Water shortage may be next cause of world war

While much consideration and discussion have been effectively centered around the approaching planet-wide oil lack, a far more noteworthy cataclysm anticipates us as the truth of the approaching worldwide water emergency turns out to be progressively obvious. It isn't irrational to ponder whether the following universal war will be battled about oil or water.No asset on Earth is more valuable than water. While continuous occasions cause us to notice oil, we disregard what will end up being the most genuine asset issue in this century †the worldwide water lack. The reports that about 33% of the world’s populace needs clean water for individual every day use and gauges that by 2025 that number will develop to half of the world’s populace. Various world pioneers have even recommended that the following universal war could be started by water disputes.In puts as various as the American west, the Middle East, Northern Africa, and China the issue of lessening water suppl ies is getting consistently progressively genuine and increasingly risky. The World Bank has revealed that upwards of 80 nations presently have water deficiencies that undermine their economies just as their citizens’ wellbeing, while 40 percent of the world’s populace have no entrance to clean water and sanitation.In expansion, in excess of twelve countries get the greater part of their water from streams that cross fringes of neighboring nations saw as antagonistic. As promptly as individuals and nations ï ¬ ght over control of oil, one can possibly envision what it will resemble when our valuable life wellspring of water is not, at this point accessible in adequate quantities.According to Frank Rijsberman, the chief of the International Water Management Institute, â€Å"Globally, water utilization has expanded multiple times in the previous 100 years and will twofold again by 2050, driven for the most part by water system and requests of agriculture.†The ou tcomes of this expansion popular will be across the board shortage and quickly expanding water costs. As portrayed in a report gave last August by WWF, the worldwide protection association, instead of being just an issue affecting poor and lacking nations, the â€Å"combination of environmental change and dry season and loss of wetlands that store water, alongside ill-conceived water foundation and assets the executives, is making this (water) emergency really global.†In the Middle East, Israelis and Palestinians are ï ¬ ghting over contracting water assets. In China and India more than 400 of 600 towns and close by urban areas are enduring water deficiencies and in Peru, as around the globe, mountain ice sheets are in retreat, taking with them immense stores of water that develop crops, produce power and continue communities.â€Å"The circumstance might be exacerbated as environmental change is anticipated to bring lower precipitation, expanded vanishing and changed examp les of snow melting.†So what can anyone do this inescapable instance of water uncertainty? The most significant ï ¬ rst step is to build up a superior strategy for rural water system. By and by 70 percent of all water use is horticultural, with 60 percent of that water being squandered, basically through drainage and vanishing. Different techniques to address this developing worldwide water issue include: water preservation, more desalination plants, easing back populace development, diminishing contamination, and essentially better dealing with the gracefully and request of our most valuable resource.Ultimately, there will be no solution for this apparently unmanageable issue except if and until really feasible acts of water protection are attempted at the individual, national and worldwide level. In the event that we neglect to do this, and don’t figure out how to ration and participate, the war(s) for control of the oil in the Middle East will seem unimportant picn ics by comparison.And notwithstanding the previously existing â€Å"No Blood for Oil† fight signs, ourâ newest antiwar dissidents will convey signs saying, â€Å"No War for Water.†

God and Mephistopheles Essay

In the preface of Faust, Mephisto went into concurrence with the Lord. What are the particulars of the understanding, and how can he approach endeavoring to win? What precisely does accomplish all the while? In the start of the disaster there is an exchange among God and Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles says that individuals can’t utilize their brain in the correct manner. God contends and gives a case of Faust’s serving to Him and to individuals. At that point Mephistopheles requests that consent put Faust on any preliminary since he needs to demonstrate that Faust will come up short. He gets such authorization however God is certain that Faust will feel the correct way and that he will be spared. Along these lines, the battle for Faust’s soul starts. As Faust is on edge about finding the most elevated feeling of life, Mephistopheles needs to demonstrate the joys to Faust. They bargain that if the researcher needs a second to remain perpetually, he will be Mephistopheles’ hireling. He attempts to entice him with the assistance of delightful ladies Margaret and afterward Helen, however Faust can’t get a full joy with them. The creator uncovers this thought by Helen’s words while her vanishing: â€Å"Alas, the old word demonstrates valid for me, too: That satisfaction and magnificence never lastingly join together. † Mephistopheles likewise attempts to stimulate Faust’s want to wonder and love yet these endeavors have no achievement. At long last Faust wishes the second to remain everlastingly, however Mephistopheles doesn’t win. It happens when he is building dam so as to help the individuals who experience the ill effects of floods. This desire is philanthropic and that’s why Faust is spared. He finds the most elevated feeling of life in like manner activity that is fundamental for everyone and that is acknowledged by everyone. Layout a portion of the subjects in Faust, and clarify one quickly. As I would see it, it is conceivable to layout such subjects of the disaster as battle among great and wickedness that happens at worldwide and private levels, the disappointment of the human aspirations to control and to change the nature and the normal marvel, the interminable inquiry of the most noteworthy feeling of life. The last subject is the primary one of the catastrophe, since Faust is on edge about getting supreme bliss. The allurements that Mephistopheles proposed to Faust couldn’t bring genuine and enduring bliss. It implies that individuals can barely be upbeat when they depend on the things that pass soon as feeling in affection and utilizing the force upon individuals and wonder. Feeling in affection is awesome, however it doesn’t ensure the bliss. Individuals are egotistical and they do mischief to their closest frequently. The case of the connections among Faust and Margaret affirms this idea, in light of the fact that the principle character’s egotistical want was an explanation of Margaret passing and the killings of her mom, kid and sibling. In this way, serving to individuals is differentiated to the narrow minded wishes of individuals. Faust was spared in light of the fact that his last deed was generous. By the case of Faust Goethe gives us that an individual consistently feel somewhere inside what is correct and what's going on yet tragically it doesn’t imply that everyone finds the genuine feeling of life. Investigate the utilizations as well as analysis of religion in Hamlet and Faust. The Hamlet’s issue contains more scholarly and social perspectives than strict ones. He battles with the time he lives in and attempts to improve it yet he falls flat. Ineffective endeavors of changing the world that doesn’t fit with Hamlet’s standards results his submission to the inevitable and the last occasions of the catastrophe. Hamlet questions justified of the occasions of worldwide concern and that’s why his disposition towards religion is additionally dubious. In his primary monolog Hamlet guesses that demise is a methods for taking care of the issues of life. This idea doesn’t fit to the Christian thoughts which must be close for him. To my brain, the thoughts of â€Å"Faust† are inverse to the ones of â€Å"Hamlet†. Goethe builds up the plot of the disaster with the assistance of such characters as God and Mephistopheles that exhibits the authors’ influence that individuals are administered by the heavenly embodiments. The way that Faust is dealing with New Testament’s interpretation likewise uncovers the possibility of consistent connection among individuals and God. Goethe feels that serving to individuals and serving to God are equivalent ethics. The way that Mephistopheles couldn’t win the understanding likewise affirms the strict thought of consistent triumph of good. The fundamental characters of the world literature’s perfect works of art Hamlet and Faust are contrasted and each other as often as possible. Their characters are similar in light of the fact that them two attempt to battle with the world request and challenge the predetermination. Faust is going to know all the privileged insights of nature and his approach to improve his own life and the entire world is logical. Shouldn't something be said about Hamlet, he expands the deplorability of his family to a worldwide scale that’s why his considerations about foul play concern his uncle as well as the human’s life. The first of demonstration of Hamlet uncovers that the phantom of his dad allocates Hamlet an equivocal obligation. What are these obligations, and utilizing the content adequately, clarify the one you think Hamlet’s fulfilled? In the primary demonstration Hamlet knows from the Ghost of his dad that he was slaughtered and the Ghost requests that he vengeance to Hamlet’s uncle for this homicide. However, the most significant thing while at the same time vindicating is to keep the spirit honest: â€Å"But, howsoever thou pursuest this demonstration, Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul think up Against thy mother aught†¦Ã¢â‚¬  To my psyche, Hamlet couldn’t execute such vital conditions. At last he retributions to Claudius, yet thus not just Hamlet’s mother kicked the bucket. Ophelia, Laertes, Polonius likewise became survivors of the vengeance. To start with the Hamlet’s soul questioned about the methods of the retaliation and he experienced a ton these questions, however the perspective on warriors impacts him. The warriors are going to battle due to the land that their ruler doesn’t need to lease. The way that twenty a great many individuals are going to bite the dust on the grounds that the respect of the lord is injured causes him to conclude that his musings and activities ought to be ridiculous and merciless. He can’t keep his spirit clear on the grounds that, to my brain, his shortcoming for the passings of individuals that are near him at long last crushes his still, small voice.

Pumpkin Drop

Pumpkin Drop If a 5-kg pumpkin is tossed through a snowstorm such that it reaches the peak of its trajectory one meter above the roof of the Green Building, which is 90 meters tall, with what velocity does the pumpkin meet the ground in McDermott Court? How much time, in seconds, does the airborne pumpkin have to come to terms with its identity* before landing? You may neglect wind, viscous drag, and the altered aerodynamics of cold, wet pumpkins for the sake of simplicity. This past weekend’s wind and snow left over three million homes and businesses throughout the Northeast without power but promptly turned into a miserable deposit of slush when it hit Boston. Sometime after midnight on October 30th the slush mixed with the remains of over 100 shattered pumpkins in McDermott Court below the Cecil and Ida Green Building. The Green Building, MITs Building 54, was built on stilts in 1964 to circumvent Cambridge’s height limit. At 21 stories and 90 meters the Green Building became and remains the tallest building in Cambridge. Every October, First West, the smallest hall in the East Campus dorm, drops some large number of pumpkinsâ€"two dozen last year, over 100 this yearâ€"off the roof in front of lots of hosed, enthusiastic, and, this year, really cold, fellow MIT students. On the top is my footage of the event. On the bottom is Isaque 15’s version, which is much higher quality. Full screen and watch both for maximum experience. Happy Halloween, and best of luck to those of you applying EA tomorrow. =)   * Curiously enough, the only thing that went through the mind of the pumpkin as it fell was, “Oh no, not again.” Many people have speculated that if we knew exactly why the pumpkin had thought that we would know a lot more about the nature of the Universe than we do now.

