Multiple causes downed the challenger

The United States has always been proud of its space exploration endeavors.   NASA’s programs have always led the world in technology and performance.   In 1970, NASA began its Shuttle program which was meant to create reusable space shuttles rather than one-use shuttles.   They were successful in producing four models:   Columbia, Challenger, Discovery and Atlantis.   All was going well for NASA and its space shuttle program until January of 1986 when the Challenger exploded 73 seconds into the flight, killing all the crew. Since then, the shuttle program has been besieged by controversy, much of it stemming over the causes of the Challenger explosion.   Basically, reports and research now indicates that the explosion was caused by a deadly combination of mechanical failure and human miscalculation and poor decision-making. The Challenger liftoff was plagued with foreboding problems long before it actually was launched.   Initially, liftoff was scheduled for 3:43 pm on January 22, 1986.   However, delays in both scheduling and weather forecasts forced it back nearly a week.   During the last day of delays, a small closing fixture was malfunction, so it was replaced.   Additionally, a module which detects fire was found to be malfunctioning; the crew fixed it as well before the shuttle finally lifted off into space, and then exploded (Green 2007). Officially, the investigative report pointed to a faulty â€Å"O-ring† seal in the solid-fuel rocket.   This faulty seal combined with the very cold weather to allow hot gas to leak into the hole.   Rocket flames were then able to penetrate the fuel tank and catch fire causing the booster rocket to break off of the shuttle and pierce the fuel tank.   The liquid hydrogen and oxygen then ignited, causing the Challenger to explode (Green 2007). A nation stood in horror as media broadcasts replayed the chilling scene over and over again. However, this mechanical failure did not receive the weight of the blame.   As the Reagan-ordered investigation continued, several human factors were uncovered in this tragedy.   For years, NASA’s programs had, like many other agencies, been forced to cut manpower and money from its programs. One researcher, James Sigler of the U.S. Naval Institute, noted that at the height of the shuttles missions, â€Å"NASA's leaders were emphasizing the importance of safety, while their personnel cutbacks sent other signals† and cites NASA’s motto –   faster, better, cheaper – as meaning that â€Å"cost efficiency goals [became] elevated to the level of†¦ safety goals† (Sigler, 2007). Fewer men and less money meant more work for those that did remain with fewer resources.   In fact, â€Å"the accident investigations in the wake of the Challenger disaster decried the paucity of resources allocated to support NASA's objectives† (Sigler, 2007).   Clearly, there was too much work and not enough manpower, resources, parts, or money to meet all of the objectives. Yet, despite these conditions, some engineers did warn NASA officials about the fateful launch.   Many engineers voiced concerns about the extremely cold temperatures and the possibility that the equipment could fail.   Apparently, two NASA officials were told of these concerns well before the flight: Joseph Kilminster had overruled five of his own engineers when they argued on a telephone conference call the night before the launch that the conditions were unsafe. The subfreezing temperatures at Cape Canaveral, the engineers told Kilminster, could cause a failure in the O-rings that protect the joints of Thiokol's solid rocket motors, which could lead to an explosion. The concerns were also rejected by NASA manager Lawrence Mulloy, who was in charge of the solid rocket boosters and was listening in on the debate   (Vartabedian, 2003). Sadly, this is exactly what happened.   Both officials are now retired from NASA. Of course, this sad occurrence goes beyond the doubtful opinions of two men.   It seemed that the entire attitude of NASA had suffered a bit of egoism. According to investigators, NASA, at that time, seemed to be â€Å"blinded by its ‘Can-Do' attitude, a cultural artifact†¦ that was inappropriate in a †¦ program so strapped by schedule pressures and shortages that spare parts had to be cannibalized from one vehicle to launch another† (Sigler, 2003).   James Oberg, a former NASA engineer, agrees:   â€Å"NASA managers made a bad call for the launch decision, and engineers who had qualms about the O-rings were bullied or bamboozled into acquiescence† (2006).   The men who knew the truth were asked to remain silent to preserve NASA’s reputation. It is rare that one cause can be attributed to a disaster as horrible as the Challenger explosion.   Here, investigators did find a mechanical failure, but soon learned that this failure had been detected.   Instead, the decision-makers chose to ignore the advice of engineers in an effort to preserve the already late launch date.   As a result, the explosion set up a new level of safety for NASA. â€Å"The entire space shuttle program was grounded during the Space Shuttle Challenger Commission's investigation and did not resume flying until shuttle designers made several technical modifications and NASA management implemented stricter regulations regarding quality control and safety† (Green, 2007).   On September 28, 1988, the shuttle missions started again with the flight of the shuttle Discovery.   Sadly, the entire tragedy had to be revisited with the 2003 explosion of the shuttle Columbia.   Hopefully, the lessons learned can be applied to future decisions in the NASA shuttle program. REFERENCES Greene, N. (2007). Challenger Disaster – A NASA Tragedy.   About.com.   Retrieved 12 December 2007 from http://space.about.com/cs/challenger/a/challenger.htm   Oberg, J. (2006).   7 Myths about the Challenger shuttle disaster. MSNBC.   January 27. Retrieved 11 December 2007 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11031097/ Sigler, J. (2007). Repeating NASA’s Deadly Mistakes. U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 133.9: 48-52 Vartabedian, R. (2003). The Nation; Forgotten Lessons of Challenger Seen as Haunting NASA; Retired space officials say today's managers must, as a first step, take blame for Columbia loss. Los Angeles Times. Jul 28, 2003: A.1      

Columbine Shooting

Most people woke up to a day like any other except two teenagers, Dylan Keyhole and Eric Harris. They took guns with them to their school, Columbine High School, stood at the west entrance ready to shoot students. Thirteen people where killed by this incident and twenty were hurt. Then Dylan and Eric killed themselves, leaving us with the mystery of why they had done what they did. Dylan Keyhole and Eric Harris were teenagers who worked In a pizza parlor together.They were involved In sports In middle school but not In high school. Dylan and Eric were part of a group of kids that dressed Goth. Other kids considered them â€Å"uncoil†. They had been planning the Columbine shooting for almost a year. We sometimes try to look for someone to blame. In this case more than one person could have contributed to these actions. Dylan and Erie's parents could have paved more attention to how they were acting, looked In their room, or sat down and talked to them. There were probably kids that would make fun of Dylan and Eric.Also the searchers could have noticed something such as if they were not getting good grades. Any one of these could have preventing this massacre from happening. What many people don't understand is why this happened. But we may never know this because the answer disappeared when Dylan and Eric killed themselves. Professionals have studied the situation. What some people think happened was Eric killed out of anger and a wish to live alone and Dylan killed out of depression and did not feel loved. They also might have done it for revenge of being judged and treated badly by other students.There are a lot of movies, books, television shows, and video games that show violence with guns and people dying. The amount of violence in the media makes some people act more violent towards others. The more violence they see, the more they may feel like it is all right to hurt others. People should limit the amount of time they spend on games and shows with violent content so that they do not get violent urges to hurt others. There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child. Not only should the parents raise a child, but also other members of society should help influence kids in positive manner.Teachers should have stepped in if they saw bad behavior from these boys or from other kids picking on these kids. If other students noticed negative things going on with these boys then they should have reported It. We all have to help to make our world a better place. The Columbine Shooting had a very big Impact on society. It changed the school security forever. Dylan Keyhole and Eric Harris may have had different views on society and different motives but they had the same desire to do something self- satisfying and die that same day. Fifteen year later people are still trying to find answers.Columbine Shooting By gazillion At 1 1 on April 20, 1999 one of the worst tragedies involving kids occurred in Dylan Keyhole and Eric Harris were teenagers who worked in a pizza parlor together. They were involved in sports in middle school but not in high school. Dylan attention to how they were acting, looked in their room, or sat down and talked to not feel loved. They also might have done it for revenge of being Judged and treated negative things going on with these boys then they should have reported it. We all The Columbine Shooting had a very big impact on society.

Organizational Behavior Importance

Organizational Behavior Importance Organizations are all around us. We are born in an organization, we live, work and most probably will die in an organization. Yet most of us do not understand how people function, behave and interact between each other within these organizations. We also do not understand if people shape an organization or an organization shapes people. In the beginning, people create an organization and shape its mission and culture and later more people join the organization.This new group of people adjust themselves within the existing organizational culture. Sometimes they also influence organizational culture by bringing new and unique skills to the organization. Sometimes they learn from each and at other times, external forces like competition, political and cultural changes compel them to learn new technical, communication or interpersonal skills. All these internal and external factors help an organization and its people to evolve to cope with the ever-chan ging world.Until recently, managers paid little attention to Organizational Behavior or soft skill training. The industrial revolution created the need for hard (technical) skills. People worked in the production line and were not required to think or interact to each other. However, things have changed; instead of standing behind the production lines, they now sit in front of a computer and control a robot who works in the production line. Now, people need more technical skills, but they also need skills to communicate and work within a group.The great English poet Samuel Butler put it together more eloquently, â€Å"Any fool can paint a picture, but it takes a wise man to be able to sell it. † If the â€Å"fool† is the metaphor for hard skill then the â€Å"wise man† would be the soft skill; but the soft skill of the wise man is useless without the hard skill of the fool; the harmonizing of both skills sells the picture. Therefore, the study of Organizational Behavior is not considered pop psychobabble anymore. A comparison between old and new organizations makes the picture clear

Required to undertake research on organisational texts or talkat work Paper

Required to undertake on organisational texts or talkat work. This will involve the collection and analysis of data (either audio recordings or other texts) - Research Paper Example The brand awareness has been enhanced by focusing on promotional activities. The promotional activity of Nestle Company for Maggi is to offer gifts in return for empty packet of noodle. The language that can be noticed from Maggi packaging is influential and persuasive which draws attention of people, specially working men and women, who have less time for cooking. There are different patterns of language that can be found in Maggi packaging which are effectively highlighted and presented in the paper. The approach that has been undertaken in this paper is based on discourse analysis. Visual and text elements that can be found on packaging of Maggi are being effectively analyzed in the research. The pictures of product packaging of Maggi have been taken personally. The packaging is described as the form of advertisement which uses integrated brand design. According to Polly Williams, associate creative director of Blue marlin Sydney states that food photography that has been presented in the packaging is to deliver speed, convenience customer ease to drive the intention household. The techniques that have been introduced in the literature of advertisement are based on looking at the usage of metaphors, narratives, texts and images. The feature of every packaging of products is based on depiction of happy and exultant atmosphere. One of the formidable barriers that multinational corporations like Nestle have to surmount is language. It is vital for businesses to decide and evaluate what patters of language that are required to be implemented for their packaging or product labels. Furthermore, corporations also have to notice the rate of adaptation of consumers towards the use of different patterns of language on `product packaging. According to Kotler, the emotion and perception of consumers can be heavily influenced by features of the packaging. Some of the

