5 senses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

5 senses - Essay Example When you wash your hair using touch, you can feel the shampoo on your hands. You can feel the warm water running down through your hair. You can feel the running of your fingers through your hair as you massage the lathered up shampoo in your hair. When you use the sense of smell while washing your hair, you can smell the aroma of the shampoo. Whether it be fruity or a subtle lavender smell, your nose will pick up on the scent and send signals to the brain telling you what that smell is. It is a nice clean smell and every product that you use on your hair whether it be shampoo, conditioner, detangler or some other kind, will have some sort of scent. When using the sense of hearing, we can hear a lot of different sounds. When washing the hair, you can hear the shampoo as it squirts into your hand as you squeeze the bottle. You can hear the water trickle down through your hair as it hits the floor of the shower or bath tub. As for the sense of sight, you can see the shampoo or conditioner when you are washing your hair. You see the steam rising up in the shower or bath tub. You can see everything around you and only when you get that shampoo in your eye and you try to rub it out, is your sense of sight kind of blurry. There are several ways that the senses can be used when washing your hair. When we take in what exactly we are feeling and being mindful of using our senses, only then do we get the full experience. Sometimes life is just too busy to recognize what it is our senses are doing but we do know that they are at work or otherwise we would not even know we were having our hair

Revolutionary Mothers Essay Example for Free

Revolutionary Mothers Essay Women of varying races and classes experienced the American Revolution in different ways. Loyalist women over-estimated the power of their class position, Native American women would see their power within their societies diminish, and African American slave women saw their hope for power through freedom subsumed by racial inequality. Regardless of the relative positions of power for each of these classes of women, their experiences as victims of war were similar. The chaos of war and a changing political system left few women, if any, truly better off it its wake. Enslaved African American women, those with the least amount of social or political power before the American Revolution, were taunted with promises of freedom from British office holders and eventually British generals. However, these promises only came to fruition for a fraction of the tens of thousands of slaves who left their masters in search of freedom. Dunmore’s Proclamation of 1775 enticed slaves to fight for the British Army in exchange for freedom. Dunmore’s â€Å"Ethiopian Regiment† met with disaster through disease and capture. Half of the regiment and its female followers died of smallpox (124). When the regiment was captured by Americans, thirty people were sold back into slavery in the Caribbean as an example of what would happen to slaves who sided with the British (124). Four thousand slaves, men, women, and children, fled with General Cornwallis. When he was forced to surrender Charleston to the Americans, many of the slaves who were with him were sent to NY and eventually to freedom in Canada (125). Not all those who encountered the British Army were freed. When General Henry Clinton ordered that Patriot personal property be confiscated, that included slaves. Clinton treated these slaves as property of the British Army and forced women to do the soldier’s laundry and help build fortifications (127). African American women who did manage to escape to Canada, were victims of racial hierarchy. The best lands available went to white refugees rather than black refugees. Those who made it to Canada were subject to  violence from whites when they stepped outside of their accustomed economic and social roles (129). There are regional differences for African American women who did not did not flee during British promises of freedom. Gradual abolition in the North meant opportunities for freedom. However, these opportunities were limited by racial hierarchy. In the South, farmers and plantation owners relied on slave labor to rebuild the agrarian economy in the wake of the Revolutionary War (133). As slavery became further entrenched in the Southern economy and culture, freedom became nearly impossible. Of the tens of thousands of slaves who fled, the British formally granted only 1300 men, 914 women, and 740 children freedom (129). Many white loyalist women also escaped to Canada. However, many elite loyalist women overestimated the power granted to them by their class standing. Loyalist women left behind when their husbands went to fight for the British were powerless to prevent patriots from taking their property and removing them from their homes. Elite women’s marriages, property, children, and mere presence were politicized (98). Women who chose to flee or who fled to escape the violence of the patriots were unwanted burdens on their enemies and allies alike (100). Not all loyalist women were hapless victims. Those who chose to act as individual political agents by aiding British soldiers and passing intelligence forced an alteration to the American’s language surrounding traitors. Treason laws which previously read, â€Å"he,† were changed to include both men and women (103). Women who fled invariably faced hardships in the harsh travelling conditions. Wealthier women fared better than those of modest means. Wealthy women were more likely to survive the journey to Canada and find adequate shelter once they arrived. Women of less means lived in tents during harsh winters and faced starvation. By the end of the war, the elite social classes were rebuilding their societal structure in Canada (106). Though many were still bitter about losing their farms and possessions, they made a gentrified society out of the relative wilderness of Canada (106). Native American women lost the most in terms of position and power during the American Revolution. Women were an integral part of the political decision making process in Native American nations. Women leaders of the  Mohawk, Cherokee, and Munsee Delaware sought to coexist with white settlers, none were successful. Molly Brant, mistress to British Indian Agent William Johnson held considerable sway with both Mohawk and British. She relied upon for her diplomatic skills and remained loyal to her husband’s British background even after his death in 1774 (111). Nancy War attempted to keep the peace between Cherokee and white settlers from her position on the Cherokee General Council and as leader of the Women’s Council (115). When negotiating a treaty with white settlers, Queen Esther Montour of the Munsee Delaware suggested the white man with who she was negotiating take the proposed treaty back for him women to read. He was incredulous at the idea that his women would have anything to say in political matters (116). None of these women had â€Å"counterparts in American colonial society† (118). White men who wanted to trade or negotiate with Native Americans were forced to deal with women in positions of power. Molly Brant took political action when she warned her brother of American soldiers intent on providing support at Fort Stanwix. Her efforts made her an enemy to the Americans and an enemy of the Oneida, a tribe once united in Confederacy with her own Mohawk. Molly’s home war raided and she was forced to flee. At the end of the war, like so many other women, she was exiled to the relative safety of Canada. British men came to respect women like Molly Brant. However, it was much more common for European men to view the gender structure of Native American society as abhorrence against God’s natural law. Once America had secured its independence, Native American women’s positions of power within their cultures was subsumed by assimilation efforts of the new American nation. Native Americans refashioned their societies in the face of threats and pressures from Americans who pushed European norms onto Native Americans. The spiritual and political roles for women were lost in these efforts (119). Although these groups of women started out in very different circumstances before the war, and ended with different social circumstances, they shared a common thread of the necessity to flee. They even often shared a common location of safety and freedom: Canada. None of these women had a place of freedom or power within the new American Republic. Many more slaves remained as such than gained freedom during the American Revolution. Elite women  eventually regained status lost during the Revolution, but in a new, harsher land. Native American women’s social and political positions were devastated by the results of the American Revolution. Just as their nations slowly lost their sovereignty and autonomy, so did Native American women lose their power and freedom within their communities.

Structural Sociologists vs Interpretive Sociologists Essay examples --

Is it true that structural sociologists use only quantitative methods while interpretive sociologists use only qualitative methods? The methods that sociologists use to conduct their research vary and can depend on practical considerations such as suitability of the method, and theoretical considerations such as the sociologist’s theoretical position. Interpretive sociologists focus on the meanings and definitions which guide and direct behaviour, they claim that understanding human behaviour involves seeing the world through the eyes of those being studied. Structural sociologists can be called positivists. Positivist sociology models itself on the natural sciences such as physics, it is concerned with behaviour that can be directly observed and quantified e.g. the number of visits to the doctors in one year. It attempts to explain human behaviour by discovering cause and effect relationships e.g. Durkheim claimed he had found a causal relationship between social isolation and suicide. Interpretivists use a range of research methods. They often use unstructu...

A Comparison of Hubris in Catcher in the Rye, Scarlet Letter, and Great Gatsby :: compare and contrast essay examples

Hubris in the Protagonists of Catcher in the Rye, Scarlet Letter, and Great Gatsby       Aristotle praised Sophocles' King Oedipus as the definitive Greek tragedy; however, he could not have surmised the influence of Oedipus' tragic pride on modern day literature and philosophy. Hubris, the only true crime, has had a threefold influence: it is a reason for downfall as well as a characteristic of criminal motivation; it is manifested in the diverse protagonists of Salinger, Fitzgerald, and Hawthorne; and it is forgiven only by repentance for wrongdoing and the complete surrender of pride.    The erroneous idea that pride is only a predominant characteristic of crime, rather than a crime itself, would put tragic hero Oedipus on the same level as serial killer Charles Manson: while both are guilty of committing heinous acts, Oedipus relinquishes his pride and, ironically suffering under his own proclamation of exile, does penance for his crimes, whereas Manson shows no remorse for his vile and disturbing bloodletting. Oedipus' ultimate repentance is proof that he realizes his hubris and understands his mistakes, as irreparable as they may be.    All human filthiness in one crime compounded! Unspeakable acts-I speak no more of them. Hide me at once, for God's love, hide me away... Touch me, and have no fear. On no man else But on me alone is the scourge of my punishment. (64)    Had Oedipus sought to blame another for his crimes, or denied his own responsibility for his actions, he would have been no nobler than a common criminal; Oedipus is redeemed by his strength of character.    The hamartia of hubris lives on 2500 years after Aristotle lauded King Oedipus as the quintessential Greek tragedy; pride has evolved into an integral characteristic of the majority of literary characters from J.D. Salinger's angry, disillusioned Holden Caulfield to F. Scott Fitzgerald's idealistic Jay Gatsby to Nathaniel Hawthorne's tortured Reverend Dimmesdale.    Holden's pride in his sarcastic perception of the world around him perpetuates his cynicism and frustration with life, making him unrealistic and incapable of finding happiness. He believes himself omniscient, and that other "people never notice anything" (Salinger 9). Oedipus' belief in his own infallibility makes him equally unrealistic; soon after Oedipus' sins are revealed, the chorus of Elders conveys a Holden-esque message of discontent:    All generations of mortal man add up to nothing! Show me the man whose happiness was anything more than illusion

