from a very small base), the value of those exports has been swamped by a rapidly rising tide of imports. The WTO is a free-trade and investment agreement that has provided investors with a unique set of guarantees designed to stimulate foreign direct investment and the movement of factories around the world, especially from the US to low-wage locations such as China and Mexico (Groombridge, 2001). Nicholas Lardy in his economic commentary, â€Å"The Economic Rise of China: Threat or Opportunity,† took a different approach.   It addressed the view that China’s economic rise is a serious threat to jobs in the United States.   He pointed out that, to date, China is responsible only for a very small percentage of manufacturing job losses in the U.S. because many of the manufacturing industries had previously relocated to other Asian countries, namely Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea.  Ã‚   With the availability of an abundant, even cheaper labor pool, China only displaced Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea to become the major producer and supplier of footwear, toys, games and sporting goods.    A similar transformation occurred with the production of information technology related items, such as computers, laptops, monitors, PC servers, and so on.   A large portion of the $300 billion information technology industry is produced in Asia.   Again, within Asia there has been a migration of production, from Taiwan to China.   By 2000, China had surpassed Taiwan to become the world’s third-largest producer of information technology after Japan and the U.S.   In 2002, China had displaced Japan to rank number two (Lardy, 2003). Also, in reaction to criticisms regarding China trade Daniel Griswold, writer for the Free Trade Bulletin, disagreed.   He argued that there the role of international investment flows had been ignored.   He claimed that the billions of dollars that Americans spend on imports (over and above exports) quickly returns to the country in the form of investments made in U.S. assets such as stocks, bank deposits, commercial and Treasury bonds or as direct investment in factories and real estate. He further claimed that jobs are created as the incoming flow of foreign investments is used to purchase new machinery, fund research and development, and keep interest rates low. (Griswold, 2) In addition, Griswold believed that the central assumption of the EPI model – â€Å"that rising imports directly displace domestic output – collides with the empirical reality.   He said that imports and domestic output rise together in response to demand.  Ã‚   He cited figures from the Federal Reserve Board, the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis, and Ibid. He showed that between 1994 and 2000 when trade deficit was a burden to U.S. economy employment actually rose by a net 12 % and the unemployment rate fell from 6.1% to 4.0 %.   During the same time, the U.S. manufacturing output rose by 40 % though the volume of imported manufactured goods doubled.   Griswold stresses that trade and prosperity go hand-in-hand and efforts to cut imports of manufactured goods will seriously undermine the ability of the U.S. economy to expand output and create jobs (Griswold, 2). In the issue of revaluing yuan, to affected American people especially the blue-collar workers.   Some would say that China is just moving towards progress and some are thankful that it is embracing capitalism, but should part of the American people suffer?   Alarmed and bothered by the voting majority, the Bush administration has joined the clamor for the Asian country to consider changes to its trade policies including revaluing Yuan (The Boston Globe). In February last year, Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Caroline Republican sponsored a bill that will force China to abide by international trade agreements and stop the alleged manipulation of the value of Yuan. Senate hearings revealed that yuan is undervalued against the dollar and maintained at â€Å"narrow band† weakening the dollar.   The â€Å"artificial low value† of Chinese currency subsidizes their exports and serves as unwritten tariff to foreign products.   Expectedly, the Chinese government denied the manipulation accusations and stated that sanctions are not the answers to trade problems (AFX News Limited) But this is not a manipulation of its exchange rate so much as it is a contracting out of its monetary system to the U.S. Federal Reserve Board. That strategy has allowed China to remove the uncertainty of exchange-rate fluctuations from investment decisions and allowed China to grow rapidly while controlling inflation     The Chinese have thus avoided the bane of most developing nations of inept monetary controls leading to price fluctuations and periods of hyperinflation. China was one of the few Asian nations that did not face crippling currency devaluation during the monetary crisis of the late 1990s. Nor is it clear that a yuan revaluation of even 10% to 30% would have any meaningful impact on the U.S. trade deficit. China imports some $100 billion a year of raw materials. A stronger yuan would lower the price of those inputs, and thus of production costs, which could largely offset the impact of the stronger currency on export prices (McKinsey Quarterly). Surprisingly China revalued its currency.   