Social Media Analysis and Customer Behaviour Research Proposal

Social Media Analysis and Customer Behaviour - Research Proposal Example With this accessibility and transparency of information the decision making process of the consumer is highly influenced. Traditional methods of advertising through the use of mass media have become highly ineffective as the consumers are eager to seek more information directly from the company. Therefore, companies have to work the market and find out the reception of the consumers to their brand, what influences their decisions positively and negatively (Lee, 2013). In this paper we shall examine the influence of social networks on the decision of a buyer. The first segments will presents an introduction to the chosen theme which includes the background and statement of the problem, the objectives and significance of the study, in the next chapter relevant information on literature review will be clearly provided from previous specialized studies. The third chapter will describes the research methodology and data analysis and final conclusions of the study. Marketing was done mainly through the mass media, advertisements would run on televisions and announced on the radios. Telemarketers would call consumers to market their brands and offer promotion services. This was all done beforeinvent of the online platform. The consumers would rely on the information offered by the manufacturers on the advertisements about the products.In the 20th century the internet was in full force and various social sites would connect people online, through easily- accessible and innovative features various social sites have linked people from different places in the world and has helped the layman connect with professionals. The use of mobile based platforms has increased the online presence of consumers as most people subscribe to different social sites. Companies have embraced this trend and established multiple accounts that offer customers services to their consumers. The online presence has made today’s consumer more divulging with

General Dynamics Information Technology Managerial Economics Term Paper

General Dynamics Information Technology Managerial Economics - Term Paper Example The agency problems reflect how the difference in the views of the shareholders and the managers crept in. Suggestions have been provided to overcome the agency problem of the organizations without hampering the cause of either side in General dynamics Information technology General Dynamics Information technology: General dynamics information technology is one of the four subsidiary business units of the General Dynamic’s information Systems and technology group. It is also a prime part of the core company, General Dynamics. The organization generally specializes on providing service in the field of information technology to the defense service of the United States. It also provides service to the intelligence department and various other agencies and also to the commercial customers. The success of the organization has been noteworthy over the years and it evolved to be the one of the largest growing segment of the General dynamics. The organization aims at providing the bes t of the information technology solution and services dedicated to the United States government, so that the US defense service is strengthened by the incorporation of the information system. ... (History, n. d) Organization Structure: Organization structure comprises of various activities in an organization such as the allocation of various tasks, coordination between different departments and the overall management which helps in reaching the aims and objectives of the organization. Various organizations adopt different structures based on the overall purpose which it aims to serve. Organizational structure is an important aspect for any organization as it acts a foundation for the standard procedures to operate. It also helps in determining the level of participation of individuals in the decision making process and the importance they have in deciding the actions incorporated by the organization. .The organizational structure of General Dynamic’s information technology comprises of a hierarchical structure. It has employee strength of over 16000 professionals and is headed by the CEO Daniel Johnson. (Leadership, n. d) Under the supervision of the CEO there are ten different segments of operation each headed by the divisional vice presidents and senior vice presidents. The various departments which are under the CEO of the information technology department are the Amy systems, Homeland security, Intelligence solutions, Communication and marketing, Finance, and administration, legal and HR. However the overall group of the General Dynamics is headed by the CEO Jay Johnson and the organization chart comprises of total 157 executives. (General dynamics IT, 2011)The organizational structure is perfectly suited for the organization and it keeps the entire department under the guidance of the CEO. The communication flow in the organization is also proper and it leads to the overall success

Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Analysis - Essay Example Also, rewards rupture relationships at the workplace because employees because it creates a competitive and hostile environment, which leads to poor connections between employees. Another explanation can be that rewards ignore reasons behind the success of the company. Maybe increase in company’s profitability, or growth in sales is not necessarily related the incentive program for employees. Also, rewards cause a risk-aversion because employees would try to do only what they are required and would not look to improve their work or to find new solutions to problem that appear. Finally, rewards undermine interest which means that people who want to work will do that without any incentive. The article overviewed the relationship between incentives and performance, and the reasons for which payments does not lead to a better work. I agree with this final conclusion, because incentives for managers (e.g. stock options) have lead in some cases to a lower long-term performance for companies because they were interested only on the short performance in order to exercise the options, and not on the long perspective of the value of the company. Successful implementation of management’s innovations must follow some principles. The first one is related to organizational culture, which means that the values and customs of the specific company could lead to a better or lower implementation due to the reaction to changes. The second principle connects innovations with corporate, divisional and plant strategies. Another principle pays attention to the current state of the company; if a company is suffering structural changes, innovations may not be appropriate. Also, it is considered that a link between human and technical side of change is necessary. Moreover, it is vital to train and educate the employees in order to face the changes of the organization. The final principle relates to indicators of performance. When implementing innovation,

European Employment Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

European Employment Policy - Essay Example Therefore minimum wage laws have been introduced which foresee crisis of unemployment, if fewer employers are interested to hire labor, where as more people are willing to offer their services. Therefore, the law intends to maintain the equilibrium, to avoid social and economic turmoil. The amount of labor supplied by the workers is directly proportional to the nominal wage, a certain increase in the wage, forecast increase in the labor supply. The observation is based on the assumption that an employee hired at a low wage will prefer to consume 'leisure and forego wages', a slight increase in the nominal range, it becomes difficult to practice leisure and avoid labor, therefore there is an increase in the number of workers wiling to offer labor. The relationship between the labor supplied and nominal wage is function of different variables including price. A substantial increase in the price level will reduce the number of workers, at all wages (Wascher, 1995). The charter of European Union has observed that there exists an inverse relationship between the nominal wage, and the 'amount of labor demanded by the organizations'. A substantial increase in the wages is likely to compel the organizations to reduce recruitment schemes. The relationship has been derived on the basis of an assumption that the organization prefers saving for increased proportion of profitability i.e. such level of production is aimed by the organization which increases the profit i.e. the difference between expenses and revenue. The revenue is based on the price of an item, and quantity of the items sold (Christopher, 2005). The expenses include the amount of wages, which is based on the labor and services. Therefore, the company will prefer to maintain a minimum threshold level to secure profit, on the basis of reduction in the wages, as more workers are employed, the labor wage increases which turn the organization less profitable. The price factor may compel the organizations to recruit the employees for all wage levels (Gold, 1993). As per the regulation, the commission has defined a minimum age for the employment; the minimum age is greater than the minimum school leaving age. The charter has focused upon the fact that parent employees shall be provided parental leave, and parent employees have been urged to spend their time with their families particularly children. The charter has listed provisions for the access to childcare during working hours. The charter has defined a maximum limit for the weekly working hours; the maximum weekly working hours shall not be greater than forty eight, which is inclusive of the working hours. As per the charter, the employees are eligible for at least four week's paid annual leave, on unconditional basis. The charter has described minimum rest period which shall be eleven hours on daily basis, and minimum one day on weekly basis. The charter has limited the duration of work during might hours, and has limited the working hours during night time to maximum of eight hours (Gol d, 1993). Minimum Wages and Labor Market: Equilibrium It has been predicted that minimum wage laws are expected to increase unemployment, if minimum wage is established above equilibrium wage. It is because, a large number of employees will be interested in offering their services in exchange for higher wages, on contrary on small and limited number of such

Describe the ways that airports can prepare for and respond to Essay

Describe the ways that airports can prepare for and respond to aircraft accidents - Essay Example Set up and train emergency response team. This team is trained specifically to deal with emergencies in the airport while waiting for an external help from specialized teams like fire fighters who will take charge of the situation once they arrive. Have an onsite medical facility. The advantage of having an onsite medical facility in place is that the airport can perform first aid procedures on the affected persons so that their condition can be stabilized before they are transferred for further treatment outside the airport facilities. Have an onsite medics and fire fighters. Medical personnel and fire fighters have been trained and are always ready to respond to any emergency so long as it is within their control. Their presence in the airport facility is an assurance enough to travelers that their safety has been taken care of. In conclusion, a successful response of the airport during an accident is determined on how prepared they are and this can be gained by following the above guidelines in addition to the practices laid down by the airport

Voting Age Essay Example for Free

Voting Age Essay Democracy is an egalitarian form of government in which all the citizens of a nation together determine public policy, the laws and the actions of their state, requiring that all citizens (meeting certain qualifications) have an equal opportunity to express their opinion. And that opinion is expressed by the simple act of voting which is one of the most important human rights . In lebanon , we get introduced to that concept at a young age in school when kids get to vote for their class president for instance, then we develop a better understand of its political aspect at university. During the 19th century , the most common age at which the citizens acquired the right to vote was 21 or higher . However , by the end of the 20th century the voting age has become 18 in almost all countries with the exception of Lebanon and a few others. Some people believe that Lebanon should lower its voting age from 21 to 18 and many proposals were made regarding that , but are 18 years old here mature enough to make such decisions? Does the Lebanese history allow them to vote independently despite their parents cival war grudges? And finally are we ready to disturb our sectarian balance with the deluge of new voters? In most western countries , when you reach adulthood you become on your own . You move out of your parents house , get a job to pay for your own education and move on from there . Whereas that’s not the case in Lebanon . Rare are the people that leave home at 18 here due to many traditional beliefs youth usually stay with their parents till their married. Thus we don’t learn responsibility at this young age like adults in other countries. It might be true that giving younger people voting rights will force politicians to take them seriously but its also very dangerous 18 year olds although in adult bodies, still have the mind of children that have to be protected . At 21 , their political views are likely to be more thoughtful than at 18 who are just going to copy their parents opinions or adopt silly ideas for the sake of rebellion such as voting for legalizing drugs .. In addition , Lebanon has suffered from a 16 –year civil war. Even though it ended 22 years a go we are still enduring its consequences til this day. So arguments and rules that apply to other countries cant be applied here. The Youth campaign and the Civil one that proposed the lowering of the voting age should reconsider the fact that youth here are very much influenced by their parents who  faught in the civil war and still hold family grudges against each other. They are not independent with their political thoughts , they seek vengeance for their parents instead of making conscious decisions based on knowledge and education after the university experience . Furthermore, university elections have clearly shown over the years that Lebanese youth are not ready or mature enough for this kind of responsibility with all the clashes that has been happening between youth that follow different political parties like the fight between supporters of the Future Movement and Haraket Amal at the Lebanese American University in November 2011 that led to many injuries or even different clashes at Notre Dame University, Lebanese university and others†¦ Last but not least , the main reason why the Lebanese Parliament has rejected the bill to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 is the fact that it led to a sharp division between Muslim and Christian politicians. Lebanon has 18 different sects, that function according to a sectarian law . it seems amending the voting age would add far more Muslims than Christians to voter rolls . Rabih Haber, president of the research company Statistics Lebanon, have done an approximate study and got his numbers from the Interior Ministry . It says that with the new voters, it would add nearly 175,000 Muslims and around 58,000 Christians to the roles with Shia Muslims being the sect with the most potential new voters. To change the voting age , lawmakers must amend the constitution which requires the support of two-thirds of both the cabinet and Parliament which will not happen because different Political Parties have different benefits and this law is only beneficial for Huzballah and Amal and disturbing the sectarian balance in a country like Lebanon can’t be healthy . In Conclusion , I think the perfect age for voting in Lebanon is 21 since at that age the youth have enough maturity and independence to make their own decisions without basing it on history feuds and parental brainwashing. Plus I don’t think Lebanon can afford an instability in its sectarian system just yet . Maybe if we were more politically stable , that change would have been possible but with these conditions I think giving 18 year olds the right to vote can be very dangerous and they might use it in foolish ways . References: http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=142180 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_age http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Nov-01/152795-student-supporters-of-hariri-berri-fight-at-beirut-university.ashx#axzz1qUe64XuF http://www.euromedp.org/testimonies/lebanon/