Twain’s problematic ending of Huck Finn

The adventures of Huckleberry Finn is known as one novel that has brought controversy from the time it was published in the year 1884 (Pearl par 1). It was banned in major public libraries many referring to it as â€Å"trash. † Currently, many regard it as a classical American novel though others still critic it in one area or the other. It is a novel from where â€Å"all modern literature† was derived and modern scholars and critics now treats it as great work of art in America (Pearl par. 1). Perhaps the greatest irony is that though it received great criticism, of all the MT’s novels, it is the one that sold most immediately when it was published. Hunk Finn, as it is commonly referred to, is set in the Mississippi river town of St. Petersburg, Missouri and the various locations along that river through Arkansas (SparkNotes, screen 21). The major conflict in the novel is portrayed as the main character (protagonist), Huck struggles with a society (antagonist) that is trying to civilize him. The conflict is also intensified as Hunk deals with Jim who is a black slave; since Hunk must decide whether to reject Jim and please the society or protect him and follow his conscience. This essay shows that Twain’s ending of the novel betrays the true subject of the work. The novel ends with the three boys Huck, Tom and Jim escaping from a shed where they had been surrounded by about fifteen farmers guarding Jim, the black slave (Twain 361). They make a hole in the wall to escape but as they does, Tom makes some noise and what follows is the shooting that leaves a bullet in Tom’s leg who portrays himself a hero. However, Huck and Jim are concerned about the condition of the leg and upon Jim’s suggestion; they go to look for a doctor. This only worsens things for Jim who is captured by the locals and is chained as they bring Tom home on a mattress accompanied by the doctor. By this time Huck has already run home having left the two boys alone. The locals have decided to hang Jim though no one does it as they are afraid of compensating the slave owner. They are therefore left with no other option than to treat Jim roughly until the time when the doctor comes and saves him by explaining that it is him who in fact saved Tom’s leg from deteriorating by nursing him (Twain 377). When Tom however learns that Jim was still in chains, he reveals to them that in fact Jim had already been set free thus was no longer a slave. This allows the reader to glimpse the character trait of Tom. Though he had known all along that Miss Wanton who had died two months earlier had set Jim free in her will, he did not say it because he felt that they needed to device a good plan to rescue Jim. If he had said it earlier, Jim could not have gone through the sufferings that he had experienced. Huck arrived and on enquiring from Tom what he would do if Jim was freed; he replied that he planned to repay Jim for all his troubles and sending him off as a hero. And he said, what he had planned in his head from the start, if we got Jim out all safe, was for us to run him down the river on the raft, and have adventures plumb to the mouth of the river, and then tell him about his being free, and take him back up home on a steamboat, in style, and pay him for his lost time, and write word ahead and get out all the niggers around, and have them waltz him into town with a torchlight procession and a brass-band, and then he would be a hero, and so would we (Twain 387). The Phelpses and Aunt Polly release Jim and feed him on hearing that he helped the doctor to nurse Tom. He is also given forty dollars as a payment for all his troubles (Twain 387). Tom and Huck are not through with their adventure and plan to go for another one to the Indian territories. Huck thinks that Pap had taken all the money but it is Jim who informs him that in fact the dead man he had seen in a floating house was Pap (a cruel and drunk father). It is clear that though the writer of the novel was initially heading to the right direction in his writing, he â€Å"looses focus† (it may have been intentionally) as he comes to end of the novel in the way he presents the relationship between Huck and Jim. All along, the two boys had been together passing through hardships and challenges during their adventure. They are seen doing different things together; for example have to hide the inheritance of the Silk sisters in a coffin away from the greedy â€Å"King† and â€Å"Duke. Huck even comes to a time when he had to decide whether to give the remaining Gherkin (food) from his provisions to Jim or take it himself (Paine Par. 20). Therefore every reader expects Huck’s emotional attachment with Jim to grow. However when Tom appears, a different picture is portrayed with Huck remaining quiet when, they endanger Jim’s life by not telling Phelpses that Jim had already been released by the former Slave master and instead decides to device a plan as part of their adventure. When Jim goes to get the doctor, Huck leaves and runs to his uncle’s place leaving his friend. So then I crept into a lumber-pile to get some sleep; and next time I waked up the sun was away up over my head! I shot out and went for the doctor's house, but they told me he'd gone away in the night some time or other, and warn't back yet. Well, thinks I, that looks powerful bad for Tom, and I'll dig out for the island right off. So away I shoved, and turned the corner, and nearly rammed my head into Uncle Silas's stomach! (Twain 367). The other problem arises because though the novel’s subject is directed to the theme of freedom, at the end Jim who is supposed to be free is not still free. This can be attributed to the mistake that Tom made though intentionally. Jim, who has been technically free for all that time they were in the adventure, is still bound in chains, first in the home of Phelpses before the escape and then by the locals who captured him when he went to bring the doctor who would treat Tom. It is ridiculous that Miss Wanton can not set Jim free when she is alive and has to wait till she dies and does it in her will. Old Miss Watson died two months ago, and she was ashamed she ever was going to sell him down the river, and said so; and she set him free in her will. â€Å"(Twain 383) In conclusion, it is clear that the work of Mark Twain was based on the theme of racism, slavery and freedom thus different readers can critic it using different views. The plot flows smoothly from the beginning but the problem arises in the ending as the reader is left wondering why there is no development in Huck’s character -who is the protagonist and who is supposed to develop in all areas as the plot develops.

The History of Chemical Explosives

The History of Chemical Explosives An explosion can be defined as the rapid expansion of a material or device that exerts a sudden pressure on its surroundings. It can be caused by one of three things: a chemical reaction that occurs during conversion of elemental compounds, a mechanical or physical impact, or a nuclear reaction on the atomic/subatomic level. Gasoline exploding when ignited is a chemical explosion brought about by the sudden conversion of a hydrocarbon to carbon dioxide and water. The explosion that occurs when meteor strikes the earth is a mechanical explosion. And a nuclear warhead explosion is the result of the nucleus of a radioactive substance, like plutonium, suddenly splitting apart in an uncontrolled fashion. But it is chemical explosives that are the most common form of explosives in human history, used both for creative/commercial and destructive effect. The strength of a given explosive is measured that the rate of expansion it exhibits during detonation. Lets look briefly at some common chemical explosives. Black Powder It is unknown who invented the first explosive black powder. Black powder, also known as gunpowder, is a mixture of saltpeter (potassium nitrate), sulfur, and charcoal (carbon). It originated in China around in the ninth century and was in wide use throughout Asia and Europe by the end of the 13th century. It was commonly used in fireworks and signals, as well as in mining and building operations. Black powder is the oldest form of ballistic propellant and it was used with early muzzle-type firearms and other artillery uses. In 1831, William Bickford an English leather merchant invented the first safety fuse. Using a safety fuse made black powder explosives more practical and safer. But because black powder is messy explosive, by the end of the 18th century it was replaced by high explosives and by cleaner smokeless powder explosives, such as what is currently used in firearm ammunition. Black powder is categorized as a low explosive because it expands and subsonic speeds when it detonates. High explosives, by contract, expand as supersonic speeds, thereby creating much more force. Nitroglycerin Nitroglycerin is a chemical explosive that was discovered by Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero in 1846. It was the first explosive developed that was more powerful than black powder, Nitroglycerin is a mix of nitric acid, sulphuric acid, and glycerol, and it is highly volatile. Its inventor, Sobrero, warned against its potential dangers, but Alfred Nobel adopted it as a commercial explosive in 1864. Several serious accidents, however, caused pure liquid nitroglycerin to be widely banned, leading to Nobels eventual invention of dynamite. Nitrocellulose In 1846, Chemist Christian Schonbein discovered nitrocellulose, also called guncotton, when he accidentally spilled a mixture of potent nitric acid on a cotton apron and the apron exploded as it dried. Experiments by Schonbein and others quickly established a means of manufacturing guncotton safely, and because it had a clean, explosive power almost six times greater than black powder, it quickly was adopted for use as means for propelling projectiles in weapons.   TNT In 1863, TNT or Trinitrotoluene was invented by German chemist Joseph Wilbrand. Originally formulated as a yellow dye, its explosive properties were not immediately evident. Its stablity was such that it could be safely poured into shell casings, and in the early 20th century it came into standard usage for German and British military munitions. Considered a high explosive, TNT is still in common use by the U.S. military and by construction companies around the world.   Blasting Cap In 1865, Alfred Nobel invented the blasting cap. The blasting cap provided a safer and dependable means of detonating nitroglycerin. Dynamite In 1867, Alfred Nobel patented dynamite, a high explosive that consisted of a mixture of three parts nitroglycerine, one part diatomaceous earth (ground silica rock) as an absorbent, and a small amount of sodium carbonate antacid as a stabilizer. The resultant mixture was considerably safer than pure nitroglycerine, as well as being much more powerful than black powder. Other materials are now used as the absorbent and stabilizing agents, but dynamite remains the premier explosive for use in commercial mining and construction demolition. Smokeless Powders In 1888, Alfred Nobel invented a dense smokeless powder explosive called ballistite. In 1889, Sir James Dewar and Sir Frederick Abel invented another smokeless gunpowder called cordite. Cordite was made of  nitroglycerin, guncotton, and a petroleum substance gelatinized by addition of acetone. Later variations of these smokeless powders form the propellant for most modern firearms and artillery. Modern Explosives Since 1955, a variety of additional high explosives has been developed. Created mostly for military use, they also have commercial applications, such as in deep drilling operations.  Explosives such as nitrate-fuel oil mixtures or ANFO and ammonium nitrate-base water gels now account for seventy percent of the explosives market. These explosives come in various types including: HMXRDXHNIWONC

Exclusion Restrictions in Instrumental Variables

Exclusion Restrictions in Instrumental Variables In many fields of study, including statistics and economics, researchers rely on valid exclusion restrictions when they are estimating outcomes using either instrumental variables (IV) or exogenous variables. Such calculations are often used to analyze the causal effect of a binary treatment. Variables and Exclusion Restrictions Loosely defined, an exclusion restriction is considered valid so long as the independent variables do not directly affect the dependent variables in an equation. For example, researchers rely on randomization of the sample population in order to ensure comparability across the treatment and control groups. At times, however, randomization is not possible. This may for any number of reasons, such as lack of access to suitable populations or budgetary restrictions. In such cases, the best practice or strategy is to rely on an instrumental variable. Simply put, the method of using instrumental variables is utilized to estimate causal relationships when a controlled experiment or study is simply not feasible. Thats where valid exclusion restrictions come into play.   When researchers employ instrumental variables, they rely on two primary assumptions. The first is that the excluded instruments are distributed independently of the error process. The other is that the excluded instruments are sufficiently correlated with the included endogenous regressors. As such, the specification of an IV model states that the excluded instruments affect the independent variable only indirectly.   As a result, exclusion restrictions are considered observed variables that impact treatment assignment, but not the outcome of interest conditional on treatment assignment. If, on the other hand, an excluded instrument is shown to exert both direct and indirect influences on the dependent variable, the exclusion restriction should be rejected. The Importance of Exclusion Restrictions In simultaneous equation systems or a system of equations, exclusion restrictions are critical. The simultaneous equation system is a finite set of equations in which certain assumptions are made. Despite its importance to the solution of the system of equations, the validity of an exclusion restriction cannot be tested as the condition involves an unobservable residual. Exclusion restrictions are often imposed intuitively by the researcher who must then convince of the plausibility of those assumptions, meaning that the audience must believe the researcher’s theoretical arguments that support the exclusion restriction. The concept of exclusion restrictions denotes that some of the exogenous variables are not in some of the equations. Often this idea is expressed by saying the coefficient next to that exogenous variable is zero. This explanation may make this restriction (​hypothesis) testable and may make a simultaneous equation system identified. Sources Schmidheiny, Kurt. Short Guides to Microeconometrics: Instrumental Variables.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Schmidheiny.name. Fall 2016.University of Manitoba Rady Faculty of Health Sciences staff. Introduction to Instrumental Variables. UManitoba.ca.