For years, China has been gracefully ignoring urges to revalue their money as such an action would raise the price of their products in the international trade markets.   Also, China learned from history when Hong Kong dollars changed its rate and consequently sank.   Furthermore, revaluing yuan could have had cut foreign investments, country growth rate, increase bad loans and unemployment and generally destabilize not just their economy but that of their neighboring ASEAN countries as well (Hanke, 2005). Now, why did China changed its stance?   With the international pressure and possible tax sanctions from the United States, Chinese leadership braved to revalue as it realized that they would soon profit from such changes (McClenahen, 2005).   As they printed more of their money to buy dollars, they knew that they could avoid possible inflation if they would raise their currency.  Ã‚   In addition, they shifted or shared the growth of exports to domestic economy as they know the dangers of relying to foreign money. The main reason there was a clamor for the revaluation of yuan was for the dollar to regain its dominance.   Unfortunately, even with the changes made to the Chinese currency, it will have a very little effect to the dollar as there are no direct link between the yuan exchange rate and the US trade deficits as only 10% of US imports come from China.   Worse, the revaluation would actually reduce the trade value of dollar by 2%.   Revaluation of will never be enough as there should also be an increase in purchases of dollars (Dorn, 2006). An article, published in Business Week, said that the fate of U.S. workers depends mainly on domestic conditions not the trade relations.   The article referred to a Brookings Institution study, which maintained that trade accounts for only about 12% of the manufacturing job losses since 2000.   According from the article, the rising trade deficit is due to high U.S. savings rate and not to the imports from China.   Ã‚   Tyson, the author of the article added that the U.S. current deficit hit the ceiling because of a sharp drop in personal savings and out-of-control federal spending.   To back this up, Tyson further referred to a study by economist Ronald I. McKinnon of Stanford University.   He cited that if the current account were balanced in 2003 there would have been additional 4.7 million U.S. manufacturing jobs.   Tyson concluded that the lost jobs were due to America’s â€Å"macroeconomic choices† and not from China’s so-called â€Å"unfair trade and currency policies† (Tyson, 2005). In addition, a McKinsey Quarterly report published in Forbes.com titled â€Å"Don’t Blame Trade for US Job Losses† claimed that trade and rising imports of goods and services did not really destroy the vast majority of the jobs lost in the United States.   It was said that there was only about 314,000 jobs lost as a result of trade and that falling exports not rising imports were responsible.   The figure was a very small percentage of the millions of positions that are annually lost and created in the United States.   It pointed out that job losses were due to weak domestic demand, rapid productivity growth and the dollar’s strength, which all dampened the U.S. exports.   The document provided a number of different reasons why jobs were in fact lost. One was the rapid growth of productivity.   If the output per employee is rising, product output must also increase to maintain the employment.   After year 2000, the US domestic demand grew less than the productivity so companies needed fewer workers to fill their domestic orders thus the laying-off and closure of many companies.   Similarly, export figures fell sharply in 2001 and had continued to decline ever since.   The report also suggested that the US is perhaps competing in the â€Å"wrong† markets.   Exports to Brazil, Canada and Europe were â€Å"soft† yet trade with China and Mexico was positive.   The report claimed that the appreciation of the dollar accounts for the weakness of US exports and hence for the number of manufacturing jobs lost. A large group believes that the loss of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. is a natural process wherein it is shifting from an industrial age into a service era.   One supporter of this idea is Robert Reich, former Labor secretary.   In a Wall Street Journal article, â€Å"Nice Work if you can get It,† he offered that employment in the manufacturing industry had been dropping all over the world for years and not just in the U.S.   