The Decline of Classical Hollywood Films - 888 Words

Introduction The decline of Classical Hollywood films came after the Hollywood Antitrust Case of 1948 as television audiences dwindled in the wave of television popularity and accessibility and the taste and interests of viewers which in turn ended the monopoly of Hollywood Studios. To combat this Hollywood Studios turned it’s back on the origins of its creation and headed in a new direction. An era of film-school educated, liberal filmmakers began in Hollywood where the directors of the films began to express their personal view and creative insights. These directors and new age film-makers were heavily influence by the work of the Italian Neo Realism and French New Wave this saw American film change drastically from its previous eras of filming techniques and saw a whole new era take over. Many changes happened following the 1948 lawsuit. Which saw the structure of American cinema completely change and brought a new era which defined the production of films and had a huge influence on th e progression of film. With this, along with the influence of Italian neo realism and the French new wave, American Cinema grew and grew from Classical styles to against the grain alternative movies which then flourished into the blockbuster industry those born in the 80’s and 90’s grew up with. Main Body The American antitrust case of 1948 was a lawsuit between the Supreme court and the 7 main film houses in Hollywood at the time. These were Paramount, Universal, MGM, TwentiethShow MoreRelatedTHE FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF THE WESTERN CINEMA1400 Words   |  6 PagesHISTORY OF THE WESTERN CINEMA The western movies are film genre where the scene generally takes place in North America during the American conquest of the West in the last decades of the nineteenth century. 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Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho, made inRead MoreAn Evaluation Of An Initial Evaluation1553 Words   |  7 Pagesindividual. On the other hand, most mentally ill people are believed to be violent. By way of example, most Hollywood movies such as psycho, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street and others all feature mentally ill characters. Over 75% of movies depicting a character with serious mental illnesses have these characters being physically aggressive and at times homicidal. Hollywood has become a dime of movies portraying â€Å"psychopathic killers† and â€Å"homicidal maniacs†. On the other hand,Read MoreMidterm 2 Essays James Pham1829 Words   |  8 PagesMusic 468 Midterm 2 Essays 1) Ben-Hur is the last great film score in the tradition of the golden age until 1977. Describe the characteristics of the classical film score as exemplified in this film. Include a description of significant themes and scenes. 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Gender Roles And Gender Norms Essay - 1610 Words

Ever since we were born, the way people behaved and interacted with us made us the person we are today. Through this socialization, we also learn how the society’s rules and norms that we live in. An example is when children introduced to certain roles that are linked to their biological sex, teaching how a child how a man and woman should behave. When a child is born, parents would typically dress their child according to their sex. If it is a boy, he is dressed in blue, and if it is a girl, she is dressed in pink. In our society, these roles given to us are mainly based on gender norms and standards. It is known that masculine roles have traditionally been associated with physical strength and dominance, while feminine roles have been associated with gentleness, empathy, and nurturing. Whereas boys are told that real men don t cry and are pressured to not express their vulnerable emotions, girls are taught that it is okay to show and discuss their feelings with others. To th is today gender roles in the United States continue to be in a state of flux to a certain degree, although traditional gender norms still applies at times. Masculinity plays a big part of being a male in the society we live in and if one were to break a gender norm, they would be ridiculed. For example, it is a gender norm that men do not use cosmetic products and that it is strictly only for women since it conveys feminine interests. If a man were to go to a department store to buy makeup orShow MoreRelatedGender Roles And Gender Norms Essay1774 Words   |  8 Pages Gender roles are sets of rules, and societal norms that dictate how people should act, or behave in society. Many gender norms are often influenced by the pressures from culture, family, media, and peers. Although gender roles are not biological, many people are still coerced into believing that individuals are not supposed to practice desired wants, or freedom because only certain genders can exercise the right to pa int one’s nails, open doors, pay for a date, and more. Often, gender roles andRead MoreGender Roles And Norms Of Society892 Words   |  4 Pagesthe words â€Å"policeman,† â€Å"fireman,† â€Å"chairman,† â€Å"businessman,† and â€Å"weatherman† seem to be five of the most commonly used ones. The meanings of these words, and especially the qualities they imply, not only describe gender roles and norms in today’s society, but also describe gender roles from previous societies. The first two words on the list are fairly similar because they describe professions which could potentially be extremely dangerous. Policemen and firemen are viewed as heroes in society becauseRead MoreGender Roles And Societal Norms2024 Words   |  9 Pagesrealize that they were setting up gender roles for us as kids, that we aren t completely comfortable with today† (â€Å"Gender Roles in Disney Films†). Now, as adults we realize that Cinderella was mainly about gender roles and societal norms. â€Å"Results suggest that the prince and princess characters differ in their portrayal of traditionally masculine and feminine characteristics, these gender role portrayals are complex, and trends towards egalitarian gender roles are not linear over time† (EnglandRead MoreThe Role Of Sex And Gender As A Cultural Norm1507 Words   |  7 PagesThe role of sex and gender as a cultural norm is everchanging. From definition to terminology to legality and politicization, t hese topics vary from one culture to the next and one era to the next. One of the strongest examples of a culture carrying very different ideas of sex and gender is an early Northern European Culture. Carol Clover, in her essay â€Å"Regardless of Sex: Men, Women, and Power in Early Northern Europe,† identifies a â€Å"one-sex, one-gender model †¦ that plays out in the rawest and mostRead MoreGender Roles Are A Set Of Societal Norms Essay1648 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Gender roles are a set of societal norms dictating the types of behaviors which are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for people based on their actual or perceived sex or sexuality† (Oxford). Is it a boy or girl? What sport will he play? When will she take dance lessons? Women shouldn’t have jobs! Men should work while women take care of the house! Women belong in the kitchen! Men don’t do household chores! 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These ideas, called â€Å"gender role norms,† affect the way people believe they are supposed to act, think, and even feel depending on their sex (Mahalik et al., 2005). These norms can be learned through simple observation, such as how children of different sexes act in television commercials and what behaviors are reinforced by parents depending on their child’s biological sex. As children grow up, their knowledge on gender norms and judgments on which norms can be violated generally increaseRead MoreGender Roles Are Based On Norms, Standards, Or Beliefs Created By Society931 Words   |  4 PagesGender Research Paper Gender roles are based on norms, standards, or beliefs created by society. American culture created the ideals that masculine roles (men) have traditionally been associated with strength, aggression, and dominance, while feminine roles (women) have traditionally been associated with passivity, nurturing, and motherly. â€Å"When Men Break the Gender Rules: Status Incongruity and Backlash Against Modest Men† focuses on atypical men who behave modestly during a job interview and

Kurt Vonnegut and City News Bureau Free Essays

1. In what year was Vonnegut born? Vonnegut was born in 1922. 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Kurt Vonnegut and City News Bureau or any similar topic only for you Order Now What two colleges did he attend? He attended Cornell University. The army sent him to the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) and the University of Tennessee to study mechanical engineering. 3. Although Vonnegut trained as a chemist, what did he work as? He worked as a teacher at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. 4. What was his job at the City News Bureau of Chicago? He was the corresponding judicial at the City News Bureau of Chicago. 5. Which of his books, based on his experiences as a prisoner of war during War World II in Germany, made him a millionaire? Slaughterhouse-Five, a post-modern anti-war science fiction novel dealing with a soldier’s (Billy Pilgrim). Also experiences during World War II and his journeys with time travel. 6. In what genre did Vonnegut most often write? Vonnegut’s experience as a soldier and prisoner of war had a profound influence on his work, as you can see in most of his books. Part 2: 1. How are George and Hazel Bergeron described? What sort of life do they lead? There’s no physical description, it’s just said that â€Å"Hazel has a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she can’t think about anything except in short bursts†. And George is said to have an intelligence way above normal, but he has a little mental handicap radio in his ear. â€Å"He is required by law to wear it at all times. It’s tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter will send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains. † They live a simple average life, like everybody else in 2081! 2. What is the meaning of the last words of the Bergeron’s, â€Å"that one was a doozy†? Think Hazel is talking about the noise in the ears of her husband, meaning this one the sound was â€Å"extraordinaire†, incredible! The noise in George’s ears is made so unbearable so that he won’t be able to concentrate on his childâ€℠¢s death, and when Hazel told him after that â€Å"Gee – I could tell that one was a doozy,† he answers â€Å"You can say that again†. But she doesn’t understand, so she thinks he wants her to repeat it again, so she does! 3. In real life, what ways do we try to make people equal? Does it work to make people equal, or just to make them alike? Why do you think we use these methods? Are they effective? By going to school for example, just so people can have equal chances in life. As for physical flaws and imperfections, there’s always plastic surgery! But it’s of no use! I my opinion, I think it just helps people feel better, just by believing that so they can be just like everybody else, what with all the women willing to look like their favorite actress†¦ It doesn’t help at all, and in the contrary it can only make one people inferior to the person he want to copy! . Consider the characters of Hazel and George. Why isn’t Hazel handicapped? It’s obvious that Hazel isn’t handicapped because she is already born handicapped, so there’s no need to handicap her in a artificial way just like her husband! And I think that if not for the handicap stuff he is obliged to wear, George would have married her in the firs t place! 5. To what extent do television, radio, and the mass media generally function like George’s mental handicap radio? | I think that governments use all these stuffs to prevent us from really look under the surface of what they do! Everyday we’re so drowned over so many TV shows, there’s always something new to see on internet, something to download, and the radio is continually functioning, how can one really concentrate on what is important with these never-ending stuffs? How can one think properly? And you’re said you must learn more, you must work harder to achieve your goals and live a good life, but meanwhile life is passing by, and you can’t even profit of it while you’re still young. One day you wake up, and you’re old! And it’s too late. How to cite Kurt Vonnegut and City News Bureau, Papers

Considered For Analysis Australian Tourism â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Questions: Is It Evident That The Advertiser Is Using Segmentation And Target Marketing? What Are A Point Of Difference For The Product Identified, How Was This Executed? Does This Piece Stand Out From Competitors? How Does The Piece Use The Brand In Relation To The Creative? Does The Piece Appeal To The Target Market? From Your Perspective, What Could Be Done To Make The Piece More Effective? Answers: Introducation The advisement that is considered for analysis is of Australian tourism. The advisement communicates the message that there is nothing like Australia. The advertisement has two videos closely related to each other one is of shorter duration while another one is a bit longer. The tagline of the advertisement is Theres nothing like Australia. Yes, the advertiser is using segmentation and target marketing. The major segments of that advertisement demonstrate is youth segment, family segment, holidaymaker segment and honeymoon segment. Youth segment involves people between the ages of 15 to 29 years (Tourism Australia, 2017). Family segment involves socially related people that usually travel to spend time with each other (Schnzel, and Yeoman, 2015). Holidaymaker segment can be any age, nation or culture. This type of segment involves experience seekers. People of this segment want to experience diversity and different cultures. Honeymoon segment involves young couples; they aspire for peaceful and romantic destinations. The ad shows that various destinations in Australia that are suitable for different segments. The majorly targeted segment of the advertisement is experienced seekers. These experience seekers can be from international markets or domestic markets. The advertisement involves clips from different places to at tract the visitors from different segments. The advertisement has two versions one version is a bit longer about three minutes and another one is shorter that is about one minute. The most appealing factors of the piece are it focuses on the best experiences and attention that Australia can offer. Other appealing features include the music of the advertisement and the visualisation. The visualisation of the advertisement is remarkable. The point of difference for the identified advertisement is in the places. The places that were highlighted in the coast exist in no country other than Australia. The visualisation of the advertisement is also a point of difference. The execution of the advertisement began after its opening on the Australia days eve, in New York. Gradually the video reached to millions of people through internet and television. Yes, this piece stands out from competitors. This advertisement uses the latest technology to lure the visitors. One of the biggest Australian stars Chris Hemsworth lent his voice for the advertisement (Ironside, 2016). The advertisement focuses on various experiences that a visitor can have in Australia. The advertisement is better from the competitors because it embraced the latest 360-degree mobile technology and virtual reality (Ricki, 2016). The use of latest technology has made it more effective and different from competitors because no other country has made such a spectacular advertisement till now. The piece was unveiled by Clemenger BBDO Sydney, in an event on the eve of Australia Day in New York (Hicks, 2012). The advertisement was a creative visualisation of popular tourist destinations in Australia which included places like McLaren Vale, Rottnest Island, Sydney Harbour, Katherine Gorge, Great Ocean Road, Whitsundays, Qualia resort and so on. It has an innovative and cre ative touch the advertisement attached the colour blue to a feeling. The brand name is an important element for advertisement of any product. The brand name is the important element that persuades a consumer to make a buying decision. In this piece, the related brand name with the advertisement is the tourism department of Australia. This brand name makes the advisement more authentic for the audience. If the advertisement was done by any other private tourism agency of Australia, it would reduce the trust levels of selected audience. The brand name adds value to the advertisement. The brand name of any competitor cannot be inserted into the piece because it the advisement of tourism of Australia and brand name of any other countrys tourism department would not make any sense to the audience. The brand name is the inseparable part of an advertisement. Yes, the piece appeals to the target market. Most of the experience seekers in Australia enjoy aquatic or sscoastal experiences the advisement focuses on this aspect. In the target market, the advertisement communicates the message that Australia is not only the place to see but it is the place to feel. The advertisement has a pleasing music and voice of Chris Hemsworth that appeals the targeted audience. The advertisement also highlights authentic sea food of Australia which can be an attraction to the foodies. The advertisement tries to attract the targeted audience in every possible way through demonstrating natural beauty, fun activities, relaxing experiences, authentic food and world class service. Though the advisements have the ingredients to attract each segment its major focus is on holiday makers or the experience seekers. The piece is already very effective. But there are also various aspects of the advertisement that are criticised. The first element is cost. The cost of the advertisement is very high. The latest technology and using the voice of Chris Hemsworth has added a lot to the cost of the advertisement. The advertisement ignores various important aspects such as the glorious past, world class wine, Australian art music and the natural beauty away from the coast. The Australia tourism advertisement markets the country just in the form of peanuts, whereas it is an amazing country with amazing and diverse people (Ireland, 2010). The piece would have been more effective if it included events from the glorious past of the country. The advertisement should also emphasise the different food cuisines of Australia and alcoholic beverages of Australia. The concept of using the voice of Chris Hemsworth could be eliminated to reduce the cost. Australias distinct and well-developed coffee culture should also be highlighted in the advisement. References Australia, 2013. There's Nothing Like Australia - (3 minute version) [online video]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea2mI0flYPU [Accessed 10 September 2017]. Australia, 2016. Tourism Australia and Chris Hemsworth [online video]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUF7ja9ehIs [Accessed 10 September 2017]. Hicks, R., 2012. Tourism Australia unveils new $250m Theres Nothing Like Australia campaign, viewed on 10 August 2017 from https://mumbrella.com.au/tourism-australia-unveils-new-250m-theres-nothing-like-australia-campaign-95252 Ireland, J., 2010. There's Nothing Like Australia' ad is 100% pure cringe. The Guardian, viewed on 10 August 2017 from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jun/02/theres-nothing-like-australia-ad-campaign Ironside, R., 2016. Hemsworths star power too bright for new tourism campaign, viewed on 10 August 2017 from https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/hemsworths-star-power-too-bright-for-new-tourism-campaign/news-story/af0a9722dde07a4ef7de131f529c3330 Ricki, 2016. Tourism Australia launches a new campaign to lure international visitors via Clemenger Sydney, viewed on 10 August 2017 from https://www.campaignbrief.com/2016/01/tourism-australia-launches-a-n.html Schnzel, H.A. and Yeoman, I., 2015. Trends in family tourism.Journal of Tourism Futures,1(2), pp.141-147. Tourism Australia, 2017. Youth, viewed on 10 August from https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/markets-and-research/industry-sectors/youth.html