PreACT Practice Tests Where to Find Them and How to Prep

PreACT Practice Tests Where to Find Them and How to Prep SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Getting ready to take the PreACT? Then you might be wondering whether you should prep for it- and what resources you can use. Is there a PreACT practice test you can take? What kinds of PreACT resources does ACT, Inc. offer? Keep reading to learn why it’s a good idea to lightly prep for the PreACT, and get a comprehensive list of the best PreACT practice tests and materials you can use in your studying. Why You Should Prep for the PreACT The PreACT was created to act as an ACT practice test for 10th graders. Because your PreACT score does not count toward any grades and is not reported to colleges, you’re generally not expected to prep too hard (if at all) for the exam. That said, it can be a good idea to do some light prep, especially if your ultimate goal is to achieve a high score on the ACT. The PreACT is very similar to the ACT in content and form, so preparing for it essentially gives you a head start on ACT prep. As a result, you might not need to study as hard for the ACT when you take it the following year as an 11th grader. Most importantly, however, prepping for the PreACT is simply a great way to familiarize yourself with the ACT. Since you'll take the PreACT as a 10th grader, you'll learn early on what to expect on the ACT and can thus reduce the pressure you'll likely feel when taking the ACT for the first time. Now that you know why it’s a smart idea to prep a little for the PreACT, what are the best resources you can use in your studying? Let's start with the best of the best: official ACT, Inc. materials. Official PreACT Practice Tests Unfortunately, there are no official PreACT practice tests. In fact, the ACT, Inc. website doesn’t offer any PreACT prep material whatsoever (such as practice questions or content guides). Instead, all it has are some general PreACT-related PDFs and PowerPoints detailing things like the format of the test and why sophomores should take it. The likely reason for this lack of PreACT practice materials is that ACT, Inc. doesn’t want students to feel the need to prep extensively for the PreACT. (Remember, the PreACT is simply a practice test for the ACT, so your score won't count for anything!) Another probable reason is that, because ACT, Inc. already provides test takers with so many materials for the ACT, there’d be no point in making separate PreACT resources. In terms of free ACT materials, ACT, Inc. offers a wide variety of questions and tests- which you can also use for your PreACT prep. But before you use any of these to study for the PreACT, make sure you’re aware of the three main differences between the PreACT and ACT. These are as follows: The PreACT is shorter than the ACT: While the ACT is about three to three and a half hours long (depending on whether you take the optional Writing section), the PreACT is a mere two hours and 10 minutes long. The PreACT is easier than the ACT: Because the PreACT targets 10th graders and the ACT targets 11th and 12th graders, the PreACT uses a slightly easier difficulty than the ACT does. Consequently,the maximum score on the PreACT is 35, compared with 36 on the ACT. The PreACT does not have an essay section:Unlike the ACT, which offers an optional essay section,the PreACT does not contain any such section. Now let’s take a look at the official ACT resources you can use for your PreACT prep, as well as how to use them effectively. Rule #1 for using these resources effectively: don't accidentally feed them to your shredder. Free Official ACT Practice Tests At present, there are six official, full-length ACT practice tests available for free online. Since the ACT hasn’t changed much over the years, all of these tests should be helpful for your studying: ACT Practice Test 2018-19 (Form 74FPRE) ACT Practice Test 2015-16 (Form 72CPRE) ACT Practice Test 2014-15 (Form 67C) ACT Practice Test 2011-12 (Form 64E) ACT Practice Test 2008-09 (Form 61C) ACT Practice Test 2005-06 (Form 59F) The reason a few years are missing from these tests is that ACT, Inc. uses the same practice test for a few years before it releases a new one. For example, the 2015-16 practice test is the exact same as the 2016-17 and 2017-18 practice tests. In order to use these practice tests effectively, take themas if you were taking the real ACT. This means you'll need to take each test in a quiet place without any distractions. Also, it's important to take the entire test in one sitting.This way, you'll get a more accurate reflection of your scoring ability and can begin building up your stamina for both PreACT and ACT test day. Finally, be sure to time yourself in accordance with official ACT time limits.Because the ACT is longer than the PreACT is and contains slightly harder questions, these practice tests will be a little more challenging than the actual PreACT will be. But this isn't a bad thing- in fact, it means you'll be extra prepared for the PreACT! Free Official ACT Practice Questions If you’re looking for individual practice questions instead of practice tests, ACT, Inc. also offers a ton of sample ACT questions on its website. You’ll get the following number of questions for each ACT section: 75 ACT English questions 60 ACT Math questions 48 ACT Reading questions 40 ACT Science questions Altogether, these sample questions form a complete ACT practice test (plus eight extra Reading questions). This is equal to aboutone and a half PreACT tests. What’s nice about this resource is that you can easily skip around to focus on certain sections should you want to target specific skills for the PreACT. Although you can also use these sample questions as a full-length practice test, note that they aren’t available on paper- just online- which will make your practice less realistic. Furthermore, be aware that ACT, Inc. sets up these questions in a slightly bizarre format in which you are shown the correct answers after you answer only a handful of questions. This setup makes it difficult to take the whole test in one sitting (and nearly impossible to use official ACT time limits). Paid Official ACT Practice Tests Aside from the free materials above, ACT, Inc. offers some paid ACT practice tests for those who'd like to squeeze in more official ACT/PreACT practice: The Official ACT Prep Guide 2019-2020:This is the most recent version of the ACT's official prep book. It includes five complete practice tests, as well as 400 additional online questions (some of which are reused from the free resources above).While you won’t get much content help with this guide, it’s an excellent resource for additional practice tests. It costs about $23 on Amazon. ACT Online Prep Program: This official online program offers onecompletely unique, full-length ACT practice test.The actual prep part of the program isn’t that helpful, so it’s best to use this just for the practice test. The program costs $39.95. These next resources are as free as this escaped chicken feels. Free Unofficial PreACT Practice Tests Similar to how there are no official PreACT practice tests, there are no unofficial PreACT practice tests available for free online.Because the PreACT is a practice ACT and is so similar to the ACT, most test-prep companies and websites see no point in creating separate PreACT practice tests. So what can you use instead? Luckily, there are tons of free unofficial ACT practice tests you can use for PreACT prep. As is the case with all prep materials, some of these practice tests are good quality, and some aren’t so great. Therefore, it's best toprioritize official ACT materials. In addition, remember that since these are ACT practice tests- not PreACT tests- you can expect there to be more questions that are a little harder than what you’ll see on the PreACT. Below are our picks for the best unofficial ACT practice tests you can use in your PreACT prep, as well as tips for using each resource effectively. Ivy Global Ivy Global’s ACT practice test is by far one of the most realistic unofficial ACT tests available for free online. Visually, it looks almost identical to an official ACT practice test. Unlike other unofficial tests, which are typically only available online, this resource is a downloadable PDF, meaning that you can take it on paper- just as you will for the actual PreACT and ACT. Pros Most questions are very similar to those you’ll see on the ACTin terms of both quality and difficulty. The test is completely free to download and use- you don’t need to make an account or provide any personal information in order to access it. Because the test is a PDF, you can print it out and take it on paper- the same way you’ll take the PreACT (and eventually ACT). This ensures you’ll have realistic test-taking practice. Cons There are no answer explanations for the test; instead, all you get isan answer key (which is included with the test). This lack of guidance makes it difficult to determine exactlywhy you got certain questions wrong. How to Use This Resource Effectively Because this resource is one of the best unofficial ACT practice tests out there, I recommend taking it in its entirety as you would with an official practice test. Again, you'll want torecreate a realistic test-taking setting bytaking it ina quiet room and following all official ACT time limits. Finally, remember that this test still isn't as good as an official practice test, so only take it once you’ve exhausted all official ACT resources. Kaplan Kaplan- a pretty big name in the test-prep world- offers one free full-length ACT practice test when you sign up for an account on their website. This test is only offered on certain dates and at specific times, so check that the time you choose works with your schedule before registering. Pros Kaplan is known for having somewhat easier ACT practice questions and generally targets those who are new to the test. While this would be a con for those prepping for the ACT, it’sa huge plus for those prepping for the PreACT. Because the PreACT is supposed to be a little easier than the ACT is, this lower difficulty level actually works in your favor! Along with the test itself, you’ll get a breakdown of your results and an overview of which skills and areas you could improve. This is useful for figuring out what you should focus on in your PreACT prep. Cons You have to sign up for an account, which is a little annoying, especially if you don’t plan to utilize Kaplan’s other services. The free test is only offered at certain times and on certain days, meaning there’s very little flexibility in when you can take the practice test. The practice test is offered online, so the test-taking experience won’t be that realistic (both the PreACT and ACT are given on paper, not via a computer). How to Use This Resource Effectively If you’ve already taken all official ACT practice tests and the Ivy Global one but still want additional PreACT practice, this is a helpful test to take, particularlyif you'd like to know the specific areas you should zero in on in your prep. Additionally, make sure you’ve looked at your schedule ahead of time so that nothing will interfere with the time of the free test you sign up for. If possible, try to sign up for a morning ACT practice test,since that’s the time you’ll most likely be taking the PreACT at school. I know you hate getting up early, but I promise it'll help you feel more prepared for the PreACT! The Princeton Review Like Kaplan, The Princeton Review- another popular test-prep company- offers a free online ACT practice testwhen you sign up for an account on their website. Pros The Princeton Review is known for making conceptually easier ACT questions- but this will work in your favor since the PreACT is slightly easier than the ACT is. The free practice test can be taken at any time, so it’s pretty convenient. Once you finish taking the test, you’ll get a score report that goes over your strengths and weaknesses. This information is particularly helpful if you hope to eventually score highly on the ACT as well. Cons You have tosign up for an account in order to access the free