Sexual Health Factors for Youth in Britain

Sexual Health Factors for Youth in Britain Sexual Health Ill Factors that contribute to the poor sexual health of Britain’s youth Introduction Problems with sexual health affect all sections of society including all age groups. Sexual ill health disproportionately affects vulnerable groups such as young people between the ages of 16 and 25, ethnic minority groups and those affected by poverty and social exclusion. (World Health Organization, 2004) Sexual health refers to the issues which impact on sexual function and reproduction. Such issues include a physical, mental and emotional factors which may have a varying amount of impact on the individual, leading to disorders affecting physical, mental or emotional wellbeing. (Dehne Riedner, 2005; World Health Organization, 2004) Sexual ill-health may thus be defined as the consequence of such issues in terms of their effect(s) on the wellbeing of an individual. Serious complications with sexual health particularly affect women and gay men and there are disproportionate geographical inequalities in the rate and degree of sexual ill health and inequalities in sexual health service provision in the UK. For example, the results of a study focusing on syphilis reported that there have been increasingly high rates of disease transmission over the last five years in Britain, as well as in several parts of Western Europe. The report also stated that the most alarmingly high rates of syphilis prevalence have been seen in the wealthiest cities of England such as London. (NHS, 2008) According to the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV, (2007) there are serious inequalities in sexual health service provision in the UK and the groups most likely to suffer because of this are identified as young people who are considering becoming sexually active, men who have sex with men and black and minority communities. The possible reasons for such inequalities are discussed further in detail, along with the importance of these issues being reprimanded and their effects reduced. The major causes of morbidity and mortality among young people are road traffic accidents, suicide, drug use (including cigarettes, cigars and alcohol) and sexual and reproductive ill health. (World Health Organization, 2004) The consequences of poor sexual health have important implications for all individuals as well as society as a whole. Unwanted pregnancies may have a long lasting impact on quality of both the mother’s and the child’s life. Since the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994, recognition of young people’s specific sexual and reproductive health needs has gradually increased. Attempts to date to promote the sexual health of young people have tended to focus on prevention, education and counseling for those who are not yet sexually active, while the provision of health services to those who have already engaged in unprotected sexual activity and faced the consequences, including pregnancy, STIs or sexual violence has lagged behind. (Dehne Riedner, 2005) The identification of this matter has lead to a shift in focus on sexual health and motivation towards the promotion of services available to people in the UK. In 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched an activity to promote sexual health and a positive view of sexuality for young women and men as issues to be addressed separately from the wider subject of reproductive health. In the past, but particularly since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, sexual health was defined as an incorporation of the subject of reproductive health. The launch of this activity was the direct result of the emergence of the pandemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and an increasing awareness of the importance of gender-related violence and sexual dysfunction concerns. Such changes in sexual health have emphasized the need for more explicit focus on issues related to sexuality and the direc t implications for general health and wellbeing. (World Health Organization, 2004) Despite efforts made to strategize improvements to sexual health policies in recent years, data shows that numbers of STIs in Britain continue to grow at a problematic rate and cost the National Health Service dearly in prevention and treatment methods. Statistics regarding sexual health in Wales published in Better Health – Better Wales in 1998 (Welsh Office, 1998a) highlighted trepidation regarding the high rates of teenage pregnancies and STIs in the region. In response to these concerns, the Welsh Assembly’s publication Better Health – Better Wales Strategic Framework (Welsh Office, 1998b) included a commitment to the people for the betterment of sexual health and to take account of and successfully deal with the inequalities surrounding sexual health concerns. Strategies were also directed towards the improvement of emotional support for those involved in sexual relationships, as well as support for the education of sex in schools. In addition to the responsibility assumed by England and Wales to try to tackle sexual health concerns, Scotland also released a response to growing rates of abortions, unwanted pregnancies and ill health in the form of a Sexual Health and Relationships Strategy, (Scottish Executive, 2005) which aimed to challenge the government for better services by promoting a strategy based firmly on â€Å"self-respect, respect for others and strong relationships† (Scottish Executive, 2005). In short, action was directed towards the avoidance of contracting and spreading sexually transmitted infections and towards the avoidance of unwanted pregnancies by promoting the individual’s responsibility for themselves and others through specific educative measures. Despite the efforts made by the three governing bodies in the UK to act on sexual health concerns, there is evidence indicating that some years on, we are still seeing problematic levels of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections in young people and a systematic review of the literature seems to suggest limited knowledge of sexual health associated with young people. (Wellings et al., 2002; NHS 2007) A thorough study of the literature concerning sexual health in young people reveals that there are four main areas of consideration for this matter. These include the level of knowledge of sexual health to young people, consequences of sexual ill health, factors influencing the use and non-use of condoms and intervention(s) for the promotion of condom use. We therefore now take a closer look at the condition of sexual health in young people in the UK in detail to identify the specific areas where intervention can promote better sexual health in order to reduce the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in this group of people and we also give further consideration to the consequences of STIs and the factors affecting the use of condoms. According to a study performed in 2001, when compared with several countries, Britain has a relatively low rate of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, which reflects the historical investment in establishing the Genito-urinary Medicine (GUM) clinic. However, data from 2001 showed evidence that there is heterogeneity in the population distribution of STIs which are diagnosed, and the wide distribution of undiagnosed Chlamydia showed that the strategy adopted in Britain in response to the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994 failed to relieve the problem of ill sexual health by 2001. (Fenton et al., 2001) Looking a little later on to over a decade since the international conference, we learn that the number of newly diagnosed sexually transmitted infections continued to rise in 2006 indicating that sexual health still required careful attention at this time. Furthermore, the same study showing that sexually transmitted infections were still on the r ise in 2006 also gave overwhelming evidence that the highest rate of STI diagnoses continued to be among young people between the age of 16 and 24 years and that genital herpes in particular sharply rose by 16% from 2005 to 2006 in teenage women. (Hughes et al., 2006) There is much further evidence in the literature to show that young people are most at risk from sexual health problems including notable statistics which show that Chlamydia affects one in ten sexually active young women and each year, numbers of cases rise by 9%. (Department of Health, 2003) There is thus, some significant evidence showing that sexual health in the UK continues to decline and any efforts being made to prevent such an increase in rate of infection are clearly neither sufficient nor effective. This effect on young women has changed little since 2003 and remains a cause for concern at the present time. (Department of Health, 2003; IAG, 2006/2007) Recognition of the problematic numbers of affected young people, particularly women lead to the implementation of a strategy designed to tackle  ways  of  reducing  teenage pregnancy  and  improving  sexual  health  among vulnerable  groups of young  people. This strategy ended in December 2006, yet there still remains concern regarding the health of young sexually active people supported by statistics documenting the behaviour of young people today. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among adolescents in particular, are of great concern to all those who work to improve the health status of human populations. Sexually transmitted infections are widely associated with stigmatization, denial and embarrassment among patients and health workers. Sexuality and associated health risks are still a major taboo in many societies and this may be especially true for young people between the ages of 16 and 25 years. While the young person’s rights and needs may be acknowledged in theory, the story is very different in practice and they are still confronted with many barriers when it comes to obtaining the practical support they need to avoid health concerns. According to Dehne and Riedner (2005) an indication of their â€Å"unmet needsâ €  is the worldwide scarcity of services available for young people, in particular, services related to the treatment of sexually transmitted infections. (Dehne Riedner, 2005) Significant data has shown that almost 30% of young men and nearly 26% of young women report having sexual intercourse before the age of 16 and by the age of 20, the majority of young people have had sex. (Brook, 2001) The high number of young people having sex at an early age means that this group has a high risk of transmitting sexually transmitted infections and indeed of becoming unintentionally pregnant. Evidence supporting this is found in a study by Marston and King (2006), who found that nearly 50% of new HIV infections worldwide are found in young people between the age of 15 and 24 years. Further evidence suggests that this figure is nearer 60%. (Dehne Riedner, 2001) Thus there is some significant room for attention towards this group to change sexual behaviour to deal with a pandemic such as this. (Marston King, 2006) The high risk of STI transmission, as well as the increased chance of encountering other sexual health problems in young people has led to the motivation for this study and we are persuaded that there are inextricable forces acting on young people, which are causing them to suffer unnecessarily. We offer a thorough investigation into the causes of various sexually transmitted infections and ill-health epidemics in the UK in the hope of identifying the main voids in bureaucratic procedure towards the paradox of sexual health in young people. Research on sexual health in young people seems to suggest that knowledge of the causes and consequences of sexually transmitted infections as well as the consequences of sex in general to young people maybe limited (Wellings et al., 2001; NHS, 2007) and it is likely that this lack of knowledge is a large contributing factor in the high prevalence of STIs in young people in the UK. The fact that ‘young’ signifies only very few years of experience as a sexually mature adult is also, albeit an obvious one, a reason for the high parameters of sexual health problems in this group of people and another why they might have unsafe sex. Although sexual education begins at a young age (usually 11 years old and lasts until 16 years), a report by Lester Coleman (2007) on the preferences towards sexual education by a multi-cultural group of individuals revealed that despite the different religions of children in schools in Britain today, there are a number of similarities across practising religious groups which include the preference for more information regarding STIs and how to increase sex satisfaction. Thus, there is evidence to suggest that there is at least some room here for improvement in the educational methods used for the prevention of sexual health problems through knowledge acquirement. (Coleman, 2007) Furthermore, according to Jackson and Plant (1997), despite the improvement in the knowledge of sexual health matters to young people shown in the early 1990s, young people lack knowledge about how to use sexual health services provided and they are also unsure about the issue confidentiality to their parent s and general practitioners if they were to attend a surgery or family planning clinic for advice and/or treatment. This revealing might help to explain not only the high numbers of STIs and unwanted pregnancies in young people, but also the lack of knowledge young people have of matters relating to sexual health. Also, the failure of most young people to recall the anonymity of sexual health services, as found by Jackson and Plant (1997), clearly shows the lack of communication between educators and students over these matters, or perhaps more accurately, the failures of sexual health educators to effectively inform young people of all of the important elements relating to advice and treatment of sexual health problems. If proper communication was involved between informer and ‘informee’ and feedback was necessitated, it should have been obvious that anonymity would be a major concern to young people requiring treatment or advise, especially those who are below the legal age to be having sex, or indeed those with cultural backgrounds who do not allow sexual activity at their current age. Campaigns over the recent years targeting young people have encouraged safe sex through promoting condom use and the avoidance of penetration. Efforts have included dispensing free condoms and providing information through schools. However, even in instances where condoms have been widely available and education of sexual health problems has been great, such campaigns have not been desirably successful. It has been demonstrated that there are powerful cultural and social forces in play, which appear to strongly influence sexual behaviour. This discovery might help to explain why free dispensation of condoms is not working as well as expected to reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies. It might also help to explain why some of the HIV programmes have also not been effective. (Coleman, 2007) Consequences of sexual ill health The physical symptoms of sexually transmitted infections are varied but there are a few generalizations which include itching, redness and soreness around male and female genital parts. The most common STI to date is Chlamydia, which is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. In women the infection often presents no symptoms which makes diagnosis without examination difficult in many cases and there may also be non-specific symptoms such as cystitis, an altered vaginal discharge or abdominal pain. If left untreated, the female reproductive organs can be irreparably damaged and can cause sterility. (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007) Men may experience pain whilst urinating, develop a discharge from their penis and have inflammation of the urethra or testes. (NHS, 2007) Other