Olympics The Ultimate Sports Competition Essay Example

Olympics The Ultimate Sports Competition Essay Sporting competition is a contest that aims to improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and in some cases, entertainment for spectators. Over the years, international sports competition gains its popularity. With this, many countries are vying for the honor to be the host of such prestigious event. However, there are advantages and drawbacks in hosting a global sporting competition. The first thing to consider is the investment the host country would gain. There are long-term investments but there are also short-term use investments at hand. For long term investments, countries hosting international competition like the Olympic Games tend to build infrastructure in preparation for the said event thus resulting to finer facilities that leaves a lasting legacy for residents. An example of this is the transport system in the East London. The transport system paved way for more improved and managed traffic system of the place. However, numerous of amenities built for the Olympics can never be fully used once more. A great illustration would be the athletic stadium wherein it would rarely be full outside of the Olympics. After the competition, it will be abandoned and rarely used not until the said country will host the sporting competition again. We will write a custom essay sample on Olympics The Ultimate Sports Competition specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Olympics The Ultimate Sports Competition specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Olympics The Ultimate Sports Competition specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Also, hosting major competition would make the city gains publicity although it puts the people and the country in jeopardy. Hosting international events makes the host country the centre of attention and these events bring prestige and honour to the country. Host countries would have the opportunity to promote their city therefore attracting tourists and investors to visit their place. On the contrary, it jeopardizes the hosting country’s security by being the point of interest of the terrorists. Olympics is a major event so there would be loads of people across the globe who would like to witness the event. With this, it would be a perfect opportunity for

Faulty Modifiers on ACT English Grammar Rule Prep

Faulty Modifiers on ACT English Grammar Rule Prep SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips One ofcomedian Groucho Marx's most famous jokes involves a pachyderm and some sleepwear. "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas," he says. "How he got in my pajamas I don't know!" This joke is a play on a grammatical error called a misplaced modifier. The modifier errors on the ACT English may not be quite as funny as Groucho's, but you still have to understand how they work. To that end, we'll be covering both the basic grammatical concepts behind faulty modifiers and how to apply that knowledge on the test: Key Principle: Modifiers Must Be Next to What They Modify Dangling Modifiers: Modifying Phrases at the Beginning of Sentences Misplaced Modifiers: Modifier Order Within Sentences ACT English Tips and and Tricks Practice Questions Modifiers Must Be Next to the Thing They're Modifying The heading says it all: the most important concept to remember when dealing with modifiers is that they need to be next to the word they're describing. Sometimes these types of mistakes are obvious: Robot for sale by woman with laser eyes. Hopefully, the robot has the laser eyes, and not the woman. The sentence should be: Robot with laser eyes for sale by woman. However,on the ACT, this kind of error is oftenharder to spot. Take a look at the following sentence: Thoughexhausted, it would be another hour before Zoe got to go home. There's nothing obviously wrong with this sentence, but let's think about what it's actually saying. We start with the modifier "though exhausted." That would seem to be describing Zoe, but it's next to "it," so right now, the sentence is actually saying that "it" is exhausted, which makes no sense. We need to reorder the sentence so that the modifier is next to what it's modifying: Thoughexhausted, Zoe wouldn't get to go home for another hour. There are two main types of faulty modifiers on the ACT English section: dangling modifiers, which involve phrases at the beginning of sentences (e.g. the example about Zoe), and misplaced modifiers, which involve the order of words and phrases within sentences (e.g. the example about the robot). Don't worry about the dangling/misplaced terminology- what's important is how these errors are tested on the ACT, which we're about to cover! This is what you end up with when you misplace modifiers. (Â ©Dan Century) Dangling Modifiers: Modifying Phrases at the Beginning of Sentences Whena sentence begins with a modifying phrase, the intro must be immediately followed by a comma and then the noun it's describing. Incorrect sentences of this type start with modifying phrases that describe something other than the noun immediately following the comma. For example: Runningtoward the lake, the trees were swaying in the wind. "The trees" are obviously not running towards the lake- they don't have legs. There are two ways to correct this kind of error: you can either replace the incorrect noun (in this case "trees") with the correct one, making any changes necessary to preserve the meaning of the sentence (fix 1), or you can turn the intro phrase into a clause that includes the subject the phrase is meant to be describing (fix 2). These techniques sound more complicated than they are, so let's put them to use remedying our issue with the running trees: Fix 1:Runningtoward the lake, I saw the trees swaying in the wind. Fix 2:As I rantoward the lake, the trees wereswaying in the wind. Bothversions of the sentence are equally correct. You won't be asked to choose between the two options- instead, which approach makes more sense will depend on which part of the sentence is underlinedand whatanswer choices you're given. Situation 1: Main Clause Underlined If only the main clause is underlined, you'll need to pick the answer with the correct subject- what I refer to above as fix 1. For example: Incorrect: With tears running down her cheeks, Susie’s sadness was obvious. Correct: With tears running down her cheeks, Susie was obviously sad. Even though the distinction may not seem important, "Susie" and "Susie's sadness" aren't actually the same, and Susie's sadness can't cry. If the second half of the sentence is underlined, the best way to correctthat issue is to replace the incorrect noun "Susie's sadness" with the correct one "Susie." Let's take a look at how this works on an ACT style question: Initiatedby a few loud teenagers, the crowd of concert goers quickly joined the heckling in order to drive the band off the stage. A. NO CHANGE B. in order to drive the band off stage,the crowd of concert goers quickly joined the heckling. C. the point of the heckling, quickly joined by the crowd of concert goers, was to drive the band off stage. D. the heckling, which the crowd of concert goers swiftly joined, was intended to drive the band off stage. What's the problem here? That "the crowd" wasn't initiated by the teenagers, the "heckling" was. As such, "heckling" has to come immediately after the comma, no matter how tempting the other choices are. D is the correct answer. Situation 2: Intro Phrase Underlined On the other hand, if only the introductory phrase is underlined, you have to convertthe introductory phrase into a clause that clarifieswho or what is being described (fix 2). Let's examine our example about Susie from this perspective. Incorrect:With tears running down her cheeks, Susie’s sadness was obvious. Correct:Because there were tears running down Susie'scheeks, Susie’s sadness was obvious. We can't alter the subject in this case, so we need to turn the prepositional phrase into a dependent clause that makes it clear that the cheeks belong to Susie. Let's take a look at how this works in a multiple choice question from an official ACT: As written, this sentence is saying "she" has died down, which doesn't make sense: it should be the fire. But because only the first part is underlined, we can't change "she" to "the fire," instead we have to pick an answer that makes clear that the fire is what's dying down. Clearly, F won't work, and neither does G, since it has the unclear pronoun "it." H and J both specify that we're talking about the fire, but "with" in H doesn't make much sense here- J is the best choice since it maintains the temporal relationship (she bricks up the firebox after the fire dies down), while clarifying what exactly is dying down. Situation 3: Both Parts Underlined On the ACT, you may also see danglingmodifiers in the context of more general sentence organization questions. In these cases, all or most of the sentence is underlined. There's no single correct approach to these types of questions; instead, you need to rule out any answers with grammatical issues, and choose the clearest answer among the remainingoptions. Let's work through an example from an official ACT English section: First we need to figure out who or what is "cheek to cheek," and the only things in this sentence with cheeks arethe dancers. Thus if the sentence starts with "cheek to cheek," a noun or pronoun indicating the dancers should come immediately after. Both F and J incorrectly put other nouns in that position (though "cheek to cheek" describe how the couples dance, the dance itself isn't "cheek-to-cheek"). H switches"cheek to cheek" and "relaxed two-step tempo," which actually makes even less sense, since the latter phrase isn't a modifier (it's a noun phrase). This leaves G, which orders the modifiers logicallyto indicate that they describe how the couples are dancing. You don't want your modifiers to end up like this guy- dangling. (Â ©Tony Hisgett) Misplaced Modifiers: Modifier Placement in Sentences Now that we've covered how to approach questions about modifiers at the beginning of sentences, let's talk about modifier placement within sentences. Let's revisitthe key rule for modifier placement: a modifier must be next to whatever it's modifying. More specifically, single word modifiers, i.e. adverbs and adjectives, generally go before the word they're modifying, while prepositional phrases go after what they're modifying. Incorrect: The monster played weird alone. Correct:The weird monster played alone. "Weird" is an adjective, which means it can be used to describe a noun or pronoun. The only one of those in the sentence is "monster," so "weird" should go before monster. (In some cases, this kind of construction might indicate anadverb vs. adjective error.) Incorrect: The monster sent long letters to his new friend full of details about his life. Correct: The monster sent long letters full of details about his life to his new friend. In the first version of this sentence, the phrase "full of details about his life" comes after, and is thus modifying, "friend." But it's meant to describe "letters." The corrected sentence places the phrases in the appropriate order. There are exceptions to these guidelines, but the idea that modifiers should be next to what they modify isa good rule of thumb. Let's look at a sample ACT style question: Edgar Allan Poeis reveredfor his frightening and stylish stories by literary critics, many of which appear in high school text books. A. NO CHANGE B.by literary critics for his frightening and stylish stories, C.for his frightening and stylish stories, by literary critics, D.by literary critics who deem his stories frightening and stylish, At first glance, there's nothing much wrong with this construction: sure, the order of the prepositional phrases "for his frightening and stylish stories" and "by literary critics" is a bit weird, but the ACT isn't usually that nitpicky. There's actually a bigger issue here, with the non-underlined clause "many of which appear in high school text books." What's which referring to? The stories, not the critics. As such, we need to reorder the underlined portion to put"stories" at the end, making B the correct choice. Though this styleof question appears fairly frequently on the ACT, there's another style of misplaced modifier question that you are almostcertain to see at least once on the test. These questions ask where a modifier should be placed or where it would NOTbe acceptable. In approaching these questions, you want to keep the basic rulesin mind as you try the phrase or word out in different spots. Let's practice onan official ACT question: The first key to this question is catching the EXCEPT: we're looking for the answer choice that doesn't work. I've written out each of the four choices below- can you spot the one that doesn't work? A. The O'odham in the 1700s first encountered the guitars of Spanish missionaries. B. In the 1700s, the O'odham first encountered the guitars of Spanish missionaries. C. The O'odham first encountered the guitars in the 1700s of Spanish missionaries. D. The O'odham first encountered the guitars of Spanish missionaries in the 1700s. If you guessed C, good job! Putting "in the 1700s" after guitars interrupts the noun phrase "guitars of the Spanish missionaries"- all of a sudden the 1700s belong to Spanish missionaries. A is fine because we're talking about what the O'odham did in the 1700s, and in both B and D the phrase is modifying the whole sentence, which makes sense since it's describing when this event occurred. Applying Modifier Ruleson the ACT Now that we've gone over all the rules you need to know, let's review some of the key points about how to spot and answer faulty modifierquestions on the ACT. What to watchfor: Prepositional phrases at the beginning of sentences where the phrase itself, the clause after the comma, or both are underlined Questions that ask about "placement" Rules to keep in mind: A modifier must be next to what it's modifying Adjectives and adverbs go before the word they're describing Prepositional phrases usually go immediately after whatever they're modifying Helpful ACT English tips: Make sure to watch out for EXCEPT and NOT. Even though they're in all caps, they can be easy to skip over- get in the habit of circling them every time you see them Think about both what a modifier is currently describing and what it's actually meant to be describing Watch out for answers that fix the original modifier issue but are ungrammatical in another way and those that create modifier errors when attempting to rephrase a sentence Remember that there are a lot of different ways to fix faulty modifiers- use process of elimination to narrow down wrong answers rather than focusing on one specific way of correcting the error Just like these athletes, you'll only improve if you practice! Test Your Knowledge! I've created some ACT English practice questions dealing withfaultymodifiers. Give them a try! 1. While watching TV, the power went out, scaring Christina. A. NO CHANGE B.the power going out scared Christina. C. Christina was scared by the power going out. D. Christina's fear was inspired by the power going out. 2.I was waiting in line with a young girl who was sketching in a flowing scarf with colored pencils. The best placement for the underlined portion would be: F.where it is now. G.after the word line. H.after the word girl. J.after the wordpencils(ending the sentence with a period). 3.Suggested by me the new mystery novel, supposedly a page turner, our book club decided to read it unanimously. A. NO CHANGE B. Our book club unanimously decided to read the new mystery novel I suggested, which was supposed to be a page turner. C. A page turner, unanimously the new mystery novel was decided by our book club, suggested by me. D.Decided on by our book club, the new mysterynovel, a page turner, was suggested unanimously by me. Answers: 1. C, 2. H, 3. B What's Next? Now that you've mastered misplaced modifiers, take a look at some of our other ACT grammar guides on frequentlytestedtopics like subject-verb agreementand comma usage. Make sure you know the 5 key ACT English strategies, and if you're aimingfor an especiallyhigh score, check out our guide to getting a 36 on the ACT English from a perfectscorer. Looking to build a study plan? Read our complete plan to studying for the ACT, review what the ACT English actually covers, and take a practice test (or five!). Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Advertising and media in the marketing environment Lab Report