He cited studies by Alliance Capital Management revealing that between 1995 and 2002, 22 million factory jobs had been lost worldwide. â€Å"The U.S. wasn’t even the biggest loser. Japan and China both had higher losses, Japan 16% and China 15%, compared to 11% for the U.S.,† added Reich. According to him, technological advances, computerization and automation have increased productivity thus reducing the need for manual labor.   Reich claimed that the U.S. is transitioning from an industrial to a service economy imitating the shift from agriculture to industry at the turn of the twentieth century.   He believed that this is natural and that once the U.S. economy gets back on the track old jobs will be replaced by new ones.  Ã‚   Those new jobs will fall under two categories: symbolic-analytic work and personal-services work.   Examples of those belonging to the first type are lawyers, bankers, doctors, and management consultants.   For the second sector, they will be restaurant workers, retail workers, and security guards (Reich, 1, 2). Carlos Gutierrez, Commerce Secretary, in a New York Times article, agreed with Reich.   He contended that the United Sates and China are in different states of development and he said that they do not compete head-on.   China’s economic foundation lies the manufacture of commodity-type products, whereas U.S.’ are in higher-value manufacturing, differentiation of products, higher technology and new services (Lague, 2). Christopher Meyer, the former director f the Center for Business Innovation, stated that the loss of manufacturing jobs is just another chapter of technological progress in America.   According to Meyer, a country moves forward by replacing low-level jobs with more sophisticated ones.   Thats how economic growth happens—the new jobs have to have higher value-added, higher productivity.   It is as when automation replaced blue-collar jobs—we look at most of the jobs it displaced as brutish and short: mining coal, or having your internal organs cooked by the infrared radiation from a ladle of steel. These adjustments will allow more people to do what they want to do, not what they have to do (Budman, 2). However, Shenkar argued with this position.   He pointed out that the evolution of the United States from agricultural to industrial economy was due largely to the improvements in machinery and fertilizers. It never altered the country’s production capacity. He added that those displaced in the old agriculture sector shifted to factory jobs the reason why U.S. employment figures were not significantly affected and he wondered if the incoming service sector could do the same.   Would people be able to shift jobs easily and have the same opportunities?   Would the expected transition maintain if not improve the country’s economic figures?   Luxembourg, Hong Kong and Hawaii are service economies, but they are small, somewhat protected havens.   Shenkar was not sure if the United States will survive as a service economy, however he admits that this is â€Å"terra incognita† (Shenkar, 164). In addition to emphasizing the colossal size of the Chinese workplace, as described above, Fishman and Shenkar also talked about the growing number of third level graduates, especially in science and engineering.   A recent article published in the New York Times expounded it.   The article discussed a new study recently done by the National Academies, the nation’s leading advisory groups on science and technology.   The study surveyed over 200 multinational companies on their research decisions.   The results showed that 38% of those 200 companies planned to change the worldwide distribution of their research and development work over the next few years. The report cited senior executives from leading multinational companies such as Dow Chemical, IBM and Hewlett-Packard and the common sentiment could be summed up with the statement, â€Å"we go with the flow, to find the best minds we can anywhere in the world,† a quote from Nicholas M. Donofrio, Executive Vice President for technology and innovation at IBM.   The article strengthened Fishman’s predictions when it reported that American executives are concerned about the â€Å"incipient erosion of scientific prowess in this country, pointing out the lagging math and science proficiency †¦ and the reluctance of some college graduates to pursue careers in science and engineering† (Lohr). One time, The Economist published an article displaying the current Chinese â€Å"obsession† with English.   â€Å"Up to a fifth of the population is learning the language,† Gordon Brown, the British finance minister shared.   He observed that in two decades China’s English speakers would outnumber native English speakers in the rest of the world (Economist Article, 2006). Fish, author of â€Å"China, Inc.† referred to the Chinese population as the â€Å"super sized workforce.†Ã‚   When discussing the Chinese population he included â€Å"China’s uncounted multitude† stating that the Chinese population is closer to 1.5 billion rather than the official census count of 1.3 billion.   