The Best and Worst Trees for an Urban Forest

It has been determined by the United States Forest Service that nearly 80 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban areas that have developed a dependent  relationship with  the social, economic, and ecological  systems  near cities and suburbs.  Although quite  different from wildland forests, these urban forests have many challenges associated with healthy growth just as rural forests do. A large part of urban forest management includes planting the right tree for the appropriate site. The distribution of urban tree cover and the benefits of urban forests will  vary across the United States and requires addressing the challenges of sustaining this important resource with the best trees for every sites potential.   Top Trees to Plant in the Urban Landscape Overcup Oak or Quercus lyrata: Actually, most  oaks are great in urban settings, but many are very slow growers, Overcup oak is also slow but quickly reaches 40.  It is recommended to plant in all but the Northcentral states.  Red Maple or Acer rubrum: This maple is a ubiquitous, wide-ranging, native tree. It adapts well to most soils and sites and thrives under urban conditions. It also is an early harbinger  of fall as it turns color well in advance of most eastern deciduous tree species.  White Oak or Quercus alba: This is the other oak recommended and can be planted in nearly every state in the US. It is similar to lyrata and easy to find in most nurseries.  Green Ash or  Fraxinus pennsylvanica: This tree is native to eastern North America and common west to Wyoming and Colorado but will grow in every state in the U.S. The tree is fast growing on moist sites and hardy once established. It is best grown as a single tree with adequate room to grow but to be avoided wh ere the emerald ash borer is endemic.Crapemyrtle or Lagerstroemia: This small tree is the most common southern street and yard tree planted in a wide range that encircles the US from New Jersey through the deep South, Texas, Southern California and to the Pacific Northwest. There are cold hardy  varies like Northern Crapemyrtle,  Lagerstroemia  indica  that can be planted through zone 5.Dogwood or Cornus florida: This small showy all-season tree is possibly the favorite of yards and parks in all of the United States (with the exception of the middle upper western states).Japanese Maple or Acer palmatum: These trees have extraordinary shapes and are very popular in yards and open landscapes. As with dogwood, they are not hardy  in the middle upper western states.Baldcypress or Taxodium distichum: This tree is becoming the most popular tree in urban landscapes. It is hardy in all but the driest of states.  Others include the red oaks, a return of disease-resistant  Ameri can elm varieties and American linden (American basswood.) Urban and city forests are an essential component of America’s â€Å"green infrastructure† which makes the care and management of these city trees extremely important. Having the wrong trees (many of which are invasive), when added to natural (insects, diseases, wildfire, floods, ice and wind storms) and social problems (over development, air pollution, and inadequate management) makes for challenges as urban expansion continues. Top Trees NOT to Plant in the Urban Landscape Mimosa or Albizia julibrissin:  short-lived and very messy in any landscape.Silver maple or Acer sacharinum:  very messy, ornamentally dull, aggressive rootsLeyland Cypress or Cupressocyparis leylandii:   quickly outgrows space, short-lived.Lombardy Poplar or Populus nigra: canker-prone, with litter and short life.Popcorn tree or Sapium sibiferum: invasive tree species.Chinaberry or Melia azedarach: Invades disturbed areas to become thickets.Royal Paulownia or Paulownia tomentosa:  Invades disturbed areas to become thickets.Bradford Pear or Pyrus calleryana  Bradford:  Invades disturbed areas to become thickets.Siberian Elm or Ulmus pumila:  Invades pastures, roadsides, and prairiesTree of Heaven or Ailanthus  altissima:  Forms dense, clonal thickets, highly invasive.

Cultural Confrontations of the 1920’s KKK, Scopes Trial...