Advertising and media in the marketing environment - Lab Report Example The company is headquartered at Herzogenaurach, Germany. The company was founded by Adolf Dassler in the year 1924. Market capitalization of the company is $13.30 billion as of 2011 (Yahoo Finance, 2012). Porter Five Force Purchasing Power of Buyer Buyer power in the industry has weakened due to individuality of customers. Individual consumers lack in financial strength to affect business strategy of large manufacturers such as Nike, Puma, Adidas and others. Buyer power is low due to following factors: (Source: Marketline, 2012) Power of Supplier Sportswear industry is complemented by three inter connected themes such as innovation, research & development and adoption of style trend. In many cases it has been observed that Nike and Adidas design their sportswear in counties like USA, UK and other developed countries but subcontract manufacturing process to developing countries such as China, India and South Korea. Partial control over forward and backward integration of value chain d ecreases power of retailer but increases power of supplier hence it can be said that supplier power is strongNew entrants need to form a new company and diversify their business in order enter sportswear industry. New entrants need to establish strong distribution channel and sustainable logistics framework. New entrants need to invest huge amount of money on setting up logistic division while revenue growth is not very exciting. Risky condition of business and high start up cost have created high entry barrier for new entrants. (Source: Marketline, 2012) Threat of Substitute Online retailers such as eBay, Amazon has emerged as major competitor for brick and mortar sportswear retail channels. In many cases it has been observed as e-business companies are selling branded sportswear to customers without mentioning mark-up difference and technical knowhow. This situation creates negative image about the brand such as Adidas, Nike or Puma in the mind of consumer hence it can be said tha t threat of substitute is high. (Source: Marketline, 2012) Competitive Rivalry Companies like Nike, Puma and Adidas are trying to compete with each other at every aspect of sportswear products. Presence of online and offline retailer has intensified the completion while switching cost is low for customers because branded companies do not provide incentives to them. Based on the situation it can be inferred that competitive rivalry is high in the industry. (Source: Marketline, 2012) PESTLE Political Environment Adidas need to work in coordination with Political Action Committee (PAC) in order to handle government issues of particular country (Curtis, 2010, p. 43). Economic The world is going through economic crisis such as Eurozone sovereign debt problem and recession. These two events have dampened the growth of economy (Lynn, 2010, pp. 94-104). Adidas need to

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Paper Example It comes under the category of social sciences which deal with the costs, profits, efficiency and other related concepts. Along with their application in business and services sectors, the public sectors of the country such as medical and healthcare services also make use of economics in their management and decision making (Kitty & Mack, 1995). Significance in Medical and Healthcare The recent research studies indicate that the ideas of theoretical and practical applications have contributed greatly to the medical and health sector. This great deal of contribution can be initially summed up in three words: heterogeneity, sustainability and scarcity. In order to identify and imply the technically best and socially desirable approach, the medical practitioners apply the concepts of providing the patients and need with ‘optimal’ care and benefits. It is the maximum point where the marginal benefits of the service provider is zero and does not care for the opportunity costs involved in it.