test. Doing so automatically signs you up to receive emails from The Princeton Review; however, you can disable this at any time. Because the test is an online test, you won’t get that realistic test-taking experience you’d get with a paper test. How to Use This Resource Effectively Like the Kaplan test above, I suggest taking this test only after you’ve exhausted all official ACT resources and the (unofficial) Ivy Global PDF. Since you can take this test anytime, make sure to carve out at least four hours for it (i.e., the approximate length of the ACT). Also, try to take it in the morning, as most schools administer the PreACT during the first half of the school day. Finally, don't forget to use the timed feature when you take the test; this will help you get used to the pressure of testing under time limits (recall, though, that the PreACT is shorter than the ACT). Bonus:PrepScholar’s List of the Best ACT Practice Tests For even more ACT practice tests you can use in your PreACT prep, check out our extensive guide to the best ACT practice tests.In this guide, we introduce a combination of official and unofficial resources for ACT practice tests, some of which are free and some of which aren't. We also offer a summary of each resource to give you an idea of how helpful it’ll be for your ACT (or PreACT) prep. This article shares some overlap with the resources above, so be sure to look for those you haven’t yet tried. Remember that those resources containing easier ACT questions will be more useful (and more relevant) for your PreACT prep. At the same time, it's OK to avoid any resources that mostly target high scorers on the ACT, since their questions will be much more difficult than those on the PreACT (and possibly even the ACT!). Paid Unofficial PreACT Practice Test Although there are no free unofficial PreACT resources available, there is one paid PreACT practice test resource you can use:a prep book by Mometrix called PreACT Secrets Study Guide: PreACT Test Review for the PreACT Exam. Unlike the resources above, this is an entire book that includes a ton of PreACT practice questions, in addition to a full-length PreACT practice test (finally, not an ACT practice test!). Pros Unlike the other unofficial resources above, which are all geared specifically toward the ACT, this book targets the PreACT itself. Therefore, all the guidance and questions it offers are more similar to what you’ll see on the PreACT (versus the slightly harder ACT). It’s the only resource that contains a full-length PreACT practice test (instead of an ACT practice test).So if you're looking for something similar to the actual PreACT you’ll be taking, this resource is an ideal one to use. Unlike with ACT practice tests, you don’t have to take into account any format differences such as time limits and the number of questions. Cons The overall content review is really not that great. Most of the test-taking tips and section overviews aren’t detailed enough to be useful. This is especially concerning when we consider the fact that those taking the PreACT are completely new to this type of standardized test. The book’s got a lot of inaccuracies. For example, it mentions test centers in its tips section, even though only schools (not test centers!) offer the PreACT. Similarly, it talks about an essay section on the PreACT- but there isn’t one! It’s a pretty expensive book, currently selling for around $37 on Amazon. Since you can get loads of free ACT practice materials that are a lot more accurate (even though they're for the ACT and not the PreACT specifically), this price ultimately doesn’t seem worth it. How to Use This Resource Effectively Even though this is one of the only (if not the only) PreACT practice test resource out there, I don’t recommend buying it. With its multitude of basic inaccuracies and lack of helpful content review, I honestly don’t think it’s worth the $37 price tag. That said, if you’re really, really interested in buying it and want PreACT materials (instead of all ACT materials), go ahead and buy it. Just be aware that you’re only using it for the full-length PreACT practice test it offers, as the content review and tips aren’t that helpful (or even relevant). Taking the PreACT: 4 Essential Tips for Test Day As you know, the PreACT is a practice test for the ACT that's meant to help sophomores get a feel for the form and content of the ACT. Even though your PreACT score doesn't count for anything, it can be helpful to know a few key test-taking skills for test day. This way you won't simply do well on the PreACT but can also get more comfortable with the types of strategies you’ll eventually need for the ACT (or SAT). Below, we go over our top four test-taking tips for the PreACT (you can alsocheck out our ACT version for even more tips). #1: Pace Yourself One very important tip to remember is to pace yourself. Doing this ensures you won’t spend too much time on a single question or move too quickly and end up making careless mistakes. The PreACT contains a total of four sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science. Each section has a different number of questions in it as well as a different time limit. Here is an overview of approximately how long you’ll have per question on each PreACT section: PreACT Section Total Time # of Questions Time per Question 1. English 30 minutes 45 40 seconds 2. Math 40 minutes 36 67 seconds 3. Reading 30 minutes 25 (with 3 passages) 72 seconds 4. Science 30 minutes 30 60 seconds Source: 2017-18 PreACT Administration Manual As you can see, the amount of time you’ll have per question on each section varies. You’ll get the most time per question on the Reading section (72 seconds) and the least amount of time per question on the English section (40 seconds). By being aware of these timing differences, you can effectively avoid wasting time on one question at the beginning of a section and instead use that time to focus on other easier questions. In other words, skipping around on each section to do the easier questions first is perfectly OK- and even recommended! #2: Answer Every Question Like the ACT, there is no point penalty on the PreACT.Your score for each section, as well as your composite score, are all calculated based only on the questions you got right. Here's how PreACT scoring works: for every section, you earn one raw point for each right answer. These points are then converted into a scale score on the final 1-35 score scale. So what does this mean for your test-taking strategy? Because you won’t lose any points for wrong answers, try toanswer every single question on the test. Even if you’re running out of time on a section or have no clue what the correct answer to a question is, go ahead and guess! Most PreACT questions have four answer choices (Math questions have five), so you’ll always have a 20-25% of getting a question right, even if you just randomly select an answer. Who knows, you might get lucky and get every question you guessed right! Unless you're me. #3: Skim the Passages on Reading The PreACT Reading section contains three passages and 25 questions, and has a time limit of 30 minutes. This gives you about 72 seconds to answer each Reading question. But this time per question doesn’t take into account the time you’ll need to read each passage. While most students think they’re required to read the passage in its entirety, this can actually eat up a lot of your time (on both the PreACT and ACT). Instead, it’s far better to skim each passage. This not only saves you time overall but also allows you to spend more time tackling the most challenging questions. As we discuss in our guide to choosing an effective reading strategy for the ACT, here’s how you should approach passages on the PreACT: Read the small blurb at the beginning of the article to get a sense of what the passage will be about Choose one of two possible passage-reading strategies: Option A: Read the questions first and then skim the passage Option B: Skim the passage first and then read the questions Option A is a highly effective method that lets you look for the answers to the questions while you skim the passage. In other words, since you're already familiar with the questions and what they’re asking, you can quickly skim the passage to find those answers. Option B can be very effective, too, particularly if you find it difficult to read the questions before you know anything about the passage they're referring to. Ultimately, it doesn't matter which passage-reading strategy you decide to use- as long as it's one that works well for you and will help you get the PreACT/ACT score you want. I recommend trying out both strategies with official practice ACT Reading tests to see which one suits you better. Whichever method gives you a higher Reading score should be the one you use for the PreACT (and ACT). #4: Plug In Answers and Numbers on Math If you’re stuck on a PreACT Math question because you can’t remember a certain formula or don’t know how to approach it, don’t give up- instead, try plugging in answers and numbers to see if you can find the correct answer that way. But what exactly are these two strategies? Here’s a basic overview: Plug in answers:With this strategy, you'll plug each answer choice into the problem (usually an equation or inequality) to see which one yields the correct result. All Math answer choices are arranged in the order of smallest value to highest value, so you can save time by always starting with the middle answer choice (C or H).This tells you whether you need to work your way up or down to get a smaller or bigger value. Plug in numbers: Use this strategy when you get a question dealing withmultiple variables (i.e., unknown numbers typically represented by letters or symbols). To use it, simply replace all unknown variables with real numbers. This makes the problem easier to solve by letting you work with actual numbers instead of unknown values. For more tips on how to use these two strategies, as well as examples of practice questions, take a look at our guides to plugging in answers and plugging in numbers. Recap: The Best PreACT Practice Test Resources As we've shown you,there simply aren’t that many test-prep materials created solely for the PreACT.That said, you can still prep effectively for the test by taking advantage of an array of ACT practice tests and questions. As with any test prep, it’s best to start with official practice materials (in this case, those created by ACT, Inc.). This ensures you’ll have realistic and highly effective PreACT practice. For additional PreACT practice, feel free to use any of theunofficial ACT practice tests listed above. However, note that because these resources are unofficial, their quality won’t be nearly as high as that of official ACT materials. If you've combed through all the ACT resources listed above and are still dying for something that specifically targets the PreACT, your only option is PreACT Secrets Study Guide. However, with a high price tag of around $50 and tons of inaccuracies, this prep book really isn't worth buying. Even if you've studied hard, you'll still need to know some key test-taking strategies so you can get a high PreACT (and eventually ACT) score. Here are the four tips to keep in mind on test day: Pace yourself, and don't forget that the number of seconds you'll have per question varies with each section of the test Answer every question, even if you have to guess on some For Reading, skim the passages- don't attempt to carefully read each one as this will eat up your time For Math, plug in answers and numbersif there are too many variables or you aren't sure how to solve a problem With that, I wish you the best of luck on the PreACT! What’s Next? Want to learn more about the PreACT? Check out our comprehensive guide to the PreACT test, and learn when you can take the exam (coming soon). Looking for more ACT study materials you can use in your PreACT prep?Take a look at our top picks for ACT prep books, ACT prep websites, and ACT apps, and get advice on how to use them. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Importance of Management in Civil Engineering Essay - 1