Cultural Confrontations of the 1920’s The 1920s were a time of change for the United States. Following the First World War there was a rush of new cultural, social, and artistic dynamism, partly fuelled by the Progressivism movement that was cut short when American entered the Great War. This decade was defined by a change from more rural farm life to industrialism in big cities. The shift from the frugality and traditional family values or previous generations to the happy-go-lucky consumerism and metropolitan life occurred more rapidly than any other social shift in living memory. These swiftly changing tides caused cultural clashes and confrontations throughout the decade as America struggled to define for itself a fresh national†¦show more content†¦The KKK adopted anti-Jewish, anti-Catholic, and anti-Immigration stances in addition to their longstanding anti-African-American beliefs. Before long, the Klan had amassed a membership of nearly 500,000 and lynching became commonplace. In many areas the Kla n became a powerful political force, pushing for better roads, more funding for public schools, and great anti-immigration laws. Many Klan members were poor whites who wanted some way to protect their jobs from the many European immigrants who were moving to the cities. However, the turnover rate for membership was about 15% as people joined and realized the full extent of what they had agreed to do, and quit. Despite the Klan’s vast membership, not all Americans supported their activities. The conflict surrounding race relations in the 1920s would be hard to conquer, but the Progressive movement still had some momentum from prewar years, and it memory of its optimism had not completely died during the war. Reinhold Niebuhr was the American-born son of a German immigrant from Missouri. Niebuhr became a Protestant minister and became a prominent figure of resistance to the Klu Klux Klan. In a sermon that was published on the front page of the Detroit Times and the Free P ress Niebuhr urged voters to vote against the Protestant candidate that was openly endorsed by the Klan. Niebuhr called the KKK â€Å"One of the worst social phenomena of our time† even while recognizing that the Klan stemmed from his ownShow MoreRelated Societal Views on Interracialism Throughout American History6209 Words   |  25 Pagesin the Harlem Renaissance of the 1930’s compared to the late 1850’s. Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay, and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix (Association of MultiEthnic Americans 2). This statement was made by a Virginia trial judge during the sentencing of Mildred

Environmental Degradation Of Barrier Reef â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Environmental Degradation Of Barrier Reef? Answer: Introduction The Great Barrier Reef has been in the news for its environmental degradation, specifically, the bleaching of Coral. According to Wahlquist, (2017), a draft prepared by UNESCO has criticized the Australian government for not doing enough to protect the Great Barrier Reef. In the recent times, the pollution and global warming have impact the coral which is signified by the bleaching of the corals. Bleaching is an effect of the rising temperatures of the water in the Great Barrier Reef area, an effect of climate change, (McGuirk, 2017) and symbolizes serious environmental degradation of the reef. The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is under serious existential threat due o environmental degradation. The Great Barrier Reef is home to unparalleled variety of flora and fauna. The Reef stretches 2300 kilometers along the north eastern coastline of Australia and is listed as a one of the seven natural wonders. (Deloitte Access Economics, 2017). Climate change is the major cause of the degradation. However, The UNESCO expressed major concerns over the following causes of the degradation: Water quality Climate change Excessive tree clearing (United Nations Environment Programme, 2017) Diagram 1 Some of Threats to the Great Barrier Reef (Apart from Climate Change as a direct threat) Prepared by Auhor. Adapted from (United Nations Scientific , Educational and Cultural Organization, 2017) The Economic Value of the Great Barrier Reef The reef provides sources of livelihoods to thousands of Australians in various industries such as tourism, mining etc. Any coral reef has tourism value as well as it is a source of marine naural resources. According to United Nations Environment Programme, 2017, A square kilometre of healthy, well managed coral reefscan yield a catch of over 15 tons of fish and sea food every year. The degradation of the coral reef can trigger some serious consequences for he ecological and economic well being of he country.. The Great Barrier Reef is worth 3.7 billion annually to the Australian Economy through fishing and tourism every year. (Cummins Helfetz, 2017) (Deloitte Access Economics, 2017) Deloitte Access Economics (2017) identified