Live Interpretation of Heritage

Live Interpretation of Heritage Historic Sites, Museums and Galleries Live interpretation of Heritage Introduction Over the past few decades heritage and culture has become an important part of people’s life, especially in respect of their leisure and tourist activities (Boyd 2003, p.1). This is particularly true in the case of tourism, where the historical demand for tourist and leisure activities have waned in favour of those filled with more cultural elements. There is an increasing desire to visit historic sites, museums and galleries in an attempt by the individual to learn more about their heritage and those of other cultures and social groups. At the same time, today’s heritage visitor has become more discerning about the manner that these venues present heritage experience to them (Boyd 2003, p.2). In essence therefore, heritage can be seen to relate to historical events and settings and the visitor wants to experience those historical experiences as an almost physical event. However, despite the numerous researches and survey results that supports this change in the visitor demand, there is still evidence that a number of heritage sites, museums and galleries are failing to react positively to these findings (Black 2005, p.10), which in many cases has resulted in a drop in visitor numbers at these venues. This situation can have serious consequences, especially for those heritage sites that rely upon entrance fees to bridge the gap between state funding and the running costs of the venue. Even where this not the case, for example where government funding is used to provide free admission, such venues are still accountable to the state and need to prove that their establishment is delivering to the needs of the public, which a reduction in visitor numbers will not achieve. In an effort to address this problem the last two decades have seen an increase in literature related specifically to the manner in which heritage is displayed and portrayed to the visi tor, creating a new discipline under the general title of heritage interpretation. Heritage interpretation relates equally to the understanding of the site or objects displayed for the visitor and the motivation determinant and needs of that visitor (Blockley and Hems 2006, p.1). Until recently, most academics agree that heritage interpretation has been the least developed aspect of the venue’s promotion to the visitor (Boyd 2003 and Blockley and Hems 2006). Interpretation forms and integral part of the visitor experience and will influence the experience that they take away from the visit (Boyd 2003, p.193). Therefore, it follows that understanding what motivates a visitor or group of visitors will enable the museum, gallery or heritage site to be better able to display and promote their product (ibid 2003, p.64). For most visitors that motivation will be to gain pleasure and learning from the object or activity being displayed. In most cases, as Blockley and Hems (2006, p.10) suggest in their research the motivation for the visit is to fulfil the individual’s need for pleasure and leaning and if the heritage venue or object does not achieve this the visitor will leave dissatisfied. In fact, the visitor has come to expect to be greeted with visual views, and animated displays when visiting heritage sites (Dicks 2003, p.17). Thus it is essential for the venue managers to ensure their destination and its contents meet these requirements. One aspect of interpretation that has come to the fore in the minds of the visitor during recent years, and an area that academics agree is an essential part of interpretation, is the level of interaction that exists between the visitor and the heritage venue or object. A recent development in this respect is the increasing use of various forms of live interpretation within the heritage display and other venue activities, and it this area of interpretation that will form the focal point for this study. Live Interpretation Live interpretation of heritage is the most direct form of interaction between the visitor and the artefacts and events that are being exhibited at heritage sites and venues. Visitors and tourists today expect to see live heritage and cultural displays rather than inanimate objects displayed in empty or one dimensional building and display boxes. For example, visitors to industrial museums have come to expect to be treated to visual and moving displays of historical machinery and even to feel the experience through a living example of the society of the time (Dicks 2003, p.29). The process of live interpretation can be delivered in a number of formats. One early example of live interpretation was achieved by allowing the visitor to interact with working models, which enabled them to better interpret the processes that were involved with that models operational purpose. As the process of interpretation continued to evolve, these working models were enhanced by the inclusion of audio and visual interpretation methods, which research indicated were perceived to be more rewarding for the visitor than written text material, such as leaflets and books (Boyd 2003, p.231). The use of information and communication technology is another area of live interpretation that can prove effective, through a process of interactive involvement or displaying films and holographic images (Atkinson 2007). As Atkinson (2007) report further explains, by using ICT it is possible for the heritage site management to be able to â€Å"personalise and tailor exhibits and experiences to the individual or specific group’s needs.† However, today the most direct form of live interpretation is deemed to be that which involves physical face to face interaction between the visitor and a representative or group of representatives directly involved with the heritage site, either on a voluntary or employed basis (Blockley and Hems 2006, p.184), which most researchers identify as an interpreter. As these author’s point out â€Å"face to face interpretation is seen as the best form of enlivening the visitor experience† and certainly make them consider that it is time well spent. One important aspect needs to be mentioned in respect of the actions of the interpreter. This relates to their level of competence and degree of competence. As Boyd (2003, p.195) explains, â€Å"Whilst live interpretation is deemed the most effective form of interaction between visitor and the heritage object, poor quality in live interpretation is worse than nothing.† However, the degree to which the â€Å"interpreter† brings the heritage experience to life will depend upon the venue and its content. For example, they can range from the inclusion of a tour guide to costumed characters who re-enact the history and culture that the heritage site is promoting. This degree of variation and the appropriateness for the heritage venue will be further addressed in the following sections of this study. Museums and Galleries A number of researches have been conducted with the intention of discovering how much time visitors spent in museums and to what extent the format and display of the exhibits influenced the length of visit. One such survey, conducted for the research carried out by Boyd (2003, pp.77-78) found that there was a point of time at which visitors interest in the exhibits began to wane and the inclination to â€Å"head for the exit† began to dominate their thought processes. This was especially found to be true where the interpretation of the exhibits relied solely upon the basic strategy of display. For example, unless the visitor has a specific historical or academic interest in the specific artefacts being displayed within the venue, which only relates to a small segment of the population, after a while one exhibit, be that a painting, vase or another kind of inanimate object, all began to look alike to the visitor. At that stage the pleasure and learning gained from the experienc e began to deteriorate. There still exists the purist view that will argue against the introduction of live interpretation has no place within museums and galleries. Their reasoning is that the visitor should be allowed to interpret the exhibit free from the influence of what those who hold this opinion perceive to be external interference. However, although as stated previous this might be relevant for those who have a dedicated reason for visiting the museum or galleries it was becoming apparent to the mangers of these venues that this was not concurred with by the majority of visitors upon whom these museums and galleries depended. Therefore, remedial and innovative action was seen to be required if the decline in visitor numbers was to be reversed. It became apparent that some of the key qualities that visitors expected to experience from viewing a particular exhibit were clarity, poignancy, attractiveness together with a dynamic presentation (Boyd 2003, p.224). However, in the case of many visitors it proved difficult achieve the satisfaction of many of these qualities unless the object or exhibit was appropriately interpreted in the first place. This did not mean that the museums and galleries had to introduce moving or highly interactive interpretation process for all of their exhibits. In many instances it was simply a question of introducing a tour guide (Dicks 2003, p.171). This would involve employing a person who had sufficient knowledge and experience about the exhibit to be able to provide an appropriate interpretation, which the visitor could consider and come to their own informed opinion. An example of where such a tour guide is frequently used is in the Royal heritage. Often professional interpreters are used to b ring the heritage to life, as is the case with the royal palaces (Blockley and Hems 2006, p.45). To maintain the dignity of these historical sites it would be inappropriate to introduce some of the more technological based live interpretation methods, such as videos, films and other gadgetry. In such cases therefore, the tour guide will be employed to act as the face-to-face interactive interpreter. The heritage visitor or tourist would not expect any greater level of interpretation in such delicate and reverent historical surroundings, and the same reasoning would be applied to heritage sites of religious significance, such as historical churches and cathedrals. Nevertheless, there are other museums and galleries where the more proactive and interactive live interpretation methods are useful in improving the visitor experience. Providing visitors with a method that allows personal live interpretation, for instance by using computer generated informational processes that explain the origins of the object or gives more information relating to its original use and purpose, can enhance the benefits that the visitor receives from viewing the object. Another method that is being used more frequently within the museum and gallery environment is to make the object or artefact live by introducing information and communication technology process that allow it to move and react (Atkinson 2007, p.7). Black 2005, p.264) promotes the increased use of files within the museum, arguing that this manner of interpretation is more likely to enable the visitor to experience the object as a living thing, thus creating a psychological connection. One area of museu ms where these methods have proven to be particularly successful is in the field of natural science. For example, presenting the dinosaur animal generation in an interactive and live interpretation method provides the visitor with a better idea of the size, power and a concept of the physical damage that such creatures could cause. Another recent development within the museum sector of heritage is the evolution of the open-air museum (Boyd 2003, p.224). Because of the difference of the environment for the exhibit, these venues have developed an interpretation process that is far more focused on its live element. In effect the visitor can almost touch a living exhibit and, through the detailed live interpretation process, is transported back to the historical times during which the object was created. In fact, by the use of costumes and special effects often in these cases the visitor will feel as if they have had a personal connection with these events. Research has shown that, where museums and galleries have adopted some of these live interpretation measures within their venues, and to provide a better understanding of the exhibit, this has resulted in a positive effect on the length of a visitor’s stay (Black 2005, p.257). Furthermore, it has also had a positive impact in that visitor numbers have seen improvement in many instances. Historic sites As Jane Malcolm-Davies (2003, p.1) mentions in the introduction to the process of using costumed robes for live heritage interpretation, historic sites are finding it increasingly difficult to survive in the competitive environment of the leisure and tourism industry, not least because of the reduction in government funding, but also because of the impact of competing sites. As a result they have to resort to new and innovative measures for interpreting theirs sites in a manner that will increase visitor numbers. To stand out from the crowd and gain a competitive advantage that will lead to an increase in visitor numbers, live interpretation of the heritage value of these sites often has to resort to making the historical event come alive, a process that is most commonly referred to as re-enactment. These live interpretation events can take a number of forms. Some of the best known would be the re-enactment of historical civil wars, with authenticity attempted in every aspect of the actor’s costumes and equipment, accompanied by the realistic noise of battle. In other cases, the event might involve a live reconstruction of a home or village as the actors perceived it to be in historical times. Alternative versions of these occur where industrial processes, plants, and retail business environments are re-created to resemble how it might have looked in yesteryear. In a number of cases there is an invitation for the visitor to join in with the experience, creating for them a unique memory of the occasion. However, as with the use of live interpretation developments in museums and galleries, there has been some intense disagreement inn the past between academics and members of the historical heritage groups regarding the use of re-enactment and the use of costumes, with the opponents considering it to be fake (Sansom 1996, p.134). Indeed, many of those who hold this opinion consider this approach little more than theatrical nonsense. It is probably partly because of this reaction that it took until the latter part of the 1980’s before heritage sites began to employ â€Å"paid, permanent, costumed staff as an integral part of their daily interpretation† activities (Hicks 1994, p.9). The difficulty was that, before the employment of professional interpreters or â€Å"actor† there could be said to be some truth in the opposing argument. However, to the extent that these objectors delayed the introduction of a more professional approach to the live interpretation, it could be said that they contributed to the poor standard of interpretation that previously existed. In his dissertation thesis in 1990, Robershaw (1990, p.31) found from his research into the situation with regard to costumed interpreters that whilst it had the cosmetic effect of creating a more realistic atmosphere, this was not at that time communicated to the visitor. The same author quoted other literature that, like his own, concluded that visitors were demanding that the historical site managers should deliver a more â€Å"interactive experience†, which was clearing not happening at that time. It was also argued that because of the educational leanings, the resultant experience lack ed any element of fun and entertainment. The remarkable thing is that, since the introduction of live costumed and professional methods of interpretation (Sansom 1996, p.122 and Malcolm-Davies 200, p.9), this element of interaction and increased in the value of entertainment and fun has become more evident. The improvement has led to a situation where it has been found to the level of recall and understanding that is experienced by the visitor. Most academics, including Black (2005, p.117) and Dicks (2003, p.49) are now firmly of the opinion that historic and cultural sites that adopt the live approach to interpretation and encourages interaction with the visitor, even to the extent of re-enacting historic events, do find that it leads to an increase in visitor numbers. Furthermore, it leads to a greater degree of satisfaction of their need for enjoyment and learning. The proponents of live interpretation for historical sites argue that these re-enactments, especially now that they are more professional in nature, can be considered to be displaying an improved and closer depiction of the actual event, and therefore should be viewed as being more authentic. Furthermore, they will also argue that these events are serving to deliver to the main demands of the visitor, in that they provide a much greater depth of learning, whilst at the same time satisfying the visitor demand for them to include an element of fun and entertainment. The managers of these historical sites will also argue that, the inclusion of live interpretation and re-enactment within the promotional element of the destination, such moves are also serving the objectives of the destination, which are a) to remain self-sufficient in terms of funding and b) to assist the destination in achieving a competitive advantage over other similar destinations. They would further argue that the reported visitor number increases for the industry sector as a whole, and many of the destinations individually, support their choice of interpretation methods. Conclusion As has been mentioned in the introduction section of this research, over the past few years there has been increasing pressure exerted upon the managers of historic sites, museums and galleries to become self sufficient and accountable for the value achieved as a result of the limited resources provided to them from the public purse. It is natural that, in order to meet these conditions, the managers of these sites have been forced to consider a more innovative solution to promoting their destinations (Dicks 2003, p.122). An increasing number have turned to the use of live interpretation as a means of providing a resolution to the problems they have been facing. In the past there may have been some merit to the argument raised by opponents to live interpretation. These might have been justified especially where those elements of this process went as far as the inclusion of costumes and re-enactment. This justification can be linked with the lack of professionalism that existed at that time. However, in most cases that position has changed and the introduction of professional actors, directors and costume designers have dramatically improved this element of live interpretation. However, in the final analysis of the appropriateness of these methods of live interpretation it is the results produced that determine their success or failure. When one poses the question whether the adoption of these new approaches to interpretation have had the desired effect in terms of increasing the numbers of visitors being seen at historic sites, museums and galleries, the external researches studied by the author all support a positive response. Similarly, looking at it from the viewpoint of the other main stakeholder, the heritage visitor, the question to be asked is whether â€Å"live† interpretation promotional methods have improved their enjoyment of the experience and is more completely meeting their demands and needs. Here, again, current research and survey results confirm that this is the case. In fact, as Hunt (2004, p.387) states in his detailed research on heritage and interpretation., â€Å"acting the part has now become almost essential, as most visitor s have come to expect it!† In conclusion therefore, it is found that live interpretation is more effective as a method of education and learning, and as a means of visitor entertainment, than has been the case with most of the other methods of destination promotion adopted by historic sites, museums and galleries in the past. It is therefore recommended that those destinations that have yet to adopt these methods, and are experiencing difficulty in meeting financial or public accountability standards, should seriously considered following the example of the many institutions that have benefitted from live interpretation. Bibliography Atkinson, S (2007) The value of information and communications technology in natural heritage interpretation Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 8 August 2008 from: http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/ReportNo218.pdf Black, G (2005). The Engaging Museum: Developing Museums for Visitor Involvement. Routledge, Abingdon, UK Blockley, M and Hems, A (eds) (2006). Heritage Interpretation: Theory and Practice. Routledge, Abingdon, UK Boyd, S and Timothy, D (2003). Heritage Tourism. Pearson Education, Harlow, UK Dicks, B (2003). Culture on Display. Open University Press. Maidenhead, UK. Dray, C (1999). History as Re-enactment: R.G. Collingwoods â€Å"Idea of History†. Oxford University Press. Oxford, UK Hicks, D. (1994). The use of living history events at historic sites and buildings, master’s thesis, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom. Hunt, S.J (2004). Acting the part: ‘living history’ as a serious leisure pursuit. Leisure Studies, Vol.23, No.4, pp.387-403 Malcolm-Davies (2003). Borrowed Robes: The educational value of costumed interpretation at historic sites. Retrieved 8 August 2008 from http://www.esade.es/cedit2003/pdfs/malcomdaviesjm.pdf Robertshaw, A. (1990). Acts of imagination. Museums journal, Vol. 3, pp.30-31. Ransom, E. (1996). Peopling the past: current practices in archaeological site interpretation. In Archaeological displays and the public: methodology and interpretation (McManus, P. Ed.), pp.118-137, Institute of Archaeology, London’