sexually transmitted diseases which are common effects of unprotected sex and which have various physical symptoms leading to damage of the reproductive tract if left untreated are: genital warts; genital herpes; gonorrhoea; syphilis; HIV; trichomoniasis; pubic lice; scabies; thrush; and non-specific urethritis. Emotionally, the occurrence of an STI can cause problems for the patient related to a feeling of shame and of being ‘dirty’, especially in the event that a patient must make contact with previous partners to inform them of their infection. (NHS, 2007) There has been an increase in the interest in the sexual behaviour of young people in the second half of the 20th century, which has been fuelled partly by a concern for their sexual wellbeing. In the 1960s and 1970s, nervousness surrounding the rates of contraception among young unmarried people provided the impetus to much research, but a decade later, the focus shifted to the risk of HIV transmission among young people. By the end of the 20th century, the UK had the highest rate of teenage births in Western Europe and an increasing rate of most sexually transmitted infections among young people. Attention has now focused on risk behaviour in the context of both sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies in young people. (Wellings et al., 2001) and it is estimated that the prevention of unintended pregnancies saves the NHS over  £2.5bn a year (Kinghorn, 2001; The Department of Health, 2006). The average cost of contraception failure is estimated at  £1500 per person, which is inclusive of the costs of abortion, miscarriage, ectopic and live births. (Department of Health, 2006) Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are associated with serious maternal and neonatal morbidity, infertility, anogenital cancer and transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The average lifetime treatment cost for each HIV positive individual was estimated to be between  £195,000 and  £200,000 (Bernard, 2006; Bartlett, 2007). At  £580 million a year, HIV imposes a significant burden on healthcare resources. As well as the high cost of care and treatment, HIV is associated with extreme morbidity, significant mortality and a significantly reduced life. It has been determined that preventing the onward infection of just one case of HIV saves the NHS around  £0.5 million in health care costs and individual health gains. Figures at the end of 2006 indicated that the direct costs of treating other STIs cost the health service approximately  £165 million a year and if the cost of treating sequelae were to be included, this would increase exponentially. Chlamydia, for example, often produces no symptoms, but if left untreated it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and ectopic pregnancy, which impose high costs on individuals and on the National Health Service. (The Department of Health, 2006) When fertility treatment such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) becomes necessary due to fertility problems associated with STIs, there is no funding available for patients and those people affected much shell out thousands of pounds for such procedures. The NHS offers no help for any person requiring fertility treatment, despite evidence seeming to point to the failure of government bodies responsible for the promotion of sexual health to effectively diagnose and treat people with sexual health issues. (NHS, 2007) Gender is an important issue in STI prevention and care and there are many scientists who believe that gender is the largest role being played in the prevailing increase in sexually transmitted infection rates. (Marston and King, 2006; Coleman, 2007) Gender-based inequalities put girls and young women at an increased risk of becoming infected with a sexually transmitted infection and these inequalities also affect these women’s access to prevention and care services. In addressing these inequalities, we must try to best consider the different requirements and also constraints of young women and young men when we are designing interventions to tackle sexual ill health. (Marston and King, 2006) According to a study by Marston and King (2006), sexual partners influence the behaviour of young individuals in many ways and young people are known to assess potential sexual partners as â€Å"clean† or â€Å"unclean†. Furthermore, there appears to be certain stigmas associated with condoms, such as a lack of trust, and societal norms prevent the lucid communication about sex. (Marston and King, 2006) From a biological perspective, hormonal changes in young men and women which are likely at various times between the age of 16 and 25 years will have a profound affect on the decision-making ability of the individual; especially in younger years and this is likely to be a plausible explanation for certain acts considered by individuals as ‘mistakes’. (Verhoeven, 2003) STIs such as chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhoea are passed from one individual to another through intimate sexual contact either during vaginal, anal or oral intercourse with an infected partner. (NHS, 2007) The timing and conditions of sexual initiation are of substantial interest in the context of public health. Early age at first intercourse is associated with subsequent sexual health status. Following the steep decrease of age at first intercourse among women up to and incuding the 1970s, in many countries there is evidence of subsequent stabilisation. In several European countries, this stabilisation occurred in the 1980s. In Britain however, heterosexual intercourse continued to occur at earlier stages throughout the 1980s. Factors associated with early age at first intercourse are well documented and include early school leaving age, early menarche, family disruption and a disadvantaged and poor education. A study by Wellings et al., reported a decline in age at first intercou rse in successive age-groups and significant increase in condom use among the youngest age cohort, born between 1971 and 1976. Several important trends have been identified in this data from the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal) in 2000. There seems to have been a stabilisation of the proportion of people having first heterosexual intercourse before the age of 16 years among women, as well as a continuation of the increase in condom use and in the decrease in the proportion not using contraceptive methods at first intercourse. There also has been identified an increase in the importance of school in the sexual education of the young, in particular men. Despite the strong trends identified in this data, the author is right to point out that the data is based on alleged behaviour and thus is susceptible to biases associated with recall and veracity. With time, it is pointed out, early experiences may be recast or forgotten although the ability to recall any event is dependent on the time passed since the event’s occurrence, and also on its salience. According to the results of experiments, less than 1% of respondents were unable to remember, with accuracy, their age at first intercourse. This result demonstrates that first intercourse is fairly non-memorable for individuals and there may be implications here into the general lack of responsibility taken with regards to contraception at this time. Further, if we look at the decade of the 1990s as a whole, a higher proportion of young women in Britain reported heterosexual intercourse before the age of 16 years when compared with the previous decade and the median age at first intercourse was also shown to be lower for men than women. Looking within the 1990s however, there are some tentative and possibly ambiguous signs in the data that the trend showing increasingly earlier heterosexual intercourse may have in fact stabilised for women. Furthermore, there is evidence of increasing adoption of risk reduction practices. For only a minority of young people is first intercourse unprotected against infection and conception. The data in the study shows a remarkable rise in condom use in Britain, despite the predictions that a weaker impact of AIDS-linked safer sex messages might have brought about complacency. 25% of young women in this study were already using oral contraception at first intercourse but with respect to the circumstances of first intercourse, the evidence is less positive. Despite the agreement in the behaviour of men and women at particular ages at which first intercourse occurs, there remain gender differences in the experience of the event such as those described above. The proportion of those young people who are sexually proficient according to the criteria which was used, has increased over time; particularly among men. Further evidence reveals that women are two times as likely as men to regret the ir first experience of intercourse and three times as likely to report being the less willing partner. These findings have also been supported by Wight et al., 2000 and Dickenson et al., 1998. 26% of women aged between 16 and 19 in this study were found to have had intercourse by 16 years, which is the legal age to have sex in the UK. (NHS, 2007) There is evidence to suggest that a focus on absolute age at first intercourse may not take into account variations in individual development and social norms. Although sexual competence decreases substantially with age at intercourse, more than 30% of young women for whom first intercourse occurred at age 15 years were sexually competent, and more than a 30% of those aged between18 and 24 years at the time were not. The report shows early age first intercourse to be significantly associated with early pregnancy but not experience of sexually transmitted infection. Although early menarche is independently associated with early age first intercourse and with early motherhood, importantly, in terms of the potential for enhancing sexual health, the risk behaviours and outcomes described are also associated with cultural and social factors. Of these, the association is stronger for education than for family background. Young people who leave school later, with qualifications, are less likely to have early intercourse, more likely to use contraception at first sex, be sexually competent and, for women, less likely to become pregnant if they have sex. Family disruption and lower parental socioeconomic status are also associated with early sexual experience and pregnancy when younger than 18 years, but the effect is weaker. (Wellings et al., 2001) The absence of a significant association between educational level and abortion, compared with the strong association with motherhood at younger than 18 years, supports the premise that educational prospects influence the outcome of pregnancy. We do not know to what extent poor educational aspirations themselves lead to early sexual experience and motherhood and the extent to which having a child early in life thwarts academic expectations. Nevertheless, this data identifies a vulnerable group of women in public health terms; 29% of sexually active young women in this study who left school at 16 years with no qualifications had a child at age 17 or younger. From the viewpoint of prevention, there is much that is positive in this data: the sustained increase in risk reduction at early sexual experience; the increasing prominence of the school in the sexual education of the young and the fact that the variables which emerge as most strongly associated with reducing risk are those which are amenable to intervention. Of interest too, with respect to the possible stabilisation of the trend towards intercourse is the evidence from the USA of a reduction in the teenage pregnancy rate following their earlier experience of a similar trend. The strong association between educational attainment and early motherhood also supports the British government’s strategy to marshal the efforts of ministries concerned not only with health but also with education and social services, in a bid to reduce the incidence and adverse outcomes of early teenage pregnancy. Marston and King, in their 2006 study found that there are penalties and rewards encountered for sex which may well affect the rate of STI transmission in the UK. According to these two authors, social rewards and penalties influence sexual behaviour. Adhering to gender expectations and formalities has been seen to raise social status. For women, complying with stereotypes can secure an exclusive relationship with a man, and for men, complying can lead to many partners. (Nyanzi et al., 2001) While pregnancy outside marriage can be stigmatising, for some women pregnancy can be a way out of the parental home. Young people may behave in particular ways through fear of being caught in the act. Sex can also be a way to obtain money and gifts from boyfriends:, which is particularly well described for sub-Saharan Africans, although this behaviour is not exclusive to this part of the world. (Nyanzu et al., 2001) It is believed that the relationship between individual enthusiasm and societal expectations is a complex one as some behaviour considered taboo can become desirable for that very reason. (Marston and King, 2006) Reputations are crucial for social control of sexual behaviour according to scientists. Marston and King, 2006; Stephenson et al., 1993) Reputations are linked to displays of chastity for women, or heterosexual activity for men. Social isolation can result from activity leading to being branded â€Å"queer† or a â€Å"slut†, and in some cases, such brands can result in worse cases such as gang rape and murder. (Wood et al., 1998) A woman’s reputation can be damaged by having â€Å"many†, or more than one partners according to Marston and King (2006) and even the mentioning of sex can risk implying sexual experience and lead to a damaged reputation. Although it has been found that communication across generations about sex is rare, family members may for instance prevent young people socialising with members of the opposite sex to protect the reputation o the family. (Hennick et al., 1992) Young men’s reputations can suffer if they are not seen to push for sexual access and numerous female partners according to some scientists, (Varga, 1997; Harrision et al., 2001) thus, the display of heterosexual activity can be important. It is common that some groups of men visit brothels together in Southeast Asia and young men proudly report sexual experiences to their peers. (Varga, 1997) Furthermore, there is often a stigma attached to not having penetrative sex, and indeed not being able to do so. Young men not having sex with their girlfriends may be accused of being â€Å"gay†. According to a study in Britain by Hughes et al., (2007) new STI diagnoses increased between 2005 and 2006 by an overall 2% whilst diagnoses of other STIs increased by 3% over the year. Looking further back, there has been an increase in new STI diagnoses of 63% between 1997 and 2006 and an 84% increase of existing STIs over the same time period. According to these figures, strategies in place between these times were not working effectively to reduce the incidence of STIs in young people. Between 2005 and 2006, services available to the public in the form of clinics and sexual health screening and HIV tests were increased by 6% thus making them more readily available. The number of HIV tests taken was said to have risen by 12% over that year and the number of sexual health screens rose by 9%. (Hughes et al., 2007) Thus, despite the increase in the services available to the public in the early 2000s, STI incidence continued to rise. There is therefore clearly a huge requirement for the betterment of these services to allow a significant reduction in new and existing STI diagnosis. Presently, services available to young people with sexual health concerns include genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics, which are usually situated in separate Primary Care Trust departments at hospitals around the country. The NHS also provides a numbe