He pointed out that the â€Å"uncounted multitude† was approximately 200 million, a country in itself and would be the fifth largest in the world. Fish also pointed out that for twenty-five cents an hour, the Chinese workers are not the cheapest in the world but rather they belong in a â€Å"world’s workshop† because China is a stable part of the globe and it offers a vast workforce of â€Å"reliable, docile, and capable workers who have been groomed by the government-enforced discipline†.   Since the government has relaxed its policy on the movement of the Chinese people, hundreds of millions of Chinese peasants have been leaving the countryside moving to urban economic centers in search of better paying jobs providing industries with a bottomless pool of low-skilled workers for many years to come (Fish, 7). However, more recent newspaper articles are claiming that China is already experiencing labor shortages.   Once such article printed in the New York Times in April, reported that labor shortages are pushing up wages making Chinese-made products less of a bargain.   It reported that international manufactures are already talking about moving their factories to lower-cost countries like Vietnam.   The article quoted Hong Liang, an economist for Goldman Sachs saying, â€Å"†¦We’re seeing an end to the golden period of extremely low-cost labor in China.†Ã‚  Ã‚   The article offered a couple of explanations for the labor shortages. It said that one was the changing government policies.   In an effort to improve rural communities in China, the government scrapped the agricultural tax and it encouraged investments in local economies especially in the poorer, inland provinces.   The resulting economies created jobs providing alternative options instead of migrating to far places for job opportunities.   Another reason was said to be the China’s one-child policy.   Many of this generation are now emerging into the workforce with post secondary education. Opportunities exist are laid out for them which were not provided for their parents. Chen Guanghan, a professor at Zhongshan University in Hong Kong explained that the new generation is different.   He said, â€Å"they are reluctant to take factory jobs that are harsh and pay very little.†Ã‚   Barboza offered a third reason for the labor shortages.   He stated that workers are more concerned about factory conditions, knows a good deal from a bad one transfer from one job to another (Barboza, 2006). Interestingly, with all the heated arguments regarding China’s rising economy, Daniel Griswold, writer for CATO Institute advised the government and economic people to forget the deficits and go for growth.   Trade deficits are actually reflections of the flow of capital across international borders so trade policies in reality do little to affect a nation’s trade deficit. The US Department of Commerce made a study briefly outlining the nature of the deficit.   The study claimed that 90% of imports from China do not actually replace the American manufacturing goods.   Instead, they serve as substitutes for imports, which should have been provided by other countries.   It also supported other studies stressing that China is not really the culprit as the US also trade with other countries.   It just so happened that previous export processing plants and businesses were transferred from other Southeast countries to mainland China. On the other hand, China is unfair to US in the sense that it does not give the same access to its market.   It imposes high tariffs to US goods so in the end Chinese products are brought at lower prices while US merchandise are sold at higher prices.   Normally, cost-conscious consumer will buy cheap items.   An American will prefer the cheaper MP3 made in China than the domestic produce contrary to the Chinese choosing between the cheap domestic-manufactured gadgets over the US imported one, which due to the high taxes are not that budget-friendly. But some thinkers believe that deficits are not disastrous for a country.   Instead, they are said to be sign of good times.   One example cited was the tripling of US trade deficit in the early 90’s where industrial production actually increased by 24%.   In addition, deficits do not cause job losses.   They are evidence of rising employment.   These are according to the Trade Deficit Review Commission. In reality, there are really no great harmful effects of the rising Chinese economy to the US trade values, even if there are, those effects are normal and it just so happened that they are dealing with China.   The same thing happened during the initial boom of the off-shoring business.   Also, there had been similar instances like that of during the 1980’s and early 90’s when the US government pressured Japan for the same reason (The Economist). The original proponent of the Anti-China campaign was started by the textile industry.   The truth is that American consumers benefited greatly from the influx of China cloth   Ã‚  It actually hurts the American consumers.   Protecting the textile industry have high cost   shouldered by the low-income earners who are the largest proportion of clothing buyers (Dan Ikenson, 2003).   