Water Conservation Essay -- Environment, Environmental

One of the items people, animals, and our environment cannot live without is water. Water is extremely vital in the everyday life of everyone in the world from everyday life of drinking, washing clothes, animals, grains, cleaning, and so many other uses that eliminating water would eliminate our species as we all depend on the necessity of water. â€Å"The water footprint refers to the volumes of water consumption and pollution that are ‘behind’ your daily consumption†. (Network, 2010) If an average American uses approximately 80-100 gallons of water per day then an average American needs to change their ways and contribute to a better water footprint. Water is critical for ecological systems and the health of humans. Animals or plants cannot survive long without water. Water not only is most widely used resource by our industry, it both indirectly and directly produces energy, provides basis for outdoor recreation, and important for transportation along wit h so many other uses that it is globally in need. It is amazing as I thought about how I use water in my day. Flushing the toilet, taking a shower, brushing my teeth, drinking a glass of water, using water to make oatmeal, washing my dishes and my clothes, swimming in the lake or the pool, making different recipes that call for water, and watering my plants and garden. It was amazing to me when reading the website www.waterfootprint.org, because I never conceptually put together our food we consume to items we make in realize how much water is used globally. Some items that I did not think about would be beef, chicken meat, eggs, hamburgers, milk, pork, beer, tea, wine, barley, maize, millet, rice, soybeans, coconuts, apples, orange, potato, cheese, bread, cotton, paper,... ...o conserve water, as I enjoy eating meat and do not favor vegetables on a regular basis, so it is extremely important I do what I can in conserving as much water as possible on a daily basis. Works Cited Council, W. W. (2009, May 27). World Water Council/Water Crisis. Retrieved August 24, 2010, from www.worldwatercouncil.org: http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/index.php?id=25 Frederick, K. D. (2004, November 11). Consequences Vol. 1. Retrieved August 24, 2010, from www.gcrio.org: http://www.gcrio.org/CONSEQUENCES/spring95/Water.html Network, W. (2010). Your Water Footprint. Retrieved August 24, 2010, from www.waterfootprint.org: http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/YourWaterFootprint Park&Co. (2009). 100 Ways to Conserve. Retrieved August 24, 2010, from www.wateruseitwisely.com: http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/index.php