Literature Review of Microclimate: Senzo Tembe

Literature Review of Microclimate: Senzo Tembe This section of my project shows a series of studies and research done by other people which have a close relation to the experiment that I’ve worked on. Microclimate is the climate of a very small or restricted area, especially when this differs from the climate of the surrounding area. (Grade 12 geography focus book.) This reference helps me determine whether my hypothesis is true or not, comparing the quads at Michaelhouse. Historical background to the Saudi Arabian heritage, author Talib, Kaizer analyses different types of living environment with close precautions to microclimate in those particular zones, and the concomitant effect on vernacular buildings.(author Kaizer Talib) Quads such as Main quad have buildings which surround it, Talib Kaizer’s reference participates well in my study. Different types of species were grown in the same aerial environment, temperatures ranging from 5à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ° to 35à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C these were to determine whether species of different grass have an effect on temperature. Weight of foliage’s were taken to ratio, the usage of maximum yield of foliage’s were taken to find the optimum soil temperatures of the species that was tested. According to the ratio scale it was found that ratio was lowest at optimum soil temperature and was higher at soil temperatures above and below the optimum with slight exceptions. Ratios showed that partitioning of photosynthate is controlled by the rates of photosynthesis and root absorption. (According to R.L. Davidson, oxford university press.) The reference above also helps prove that the quads in my experiment will have an effect on the surface temperature of quads that contain more grass than others with less grass. Graph showing inverse proportion: In Tokyo an investigation was set to see whether land-use and anthropogenic heat (heat produced by humans.) on surface temperature. Sub-grid parametrization scheme which calculates the total surface heat composed on different surfaces, over 36 days in Tokyo the investigation was run in summer and majority of the days the investigation went on for it was particularly typical summer weather (clear skies, negligible gradient winds etc..). Anthropogenic heat was much larger at night, and was found that green vegetation areas including grass were more dominant during the day than at night (resource article by F. Kimura.) At a boarding school such as Michaelhouse with 550 boys excluding staff will also have a great effect on the surface temperature while my study was being taken. The urban heat island effect has been documented in many cities, one of the causes of urban heat island effect is of green spaces such as trees, grass etc†¦ being removed and replaced with city buildings. This causes elevation in temperature, increasing the population of trees in cities can lower the urban heat island effect. The case studied heat produced by green spaces and heat produced by manufactured city buildings was measured using a thermal satellite imagery, 143 sites were chosen and if every unit conducted in this predicament case study had to increase the green spaces slightly the surface temperatures would decrease by an amount of 1.2à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C. (A Terre haute case study, by P.J. Hardin and R.R Jenson). Michaelhouse is a very conservative school when it comes to trees, the amount of trees could disagree to my hypothesis and the effects of the surface temperature. Urbanisation process is one that influences the thermal balance of a certain area, cities are commonly several degrees hotter than a surrounding rural settlement. Urbanisation forces heat to increase in the CBD and urban areas surrounding the CBD, heat causes increase of electricity bills, and also making it very uncomfortable. Heat waves increase risks of sickness spreading around easier. In Manchester, United Kingdom this case study on how the effect of tree shade and grass on surface and globe temperatures in an urban area, months June and July 2009 and 2010. Small plots were specifically chosen for the study, areas which obtained both concrete and grass with/without the presence of tree shade surface temperatures composed. Global temperatures above each surface was tested, surface and shade affected the temperature greatly. Between the tree shade and the grass, grass de-elevated the temperature by up to 24à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C, while tree shade only affected the temperature by decreasing up to 19à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C. With no involvement to my hypothesis tree shade decreased the global temperature by 5à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °-7à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C, this case study showed that trees have an influence to global temperature cooling and both tree shade and grass have a natural cooling system towards surface temperature. (Article by author D. Armson). Michaelhouse is located in a rural area which therefore makes temperature in the site lower the populated areas such as towns. Anthropogenic influences on climate are emissions of greenhouse gases and urbanisation. Differentiating the two on which has more of an affect to surface temperature is a difficult process since being that both parties increase the daily mean surface temperature. Urbanisation was compared to agricultural areas nearby, the results differed significantly, and reasons of the big differences between the two may have been the effect of population difference. (Eugenia Kalnay and Ming Cai.) This quote by Eugenia Kalnay and Ming Cai states the same as the above reference by author D. Armson Surface temperature has been reconstructed to hemispheric and global scale using proxy data for decadal to centennial climate changes in last two thousand years. Not many years ago more modern and accurate complementary methods and data were thoroughly tested and validated from experimenting with model simulations. â€Å"Knowledge about climate in past centuries can improve peoples’ understanding of natural climate variability, and address the question whether modern day climate changes are unprecedented in years to come.† (Summarised quote by Michael E. Mann). Many proxy data studies have emphasized on global and hemispheric mean temperatures in previous years, and some studies have tried to reconstruct the underlying spatial patterns of past surface temperature changes globally and in regional scales. Recent attempts to find out the hemispheric temperatures used the composite plus scale method, using proxy data such as tree rings and ice cores are standardized and centred are then composited to form hemispheric and regional series(Michael E. Mann). Theoretical models of surface temperatures oscillations are derived, diurnal and annual are donated amplitude and phase of lag, in terms of external conditions physical properties of soil and atmosphere. Physico-mathematical basis is the explanation of various microclimate characteristics. (Heinz Lettau) Wind speed: The fundamental atmospheric rate. It is commonly measured in knots by an instrument called the anemometer.(Oxford dictionary) In my study of the wind speed at Michaelhouse was used in rotations of the anemometer that I had created. The circulation that causes air to move is called atmospheric pressure, this atmospheric pressure is the weight of atmosphere pressing down towards the Earths’ surface. The global temperature affects the circulation of air flow, in high temperatures air expands and rises, and therefore sinks in low temperatures. (Focus, grade 12 geography text book.) Over a few years new mathematical functions have been proposed for wind speed density, the most commonly used function had come across in studies to be inadequate in finding the correct wind speed density, this function is called the two-parameter Weibull function. Whether the two-parameter function is unimodal or bimodal nature, due to the intricate behaviour of the function inadequate. This prevents it to be modelled by two-parameters model. Unimodal is produced by the two-parameter if it’s bimodal nature which makes it simply inadequate to model appropriately. Recent years other functions have been suggested for both uni/bimodal natured functions, more involved functions to better model the distributions.(A.N. Celik, author) Throughout the five days of gathering data the wind speed was different on every day. â€Å"The main factors that affect the wind direction and speed are the pressure gradient force, Coriolis force and friction. These particular factors cause winds to blow at different directions and different speeds; when they are working together.†(By Annalou Mack, Sciences 360, atmosphere and weather.) Bibliography: Armson, D. (2012). The effect of tree shade and grass on surface and globe temperature in an urban area. Urban forestry and Urban greening, Abstract. Bonan, B. G. (2008). Forest and climate change: forcings, feedbacks, and the climate benefits of forest. science, Abstract. Cai, M. a. (2003, May 29). Impact of urbanisation and land-use change on climate. Letters to nature, Abstract. Celik, N. A. (2010). Critical evaluation of wind speed frequency distribution functions. Journal of renewable and sustainable energy, Abstract. Davidson, R. (1968, December 28). Effect of root/leaf temperature differentials on root/shoot ratios in some pasture grasses and clover. Oxford index, Abstract. Dilley, L. E.-B. (2006). Focus. Cape town: Maskew Miller Longman. Graham, E. R. (1987). Sea surface temperature, sea wind divergence, and convection over tropical oceans. Graham and Barnet, Abstract. Hardin, J. P. (2007, May 25). The effect of urban leaf area on summertime urban surface kinetic temperatures. A Terre Haute case study, Abstract. Kimura, F. (1989, June 6). The effects of land use and anthropogenic heating on the surface temperature in the tokyo metropolitan. Atmospheric environment. Part B, urban atmosphere, Abstract. Lei, M. (2009). A review on the forcasting of the wind speed and generated power. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, Absract. Lettau, H. (1951). Theory of surface temperature and heat transfer oscillations near a level ground surface. American geophysical union, Abstract. Mack, A. (2006). Sciences 360. Atmosphere and weather, 1. Mann, E. M. (2007, November 20). Proxy-based reconstructions of hemispheric and global surface temperature variations over the past millennia. Surface temperature reconstruction for the last 2,000 years, 5. Talib, K. (1984). Shelter in Saudi Arabia. New york: Academy editions. Tsuruta, S. (2002). Confronting neutron star cooling theories with new observations. The astrophysical journal letters, Abstract. Senzo Tembe Effective Leadership Studies: Theodore Roosevelt Effective Leadership Studies: Theodore Roosevelt Daniel J. Safarik Theodore Roosevelt: Hero, Leader, Mentor Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt was many things. He was a civil servant, a war hero, and guardian of human rights. Roosevelts success has inspired many Americans throughout history. However, there was one man that he took under his wing and molded into his successor. Roosevelt was able to impact this mans life for years and led him to the presidency. Who did your leader mentor? The person that Roosevelt inspired and mentored the most was William Taft, the 27th President of the United States and Supreme Court Justice. Tafts professional relationship with Roosevelt began when Teddy offered him a seat on the Supreme Court, which he turned down to finish his duties as governor of the Philippines (William Taft: Life in Brief, 2017). This relationship would eventually lead Roosevelt to encourage Taft to run for president. Roosevelts endorsement would lead to Tafts 1908 victory. How did they mentor that person? Roosevelt began professionally mentoring Taft in 1903 when Roosevelt named Taft his Secretary of War. Taft became Roosevelts closest confidant and two worked very closely on many projects including the Portsmouth Peace negotiations, which ended the war between Japan and Russia. When Taft was elected in 1908 he used the tactics and skills he learned under Roosevelt. Taft continued Roosevelts goal of expanding U.S. foreign trade in South and Central America, as well as in Asia (William Taft: Life in Brief, 2017). Although Tafts presidency in many ways did not work out how Roosevelt had foreseen, it is clear that Taft was impacted by his mentor. Roosevelt gave Taft the tools to ensure that he was prepared to take on the challenge. Were they a good mentor? I believe that Roosevelt was a good mentor to Taft. According to Lesser (1995), one of the keys to good mentorship is great expectations. Roosevelt saw that Taft had potential to be a leader and pushed him to run for President, if not for this encouragement, Taft most likely would not have ever run and just stuck to his original plan of becoming a Supreme Court Justice (which he later completed). Many times mentors see what the mentee cannot yet see. Another key to good mentorship is good exposure (Lesser, 1995). Roosevelt was able to expose Taft to situations and people that set him up for success. If not for Tafts exposure to the Portsmouth Peace negotiations he many have not been successful expanding trade with Asia. Exposure like this is irreplaceable and can be very hard to come by, for this reason, I believe that Roosevelt was an excellent mentor. Did your leader display emotional and social intelligence with the mentee? Emotional and social intelligence are defined as skills that enable an individual to understand the impact of emotions on behavior and thinking, to regulate emotions and behavior, to understand the importance of emotions in others, and to understand social interactions and engage in adaptive ways with others in social situations. Emotional intelligence provides the foundation for social intelligence, which includes social awareness and relationship management (Gerardi, 2015). Knowing that Roosevelt was socially aware and maintained his relationships well, one can infer that he carried over these habits in his mentorship of Taft. Although their mentor/mentee relationship did not last much long after Taft became President, it is clear that Roosevelt helped Taft become skilled on how to adapt to others in social situations and become an excellent mediator and ambassador with countries around the world. References Gerardi, D. (2015). Conflict Engagement: Emotional and Social Intelligence. The American Journal of Nursing, 115(8), 60-5. Lesser, R. (1995). How to be a good mentor. Chemical Engineering, 102(8), 111. William Taft: Life in Brief (2017). In millercenter.org.