Also, it is wise to note that the domestic recession of 2001 and not the Chinese ascent is the main culprit for the losses (Tyson, 2005).  Ã‚   As the United States experienced huge growth in the early year, reaching peak normally causes the expected decline.   Whatever goes up will eventually go down.   The problem began when America failed to maintain its lead. Also, as the United States suffered job losses China suffered as well.   A 2003 study of Alliance Capital Management proved that data to show that as employment in the US dropped by 11% from 1995 through 2002, employment in China dropped even further by 15% or a net job loss of 15 million.   It was a large figure compared to the 1.5 million alleged job losses.   It seems that Americans are just worrying too much.   As Daniel Ikenson put it, â€Å"..all there is are surplus in politics and deficit in leadership.†    REFERENCES    BALINT, I. M. D. a. P. J. (1999). The New Politics of American Trade: Trade, Labor, and the Environment, Policy Analyses in International Economics 58. BARBOZA, D. (2006, April 3, 2006). Sharp Labor Shortage in China, May Lead to World Trade Shift. The New York Times BETTS, J. A. a. J. L. (1967). History: USA. New York: American Book Co. BUDMAN, M. (2004). Looking Ahead of Our Place in the Next Economy, Across the Board. Paper presented at the Conference Name|. Retrieved Access Date|. from URL|. BUSH, G. W. (2002). Paper presented at the President’s Economic Forum, Waco, Texas. China Losing More Manufacturing Jobs Than U.S.): The Conference Board. China Statistical Yearbook 2003.). Chinese Strength, U.S. Weakness. The New York Times. CLINTON, B. ( 2000). Expanding Trade, Projecting Values: Why Ill fight to make Chinas Trade Status Permanent.  Ã‚   January 1, 2000 The New Democrat,. The Decline of the U.S. Dollar. Finance and Conversion. Dont Blame Trade For U.S. Job Losses.   (2005).): McKinsey Quarterly. DORN, J. A. (2006). Better Way to Handle Asian Currencies: CATO Institute. English beginning to be spoken here; The language business in China. (2006). The Economist. FISHMAN, A. (2003). Inflation and Efficiency in a Search Economy. International Economic Review, 44(1), 205-222. GREENE, R. (2000). 48 Laws of Power: Penguin. GRISWOLD, D. (2003). The U.S. Trade Deficit and Jobs: The Real Story. HELVEY, J. Mr. President, Arm Us And We Will Fight   Huang, R. (1997). China: A Macro History, Revised Edition New York: M.E. Sharpe. IKENSON, D. (2003). Threadbare Excuses: The textile Industry’s Campaign to Preserve Import Restraints (No. 25): CATO Institute. Journal, W. S. (2006). Angry Bear. KOTKIN, S. (November 5, 2006). Off the Shelf Living in China’s World New york times KYNGE, J. (2006). China Shakes The World. Boston   Houghton Mifflin. LAGUE, D. (2006, 4/1/06). China Output Not a Threat, Official Says. The New York Times LARDY, N. (2003). The Economic Rise of China: Threat or Opportunity: Federal Bank of Cleveland. LOHR, S. (2006). Outsourcing is Climbing Skills Ladder. Retrieved 6/1/2006. from http://web.lexis-nexis.comezprody2.lib.depaul.edu/universe/printdoc MARQUAND, R. (2005). As China changes, so does its image of US. The Christian Science Monitor. McCLENAHEN, J. S. (2005). Substantial Revaluation Of Yuan Inevitable. IndustryWeek MEKAY, E. A win-win textile deal especially for the US, Asia Times. Petition Against China, Executive Summary, 2004. (2004). Retrieved. from http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/manufacturing/iuc/ExecSummary301.cfm POOLE, W. (July 31, 2006). Chinese Growth: A Source of U.S. Export Opportunities. Paper presented at the The Council of State Governments’ Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) Louisville, KY. REICH, R. (2003, 12/26/2003). Nice Work if You Can Get It. The Wall Street Journal ROACH, S. (2006). collision course. Melbourne ROBERTSON, B. (13 March 2006). Chinese predict bright future News Global. SCOTT, R. (2005). U.S.-China Trade, 1989-2003; Impact on jobs and industries nationally and state-by-state. : Economic Policy Institute. SGRO, G. M. a. M. (2000). The Strategic Implications of Chinas WTO Entry and PNTR. Paper presented at the Conference Name|. Retrieved Access Date|. from URL|. SHENKAR, O. (2005). The Chinese Century: The Rising Chinese Economy and Its Impact on the Global Economy, the Balance of Power, and Your Job   Special Report, Watch out, India – Outsourcing to China. (2006). The Economist. Three good reasons for U.S. to say yes to Chinas entry into WTO. (1999, September 11, 1999). The Boston Globe   TRUMBULL, M. (2006). China reaching $1 trillion in global clout: Its foreign reserves are a cushion but signal its imbalanced economy. The Christian Science Monitor. TYSON, L. D. A. (2005). Stop Scapegoating China – Before it’s Too Late. Business Week(Issue 3931 ), p26. United States. (2006). The CIA World Factbook. VIETH, W., (Saturday 25 October 2003). As Factory Job Losses Rise, So Do Risks to Bush. The Los Angeles Times.