Herman Miller Inc Essay

From the headquarters of Herman Miller Inc. , Curt Pullen talks amid the unmistakable pounding sounds and commotion associated with a construction work site about his company’s plan to rebound from the recession. Pullen, the firm’s executive vice president and president of North America, says the workers are installing new lower-height Herman Miller workstations designed to accommodate a growing trend in offices toward more open, collaborative environments. The new product, called Canvas, is part of the company’s market-shift strategy after the demand for office furniture fell hard during the economic downturn. The plan also involves diversifying into the health care and academic furniture markets and more emphasis on emerging economies. The plan appears to be paying off. For the first time in nearly four years the company reported two consecutive quarters of double-digit percentage sales growth after releasing its second-quarter earnings statement on Dec 15th. Orders in the second quarter rose 34% to $462 million. CEO Brian Walker noted the company’s expanded market reach as a contributing factor to growth. Significant increases occurred in international markets where sales rose 33%. In 2010 the company acquired UK-based ergonomic workstation manufacturer Colebrook Bosson Saunders and purchased assets from Australian furniture maker Living Edge Group. In 2008, the company announced a partnership with China’s Posh Office Systems Ltd. to expand in the Asia-Pacific region. The company attributed a year-end surge to gains in its international, health care, learning and retail vertical markets. The expanding health care industry has become one of the company’s key growth targets. One of the more recent expansions into the health care field came on Jan. 31 when Herman Miller completed its acquisition of health care furniture manufacturer Nemschoff Chairs LLC based in Sheboygan, Wis. Herman Miller designed the Canvas workstation at a lower height than traditional workstations to facilitate a workplace trend toward more collaborative environments. The design also allows more light into work areas and saves space, the company says. Including sinks and headwalls, to be reconfigured to meet patient needs. 2. Business Strategy: Broad Differentiation Strategies This strategy pursues the buyer’s needs and preference to make them satisfied with the product. And to be different from other rivals, the product must have unique product attributes that a wide range of buyers find appealing and worth paying for. The strategy achieves its aim when an attractively large numbers of buyers find the customer buyer value proposition. Herman miller is pursuing this strategy as we refer to the case study that their products are based on the design which is designed according to the people who use the furniture. Like the president of Herman Miller said: ‘people are important not the furniture. Furniture should be useful’. Besides, this company emphasizes on product design and environmental friendly, these are two basic things that they have been practicing for many decades. Furthermore, they also invest more in research and development for product innovation. Take an example of office design product, Herman Miller’s Insight and Exploration team observed various workplaces to analyze how people collaborate and the ways in which their interactions vary over the course of a day, and throughout the life of a project by differentiating the subtleties of how, when, where, and why people connect independent of content or industry. Senior Researcher Shilpi Kumar notes that, â€Å"outlining these collaborative work behaviors will empower designers and decision makers with a greater understanding for how people really work, and will enable more informed choices in regards to office spaces. Herman Miller takes advantage of the growing desire for green products to create a better world and increase ergonomic furniture, because the consumers are willing to pay a premium for such quality and social responsible product. Since the designer of Herman Miller emphasized quality, excellence, and the continual improvement of their products, obviously one of their product which is designed by Charles and Ray Eames since its launch in 1950 had developed from plastic chair to wood chair in 2000. She also confirmed that this wood chair is 100 times recyclable since Herman Miller is concerned about environmental friendly, and Eames Molded Wood Side Chair earns â€Å"Gold† award at NeoCon 2013 in the Guest Seating category. 3. Functional strategy: Research and Development (R&D) This category focuses on strategy that is concerned with the actions in managing particular functions within a business especially in R&D. In terms of Herman Miller R&D, they invested in research and development (R&D) financially. Although there was downturn in financial, Herman Miller still invested tens of millions of dollars in R&D. The investment in R&D was code named Purple. A result of investment in R&D was an outgrowth of project Purple. The goal of this project was to spread beyond the boundaries of normal business. Herman miller created a special team called the accessories team in which the team-identified a potential growth area. This team is made to recruit people with different disciplines needed to support that goal. In addition, this team focuses on contributing ideas to the success of the team from all resources and also to develop a particular product as it goes through that piece of work. This project is in line with functional strategy of R&D in which a company’s product development represents the plan for keeping the company’s product in accordance with what buyers are looking for (Thompson et al, 2014). In the case of Herman Miller Inc, they began with research in every real design solution in which the exploitation and insights of the best research leads to human-centered design and problem solving. Herman Miller Inc is doing many things for R&D in the case of education, sustainability, performance, healthcare, manufacturing, architectures design and ergonomics. Herman Miller Inc has its major R&D activities and projects, i. e. its way to support and develop a company’s product. According to Herman Miller’s financial statement for fiscal years 2006-2011, there was a decline in design and research in 2009 due to the ongoing economic downturn. Figure 1. 1: Spending on Design and research So far, they have done some research projects regarding education such as; student’s research work behaviors behind innovation spaces. In the fall 2012, there was a project Herman Miller funded as a way of investing in the next generation of workers by giving students the chance to apply what hey learn in a real-world setting. Herman Miller wanted them to look at the business objective of the company. Besides Herman Miller providing the funds, the employees of the company also participated in the project. After the field research, the goal of this project was that the students shared what they had learned from going to the company for a workshop. The company also wanted to discover more about places that encourage creativity and the places of creative people. Besides Herman Miller providing the funds, the employee of the company also participated in the project. In regarding with the research in technology, the research starts by understanding which technological trends are creating new behaviors in the workplace. So from that, they can produce new design solution. Over the last three years, a group of designers, engineers, and researchers, the Insight Herman Miller and Exploration Team (I & E) has focused on emerging technologies and how they alter social behavior in the workplace. Herman Miller’s goal is to identify the technology trends that are relevant to the office and also understanding new behaviors that allow the designers, architects and manufacturers to bring new workplace design. For healthcare, Herman Miller Healthcare saw the opportunity to study and analyze by doing the research from the discussion of Bluewater health in which prior to design development and also the satisfaction and safety of patients and staff members. Herman Miller Healthcare is sponsoring a research project that will explore how changes in the built environment have affected staff in three important areas: Ambulatory Care, Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department. 3 4. Functional Strategies: Marketing Marketing is one of the strategies used under functional strategy. First and foremost, Herman Miller products were sold internationally through wholly owned subsidiaries in countries including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Australia, Singapore, China, India, and the Netherlands. Hence, they use the international strategy to compete its products in each country. In other words, they use the foreign subsidiary strategies because it seemed that they prefer to have a direct control over all aspects of operating in a foreign country that is the reason why they established wholly owned subsidiaries. As a result, this strategy was successful as their brand was recognized by customers and increased customer base spreading over 100 countries. Moreover, they used green marketing strategy to sell their products. This is because they mainly focus on environmental friendly such as Mirra chair, one of their products which was made of 45 percent recycled materials, and 96 percent of its material were recyclable. Therefore, the chairs used 100 percent renewable energy. Due to this strategy used, Mirra chair was recorded as one of the Top 10 Green Products by Architectural Record and Environmental Building News. Hence, this can indicate the success of using this strategy. In addition, Herman Miller engaged in cooperating advertising with strategic partners. As the example of Hilton Garden Inns which they equipped the Mirra chair in some room and on the desk in the room, was a card that explain how to adjust the chair while also providing the advertisement of Herman Miller’s website, how to purchase the products. Likewise, this is one of the advertising used to promote their products by using the strategic partner. As a result, they can reduce the advertising cost and gain more brand awareness. . Operating Strategy: Lean Production Initially, at Spring Lake, Herman Miller had invested in a giant robot assembly that welded supports inside file cabinet housings, including a tractor-trailer-length automated welding line with 1,000 sensors to drive labor completely out of the process. Unfortunately, big customers like Hewlett-Packard and AT&T were pulling their orders of 100 instead of 500 and some wanted file cabinets in two weeks instead of six with much higher quality. The Spring Lake plant could not deliver, and certainly not for the lower prices customers demanded. 995, they adapted Toyota’s leading-edge formula for plant-floor management into an approach they called the Herman Miller Performance System (Booz&co. , 2010, para 20). Based on the above quote, it depicted that Herman Miller’s decision to employ Herman Miller Performance System (HMPS); lean production, was to maintain efficiencies and cost savings by minimizing the amount of inventory on hand through a just-in-time process. To ensure a fluid flow on the order – driven production, Herman Miller collaborated with reliable and strategic suppliers. HMPS created competitive advantage through large assembly – manufacturing based. For example, direct materials and components purchased as needed to meet the demand and some suppliers delivered parts to Herman Miller production facilities five or six times per day. This resulted in a standard lead time of 10 to 20 days for majority of the products and low inventories on hand. Interestingly, HMPS managed to increase the variable costs rather than fixed costs while retaining proprietary control over manufacturing process. It was reported that â€Å"the plant managers across Herman Miller have learned that the best-run plants rely on people, not machines. Only people can solve problems to make assembly lines go faster, run cheaper, and deliver higher quality† (Booz&co. , 2010, para 25). Therefore, it can be concluded that labor intensive approach tend to outperform machine intensive approach especially when the products demand further customization with limited time and the majority of industry products are built to each customer’s unique order. Question 2: Culture at HMI: healthy and largely supportive of good strategy execution. Herman Miller had codified its long-practiced organizational values, intended as a basic for uniting all employees, building relationship, and contributing to society. Herman Miller started in 1905 with the Star Furniture Company and created the Herman Miller furniture company with his son in law named Dirk Jan De Pree. From the beginning, De Pree committed himself to treating all workers as individuals with specials talents and potential. This was part of Herman Miller’s corporate culture which continued to generate respect for all employees and take advantage of the diversity of skills possessed by all. This is one of the functional strategies in corporate culture in Herman Miller Inc in which included the company’s approach to people management, procedures and operating practices that provide the guidelines for the behavior of the company. The impact of this culture became one of the competitive advantages that make strong management and employee satisfaction in the company. The business principles and ethical standard of Herman Miller are the management practices as the key of company’s culture. Herman Miller was one of the furniture company named to Fast Company’s â€Å"Most Innovative Companies† in both 2008 and 2010. Herman Miller had pursued a path of reinvention and renewal. Herman Miller has many ways to develop their products and its culture is also unique. Through the growing of the company, Herman Miller maintains the relationship with the employees. Herman Miller’s commitment to innovation included sharing ideas and opinions from the employees. On January 1979, Herman Miller established new organization structures that included all employees were to be given the opportunity to discuss new plan in small group settings. In addition, Herman Miller also established a plan in which all employees became shareholders. Herman Miller Inc. also focuses on more efficient and environmentally friendly by taking a major initiative in 1981. It is in line with a better world value which is pursuing sustainability and environmental policy. They established environmental quality action team whose goal was to coordinate environmental programs worldwide that involves many employees. A Herman Miller’s culture is grounded in and resides to certain core value and some sets for ethical behavior. Herman Miller had long practiced organizational values that were still used in 2012. The values are as basis for uniting all employees, building relationship, adapt the implied attitude, behaviors and work practices. The company adopted inclusiveness which means they include all the expressions of human talent and potential that society offers. As mentioned before, Herman Miller corporate culture continued to create respect to all employees and looking for and utilizing the skills possessed by anyone. The second value is design in which it is important to Herman Miller Inc. in order to make innovative products. It is the way for them for looking at the world and how it can work. The results of this value are Herman Miller established many innovative products and designs. In 1971 and 1984, they introduced products based on ergonomics principles such as the Ergon chair and Equa chair. For another groundbreaking design, it introduced the Aeron chair which was almost added to New York Museum of Modern Art’s permanent design collection in 1990. Other important values are based on Herman Miller’s best performance that focuses on enriching the lives of employees, customers and create value for the shareholders. The result of this value has made Herman Miller share the gains and pains with the employees especially about the compensation. All employees received a base pay and they also participated in a profit sharing program where they received stock in accordance to the company’s financial performance. The company also offered to the employees the employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), retirement income plan, offered annual bonus to all employees based on company’s performance, and in regard to profit sharing both the employees and executives have same calculation of bonus potential. High performance culture In Herman Miller Inc. there is a strong sense of involvement on the part of company personnel and emphasis on individual initiative and creativity. Two of the greatest strengths lie behind our heritage of research-driven design. Respecting and encouraging risks, exploring new ideas and freedom of speech. Owners actively committed to the life of the community called Herman Miller, pride in doing things right, sharing in its success and risks. The strengths and payoff really comes in when engaging in people’s own problems, solutions and behavior. Performance is required at the highest level possible. Herman Miller enriches employees’ lives, delight its customers, and create value for its shareholders. Herman Miller includes all the express human talent and potential, everyone should have a chance to realize his or her potential regardless of color, gender, age, sexual orientation. It believes that skill; different educational background could bring the company uniqueness. Adaptive Culture Herman Miller always keep innovating its products to serve their customers better. Herman Miller’s corporate culture, which continued to generate respect for all employees, had fueled the quest to tap the diversity of gifts and skill held by all. The company designs products according to what people want the most, and it is a way of looking at the world and how it works or does not. To design a solution, rather than simply devising one, required research, thought sometime starting over, listening and humility. Manager and employees support each other in dealing with working environment. Herman Miller designed the Canvas workstation, at a lower height than traditional workstations to facilitate a workplace trend toward more collaborative environments. The design also allows more light into work areas and saves space, the company says. Additionally, the company also keeps changing its production designs from time to time according to the needs of the people and follow ergonomic system. Herman Miller hired much expertise to design its furniture, and it is costly to spend on R;D but company the company was willing to take risks on new innovation. Financial performance Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 Revenue ($ millions) $ 2,012. 1 $1,630. 0 $1,318. 8 $1,649. 2 R;D to Sales Ratio R;D/Sale 51. 2 / 2,012. 1 = 2. 5 % 45. 7 / 1,630. 0 = 2. 8 % 40. 5 / 1,318. 8 = 3. 1 % 45. 8 / 1,649. 2 = 2. 8 % Table 2. : HMI’s Revenues and R;D to Sales ratio from 2008 to 2011 Figure 2. 1: Research and development (R;D) to Sales ratio from 2008 to 2011 The above graph shows the trend of R;D sales ratio which increases from year 2008 until 2010. However, it decreased slightly in 2011 due to low R;D investment because of recession. However, it is not clear whether measuring the R;D ratio is a good metric to represent its efficiency towards a company. This is because it takes into consideration the R;D expenses rather than R;D investment thus it is easy to manipulate the number by lowering the R;D expenditure. Even, in the balance sheet of Herman Miller, the R;D investment is not disclosed under assets. If R;D is capitalized as asset, then it depicts the efficiency of R;D towards business revenues. In brief, due to that constraint, we assume that at least the R;D sales ratio increases and contributes positively towards Herman Miller’s business structure as Herman Miller invests heavily in R;D to create the furniture. Figure 2. 2: HMI’s Revenues from 2008 to 2011 The above graph illustrates that the trend of sales revenue decreases from year 2008 until 2010. However, it started to increase in year 2011. Thus, in brief, Herman Miller is improving in their sales through investment in Research and Development and produces competitive design. Question 3: HMI’s Financial situation: prior years and its competitors 1. HMI’s financial situation In order to measure the financial performance of Herman Miller Inc, we have used different ratios, such as liquidity, profitability, leverage and activity ratios. Besides, we also compare the financial performance of HMI in relation to its competitors – HNI and Steelcase Inc from 2008 until 2012 based on the above mention ratios. For our case, we have used the current ratio to measure the extent to which the three companies (HMI, HNI and Steelcase) can meet their short term obligations as shown in the figure below. Figure 3. 1: HMI’s current ratio versus its competitors’ ratio The figure above shows the current ratios for the three manufacturers’ of office furniture and equipment for five consecutive years. In the case of Herman Miller Inc. , their current ratio showed some slight increase of about 1 percent from 2008 to 2009. However, a drop of about 21 percent was xperienced in 2010 but they were still able to maintain a current ratio of greater than 1. In the year 2011 and 2012, there had been a tremendous increase in their current ratio to 1. 