Student Teaching Paper :: essays research papers

Student Teaching Graduate Paper Spring 2004 As the time approached, my attitude toward student-teaching was one of confidence and in some ways overconfidence. I believed that I was equipped with all of the tools necessary to be a superior teacher. Little did I know what truly goes on behind the scenes of a teacher. Between grading papers, attending meetings, and preparing lessons, I would often feel overwhelmed. Still, student teaching would prove to be much more valuable than I anticipated. It would teach me to appreciate the wisdom of mentors and experienced teachers, value or being organized and prepared, and lastly the resilience of students. Student teaching has taught me to appreciate the wisdom of mentors and experienced teachers. There were several times when my field based supervisors pointed my in the right direction when faced with challenges. I recall a student that I suspected to have copied his homework from other students. I stressed that we figure out how he did it but I could not some up with any definite facts to prove he had did so. Ms. Darling insisted that I not worry about it and if he did cheat then it would be revealed on his exam. Surely enough, the student failed his exam miserably. During a teacher/parent conference, I asked him how he managed to receive an A on all of his homework and fail his exam so poorly. To my astonishment the student confessed to having copied his homework from other students. His mother immediately addressed both issues with her child and needless to say I did not have the problems form the student anymore. During my computer Information technology Course, discipline problem s plagued me during the first two weeks of student teaching. Mr. Washington, another field based supervisor told me to began calling parents immediately after class. He told me to call everyday if I had to. Surely after a few phone calls to parents, behaviors adjusted quickly. By the end of my student teaching time period, in my opinion I had a model classroom as far as classroom behavior goes. Additionally, student teaching has taught me that organization and preparedness are keys to having success. With advice from other student teachers bell ringers became a subtle reason for my success in improving my classroom management skills. I learned that by occupying the students immediately with work it seemed to have a calming affect upon then.

Essay --

Jodi Picoult’s My Sisiter’s Keeper is a well-known and also the best book of the year 2005.It was also nominated for an IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. A novel which touches the heart of thousands people, despite the tragic that the Fitzgeralds family faced in the novel,my sister’s keeper. It has became and caught the attention of many people. It alerts them of the fearsome happenings that may happen again and Picoult did not want it to repeat this such inhuman behavior again. The novel, Second Glance, has helped Picoult brought up the idea of this novel. In such an advanced technology world, she heard that a couple in America successfully conceived a sibling that is bone marrow match for his older sister who is still under hospitalized. It was , of course, outrageous and negative thoughts start popping and emerged on her mind, she was so concerned about how would both of the siblings’ perspectives change if the secret ,about why the brother is in this w orld, is revealed. She started to feel uneasy and look more profoundly at the family dynamics and how cloning and stem cell research might cause an impact on someone’s life. This novel has repeatedly mentioned about the bonds between family which also mainly consist of the theme love and disguise. But firstly it was the family’s bond which shows the Fitzgeralds Family has been staying ultimately strong and never disassociate into pieces throughout the whole process of the court case, hospitalization and arguments. From starting of the novel, Anna’s parents went for a test and examine to see if they could be part of Kate’s donor .They are willing to sacrifice themselves to donate either bone marrow or organs to her daughter, Kate to ensure that she will stay alive a... ..., she does not have any valid reason other than saying her rights for her own body to try to knock down the idea of her mother to hold her sister, Kate’s life. Anna puts herself up into a very selfish and abominable person that wants everything first for herself than anyone. She told everyone that she does not want any involvement with her own physical body with Kate which has created a tense conflict in the middle of the story. It shows that the character hide the real intentions to keep away from other people, which creates many misunderstanding issues that might further increase the tension between two parties. Hence, both parties might no longer have trust in each other and might also suspect each other’s behavior. One should learn to avoid hiding secrets from family as they shared the same genes and blood with us and they may help us in every great possibility.

Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited Essay

ITC Limited which previously stood for Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited is an Indian conglomerate with a turnover of US $ 4.75 billion. It ranks third in pre-tax profit among India’s private sector corporations. The company has its registered office in Kolkata. The company is currently headed by Yogesh Chander Deveshwar. It employs over 20,000 people at more than 60 locations across India and is listed on Forbes 2000. The Training Centre of the company is in Munger, Bihar. ITC is also known as â€Å"Chatkal† (especially in Munger). ITC Limited or ITC is an Indian conglomerate. Its diversified business includes five segments: Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Hotels, Paperboards, Paper & Packaging and Agri Business. â€Å"A country’s brands are a reflection of its competitive strengths and a manifestation of its innovation and intellectual capacity. I strongly believe that a country’s economic capacity is significantly enriched when its institutions build and own internationally competitive brands. Winning brands serve as market anchors to support the competitiveness of the entire value chains of which they are a part. Strong domestic brands create much larger value since they create, capture and retain value within the country. ITC takes justifiable pride in creating world-class Indian brands that have demonstrated immense vitality in the global Indian market place.† Y C Deveshwar, Chairman, ITC Limited ITC’s Branded Packaged Foods business is one of the fastest growing foods businesses in India, driven by the market standing and consumer franchise of its seven popular brands – Aashirvaad, Sunfeast, Bingo!, Kitchens of India, mint-o, Candyman and Yippee! Over the past 5 years, the business has grown at an impressive rate faster than that of the industry. Given India’s rapid economic growth and rising disposable incomes, ITC’s Branded Packaged Foods business is well-positioned to ride this boom to secure robust, long-term growth. The business continues to invest in every aspect of manufacturing, distribution and marketing to ensure that it can leverage emerging opportunities and fulfill its aspiration of being the most trusted provider of Branded Packaged Foods in the country. HISTORY ITC was incorporated on August 24, 1910 under the name Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited. As the Company’s ownership progressively Indianised, the name of the Company was changed from Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited to India Tobacco Company Limited in 1970 and then to I.T.C. Limited in 1974. In recognition of the Company’s multi-business portfolio encompassing a wide range of businesses – Fast Moving Consumer Goods comprising Foods, Personal Care, Cigarettes and Cigars, Branded Apparel, Education and Stationery Products, Incense Sticks and Safety Matches, Hotels, Paperboards & Specialty Papers, Packaging, Agri-Business and Information Technology – the full stops in the Company’s name were removed effective September 18, 2001. The Company now stands rechristened Limited, ‘where ‘ITC’ is today no longer an acronym or an initialized form. A Modest Beginning The Company’s beginnings were humble. A leased office on Radha Bazaar Lane, Kolkata, was the centre of the Company’s existence. The Company celebrated its 16th birthday on August 24, 1926, by purchasing the plot of land situated at 37, Chowringhee, (now renamed J.L. Nehru Road) Kolkata, for the sum of Rs 310,000. This decision of the Company was historic in more ways than one. It was to mark the beginning of a long and eventful journey into India’s future. The Company’s headquarter building, ‘Virginia House’, which came up on that plot of land two years later, would go on to become one of Kolkata’s most venerated landmarks. 1925: Packaging and Printing: Backward Integration Though the first six decades of the Company’s existence were primarily devoted to the growth and consolidation of the Cigarettes and Leaf Tobacco businesses, ITC’s Packaging & Printing Business was set up in 1925 as a strategic backward integration for ITC’s Cigarettes business. It is today India’s most sophisticated packaging house. 1975: Entry into the Hospitality Sector – A ‘Welcome’ Move The Seventies witnessed the beginnings of a corporate transformation that would usher in momentous changes in the life of the Company. In 1975, the Company launched its Hotels business with the acquisition of a hotel in Chennai which was rechristened ‘ITC-Welcomgroup Hotel Chola’ (now renamed My Fortune, Chennai). The objective of ITC’s entry into the hotels business was rooted in the concept of creating value for the nation. ITC chose the Hotels business for its potential to earn high levels of foreign exchange, create tourism infrastructure and generate large scale direct and indirect employment. Since then ITC’s Hotels business has grown to occupy a position of leadership, with over 100 owned and managed properties spread across India under four brands namely, ITC Hotels – Luxury Collection, WelcomHotels, Fortune Hotels and WelcomHeritage. ITC Hotels recently took its first step toward international expansion with an upcoming super premium luxury hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In addition, ITC Hotels also recently tied up with RP Group Hotels & Resorts to manage 5 hotels in Dubai and India under ITC Hotels’ 5-star ‘WelcomHotel’ brand and the mid-market to upscale ‘Fortune’ brand. 1979: Paperboards & Specialty Papers – Development of a Backward Area In 1979, ITC entered the Paperboards business by promoting ITC Bhadrachalam Paperboards Limited. Bhadrachalam Paperboards amalgamated with the Company effective March 13, 2002 and became a Division of the Company, Bhadrachalam Paperboards Division. In November 2002, this division merged with the Company’s Tribeni Tissues Division to form the Paperboards & Specialty Papers Division. ITC’s paperboards’ technology, productivity, quality and manufacturing processes are comparable to the best in the world. It has also made an immense contribution to the development of Sarapaka, an economically backward area in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is directly involved in education, environmental protection and community development. In 2004, ITC acquired the paperboard manufacturing facility of BILT Industrial Packaging Co. Ltd (BIPCO), near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The Kovai Unit allows ITC to improve customer service with reduced lead time and a wider product range. 1985: Nepal Subsidiary – First Steps beyond National Borders In 1985, ITC set up Surya Tobacco Co. in Nepal as an Indo-Nepal and British joint venture. In August 2002, Surya Tobacco became a subsidiary of ITC Limited and its name was changed to Surya Nepal Private Limited (Surya Nepal). In 2004, the company diversified into manufacturing and exports of garments. 1990: Paperboards & Specialty Papers – Consolidation and Expansion In 1990, ITC acquired Tribeni Tissues Limited, a Specialty paper manufacturing company and a major supplier of tissue paper to the cigarette industry. The merged entity was named the Tribeni Tissues Division (TTD). To harness strategic and operational synergies, TTD was merged with the Bhadrachalam Paperboards Division to form the Paperboards & Specialty Papers Division in November 2002. 1990: Agri Business – Strengthening Farmer Linkages Also in 1990, leveraging its agri-sourcing competency, ITC set up the Agri Business Division for export of agri-commodities. The Division is today one of India’s largest exporters. ITC’s unique and now widely acknowledged e-Choupal initiative began in 2000 with soya farmers in Madhya Pradesh. Now it extends to 10 states covering over 4 million farmers. Also, through the ‘Choupal Pradarshan Khet’ initiative, the agri services vertical has been focusing on improving productivity of crops while deepening the relationship with the farming community. 2002: Education & Stationery Products – Offering the Greenest products ITC launched line of premium range of notebooks under brand Paperkraft in 2002. To augment its offering and to reach a wider student population, the Classmate range of notebooks was launched in 2003. Classmate over the years has grown to become India’s largest notebook brand and has also increased its portfolio to occupy a greater share of the school bag. Years 2007- 2009 saw the launch of Practical Books, Drawing Books, Geometry Boxes, Pens and Pencils under the ‘Classmate’ brand. In 2008, ITC positioned the business as the Education and Stationery Products Business and launched India’s first environment friendly premium business paper under the ‘Paperkraft’ Brand. ‘Paperkraft’ offers a diverse portfolio in the premium executive stationery and office consumables segment. In 2010, Colour Crew was launched as a new brand of art stationery. 2000: Lifestyle Retailing – Premium Offerings ITC also entered the Lifestyle Retailing business with the Wills Sport range of international quality relaxed wear for men and women in 2000. The Wills Lifestyle chain of exclusive stores later expanded its range to include Wills Classic formal wear (2002) and Wills Clublife evening wear (2003). ITC also initiated a foray into the popular segment with its men’s wear brand, John Players, in 2002. In 2006, Wills Lifestyle became title partner of the country’s most premier fashion event – Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week – that has gained recognition from buyers and retailers as the single largest B-2-B platform for the Fashion Design industry. To mark the occasion, ITC launched a special ‘Wills Signature’, taking the event forward to consumers. 2000: Information Technology – Business Friendly Solutions In 2000, ITC spun off its information technology business into a wholly owned subsidiary, ITC Infotech India Limited, to more aggressively pursue emerging opportunities in this area. Today ITC Infotech is one of India’s fastest growing global IT and IT-enabled services companies and has established itself as a key player in offshore outsourcing, providing outsourced IT solutions and services to leading global customers across key focus verticals – Banking Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI), Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Retail, Manufacturing, Engineering Services, Media & Entertainment, Travel, Hospitality, Life Sciences and Transportation & Logistics. 2001: Branded Packaged Foods – Delighting Millions of Households ITC’s foray into the Foods business is an outstanding example of successfully blending multiple internal competencies to create a new driver of business growth. It began in August 2001 with the introduction of’Kitchens of India’ ready-to-eat Indian gourmet dishes. In 2002, ITC entered the confectionery and staples segments with the launch of the brands mint-o and Candyman confectionery and Aashirvaad atta (wheat flour). 2003 witnessed the introduction of Sunfeast as the Company entered the biscuits segment. ITC entered the fast growing branded snacks category with Bingo! in 2007. In 2010, ITC launched Sunfeast Yippee! to enter the Indian instant noodles market. In just over a decade, the Foods business has grown to a significant size under seven distinctive brands, with an enviable distribution reach, a rapidly growing market share and a solid market standing. 2002: Agarbattis & Safety Matches – Supporting the Small and Cottage Sector In 2002, ITC’s philosophy of contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of the entire value chain found yet another expression in the Safety Matches initiative. ITC now markets popular safety matches brands like iKno,Mangaldeep and Aim. ITC’s foray into the marketing of Agarbattis (incense sticks) in 2003 marked the manifestation of its partnership with the cottage sector. Mangaldeep is a highly established national brand and is available across a range of fragrances like Rose, Jasmine, Bouquet, Sandalwood and ‘Fragrance of Temple’. 2005: Personal Care Products – Expert Solutions for Discerning Consumers ITC entered the Personal Care Business in 2005. In eight years, the Personal Care portfolio has grown under’Essenza Di Wills’, ‘Fiama Di Wills’, ‘Vivel’ and ‘Superia’ brands which have received encouraging consumer response and have been progressively extended nationally. In May 2013, the business expanded its product portfolio with the launch of Engage – one of India’s first range of ‘couple deodorants’ 2010: Expanding the Tobacco Portfolio In 2010, ITC launched its handrolled cigar, Armenteros, in the Indian market. Armenteros cigars are available exclusively at tobacco selling outlets in select hotels, fine dining restaurants and exclusive clubs. PRODUCTS & SERVICES *FAST MOVING CONSUMER GOODS: 1) CIGARETTES: ITC is the market leader in cigarettes in India. With its wide range of invaluable brands, ITC has a leadership position in every segment of the market. ITC’s highly popular portfolio of brands includes Insignia, India Kings, Lucky Strike, Classic, Gold Flake, Navy Cut, Players, Scissors, Capstan, Berkeley, Bristol, Flake, Silk Cut, Duke & Royal. The Company has been able to consolidate its leadership position with single minded focus on continuous value creation for consumers through significant investments in creating & bringing to market innovative product designs, maintaining consistent & superior quality, state-of-the-art manufacturing technology, & superior marketing and distribution. With consumers & consumer insights driving strategy, ITC has been able to fortify market standing in the long-term, by developing & delivering contemporary offers relevant to the changing attitudes & aspirations of the constantly evolving consumer. ITC’s pursuit of international competitiveness is reflected in its initiatives in overseas markets. In the extremely competitive US market, ITC offers high-quality, value-priced cigarettes and Roll-your-own solutions. In West Asia, ITC has become a key player in the GCC markets through its export operations. ITC’s cigarettes are manufactured in state-of-the-art factories at Bengaluru, Munger, Saharanpur, Kolkata and Pune, with cutting-edge technology & excellent work practices benchmarked to the best globally. An efficient supply-chain & distribution network reaches India’s popular brands across the length & breadth of the country. 2) FOODS: TC made its entry into the branded & packaged Foods business in August 2001 with the launch of the Kitchens of India brand. A more broad-based entry has been made since June 2002 with brand launches in the Confectionery, Staples and Snack Foods segments. The Foods business is today represented in 4 categories in the market. These are: * Ready to Eat Foods * Staples * Confectionery * Snack Foods In order to assure consumers of the highest standards of food safety and hygiene, ITC is engaged in assisting outsourced manufacturers in implementing world-class hygiene standards through HACCP certification. The unwavering commitment to internationally benchmarked quality standards enabled ITC to rapidly gain market standing in all its 6 brands: * Kitchens of India * Aashirvaad * Sunfeast * Mint-o *Candyman * Bingo! *Yippee! 