Importance of Management in Civil Engineering - Essay Example Management is a leading science domain and routine in managing building companies. It is one of the oldest human activities; it activates human abilities on building investment objects in order to assure necessity for civil engineering purposes. It is good enough reason to take place in management development in civil engineering. As there are too many definitions of management depending on an author, only the most important are offered, namely the most acceptable in civil engineering domain. Remarkable attention is given to managing tasks in civil engineering as well to their correlationsIf we speak about management in civil engineering then the total quality management must be proposed. Total quality management is a business philosophy and accessible way of modern companies around the whole world. It is the most contemporary idea of developing and advancing in all life and work domains. The growing urge of efficient use of the earth's resources such as land, air, water and raw mate rials as well as concentration on efficient design, analysis and maintenance of civil structures requires a better insight in the spatial and temporal patterns of resources and activities (Bean, A.L., 2007). In view of the fact that the parameters of civil engineering today are not only confined to design and construction of structures but due to globalization and privatization of civil engineering organizations now civil engineering emerges as a study, which not only pay attention on construction.

THE IMPACT OF OUTDOOR PLAY ON YOUNG CHILDREN'S SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AGE Dissertation

THE IMPACT OF OUTDOOR PLAY ON YOUNG CHILDREN'S SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AGE 3-5 IN THE EARLY YEARS SETTING - Dissertation Example The various challenges to outdoor were cited as academic focus, lack of time and initiative on the part of parents and availability if indoor distractions like TV, video-games etc. The observational research concluded that the observed children’s outdoor play activities developed, changed and became more innovative, creative and at times gender specific over the period of observation. The findings also showed that there were positive gains like increased communications and interactions with others, increased initiative to participate in activities and increased awareness of the self and environment. These findings therefor indicate that social development is affected by outdoor play and hence there is a need to develop curriculum to increase participation. Additionally, the research also comments on the lack of awareness about the social benefits among the parents and makes recommendations for developing programs for educating them. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction In troduction Introduction and Research Background Research Questions Research Aims Research Strategy Research Significance Chapter 2: Literature Review A Historical Perspective The Value of Play for Young Children’s Social Development Outdoor Play and Social Development Stages and Levels of Outdoor Play Challenges with Outdoor Play Chapter 3: Methodology Research Methodology-Introduction Methodology and Research Process Sample Pilot Testing and Assessing Validity Administration Ethical considerations Chapter 4: Findings and Analysis Introduction Findings A: Survey of Parents and Teachers Findings B: Interview of Parents and Teachers Findings C: Findings from Observational Research Chapter 5: Conclusion List of Figures and Tables Figure1: Teacher’s Perceptions about Time for Outdoor Play Figure 2: Parent’s Perceptions about Time for Outdoor Play Figure 3: Teachers’ Safety Concerns Figure 5: Teachers’ Perceptions on Uniqueness of Benefits of Outdoor Pl ay Figure 6: Parents’ Perceptions on Uniqueness of Benefits of Outdoor Play Figure 7: Teachers’ Perceptions of Benefots of Out Door Play Figure 8: Parents’ Perceptions of Benefots of Out Door Play Figure 9: Teachers’ Perception of how Outdoor Play Leads to Social Development Figure 10: Parents’ Perception of how Outdoor Play Leads to Social Development Figure 11: Teachers’ Perception of Factors Inhibiting Outdoor Play Figure 12: Parents’ Perception of Factors Inhibiting Outdoor Play Figure 13: Teachers’ Recommendations for Outdoor Play Figure 14: Parents’ Recommendations for Outdoor Play Table 1: Perception of the Essential Time To be Spent in Outdoor Play Table 2: Safety Concerns related to Outdoor Play Table 3: Perceptions of Differential Benefits of Outdoor and Indoor Play Table 4: Benefits of Outdoor Play Table: 5: Outdoor Play Activities Leading to Social Development Table 6: Factors Responsible for Lack of Outdoor Play Table 7: Recommended Actions to Increase Outdoor Play List of Appendices Appendix A: Questionnaire for parents and teachers Apendix B: Interview Questionnaire Appendix C: Observation criteria Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction This chapter contains the introduction and background of the research and explains

Fair Shares Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fair Shares - Essay Example Despite (or perhaps because of) your love of all things amphibious, you currently lack the funds to pay each of the others their probable fair share. You will not receive the collection, but wish to receive as much money as possible. You have no knowledge of the amounts in each of the sealed bids, but strongly suspect that Abraham will bid between $10,000.00 and $12,000.00. Soln. As I know that I cannot pay the others their probable fair share and so I won’t be able to win the collection and I also believe that Abraham will bid between $10000 to $12000 than I would think about putting a value that is just below the one that Abraham will put which in this case would be $9999. The reason for putting this value is that it will give me the highest possible fair share without having a chance of winning the items as the fair share that I will get if Abraham bids $10000 and wins it would be: And so the total amount that I will receive would be 2499.75+250.0625=$2749.8125. This is the highest amount that I can win considering that I cannot win the collection and Abraham’s bid will be between 10000 to

Client Brief on AngliCare Australia Research Paper

Client Brief on AngliCare Australia - Research Paper Example (AngliCare 2011). AngliCare is a social welfare organization in Western Australia that provides specialized services to all people ranging from children to the aged, some including family relationship services, foster care, adoption, employment services, community housing and development, etc. AngliCare’s Internal Environment: SWOT Analysis Strengths: The strengths of AngliCare lies in the services they provide, ranging from care for the aged, youth services, family relationship services, disability and carer services, disaster recovery, etc. also, their complete inclusion is a very strong point in their favor, meaning their non judgmental and non discriminatory acceptance of people from all walks of life. Their main motto is to care and they spread this message to all they come across. AngliCare’s organizational and services structures can also be mentioned as one of its strengths. They are comprehensive and well drafted. Weakness: AngliCare is facing issues in its asp ects, such as with some of its events, the volunteers and op shops. They need to work on resolving these to ensure they are not overshadowed by other social welfare agencies. Opportunities: AngliCare covers almost every person from every walk of life who might be facing problems. However, they do not have programs specific to women and children who have faced abuse. Designing programs for women and children in this dire state will be really helpful. Also, they can consider expanding their services to under-developed and developing countries that do not have such programs in place and require such help. India for instance, does not have social welfare programs for its unemployed or disabled. A program like this might come in handy to help these people get on their feet and help reduce other social stigmas like beggary. Threats: Being a social welfare agency, AngliCare doesn’t really face threats as such from competition. Social welfare is based in the theme of care and their o nly objective is to ensure the welfare of their people. Their threats will mainly come into the picture in terms of lack of resources and volunteers. Also, when people try to scam the agency in exchange for the resources they provide, it will create a problem for the agency. AngliCare’s External Environment: Stakeholders and Competitors In case of AngliCare, corporate partnerships provide the opportunity for companies to contribute to its work in the community.  Their programs provide physical, financial, emotional and spiritual assistance to help people in need to break the cycle of hardship. They have Corporate Care partners who assist in various ways such as sponsorship of events, workplace giving via payroll deductions for employees, encouraging people to volunteer at any of their locations and encouraging people to support them in kind, that is, via means of food, clothes and other such necessities. AngliCare, being a social welfare agency, does not really face competi tion as such from other social welfare agencies. All these agencies are non profit based and run for the benefit of people, local or otherwise. They do not judge or discriminate against the people they help out. All are equal in the eyes of god and these agencies. AngliCare’s Macro Environment: PESTEL Analysis Political Factors: AngliCare is facing political issues when it comes to its schools’ programs. More and more State, National and Overseas charities are

Potential Liability on Cross-site Scripting Essay

Potential Liability on Cross-site Scripting - Essay Example These high level management personalities of diverse disciplines, howsoever trustworthy, cannot digress from their own responsibilities to justifiably oversee such crucial and important functional branch as online security. The insurance industry has solid customer base and vast financial inputs. Online security must be exclusively handled by security experts just like operations, program development and network operations are handled by experts in these fields. Otherwise the industry could become an easy target of ceaseless and relentless attacks of malevolent hackers spread all over the globe. The managers of the three disciplines meet only twice annually as the security management committee to co-ordinate security developments and plans. This step-motherly treatment to security could prove to be counterproductive and expensive in the long run. Other potential liabilities the company needs to address are risks arising from high volume of online interactions and transactions with clients. When clients forget their username and/or password, they are required to answer a challenge question to retrieve the information by email. If anyone can forget username and/or password there is no guarantee they are likely to remember challenge questions and answers. Ideally, the company must provide clients with passwords. (Case Information) Recommendation on the immediate handling of the XSS threat to LIB The first and foremost action recommended is employ full time security consultant and fix responsibilities inclusive of the XSS threat to LIB. The immediate next step is to make clients aware of the XSS risk and educate them on the course of action they need to bear in mind and act upon whenever browsing LIB website. The operations manager, program development manager and network operations manager must continue to maintain vigilance in security matters and report unusual occurrences to the security department/consultant. These three management entities must coordinate with security on daily or at least on weekly basis. (The Cross Site Scripting (XSS) FAQ) Recommendations on improvement in the management of security at LIB Having a separate entity to handle online security issues at LIB is the ideal decision and the first step to address risks to the overall business. The company can further improve its online security concerns by maintaining high alert on offline areas as well. A systematic reward scheme must be put in place for those providing information and alerts on unusual online movements. The company must also have its own discreet methods to test its security system by using tactics such as sting operations periodically in top secrecy. The company must also keep itself abreast on hackers' modus operandi and the susceptibilities and vulnerabilities of the online insurance industry. As a standard measure, every company using online business systems and network will ostensibly possess security technologies applicable to its sphere of operation and guard the interests of its clients and its own by routing online communications by encrypting, scrambling and decoding

Client Brief on AngliCare Australia Research Paper

Client Brief on AngliCare Australia - Research Paper Example (AngliCare 2011). AngliCare is a social welfare organization in Western Australia that provides specialized services to all people ranging from children to the aged, some including family relationship services, foster care, adoption, employment services, community housing and development, etc. AngliCare’s Internal Environment: SWOT Analysis Strengths: The strengths of AngliCare lies in the services they provide, ranging from care for the aged, youth services, family relationship services, disability and carer services, disaster recovery, etc. also, their complete inclusion is a very strong point in their favor, meaning their non judgmental and non discriminatory acceptance of people from all walks of life. Their main motto is to care and they spread this message to all they come across. AngliCare’s organizational and services structures can also be mentioned as one of its strengths. They are comprehensive and well drafted. Weakness: AngliCare is facing issues in its asp ects, such as with some of its events, the volunteers and op shops. They need to work on resolving these to ensure they are not overshadowed by other social welfare agencies. Opportunities: AngliCare covers almost every person from every walk of life who might be facing problems. However, they do not have programs specific to women and children who have faced abuse. Designing programs for women and children in this dire state will be really helpful. Also, they can consider expanding their services to under-developed and developing countries that do not have such programs in place and require such help. India for instance, does not have social welfare programs for its unemployed or disabled. A program like this might come in handy to help these people get on their feet and help reduce other social stigmas like beggary. Threats: Being a social welfare agency, AngliCare doesn’t really face threats as such from competition. Social welfare is based in the theme of care and their o nly objective is to ensure the welfare of their people. Their threats will mainly come into the picture in terms of lack of resources and volunteers. Also, when people try to scam the agency in exchange for the resources they provide, it will create a problem for the agency. AngliCare’s External Environment: Stakeholders and Competitors In case of AngliCare, corporate partnerships provide the opportunity for companies to contribute to its work in the community.  Their programs provide physical, financial, emotional and spiritual assistance to help people in need to break the cycle of hardship. They have Corporate Care partners who assist in various ways such as sponsorship of events, workplace giving via payroll deductions for employees, encouraging people to volunteer at any of their locations and encouraging people to support them in kind, that is, via means of food, clothes and other such necessities. AngliCare, being a social welfare agency, does not really face competi tion as such from other social welfare agencies. All these agencies are non profit based and run for the benefit of people, local or otherwise. They do not judge or discriminate against the people they help out. All are equal in the eyes of god and these agencies. AngliCare’s Macro Environment: PESTEL Analysis Political Factors: AngliCare is facing political issues when it comes to its schools’ programs. More and more State, National and Overseas charities are