76 and 1. 81 respectively. This current ratio of greater than 1 provides additional cushion against unforeseeable contingencies that may arise in the short term. In the case of HNI, their current ratio showed a moderate increase of about 7 percen t from 2008 to 2009. However, for the subsequent years, HNI experienced a decrease in their current ratio of approximately 10 percent from 2010 all the way to 2012. Nonetheless, they were able to maintain a current ratio of at least 1 to ensure that the value of their current assets covers at least the amount of their short term obligations. As for Steelcase, their current ratio showed a moderate increase of about 8 percent from 2008 to 2010. On the other hand, the company experienced a decrease of roughly 8 percent in the year 2011 but they were still able to maintain a current ratio of greater than 1. However, Steelcase managed to have an increase in their current ratio from 1. 37 in 2011 to 1. 52 in 2012. Overall, Herman Miller Inc. as shown a significant increasing trend in their current ratio as compared to the other two companies. This may suggest improved liquidity of the company or a more conservative approach to working capital management. ii. Profitability ratios: Profitability ratios measure management’s overall effectiveness as shown by the returns generated on sales and investment. There are a number of ratios under profitability but for our case, we have used the Return on Assets (ROA) to measure the after-tax profits per dollar of assets and Gross Profit Margin which measures the total margin available to cover operating expenses and yield a profit. These two ratios have been used to evaluate the three companies (HMI, HNI and Steelcase). Figure 3. 2. 1: HMI’s return on asset ratio versus its competitors’ ratio The figure above shows the Return on Assets for the three manufacturers’ of office furniture and equipment for five consecutive years. In the case of Herman Miller Inc. , there has been a decreasing trend of ROA in the year 2008 to 2010 from 19 percent to 4 percent respectively. This shows that the profitability of the company is deteriorating. Nevertheless, rom the year 2010 to the year 2012, the company has shown some slight increasing trend of ROA from 4 percent to 9 percent respectively. This indicates that the company’s profitability is quite improving over the years. When it comes to HNI, it has also shown a high decreasing trend of ROA in the year 2008 to 2011 from 5 percent to -0. 6 percent respectively. This shows that the profitability of the company is extremely deteriorating. However , in the year 2012, there was an increase of about 4 percent as compared to the previous year. The company was able to move from -0. 6 percent to 3. 8 percent. This signifies that the company’s profitability is slightly improving. Lastly for Steelcase, there has also been a high decreasing trend of ROA from the year 2008 to 2010 with about 6 percent and -0. 8 percent respectively. This shows that the profitability of the company is extremely deteriorating. However, there was a slight increasing trend of ROA in 2011 and 2012 of 1. 02 percent and 3. 33 percent respectively. This means that the company’s profitability is somewhat improving. Overall, Herman Miller Inc. has shown a considerable increasing trend in their ROA over the years as compared to the other two companies. This may imply effective use of assets and creation of high margins by the company as well as gauging how well the company uses its financing from borrowing and bonds. Figure 3. 2. 2: HMI’s gross profit ratio versus its competitors’ ratio The figure above shows the Gross Profit Margin for the three manufacturers’ of office furniture and equipment for five consecutive years. In the case of Herman Miller Inc. , there has been a slight decrease of the Gross Profit Margin in the year 2008 to 2009 from 34. 72 percent to 32. 37 percent respectively. However, from the year 2010 to the year 2012, the company has shown some slight increase in their Gross Profit Margin from 32. 49 percent to 34. 26 percent respectively. This indicates that the company can make a reasonable profit. For HNI, there has been an increasing trend of the Gross Profit Margin from the year 2008 to 2011 with about 33. 66 percent and 34. 6 percent respectively. However, in the year 2012, there was a slight decrease of about 1. 3 percent as compared to the previous year. The company’s Gross Profit Margin moved from 34. 86 percent to 34. 39 percent. This also signifies that the company can make a reasonable profit. Lastly for Steelcase, it has shown a slight decreasing trend of Gross Profit Margin from the year 2008 to 2010 with 32. 12 percent and 28. 35 percent respectively. However, there was a slight increasing trend of Gross Profit Margin in the subsequent years amounting to 29. 5 percent in 2012. This means that the company can still make a reasonable profit. Overall, HNI has shown a steady increasing trend in their Gross Profit Margin over the years as compared to the other two companies. This may indicate how efficiently the company is using its materials and labor in the production process and gives an indication of the pricing, cost structure, and production efficiency of the company. iii. Leverage ratios This ratio is used to determine the companies’ financing methods, or the ability to meet the obligations. There are many ratios to calculate leverage but the important factors include debt, interest expenses, equity and assets. In this section, we will examine two ratios which are debt to assets and debt to equity ratios. Figure 3. 3. 1: HMI’s debt to asset ratio versus its competitors’ ratio The debt to asset ratio gives us a quick measure of the amount of debt that the company has on its balance sheets compared to its assets. In general, the debt to asset ratio for Herman Miller fluctuated over the years as compared to its competitors – HNI and Steel case. In 2008, the debt to equity ratio for Herman Miller was above 80 percent and rose approximately to 100 percent in 2009, whereas this ratio was just about 61 percent and 57 percent for HNI and Steel case respectively in 2008; and about 58 percent in 2009 for both competitors. This indicated that almost 100 percent of Herman Miller’s assets were financed by debt or creditors which implied that the Company has high level of leverage and risk, while its competitors had roughly 50 percent of their assets financed by the owners. However, Herman Miller’s ratio significantly dropped in 2010 to about 40 percent which was below its competitors who almost maintained their position over the years. In 2012, 70 percent of Herman Miller’s assets were financed by debt. In general, although the company debt to assets ratio is still high in relation to its competitors, the financial performance of the company is improving after the financial crisis. However, the Company needs to further reduce the amount of debt resulting to the reduction of risk; this is because it may affect the company’s survival in the long-run. Figure 3. 3. 2: HMI’s debt to equity ratio versus its competitors’ ratio A debt-to-equity ratio measures the amount of debt a company uses to fund its business for every dollar of equity it has. In other words, it is a measure of a company’s ability to repay its obligations. Generally companies with less debt equity ratio are less risky than the companies with high ratios. As we can see from the graphs, Herman Miller Inc. has the highest ratio over the year in relation to the other companies. For instance, its ratio fluctuated significantly over the years which were at 32. 7 and 94. 91 in 2008 and 2009 respectively. This might be due to the effect of the financial crisis, which caused the company to increase its debt financing heavily. Also, this indicates that the company had substantial high amount of debt as compared to equity which can endanger the long term survival of the firm since the company may not be able to generate enough cash to satisfy its debt obl igations. Meanwhile, debt to equity ratio for HNI and Steel case was roughly lower than 2, which was acceptable for large public companies. For Herman Miller, however, this ratio sharply dropped over the next years to just about 8. 62 in 2010 and 2. 37 in 2012. In contrast, its competitors still can maintain their ratio below two over the next years. In order to improve this ratio, Herman Miller had sold its common stock and tried to lower the mount debt financing, this can be seen by the amount of long-term debt decreasing. This implies that the company’s financial performance has been improving after the financial crisis. In terms of leverage, overall, it can be said that the performance of the company has been improving over the years and regaining its position in the furniture market after the economic downturn. Although it may not do well as compared to its competitors in terms of financing the debt and equity, there is a sign of improvement and effort in positioning its self in the market industry in U. S. iv. Activity Ratios Figure 3. 4. 1: HMI’s Inventory turnover ratio versus its competitors’ ratio The inventory turnover is commonly used to measure the operational efficiency in managing its assets. Based on the figure 4. 1 illustrated above, in 2009, Herman Miller Inc. has the highest ratio compared to other years. This high ratio could indicate two conditions, such as; whether the company has strong sales during the year or it has an ineffective buying activity. However, it is perceived that the company did have strong sales proven from the lowest level of inventory and high sales revenue which are seen in the annual report during the year. While in 2010, Herman Miller Inc. ’s turnover ratio drops significantly compared to the other years. Its cost of sales for the year has the lowest and showed a decrement of 24% from previous year which simultaneously contribute to low ratio as well as indicating the lack of effectiveness particularly in turning its inventory into sales. One of the reasons is that it could be due to the recession which highly affected the company, and hence making them to reduce the cost of sales. However, Herman Miller Inc is getting better in turning its inventory into sales proven from the increment of its ratio by year. Additionally, compared to competitors, the position of the ratio shown for Herman Miller Inc. is located somewhat in the middle. Steelcase is somewhat faster in turning their inventory into sales compared to others. In contrast, HNI has the lowest rate. This proves that Steelcase is more effective in managing its operational assets. Figure 3. 4. 2: HMI’s Average collection period versus its competitors’ ratio Average collection period is the number of days it takes a company to collect its account receivables. As illustrated from the figure 4. 2 above, Herman Miller is getting better in obtaining its receivables shown by the average days taken which was from 58 days in 2008 and 34 days in 2012. This demonstrates that Herman miller Inc. onstantly improve its credit policy effectiveness confirmed by a dramatic slump by years. Comparing to other competitors, originally HNI was the most effective company in managing its credit term policy, as the company only took 38 days in collecting its account receivables compared to Steelcase or Herman Miller. However, the company ended up to be the highest rate at 2012 showing that it is not effective in evaluating company’s credit policy. As a result, when a company possesses a lower average collection period, it is seen as optimal as it indicates that the company does not take very long to turn its receivables into cash. . HMI’s current strategies: an issues of need to change its strategies during poor economic conditions The current Herman Miller strategy which focuses on growth strategy, through innovative products and related diversification made the company to survive the Great Depression early in its history, multiple recessions in 20th century and in early 21st century the company recovered from the dot-com bust and was able to continue expanding overseas. The furniture industry is an economically volatile industry. The office furniture segment of the industry was hit hard by the recession. Industry sales decreased 26. 5 percent during the 2009 economic downturn. However, because of the innovative and diversification, Herman Miller was able to outperform its competitors in terms of sales and profitability, during that time Herman Mill’s sales dropped by 19% which is relatively low in comparison with its competitors HNI Corporation and Steelcase which had dropped by 33 percent and 28% respectively. The furniture industry is at its maturity stage, thus Innovation is crucial to the company’s survival. If Herman Miller continues to successfully innovate, it will enable them to compete in the market strongly. The industry had been negatively impacted telecommunication which had reduced the need office furniture. Yet, more employees were spending more hours in front of the computer screens than ever before. Because of Herman Miller’s effective innovation, they were able to respond to the need of ergonomically correct office furniture that had helped to decrease fatigue and injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. In summary, the company does not need to radically alter its main strategy which focuses more on innovation and diversification as it’s the reason they were not dramatically hit by recessions and competitions among the rivals. 3. Recommendation: i. Reduced current benefit and incentive schemes There are several incentives that had been eliminated by Herman Miller’s management due to the economic downturn in 2009. The suspend of 401(k) contribution plans (saving contribution plan), cut-off 15 percent of current workforce and 10 percent reduction in salary for remaining workforce had been implemented during the crisis. However the pay cuts was discontinued because of Herman Miller’s quick turnaround. The company was stable starting the year 2011, but the selling, general, and administrative were the highest contribution of the operating expenses. Specifically, â€Å"†¦$3. million and $16. 6 million of additional operating expenses during fiscal 2011 due to the reinstatement of all of our employee benefits and employee incentive expenses† (Herman Miller’s Annual Report, 2011). The company believed that the large benefit and incentives had created motivated and skilful employees which are the key of its competitive advantage. Even though the company has increased in sales as compared to the year 2010, it is important to cut the costs by eliminating some of the less important incentives schemes and benefits such as $100 rebate on a bike purchase, concierge services and one-site services to name a few. Previously, the company had eliminated the 401(k) contribution plan so that they could stop providing some percentage on the employees’ contribution. It is crucial since it could allow the company to save a significant amount of money in the long run (Richardson, 2009). It can be done by communicating the problems and issues which need to be addressed to the staff before they get out of hand. Address the problems proportionately and regular communication could make the staff be aware on their role to support the company throughout the economy downturn. By having it, the staff might accept the decision positively and provide effort to help the company to fully recover after the recession (‘Recession Business Cost Cutting†, 2013). ii. Reduction in company’s cost of sales According to Herman Miller’s Annual Report (2011), the increase in cost of sales for the year 2011 was due to the increase in sales volume that was driven primarily by cost leverage on higher production, which was partially offset by deeper discounting, higher employee benefit and incentive costs, and higher costs of key direct materials, most notably steel and steel components. Besides that, the cost of direct material increased as compared to previous years which there was increase in the cost of commodities and the increase in discounting, which has the effect of reducing net sales The costs of certain manufacturing materials used in producing finished products are sensitive to the volatility of commodity market price. The cost of direct labor and overhead were increased due to increase in product volume while the cost of freight expenses had increased during the year because of increase in product volume as well as increase in fuel costs in 2011. First recommendation to cut the cost of sales in terms of direct material is substituting lower cost material where possible to replace the expensive one and each angle should be considered for better decision. For example, the substitution of carbon steel to replace expensive stainless steel could reduce the cost but the corrosion protection might not last longer. This method should be applied if only the benefit from the substitution is higher than the cost of reduction in quality (Lewis, n. d. ). Second recommendation is by eliminating unnecessary product features to reduce cost. The company should produce a product that really suits customers’ preferences in buying their products. For example, the company should identify whether customers are purchasing its products because of their unique looks, lower price or high quality. If customers buy the products because of their lower price, unique features may not be needed (Lewis, n. d. ). Third recommendation which is the most effective one is by hedging the price of the steel through futures contract. According to Herman Miller’s Annual Report (2011): The company believes market prices for commodities in the near term may move higher and acknowledges that over time increases on its key direct materials and assembly components are likely. Consequently, it views the prospect of such increases as an outlook risk to the business† (p. 34). By locking the price in the contract, it could eliminate any risk of price volatility (â€Å"Hedging in Practice†, 2013). For example, if there is a huge possibility that the price of steel will increase in a certain period of time. Due to that, the company will engage in future contract and lock-in the price for a specific period in the future. Regardless of increase in steel price, the company is eligible to buy the commodity at a lower lock-in price as stated in the agreed future contract. Conclusion Herman Miller Inc. has implemented different strategies in order to improve its performance and expand its self in furniture market, such as diversified strategy, broad differentiation strategy, green marketing, product development and innovation. In addition, besides focusing on those strategies to achieve the business goals, the company also concerns about how it communicates and treat its employees. â€Å"All workers as individuals ith special talents and potential† can be considered as one of the healthy culture at Herman Miller since 1927 and the Company continued to generate respect for all employees and fueled the quest to tap diversity of gifts and skills held by all. According to one of the verse in chapter 42 of the Qur’an: â€Å"Those who hearken to their Lord, and establish regular Prayer; who (cond uct) their affairs by mutual Consultation; who spend out of what We bestow on them for Sustenance† (Quran 42:38) The verse above explains the importance of mutual consent in making a decision. Islam encourages Muslims to decide their affairs by consulting with those who will be affected by the decision. Thus, in the case of Herman Miller, it empowers its employees and nurture participative decision making so that the employees feel as part of the company. Surviving in matured furniture industry and the economic volatility such as recession, demand full cooperation from the whole organization. It is not easy to integrate the diverse nature of employees with different backgrounds and behaviors to achieve goal congruence. Thus, Herman Miller’s healthy culture leads to its employee’s readiness to accept any relevant decision by Herman Miller such as cutting their salaries as the employees work with Herman Miller and not just work for it. Furthermore, in term of design value, the designer team of Herman Miller always emphasized on quality, excellence, and the continual improvement of their products. â€Å"At Herman Miller the products we made decade ago are still sold after today, and products we make today we will do for a decade to come. † All in all, Herman Miller should pursue its current strategies and continue to expand those strategies such as product innovation, diversification and so on. We believe that these strategies have made and will make Herman Miller one of an outstanding and award winning Company. They will continue to provide the Company with the ability to renew and reinvent itself in the furniture market and outperform its rivals in the future. From the explanation above, it gives us a broad view of how the company’s long-term strategy and objective affects all their business: from product design to decision-making process to the culture of the Company.