Capacity Planning And Timing Strategy Business Essay

Capacity Planning And Timing Strategy Business Essay This report discusses a case study on capacity planning and facility location at Georgia Pacific a company that has undergone growth. The case study illustrate the importance of growth and its linkage to the environment. The report first start with defining the capacity planning and control then looks at capacity-timing strategy Georgia Pacific uses and the factors that influence this strategy. Then looks at major factors that it used to make its capacity expansion decision and what other factors might the company have considered. The report then further explain the technique Georgia Pacific used to make its facility location decision and what other facility factors might the company have considered. Also the report looks at how environmental considerations affect capacity planning and facility location at Georgia Pacific and lastly in my own opinion explain if Georgia pacific has made the correct capacity planning and facility location. Finally the report concludes with Georgia paci fic production style, the manner in which the company operates as a team, its environmental consideration and decision making process. Definition on capacity planning In operations management, capacity is referred as an amount of the input resources available to produce relative output over period of time.(citation) Strategic capacity planning is important in an organisation mainly because its facilitate the organisation to meet its future requirements. Planning guarantee that operation cost are kept at a minimum level without affecting the quality, it also guarantee that organisation remain viable to attain its long-term plan for expansion Capacity planning and timing strategy Long range capacity planning and control primarily depends on a range of factors and some of the factors Georgia-Pacific used base on the on changes in capacity are Market conditions: The timing of the market and making a decision base on the market gives the organisation a competitive edge as well as an increase in market share. Georgia-Pacific have used these strategy to increased its production capacity base on the changes in the market, as the market grew production was increased so as to meet the demand. Technology: The change in the technology means organisation, required fewer resource to operate its production and therefore this means that with the advance technology Georgia-Pacific can increase its production ability with only slight equipment changes. Equipment: So to achieve a large increases in production capacity, Georgia-Pacific use improving the already existing equipment, or set up new equipment, The major factors that influence the buying of sawmill is because of the strategic location of the sawmill and since the capacity of the sawmill was restricted in 1970 when it was first built buying it 1987 and expanding the operation such as adding drying kilns, a planner mill for finishing on site and a warehouse for storing the finish lumber to improved production capacity and the fact that the plant has the basic equipment and the has company owned forests in the area were more economically viable. Factors deciding the expansion The timing in making a decision to expand a business is vital, as you need to carefully study the fiscal benefits of such expansion such as assessing having the cash for the investment to cater for the additional inventory, new facilities or equipment. At Georgia-Pacific the various factors considered in deciding whether to buy and expand the sawmill in Florida for example are Market conditions: Florida has an excellent market condition such as the speedy growth of population and the boom in home construction because of these strategic position of the location of Florida gave Georgia-Pacific an edge over their competitors Raw materials à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Georgia also considered this site because it own forest in the area that also had other position of privately owned timber. Environment- That the other major factors to consider was legislation and government policies regarding the environment Georgia Pacific considered this factor and assessed the environmental regulation of Florida and find out that Florida has more strict environmental regulations that make it hard to build a new plant than to acquire an existing plant. Economics- This is a major factor to considers when planning for capacity expansion as this affect the economic viability of the organization. Georgia pacific has considered this factor by analysing the return on investment when acquiring facilities and found out that acquiring and expanding was much easier and economically viable that building new facilities. Labor à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ The availability of labor both skill and unskilled is very important when considering making a decision for capacity expansion. As for Georgia pacific the nearby facility mean that the sawmill could draw some trained personnel. Equipment