Partnership and collaboration in the promotion of child development Essay

Partnership and collaboration in the promotion of child development - Essay Example When looking at Louisa and James’ family, it can be seen that interactions and finding solutions for various situations can change the overall development of all the children. The scenario that requires specific actions is with Serena and the current situation that she has created with both school and personal development. Scenario of Serena Serena is known as a scholarly student in school and is continuously performing to have average to good marks in school. However, Serena’s personal relationships have recently altered. Serena is a daughter from Louisa’s previous marriage with her birth father, Colin. While Louisa has been in a relationship with James since Serena since she was one years of age, there are different dynamics from the previous relationship. Serena first met her father when she was six months old; however, the interactions were limited. Six months ago, Serena’s birth father, Colin, began to move into more contact with Serena. There have be en several interactions between the two in the past few months. The teachers and administration at the school have noted that in the same few months, Serena is beginning to alter with her studies. Her attendance has altered and she is withdrawn when she is in the classroom, as opposed to having the regular interactions and alertness that was noted from her past behaviours. There may be several reasons associated with this, all which are leading to different behaviours among Serena. The problem that has compounded is one which is directly linked to personal relationships; however, the interference with Serena’s school work is leading to new concerns among individuals and professionals. Providing Integrated Services from Children’s Services The problem that has arisen with Serena is one which requires integrated services to work effectively. The relationship is the basis of this; however, the effects which are occurring with school work are creating alterations in how th e main problem can be approached. The integrated services include the family that is involved in the relationship. It also includes professionals that are working within the school as well as counsellors who may be able to assist Serena to become more alert in school and to separate the personal relationships from the interferences that are occurring in the school (Parton, 976: 2006). For this to work effectively, the integration of the various team members will need to work together with the proper communication and understanding of the complete situation. Protocols and documentation will need to be used to follow with the right communication so the team members can work on the activities on hand while minimizing tensions between the professionals. The inter-personal and professional communication needs to be developed first, specifically which can provide better integrated services for Serena’s situation (Anning, 90: 2006). The two concepts which the integrated services wil l need to use are intervention and protection services. If this is done earlier, than the team will be able to stop any hindrances which may drastically affect Serena’s attendance as well as the potentially hazardous relationship that is affecting her school work. For the integrated services to work, the team defined will first need to define what interventions need to occur (Sloper, 571: 2004). The most well – known factor that is altering with Serena is her attendance and the school work that she is

Quasi Turbine Essay Example for Free

Quasi Turbine Essay 1.INTRODUCTION Quasi turbine is a zero vibration continuous combustion rotary engine having four faces articulated rotor with a free and accessible centre rotating without vibration nor dead time and producing a strong torque at low rpm under a variety of modes and fuels. The quasi turbine is also an optimization theory for extremely compact efficient engine concept. It is a new engine concept from Canada which offers a design similar to that of rotary engines but with the advantages of a gas turbine-all within the confines of a chamber based on the shape of a Saint Hilaire skating rink profile. Each Quasi turbine device is at the cross road of three modern engines: inspired by the turbines: it perfects the piston, and improves on the Wankel. The Quasi turbine results from a research initiated in 1993 aimed at unifying the compression and power turbine into one entity. This invention is a new hybrid engine concept, midway between the piston and the turbine engine which requires relatively few components such as stator with covers, rotating blades, rocking carriages, wheels, and joints. Quasi turbine is also an environmental friendly engine, which provides an engine concept free from atmospheric gas pollution, noise pollution, thermal pollution etc. In this engine efficiency stays constant and optimum no matter the power of the unit. Inventors: – Francoise, Gilles, Roxan 2.OBJECTIVES Objective of this invention is to provide a new engine concept unifying the compressor and power turbine into one entity that is a conventional gas turbine engine. Another object of this invention is to provide a low noise, perfectly balanced, zero vibration, low r.p.m engine, giving less time to compression and expansion stroke and allowing more time and volume to the intake combustion stroke. A further objective of this invention is to provide a fast accelerating, zero dead time and to provide an engine almost universal to energy sources, which can run efficiently on pneumatic, steam, hydraulic, liquid and gas fuel internal combustion. Another objective is to provide an engine, which has a short pressure peak, cold intake area characteristics, so that it is suitable for photo detonation mode pure hydrogen fuel combustion. Another objective is to provide a high weight and volume density engine, without need of any valve, check valve or obstruction and within neither a crankshaft nor a flywheel. 3. CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS [pic] The invention is an assembly of four carriages supporting the pivots of a four element, variable shape rotor, which is confined within a chamber (internal housing counter wall-stator) based on the shape of a Saint Hilaire skating rink profile. This profile offers the rotary components of the engine a bigger, more uniform radial path, enabling maximum torque to be reached more efficiently than a normal combustion. Two lateral plane covers close the engine end. The rotor is composed of four pivoting blades playing a similar role as the piston or turbine blades. Each pivots sit into one of the four rocking carriages. Each carriage is free to rotate around the same pivot in such a way as to be continuously and precisely in contact with housing counter. A central shaft is not needed for the engine to operate. It can be driven through a set of coupling arms attached to the blades by means of traction slots and through a set of arm braces, the ends of which are linked to central shaft . The central shaft unit can be easily removed through the back cover central hold with out dismantling the engine. Pivoting blades are shaped with the filler tip to allow the control of residual volume in the upper and lower chambers at maximum pressure configuration. Carriage wheels should be wide to reduce contact pressure with the counter wall. For smoother operation, roller bearings are inserted in the blade’s hook pivots. Intake, spark plug and exhaust ports are made either radially in the housing, or axial in the side covers, or both. In order to pass along the flame make a continuous combustion engine, a small channel(ignition flame transfer slot) located along the internal housing counter wall next to spark plug allows a voluntary flow back of hot gases into the next ready-to-fire combustion chamber. Screwing or unscrewing the spark plug can control the amount of flow. This channel is called ignition transfer cavity. An ignition-timing advance can be built-in by slightly shifting the effective position of spark plug and / or the channel. To help cooling and reduce lubrication, at least one of the lateral side covers has a large central hole exposing the pivoting blades to central area of the rotor such that all parts of engine are external, except for the carriage and wheels which are always in good thermal contact with the housing contour. Since the seals are the only friction surfaces, the need of lubrication is minimized by an optimal choice of anti-friction materials. The housing, the pivoting blades and the carriages can be made of metal, glass, ceramic or plastic, the later mostly for compressor, pump or water-hydraulic engine application. In a photo-detonation engine because it employs a homogenous charge and compression ignition, it is often described as a HCCI engine . HCCI (Homogeneous charge Compression Ignition) combustion results in Virtually no emissions and superior fuel efficiency. This is because photo detonating engines completely combust the fuel, leaving behind no hydrocarbons to be treated by a catalytic converter or simply expelled into the air. The higher pressure required for Photo-detonation puts a significant amount of stress on the engine itself. Piston engines can’t withstand the violent force of the detonation. And traditional rotary engines such as the Wankel, which have longer combustion chambers that limit the amount of compression they can achieve, are incapable of producing the high- pressure environment necessary for Photo detonation to occur. The Quasi turbine with carriages is strong enough and compact enough to with stand the force of Photo-detonation and allow for the higher compression ratio necessary for pressure heated self-ignition [pic] QUASI TURBINE SPECIFICATION |SHAFT POWER |ROTOR DIAMETER |ROTOR THICK | | 70 HP | 10cm | 5cm | | 530 HP | 25cm | 10cm | | 4000 HP | 53cm | 20cm | | 33000 HP | 1m | 16inch | | 260000 HP | 2m | 82cm | 4. THE WORKING OF A SIMPLE QUASI TURBINE [pic] The simpler Quasi turbine model looks very much like a traditional rotary engine: A rotor turns inside a nearly oval-shaped housing, Notice, however that the Quasi turbine rotor has four elements instead of three. The sides of the rotor seal against the sides of the housing, and the corners of the rotor seal against the inner periphery, dividing it into four chambers. In a piston engine, one complete four-stroke cycle produces two complete revolutions of the cranks shaft. That means the power output of a piston engine is half a power stroke per one piston revolution. A Quasi turbine engine, on the other hand, doesn’t need pistons. Instead, the four strokes of a typical piston engine are arranged sequentially round the oval housing. There’s no need for the cranks shaft to perform the rotary conversion a in basic model, it’s very easy to see the four cycles of internal combustion. †¢ Intake , which draws in a mixture of fuel and air †¢ Compression, which squeezes the fuel air mixture into a smaller volume. †¢ Combustion , which uses a spark from a spark plug to ignite the fuel. †¢ Exhaust, which expels waste gases (the by-products) from the engine. 