2) INCENSE STICKS: As part of ITC’s business strategy of creating multiple drivers of growth in the FMCG sector, the Company commenced marketing Agarbattis (Incense Sticks) sourced from small-scale and cottage units in 2003. This Business leverages the core strengths of ITC in nation-wide distribution and marketing, brand building, supply chain management, manufacture of high quality paperboards and the creation of innovative packaging solutions to offer Indian consumers high quality Agarbattis. With its participation in the business, ITC aims to enhance the competitiveness of the small-scale and cottage units through its complementary R&D based product development and strengths in trade marketing and distribution. The Business continues to work on various exciting new offerings to the consumers and is planning to launch them in the near future. In line with ITC’s Triple Bottom Line philosophy of every business contributing to the nation’s economic, environmental and social capital, Mangaldeep agarbattis are manufactured by small scale and cottage units, providing livelihood opportunities for more than 14,000 people. Mangaldeep Agarbatti is manufactured at various centres & 5 of the manufacturing units are ISO 9000 certified. Mangaldeep ASHA (Assistance in Social Habilitation through Agarbattis) is an ITC initiative to improve the quality of raw agarbatti production and provide better livelihood for women rollers. ITC has also extended support to NGOs in states and like Bihar, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, who are setting up agarbatti units, training village women in rolling agarbattis and employing them in these units. ITC has signed a MoU with ORMAS (Orissa Rural Development & Marketing Society), an autonomous body under the Pachayat Raj in Odisha. This initiative provides technical training to rural women & provides employment opportunities to over 4000 rural women†¦ 3) STATIONERY: ITC made its entry to the education and stationery business with its Paperkraft brand in the premium segment in 2002; and later expanded into the popular segment with its Classmate brand in 2003. By 2007, Classmate became the largest Notebook brand in the country. Together, Classmate and Paperkraft offer a range of products in the Education & Stationery space to the discerning consumer, providing unrivalled value in terms of product & price. Classmate and Paperkraft have become a natural extension of the consumer. Meticulous understanding of consumer needs helped creating a relevant and comprehensive portfolio satisfying the needs of different sets of consumers. ITC is the manufacturer of India’s first Ozone treated environment friendly Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) pulp, paper and paperboard. It blends its knowledge of image processing, printing and conversion garnered from Packaging & Printing Business with its brand building and trade marketing & distribution strengths resi dent in its FMCG business to offer superior value products to consumers. Paperkraft Business paper and the papers used in Classmate and Paperkraft notebooks are superior in quality and environment-friendly. Other offerings available in education and Stationery range are safe and certified non-toxic. 4) LIFESTYLE APPAREL: ITC’s Lifestyle Retailing Business Division has established a nationwide retailing presence through its Wills Lifestyle chain of exclusive specialty stores. Wills Lifestyle, the fashion destination, offers a tempting choice of Wills Classic work wear, Wills Sport relaxed wear, Wills Club life evening wear, fashion accessories and Essenza Di Wills – an exclusive range of fine fragrances and bath & body care products and Fiama Di Wills – a range of premium shampoos and shower gels. Wills Lifestyle has also introduced Wills Signature designer wear, designed by the leading designers of the country. Wills Classic Wills Classic work wear was launched in November 2002, providing the premium consumer a distinct product offering and a unique brand positioning. John Players ITC forayed into the youth fashion segment with the launch of In December 2002 and John Players is committed to be the No. 1 fashion brand for the youth. .* HOTELS: ITC Welcome group Hotels, Palaces and Resorts is India’s second largest hotel chain with over 80 hotels. Based out of Hotels Division Headquarters at the ITC Green Centre in Gurgaon, ITC Welcome group is also the exclusive franchisee of The Luxury Collection brand of Starwood Hotels and Resorts in India. ITC entered the hotels business in 1975 with the acquisition of a hotel in Chennai, which was then rechristened ITC Chola. Since then the ITC-Welcomgroup brand has become synonymous with Indian hospitality with over 90 hotels in 77 destinations. * PAPERBOARDS & SPECIALITY PAPERS: ITC Bhadrachalam Paperboards Limited & ITC Tribeni Tissues Division are now under one roof – Paper Boards and Specialty Papers Division. There are 4 Units under one umbrella – Bhadrachalam, Tribeni, Bollarum and Kovai. ITC’s Packaging & Printing Business is the country’s largest convertor of paper board into packaging. It converts over 50,000 tonnes of paper and paperboard per annum into a variety of value-added packaging solutions for the food & beverage, personal products, cigarette, liquor, cellular phone and IT packaging industries. It has also entered the Flexibles and Corrugated Cartons business. *AGRI-BUSINESS: E-Choupal The unique e-Choupal model creates a significant two-way multi-dimensional channel which can efficiently carry products and services into and out of rural India, whilere covering the associated costs through agri-sourcing led efficiencies. This initiative now comprises about 6500 installations covering nearly 40,000 villages and serving over 4million farmers. Leaf Tobacco ITC is the largest buyer, processor and exporter of leaf tobaccos in India – creating a global benchmark as the single largest integrated source of quality tobaccos. Serving customers in 50 countries across more than 70 destinations, ITC co-creates and delivers value at every stage of the leaf tobacco value chain. Corporate strategies ITC is a board-managed professional company, committed to creating enduring value for the shareholder and for the nation. It has a rich organizational culture rooted in its core values of respect for people and belief in empowerment. Its philosophy of all-round value creation is backed by strong corporate governance policies and systems. ITC’s corporate strategies are: Create multiple drivers of growth by developing a portfolio of world class businesses that best matches organizational capability with opportunities in domestic and export markets. Continue to focus on the chosen portfolio of FMCG, Hotels, Paper, Paperboards & Packaging, Agri Business and Information Technology. Benchmark the health of each business comprehensively across the criteria of Market Standing, Profitability and Internal Vitality. Ensure that each of its businesses is world class and internationally competitive. Enhance the competitive power of the portfolio through synergies derived by blending the diverse skills and capabilities residing in ITC are various businesses. Create distributed leadership within the organization by nurturing talented and focused top management teams for each of the businesses. Continuously strengthen and refine Corporate Governance processes and systems to catalyze the entrepreneurial energies of management by striking the golden balance between executive freedom and the need for effective control and accountability. MARKETING STRATEGIES ITC pricing strategy: The pricing of the ITC food division depends upon the Customers’ demand schedule, the cost function and the competitors’ price. The pricing of the company is such that it caters to the need of all income groups of people but special provision has been kept for Low and middle income group, and their pricing are competitive with respect to other players like Britannia, Parle and Brisk farm. The company follows the Going rate pricing that is the price of the product depends upon the competitors price. The firm chooses pricing more or less the same as Market leader. ITC Promotional activities A particular budget is allocated for the promotion of the products, the local promotion scheme is decided by the Area Sales manages, it give its suggestion to the District office and that is forwarded to the Head Quarter in Kolkata. In another promotional scheme for Biscuits a particular number of cases is given freely to the distributors according to the amount of sale they make, this was a drop down promotion I.e. of the number of free cases that a particular distributors gets, off them ascertain part is reserved for the retailers and customer if they buy a certain level of biscuit quantity. ITC Distribution Buoyed by a strong distribution network ITC is likely to retain its market share in the cigarettes business; the ban on advertisements is likely to work in favor of ITC thanks to the recall factor. The company’s reliable distribution network also ensures superior inventory turnover than its peers. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SOCIAL PERFORMANCE As a Company that continuously strives to be ‘Citizen First’, ITC attaches critical importance to its responsibility to contribute to the ‘Triple Bottom Line’, namely the augmentation of economic, ecological and social capital. This commitment finds expression in the Company’s sustainable development philosophy, which recognizes the need to not only preserve but also enrich precious environmental resources. ITC’s social development initiatives harmonize the Company’s endeavour to create shareholder value with making a substantial contribution to society. In partnership with rural communities, ITC supports over 5 million livelihoods in India. The thrust of the Company’s social sector investment is in four areas: (a) Web-enablement of the Indian farmer through the e-Choupal initiative; (b) Natural resource management, which includes wasteland, watershed and agriculture development; (c) Sustainable livelihood creation, comprising gen etic improvement in livestock productivity and women’s economic empowerment; and (d) Community development, with focus on primary education and health & sanitation. MILESTONES 4 million farmers empowered, 6,500 e – Choupals installed 1,45,000 hectares greened, generating 65.67 million person – days of employment 1,21,000 hectares brought under soil and moisture conservation 18,700 women members, 1,494 self – help groups 314 Cattle Development Centers, Animal husbandry services provided to 4,90,000 animals 3,00,000 children covered through 2,845 Supplementary Learning systems 1) Initiatives taken- Let’s put India first ITC is committed to a national agenda of raising agricultural productivity and making the rural economy more socially inclusive. ITC believes that the urgency and scale of these tasks make market linked solutions and innovations more effective and sustainable than capital intensive approaches. 2) Social & farm Forestry ITC has helped to bring nearly 13,000 hectares of wasteland under social forestry benefiting more than 16,000 poor households in 466 villages. ITC’s social forestry programme simultaneously addresses the livelihood problems of marginal farmers and the ecological imperative of regenerating biomass and nurturing depleted soils. 3) Watershed Development ITC’s watershed initiatives have led to an improvement in soil and moisture regimes – there is more land under irrigation, water tables have risen and farmers can harvest more than one crop, making it possible to live off the land round the year. 4) Agricultural Development ITC offers facilitation to farmers to form agri-business societies, pool knowledge and resources, improve productivity and quality, and reach out beyond local markets to sell at better margins. 5) Women Empowerment The confidence and skills generated among women by forming credit groups and managing businesses become assets to their communities. 6) Livestock Development The milk marketing co-operatives represent exemplary change in rural enterprise, away from dependence on agriculture and local markets. 7) Primary Education School going becomes an empowering process for the child and the community. The awareness of entitlements like education and health grows, along with a sense of the community’s responsibility. INVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE Economic progress and long-term business sustainability are today threatened by the real and adverse consequences of global warming and accelerated climate change. ITC has responded to the challenges emerging from the threat of global warming by aligning its corporate strategy with national priorities. Accordingly, in line with the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), they have adopted strategies to address climate change-related impacts and developed appropriate mitigation and adaptation plans. Their unique approach has been to integrate these plans with their business strategies and not as separate activities. Their Strategies Include 1. Identifying and evaluating climate change risks for each business. 2. Reducing the environmental impact of our processes, products and services and working towards creating a positive environmental footprint. 3. Adopting a low carbon growth path through reduction in specific energy consumption and enhanced use of renewable energy sources. 4. Enlarging our carbon positive footprint through increased carbon sequestration by expanding forestry projects in wastelands. 5. Reducing specific freshwater intake and augmenting rainwater harvesting activities both on-site and off-site at watershed catchment areas. 6. Working towards minimising waste generation, maximising its reuse and recycling and using external post-consumer waste as raw material in our Units. 7. Creating sustainable livelihoods and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. Global honors ITC constantly endeavors to benchmark its products, services and processes to global standards. The Company’s pursuit of excellence has earned it national and international honors. ITC is one of the eight Indian companies to figure in Forbes A-List for 2004, featuring 400 of â€Å"the world’s best big companies†. Forbes has also named ITC among Asia’s ‘Fab 50’ and the World’s Most Reputable Companies. ITC has several firsts to its credit: ITC is the first from India and among the first 10 companies in the world to publish its Sustainability Report in compliance (at the highest A+ level) with the latest G3 guidelines of the Netherlands-based Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a UN-backed, multistakeholder international initiative to develop and disseminate globally applicable Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. ITC is the first Indian company and the second in the world to win the prestigious Development Gateway Award. It won the $100,000 Award for the year 2005 for its trailblazing ITC e-Choupal initiative which has achieved the scale of a movement in rural India. The Development Gateway Award recognizes ITC’s e-Choupal as the most exemplary contribution in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for development during the last 10 years. ITC e-Choupal won the Award for the importance of its contribution to development priorities like poverty reduction, its scale and replicability, sustainability and transparency. ITC has won the inaugural ‘World Business Award’, the worldwide business award recognizing companies who have made significant efforts to create sustainable livelihood opportunities and enduring wealth in developing countries. The award has been instituted jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the HRH Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF). ITC is the first Corporate to receive the Annual FICCI Outstanding Vision Corporate Triple Impact Award in 2007 for its invaluable contribution to the triple bottom line benchmarks of building economic, social and natural capital for the nation. ITC has won the Golden Peacock Awards for ‘Corporate Social Responsibility (Asia)’ in 2007, the Award for ‘CSR in Emerging Economies 2005’ and ‘Excellence in Corporate Governance’ in the same year. These Awards have been instituted by the Institute of Directors, New Delhi, in association with the World Council for Corporate Governance and Centre for Corporate Governance. ITC Hotel Gardenia, Bangalore is the first Indian Hotel and world’s largest, to get the LEED Platinum rating – the highest green building certification globally.