à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ As for a long term capacity expansion the availability of equipment to carry the operation is a major factor to consider. For Georgia pacific the already existing sawmill had the vital required equipment and facilities such a functioning road system, a nearby rail road spur, and electricity facilities. Overall at Georgia pacific acquisition of the sawmill offered exceptional potential for capacity expansion and the sawmill was expanded in 1998 hence greatly contributed to the success of the Georgia pacific. What other factors might the company have considered Other factors include Facilities location decision The decision on where to locate facilities is the most important factors in capacity planning and its where the success of the company depends. Facility location involves organisation seeking to locate, relocate or expand their operation, the decision process encompasses the identification, analysis and evaluation of a selection among alternative, Since at Georgia Pacific facility location mostly involves long term commitment of resources the decision on where to locate facilities are mainly affected by several factors such as financial, capacity and technology as well as political, economic and social.. However in the case study at Georgia pacific corp. the main focus of consideration are raw material, market condition labor force, government regulation and policies and finally energy utilities Market condition- Georgia pacific asses the market condition by serving so as know the demand and place the product close to the location. Raw materials- Georgia pacific review the availability of raw so to have adequate supply of locally available raw materials at a low price Government regulation- Georgia pacific choose where the state and local government welcome companies by looking at factors where they have relax tax and environmental policies as well as attitude of the local towards industry such as florida Labor- Georgia pacific have assessed the availability of local work force that can be easily train Utilities- Georgia pacific have considered the availabilities of all utilities necessary such as such as water, electricity and natural gas. Other factors that Georgia pacific could have also consider could be the availability of less expensive land with a bigger space as well as land with quality and efficiency facilities such as such as roads, bridges, water and sewer systems, airport and cargo facilities, energy systems, and telecommunications. Also there other crucial factor that George pacific could consider could be the cost of transportation in terms moving the product as well as the supply cost. For example proximity to supplier can be excellent for JIT production as it improves performance of deliveries and reduces inventory as well as reducing cost. Environmental consideration In general environmental consideration is part of capacity planning and facility location. It was paramount that Georgia Pacific makes itself environmental friendly. Since Georgia pacific depends on timber as a natural resource, they need to assess location where environmental policies are either relax or less strict. For example Georgia Pacific had to buy the sawmill in Florida with strict environmental rules that makes it more difficult to build a new facility. In order to reduce pollution caused by transportation Georgia pacific corp. have considered locating the material close to the site by expanding operation such as adding drying kilns, a planner mill for finishing and a warehouse for storing the finish lumber on site. also choosing municipal sewage disposal system on site at skippers site ,also the skipper was near an excellent timber base and a nearby resin plant that uses the residuals Opinion on Georgia Pacific It is believe that Georgia Pacific has made the correct capacity planning and facility location since all consideration were carefully analyses and decision made base on the out came. The main emphasis was the market condition and the raw materials. The market condition was important because it focuses on the product demand, equally the availability and the location of raw materials so as to reduce the cost of transportation as well and meet the demand of the government or state environmental policy on industries all the factor discuss above were carefully consider by Georgia pacific corp. hence execute a well plan capacity planning and facility location. Conclusion In the case study it looks like at Georgia Pacific the emphasis is on growth, and so capacity increase and acquisition is a way of life. It assesses possible increase of capacity by working as a team to solicit suggestion and obtaining information and use a check list for major factors such as deciding on market demand, technology equipment and labor. Also since the company depends on timber as a natural resource environmental consideration is equally important. All of the above factors are very important part and parceled in decision making on capacity planning and facility location. The factors listed on this report are very crucial when making capacity decisions. Capacity planning is a very important aspect in manufacturing companies, as it to do with meeting the customers demand. They also have a long term impact. Capacity also determines the selection of appropriate technology, type of labour and equipments. The right capacity ensures economically viable business