5. WORKING OF QUASI TURBINE WITH CARRIAGES. [pic] In a Quasi turbine, as the rotor blade turn the volume of the chambers change. First the volume increases, which allows the fuel air-mixture to expand. Then the volume increases, which allows the fuel air-mixture to expand. Then the volume decreases, which compresses the mixture into a smaller space. It is also found that when one combustion stroke is ends then the next combustion stroke is ready to fire. By making a small channel along the internal housing wall next to the spark plug, a small amount of hot gas is allowed to flow back to the next ready to for combustion chamber when each of the carriage seals passes over the channel. The result is continuous combustion, just like in the airplane gas turbine. What all this amounts to the Quasi turbine engine is increased efficiency and performance. The four chambers produce two consecutive circuits. The first circuit is used to compress and expand during combustion . The second is used to expel exhaust and intake air, kin one revolution of the rotor, for power strokes are created. That’s eight times more than a typical piston engine! Even a Wankel engine, which produces three power strokes per rotor revolution, can’t match the performance of a Quasi turbine . 6. COMPARISON BETWEEN QUASI TURBINE AND WANKEL ENGINE 1. The Wankel engine uses a rigid three-face rotor with a crankshaft. The quasi turbine uses a deformable four faces rotor without a Crankshaft. 2. The Wankel engine shaft turns at three times the rotor RPM. The quasi Turbine rotor and main shaft turns at same RPM Speed. 3. The Wankel engine fires only once per revolution The quasi turbine fires 4 times per main shaft revolution, producing Exceptional torque continuity. 4. When the Wankel engine rotor goes from one T.D.C to next, the Torque increases to a maximum value and starts decreasing right Away (progressive). The torque generated by the quasi turbine gets rapidly to a plateau, and hold this maximum for a long arc before decreasing, giving a better overall mechanical energy conversion rate. 5. The Wankel engine has a dead time. The quasi turbine strokes are consecutive with no dead time. 6. The Wankel engine can not be operated in diesel mode due to the excess expansion volume which adiabatically cools down the combustion. Quasi turbine has no excessive volume and can run in diesel Mode. 7. Due to its one single fire per shaft revolution and the dead time, the Wankel engine needs a flywheel. Quasi turbine does not need a flywheel, and consequently has faster acceleration. 8. Since the Wankel engine’s shaft rotates at three times its rotor speed, it is not suitable for low rpm compressor or pumps. But quasi turbine is suitable for this. 7.COMPARISON BETWEEN QUASI TURBINE AND CONVENTIONAL TURBINE CONVENTIONAL TURBINE The conventional turbine is a continuous flow engine at intake and exhaust. As the conventional turbine do not convert the pressure forces but rather kinetic energy of rapid flows, it is then necessary to convert the pressure forces in high speed flows by a channeling or by oriental expansion. This intermediatory conversion is particularly complex. And in this case some of energy will be lost mainly due to viscosity, turbulence, and some of thermal conduction of hot gases. The conventional turbine is generally located where the flow is fastest. Also a complete conversion of kinetic energy into mechanical energy is not occurred in a conventional turbine. In many applications one has flow velocity near the sound speed where any instability, impurity or condensate may damage the turbine. QUASI TURBINE As the conventional turbine, the quasi turbine is a continuously flow engine at intake. And exhaust Quasi Turbine, which turns under the effect of static forces and does not make use of hydro or aerodynamic flow properties. Consequently Quasi Turbine converts the potential forces directly into mechanical energy. Because the Quasi Turbine operates under the effect of static forces, it cannot be damaged by saturated steam, by small impurities in the fluid flow. 8. COMPARISON OF QUASI TURBINE AND I.C ENGINE 1. In I.C engine piston makes positive torque only 17% of the time and drag 83% of the time. This is not the case in Quasi turbine. 2. In I.C engine gas flow is not unidirectional, but changes directions with the piston direction. But in Quasi turbine it is unidirectional. 3. In I.C engine valve inertia being a serious limitation to the engine revolution. In Quasi turbine there are no valves. 4. The duration of the piston rest time at top and bottom are without necessarily too long in I.C engines. But it is not the case for Quasi turbine. 5. In I.C engine there is quite important noise level and vibration. But it is not the case for Quasi turbine. 6. In I.C engines accessories like cam shaft uses a substantial power , but in Quasi turbine there is no need of cams 7. In I.C engine lubricant is to be used as heat coolant, which require a Cumbersome oil pan. But Quasi turbine requires no lubrication. | | |Number of expansions In every two | | |Volume of each |revolutions | | |Chamber | | |Piston4 strokes |50cc |1 | |(Gasoline) | | | |Piston 2strokes |50cc |2 | |(Gasoline) | | | |Wankel 4 strokes |50cc |6 | |Qurbine 4strokes |50cc |8 | |(Gasoline) | | | | (Gasoline) Qurbine2strokes |50cc |16 | |Qurbine (steam/pneumatic) |50cc |16 | 9. QUASITURBINE FEATURES 1. Zero vibration In quasi turbine, rotor rotates with a fixed centre of gravity and the Engine is perfectly balanced so there is no chance of vibration. 2. Less noisy For comparable power, the quasi turbine is much quieter than the piston engines, since it splits each expansion into four per turn and evacuates the gases more gradually and on a greater angular displacement 3. Less pollution As the quasi turbine expansion starts quicker than in the other engines, there will be less time for the NOx formation, and less transfer of heat to the engine block. 4. Continuous Combustion with lower temperature Due to an earlier expansion than in he piston engines, initial energy is immediately transferred in to mechanical energy without awaiting the middle of the stroke as in the piston engines. This initial expansion cools immediately the combustion gases, which have less time to transfer their heat to the engine block. So continuous combustion is possible with lower temperature. 5. Better torque continuity and Acceleration The Quasi turbine has jointed torque impulses without the assistance of a flywheel. This gives a better torque continuity for quasi turbine. Flywheel is the main obstacle to engine acceleration. Since Quasi turbine has no fly wheel it gives fast acceleration. 6. More effective conversion into Mechanical energy For a better mechanical energy extraction, compression impulses should be as short as possible. The Quasi turbine has this assymmetry by compressing the mixture in a smaller angular zone and by using a greater angular displacement for the expansion. 7. Not sensitive to detonation Due to the earlier expansion process, quasi turbine reacts better to photo detonation. 8. Compatible with Hydrogen The Quasi turbine meets the fundamental criteria imposed by the Hydrogen engine of the future (that is cold intake area, low sensibility to detonation, less pollutant, robust and energy efficiency). 10. APPLICATIONS 1. Quasi turbine aviation In a propeller airplane, weight reduction allows a larger payload, space saving allows to reduce the aerodynamic drag, absence of vibration increases instruments reliability and flight comfort, the noise reduction increases the discretion level, the high torque allows the use of multi-blades propeller and the better intake characteristic of the Quasi turbine allows higher flight altitude. In a helicopter, a large diameter Quasi turbine could generate enough torque to directly drive of the rotor blades without any gearbox, while making much less noise. So Considering the high power density, the low cross section area and the exceptional intake characteristics of the Quasiturbine, it is reasonable to expect to conceive an airplane engine 2. Quasi turbine Stirling engine In the Quasi turbine Stirling, all the engine shell is pressurized with helium, so that the inter-chambers leaks are automatically recycled by the central region, and required only sealing of a turning shaft (comparatively to the sealing of the back and forth piston connecting rods, unless sealed machines, which the Quasi turbine also can be). The Stirling engines are also known to be large and heavy, which the Quasi turbine-Stirling concept should solve. 3. Quasi turbine pneumatic engine Since the Quasi turbine is a pure expansion engine (which the Wankel is not, neither most of other rotary engines), it is well suitable as compressed fluid engine Air engine or air motor. The pneumatic engine does not show any vibration on the shaft. It does run in heavy smoke or under water as well. 4. Quasi turbine racing car Formula Quasi turbine is a proposal to develop and built of a racing car using the new Quasi turbine. rotary engine. Because the Quasi turbine has a much higher specific power density than the piston engine. A single Quasi turbine. rotor of about 50cm in diameter and 20cm thickness could develop 1000 H.P. at only 3000 rpm. Absence of flywheel would allow much higher acceleration. It is proposed to have the racing car with a differential clutch coupling (no gear box at all). This would much improve the racing cars endurance. 5. Quasi turbine hydrogen engine model A good way to store Hydrogen is to link it with carbon atom. Quasi turbine prefers Hydrogen storage in Carbon molecules. This Hydrogen Carbon molecule storage technique is safe and simple and has been appreciated by humans for centuries under the name of Hydrocarbon fuels. 6. Quasi turbine pumps Quasi turbine is a very compact and light device without Power shaft, which allows to pump large volume. In the pump mode the Quasi turbine has two intakes and two exits. 11.CONCLUSION For over 50 years, researches have been dreaming about the Perfect engine, having uniform combustion, with a small combustion chamber (high compression ratio). This is what the Quasi turbine does by producing much shorter pressure pulses, and further more accepting photo-detonation. Quasi turbine eliminates all the energy wastes occurring in piston and Wankel engine and also it can satisfy modern engine criteria. The research is going on to further improve and develop this highly innovative concept and for creating commercially viable prototypes of Quasi turbine. In future we can see more developments happening in the field of quasi turbine. 12.REFERENCE 1. www.quasiturbine.com 2. www.me.berkeley.edu/cal/QT. 3. http://quasiturbine.promci.qc.ca 4. http//kairos.dsa.uqam.ca/tycoon/Quasiturbine 5. Quasiturbine: Article by Lawrence Tse.

IKEA SWOT, Porters 5 and PESTEL Analysis

IKEA SWOT, Porters 5 and PESTEL Analysis Jump to: SWOT, Porters 5  Forces, PESTEL INTRODUCTION IKEA has created its own brand name in the world of furnishing at an affordable price. IKEA strives to make a better life for many by offering wide variety of well-designed, practical home furnishing items at affordable prices. History IKEA was found in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad in small village Agunnaryd , Sweden. Originally company sold the basic household goods at discount prices later kamprad start to sell the home furnishing and 10 year later IKEA opened its first showroom, clearly demonstrates the function and quality of its low-price products. In 1955 IKEA introduce its own Designing furniture and in 1956 flat packs and self-assembly were launch (which reduced production and transport costs) and in later year IKEA has opened 301 stores all over Europe and Asia which shows the success of company. Present In 2002, IKEA Group was worlds top furniture retailers. The total number of stores 301 operated by IKEA in 37 countries/territories. The IKEA Group itself owns 267 stores in 25 countries with 123,000 co-workers and generating annual sales of more than 21.5 billion euro (these facts are taken from IKEA website). There are wide range of products in IKEA stores from plants and living room furnishings to toys and whole kitchens. At IKEA their vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people what make IKEA as worlds top furniture retailers, matchless approaches of IKEA attract the customer whether its affordable price, portable furniture or the unique design in store, Swedish cafà © in the stores, child care facility in the stores SWOT Analysis of IKEA Strengths One of the strongest strengths of IKEA is their strong brand name: IKEA is widely known brand in Europe and some Asian countries. In 2002 IKEA was the worlds most famous furniture retailer. [  [1]  ] Unique selling point of IKEA is low prices and flat pack furniture which is economical for customer and easy to transport Exclusive furniture design catch the attention of the customer Cheap Prices of IKEA furniture offers value to Customer Exclusive furniture design catch the attention of the customer As published in Business Times Ikea catalogue is the third most printed book in the world after Bible and Harry Potter [2] Furniture are easy to assemble and easy to ship IKEA has Strong potential of Global sourcing Powerful advertising campaign IKEA has built its own brand name and consistently strives to maintain it   In mid- 1990s IKEA had launched a high profile advertising campaign in USA intending to raise awareness of the IKEA brand UK wide advertising campaign in September 2007 titled Home is the Most Important Place in the World using estate agent signs with the term Not for Sale written on them as part of the wider campaign Wallets for Oyster cards and tube map are sponsored by IKEA IKEA consciously runs advertising campaign to create brand awareness. IKEA maintain Long-term Relationship with suppliers IKEA has preserved long-term relationship with its suppliers. IKEA purchases products in high volume from suppliers which allows IKEA to keep their product prices low It has about 45 trading service offices in 31 countries. This enables them to develop close relationships with more than 1,350 suppliers in 50 countries Product improvement IKEA is actively taking initiatives in environment changes, they strongly cares about forest and support the suppliers to minimize the total impact on the climates by contributing in forest projects. Weakness Supplier dependencies One of the main weakness of the IKEA is that it is dependent on the supplier for its manufacturing their products By totally dependencies on suppliers IKEA convert its strength to IKEA does not manufacture anything itself and is heavily dependent on the supplier. By limiting the manufacturing facilities means more dependencies on the suppliers. Ikea furnitures need to assemble yourself may be its is unattractive to certain groups of consumers Store design can be confusing for those customer who need particular item Swedish design may not so appealing to other regions of world Major Reliability on European Markets 90% of IKEA stores are based in European regions and rest in America, Middle East and Asia , Ikea is limiting themselves to enter into the Competition can take benefit of IKEAs non existences in the other fast growing retails markets like America, Middle East and Asia by expanding their businesses. Quality and standards Its difficult to maintain high Quality and standards globally due to the size and scale of products People generally associate the low prices with bad quality of products and non durability Ikea furnitures not manufacture for lifetime Opportunities Expansion in untouched retails market IKEA should extent their business or stores from international to global market , by developing in other regions like Asia and Eastern Europe By expanding in fast growing retails markets IKEA can capture additional share in Asia and Eastern Europe Only 10% percentages of stores were in underdeveloped markets. Its an excellent opportunity for IKEA to expand and grow their businesses in the untouched markets Development in Ecommerce IKEA should enlarge their internet present in markets Fast growing virtual markets in the Internet revolution era gives an excellent opportunity to IKEA to enlarge their place in the online business all over the world like ebay , Amazon.com, Inc IKEA can expand their business by collaboration of local companies and suppliers. By developing E-commerce site and local company alliances gives an opportunity to achieve growth in existing business and can gain new acquisition In additional it will help to increase customer service satisfaction and customer feedback Also it can reduce the work pressure from store to certain level Design various type of Store It will be good opportunities for IKEA to try new outlay of store to easily find the particular products which will increase the growth sales and customer satisfaction Minimizing waste (IKEA and the new EU legislation on chemicals) IKEA avoids use of chemicals and materials that can be of any harm to people and the environment. All IKEA products for all markets, everywhere in the world will adhere to the chemical restrictions in the REACH legislation. Efficient use of materials IKEA strives to use fewest resources to make the best possible products, without having any negative effect on the functionality or the design or the look of the products. The main material used in the manufacturing of the products is wood, cotton, metal, plastic, glass and rattan and we work towards using as many renewable and recyclable materials as possible. Threats Impact of European economy As IKEA is predominantly present in European region, any adverse effects in this region will impact the business of IKEA. Major sales and purchasing are done is European markets. In order to avoid such situation, it needs to secure place in other retail market and increase awareness of the IKEA brand and products worldwide Competition Indirect threat of competition One of the fastest growing competitive retail market in Europe and other businesses regions of IKEA Difficult to preserve good quality and design at cheap prices when competition is increasing rapidly growing e.g. In USA Wal-Mart , room to go , kmart ,In Japan Nitori Co and MUJI Even average retailers are producing low cost values flat packed furniture, which can put tremendous impact on the IKEA. Advantages of competition Competition is aggressively offer similar product Most of retailers promising to serve on high quality of and service Educating customer on quality of woods, construction techniques and so on Competitions are offering free delivery of assembled furniture whereas IKEA is not giving any options to customer on the transportation Summary of IKEA SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT analysis describes IKEAs strengths and weakness, as well as encountering the threats with opportunities which will secure IKEAs place in the retail market Strength of IKEA group in the world of retail markets is their Vision IKEA strives to make a better life for many by offering wide variety of well-designed, practical home furnishing items at affordable prices which display their clear business idea.[3] IKEA buy massive from the suppliers and gain advantage of low cost product which is one of strongest strength of IKEA , as they can sale the finished goods in cheaper than competitors IKEA is good long term business relationship with the suppliers and weakness is the total dependencies on the supplier which can be the threat in their future business. Business Strategy of IKEA gives the Excellent opportunities to expand their services to the world widely and but by limiting their expansion only to the European and selected Asian countries can be biggest threats and can be advantage to the competitors due to the non-existences of IKEA Porters 5 forces analysis of IKEA Competition from Substitutes: HIGH The furniture retails market is on developing stage. Competition from Substitute it is high in the modern time people consider better products if it is costly. The switching costs are high and Substitute will be other brands supplier at high prices. Other options might be cheap furniture from local supplier. But IKEA can competitive advantage from low prices, unique design and flat pack furniture Bargaining power of buyers: LOW IKEA focuses on large segments and target individual customers young people aged around 20 to 40 years as in the modern world people prefers compact and foldable furniture so it is easy use and transport. IKEA products are affordable for everyone because of the low prices. There is high customer loyalty therefore low bargaining power of customers. One more reason of low bargaining power can the brand name of IKEA, consumer can buy the same furnitures from capitation but because of the IKEA trademark they prefer to buy. Furnitures Industry is growing tremendously, there is very high switching cost for the buyers and with the product differentiation is prime factors. Therefore Because of the brand and large collection of product the customer loyal and preference is IKEA Threat of New Entrants : LOW The Home Furnishings House wares Retail industry is developed markets and IKEA has its own reputation and experiences players in retail markets. It is very difficult to compete against with big players in the industry as to build to own status brand lots of resources such as unique design, technology, low cost products, infrastructure and human resources. IKEA having a very long experience in its field and it has established itself differently from competitors. IKEA stores and distinguished itself as a functional home products .In Retail industry, low cost and use new technology is very essential and IKEA spent years to establish this reputation .However for a new entrant it is difficult to get. Bargaining power of supplier: LOW IKEA deals with suppliers for Wood cotton, metal, plastic, glass and rattan. IKEA have more 1,300 direct suppliers and about 10,000 sub-suppliers in 60 countries and 28 distribution centres and 11 customer distribution centres in 16 countries. IKEA had set up its own code and conducts for the suppliers. Being a Multinational brand there is a competition among supplier for selling to IKEA. They purchase in huge volume of material from the suppliers at low cost IKEA buy massively from these suppliers to deliver in the European market The Bargaining power of suppliers is low as they can lose their one of biggest clients Rivalry among existing firms: HIGH IKEA competitors are mainly in the Home Furnishings House wares Retail industry and competition from Substitutes too high in the industry. Some competitors for IKEA such as Wal-Marts, TGT, kmart in Japan Nitori Co. Many manufacturers provide furniture with same functions and design. As published in Business Times we can take Example of TGT has recruited top designer Thomas OBrien to develop a range of low-priced furnishings and In Japan Nitori Co. has a lock on low-cost furniture.[4] Competition is putting a lot of resources to manufacture the same type of products Strategic Position of IKEA IKEA PESTLE analysis Political Factors Governments have put various taxes, duties and vat on IKEA products their constitutions in different countries. Changes in the government and trading policies can threat to IKEA For example Russian government has kept on hold all new investment and delaying unpredictability of the administrative processes for Mega-Samara mall sports in Russia because of the delay IKEA have to postponed the 30 new stores in the country[5] Awareness of political situation of every country where company is operating Important Many countries offers incentive to attract the foreign investment like Malaysia , china and Thailand IKEA has grown from a small company to largest home furniture retailer in the world, Political factors has direct impact and is interrelated on other aspect. Political factors can control the process of business and greatly impact on the operating industry. As IKEAs major business is on the European regions, it has to adopt the guidelines and policy formed by the EU. Economical Factors Interest rates and exchange rates have a direct impact on company. Some time foreign currency exchange fluctuation may be beneficial or un beneficial for IKEA Due to recession demand for home furniture declined as people dont have money to buy expenses products and customers go for cheap alternatives. Fluctuation in cost of raw material can be threat for the IKEA , as they dont produces on its own , but buy from whole seller Recession has impacted on all kind of industry more or less it has effected on IKEA In todays time global warming is important concern to every business should consider to reducing elements effect the environment Social Factors IKEA takes initiatives and founded a committed to invest in the social programmes on a global level which can give IKEA a recognized globally IKEA is proactively trying to fight against Child labour and give better life to children Everyone is trying to save and reduce the causes of global warming does IKEA is The IKEA contributed much in the society as they provide recyclable products and try to minimize the waste Technological Factors IKEA products are eco-friendly IKEA should consider natural resources like using solar power renewal energy usage and energy efficiencies One of Important aspect which should be take into account as a need of new trends in changing business styles and enhance the competitive advantage which development of E-commerce and entre the world of Online business (virtual markets) Legal Factors Governments may put a negative as well as positive impact on IKEA as it is operating all over the globe hence it may vary according to different countries. In 2004 Irish Government had implement law of restricting the maximum size of a retail outlet to 6,000 (units?) to save the small business but retails giant of home furnishing wants IKEAs plan to build stores in Dublin and usual size of IKEA stores is four time bigger caused the law be put up for debate. In Jan 2005 The Government has agreed to change the planning laws clearing the way for furniture stores such as Ikea to open in Ireland IKEA and the new EU legislation on chemicals IKEA avoids use of chemicals and materials that can be of any harm to people and the environment. All IKEA products for all markets, everywhere in the world will adhere to the chemical restrictions in the REACH legislation. Environmental Factors Product Development IKEA is proactively taking initiatives in climate change projects. As 50% of the raw material is from the forest, it strongly cares about forest. The effort is to leave minimum impact on environment. It contributes to many forestry projects and honour certification by the Forest Stewardship Council Erase the Waste IKEA believes in using Waste by-products generated due to manufacturing where possible. In 2006, IKEA implemented the EU directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and IKEA stores now accept and recycle IKEA electrical produce and electronic devices. Customers can also return certain types of waste such as discarded packaging, spent batteries and low-energy bulbs for proper recycling and disposal. In 2006, IKEA stores and distribution centres handled 281,734 tons of waste, of which 81% was sorted for recycling reuse or energy recover. In the pursuit of recycling, as of October 1, 2008, IKEA USA no longer sells throwaway bags. IKEA products are recyclable and make minimum usage of polythene. Product Development IKEA is proactively taking initiatives in climate change projects. As 50% of the raw material is from the forest, it strongly cares about forest. The effort is to leave minimum impact on environment. It contributes to many forestry projects and honours certification by the Forest Stewardship Council Climate changing IKEA ensures that the products and resources are customized to reduce any negative impact on the environment. IKEA Group and WWF co-operate in projects at intended to reducing carbon dioxide emissions generated by IKEA operations.[6] Conclusion IKEA is well recognized brand for flat pack furniture and Swedish design in the world of furnishings, also they are leading retailers in globally. IKEA should explore their new opportunities into asian market as there is no major competition in flat pack furnishing and also due to over population in some asian countries flat pack can be eye catching for new customer as IKEA captured 90% of European . IKEA should seek to introduce new technologies to reduce use of wood.