Life Changing Experience Essay

Life Changing Experience Essay As we entered my grandmothers house one evening, usually greeted by a joyous hello from my grandmother, that evening we were greeted only by an Erie silence. As we cautiously proceeded to venture deeper into the abnormally quiet house, searching every room eagerly for my grandmother our innocent curiously was abruptly and violently shuttered by a horrifying shriek from my grandmother, as she fail to her knees gasping for air, clawing franticly at her chest, fighting to survive a merciless heart attack. Even though that moment occurred more than ten years ago still my mind is troubled by the terror of that day. None the less it was a moment that would forever change my life. As we slowly moved into the living room, a distressing sight met our eyes. Lying face down on a couch, my grandma lied red-faced and shaken. Suddenly, she was gulping for air. First, she grabbed a trash can, plunged her face into it and vomited with such violence that I was enveloped in a cold dark fear, feeling far to cruel for any child to face. Still at seven years old, I faced the terror of a heart attack in my house, and I experienced, for the first time, the reality that I could loose the person closest to me. After a while she looked at me from the corner of her eye as she raised her head from the trash can and forced out a feeble, Hi, only to vomit again while missing the trash can. My uncle looked at me in my watery eyes, put his hand on my back, and said, Let your grandma rest; she has been fighting bold and tough. My grandma, the love of my life, was now fighting to survive, everyday of her life. After the doctors said that she only has few weeks to live. I began to worry, the thought of growing up without a grandmother began to press down on my shoulder and loneliness began to over take me. I always felt disassociated from my peers. In elementary and middle school I was quiet, shy, and lonesome. I dread all human affection so much that I could not even look in the eyes of people who spoke to me. All the kids in school called me a bum, and I became an easy target for bullying. Soon after the bullying and depression started my grades began to diminish, and as my grade diminished so did my confidence, but it also made me feel that I had disappointed my grandmother, who cared so much about academics when she was healthy. I was humbled with every report card I showed her, knowing that she is disappointed. One day, I decided that I am going to change my life. Listening to other students stories of how well they do in school, I recalled my uncles words: Let your grandma rest; she has been fighting bold and tough. I then realized that the example of how to change my life had been ahead of me the entire time. My grandma had fought and struggled to survive her heart attack. By fighting it and surviving to live another day with her family, she had taught me in a clear way that I should never give up and that I could pass any barriers, so that I could create a better life for myself. I shaped my mind so that I would face the world bold and tough, and I would put off the tension, which had constrained my personality. I decided to shine as a student, and to improve my grades, and my talent with a moving passion. I decided to have no more delays, no more fear, and most importantly, I have decided that not to give up. More than any other turning point I have approached, I am proud of my success in knocking over my shyness. In ninth grade, I made the decision to join ESL, which would urge me to talk frequently with my classmates. I knew that my role as a student and class leader would teach me to speak confidently. My participation in this program worked and improved my character in a way I never thought possible. I now feel at ease among my peers. Last month I even hosted an event for the church, speaking comfortably in front of a large group. I am satisfied with the things I have changed in my life, and I owe the entire honor to my grandmother who has been by my side. Even as a bedridden heart patient, jolted by therapies, her example taught me to face challenges and to override them; no matter the nature of the challenge. Her struggle with heart attack became an example for me to improve myself. Even now, I continue to battle, swept with college exams. Despite the challenge, I continue unaffecte d, knowing that the best of my ability is my backbone to live bravely like my grandma and to overcome the challenges of life. I can never thank my grandma enough for what she has given me. My grandmother has become my role model. I hope that one day, many years from now she will say to me, I am proud of you my grandson; you have been fighting bold and tough.