the direct contribution of the reef as 6.4 billion AUD and 64,000 jobs to Australias economy . The consultancy also, idenified its iconic value or brand value to the reef and pegged it at 56 Billion AUD. Diseconomies of Economic Activities around the Great Barrier Area An Negative externality or a diseconomy is, mathematically, a (negative) deviation of Marginal Private Cost (MPC) from the marginal social cost. According to Lipsey Chrystal, (2011) Private costs are those costs that are incurred by parties that are involved directly in the Economic activity and Social costs are those costs that are borne by the society . Hence, the marginal private costs refers to the private cost of the last producing the last unit produced or providing services to the last consumer serviced. The Marginal Social Cost is a valuation of the impact borne by the society in the production of the last unit of good or services. Negative externalities decrease the social good i.e. they have harmful effects or cause inconvenience to the public, in general. (Lipsey Chrystal, 2011) It is important to understand the actual value of the economic value of all productive activities conducted in the Great Barrier Reef and match them against the economic value of the reef. For a simple policy analysis, the government can and must analyze the negative externalities of various activities such as mining, fishing, tourism etc. around the Great Barrier Reef and the social costs of these activities. Hence, the environmental degradation of Great Barrier Reef should not only be of concern to environmentalists but to public, in general. The loss of flora and fauna of he Great Barrier Reef directly affects the Australian economy. The following is a diagram of the negative externalities and the loss of social good resulting from it. The Marginal Private Costs in the cost of mining coal from around the area. This cost does not include the costs that society has to bear due to the mining. The Marginal social Cost includes the valuation of losses resulting from the mining of coal in the area. The loss of social good is the difference between the two.(Riley, 2005). Diagram 2 : Negative Externalities: Loss of Social Good. Prepared by Author. Source: (Riley, 2005) Recommendations The problem of Great Barrier Reef is one that can be solved by simple policy measures. Diagram 3 Key Stakeholders to the Prevention of Environmental Degradation of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. (Prepared by Author) Carbon Pricing: Carbon Pricing of all mining activities around an identified area around the Great Barrier Reef: Carbon pricing will lead to internalization of the externalities. (Samuelson NordHaus, 2004) . A carbon price is a cost applied to carbon pollution to encourage polluters toreduce the amount ofgreenhouse gasthey emit into the atmosphere. (Grantham Research Institute, 2012) The Australian Government has initiated several measures to reduce the overall greenhouse gases in the country. However, carbon pricing of firms that mining activities around the reef would be discouraged to do so, because there would be an additional cost to mining from the area surrounding the Reef which may lead to mining entities looking at other areas. However, the carbon pricing must be in equilibrium with the marginal gains from taxes and the opportunity cost of mining in the given area. (Anderson, 2016) Coal Export Duty: A selective duty on export of coal. (Hutchens, 2016) . This duty may have a similar effect as carbon pricing. Ban on Riverbed Mining: Several conservationists, suggest, a ban on river bed mining in an around the area. An analysis of the economic benefits of mining, as against, the negative externalities of mining must be first conducted. (Robertson, 2017). This measure will help improve the water quality of the Reef. Improved National and State Regulation on land clearing through measures like quotas, zoning etc: Quotas and zoning will have the same effect as carbon pricing would have.(Queensland Government, 2017) Improved National and State Regulation on Fishing.(Australian Government, 2017) References Anderson, S. (2016, December 7). Why is everyone talking about a carbon tax? The carbon pricing debate explained. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from ABCn News.com7: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-05/the-carbon-pricing-debate-explained/8092506 Australian Government. (2017). Commercial Fishing and Zoning. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from Australian Government : Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority: www.gbrmpa.gov.au/zoning/commercial-fishing-and zoning Carlton, D. W., Perloff, J. M. (2000). Modern Industrial Organization. Reading , USA: HarperCollins College Publishers. Cummins, A., Helfetz, J. (2017, March 2016). Great Barrier Reef Suffering Unprecedented Damage. Retrieved August 24, 2017, from CNN: ediion.cnn.com Deloitte Access Economics. (2017). At what price? The economic, social and icon value of the Great Barrier Reef. Brisbane: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Grantham Research Institute. (2012, July 16). The ultimate climate change FAQ. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/16/carbon-price-tax-cap Hutchens, G. (2016, April 28). Great Barrier Reef: Greens call for new tax on mining to pay for damage. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from TheGuardian.com: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/28/great-barrier-reef-greens-call-for-new-tax-on-mining-to-pay-for-damage Lee, Y.-H. A., Brown, D. J. (2006). Competition, Consumer Welfare and the Social Cost of a Monopoly. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University. Lipsey, R., Chrystal, A. (2011). Economics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. McGuirk, R. (2017, June 3). UNESCO has Serious Concerns Over Great Barrier Reef Coral. M. phy.org . The Associated Press. Queensland Government. (2017, July 3). Vegetation management. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from Queensland Government: https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/laAnswer:nd/vegetation/exemptions Riley, G. (2005). European Economy in Focus. BerkShire (UK) : Tutor 2 u online. Robertson, J. (2017, August 18). Queensland conservationists call for river-mining ban to protect Great Barrier Reef. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from The Guardian.com: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/18/queensland-conservationists-call-for-river-mining-ban-to-protect-great-barrier-reef Samuelson, P. A., NordHaus, W. R. (2004). Economics: Seventeenth Edition. New Delhi: Tata- McGraw Hill Publishing Company. United Nations Environment Programme. (2017). Coral Reefs Valuable But Vulnerable. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from United Nations Environment Programme : Coral Reefs Unit: coral.unep.ch/coral_reefs.html United Nations Scientific , Educational and Cultural Organization. (2017). CONVENTION CONCERNING THE PROTECTION OF THE WORLD CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE. Paris: United Nations Scientific , Educational and Cultural Organization. Wahlquist, C. (2017, June 3). Great Barrier Reef: Australia must act urgently on water quality, says Unesco. Retrieved August 23, 2017, from theguardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/03/great-barrier-reef-australia-must-act-urgently-on-water-quality-says-unesc

Napoleon Essays (511 words) - House Of Bonaparte, Napoleon, Ajaccio

Napoleon Napoleon was born August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica. This small, yet gallant figure was initially a fiercely independent Corsican, not a Frenchman as most would believe him to be. His areas of achievement were government, politics, and military. He was a strong leader during the French Revolution. He was very eager and determined to fight battles and win them. Sometimes, he was extremely stubborn. One of his most prestigious actions was when Napoleon crowned himself not the pope. Napoleon was the second of eight children of Charles Bonaparte and Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte, both of the Corsican-Italian gentry. Not one member of the family was a professional soldier. Napoleon was always a little boy and man. When he was young, he often had little "play" fights with the other Corsican boys and he would often lead his "troops" to victory. Napoleon was educated at Brienne and the Ecole Militaire, (French for "military school") in Paris. Napoleon graduated in 1785, at the age of sixteen. Then he joined the artillery as a 2nd lieutenant. His initial goal was to help Corsica, not France. In 1796, Napoleon was made commander of the French army in Italy. He defeated four Austrian generals and forced Austria and its allies to make peace. During his tenure in northern Italy, he founded the Cisalpine Republic and strengthened his position in France by sending millions of francs worth of treasure to the government. It was a morale boost to a nation cast in anarchy. Napoleon led an expedition to Egypt, ruled by the Turks, to cripple at British trade with the East. Despite his success in the Middle East, British Admiral Horatio Nelson destroyed his fleet, which left he and his army stranded. Napoleon took the chance to enhance his political skills by reforming the Egyptian government, abolishing serfdom, and feudalism. He also guaranteed basic rights for the citizens. Culturally, Napoleon brought French scholars to study ancient Egypt's history. These scholars helped decipher the famous Rosetta stone. Hence, the Egyptian hieroglyphics were fully translated. Although Bonaparte failed to defeat Syria in 1799, he won a crucial battle over the Turks at Abu Qir. However, France faced a major domestic problem. Austria, Russia, and lesser powers allied with Britain against France. These monarchies feared that the revolution in France would spread and incite the people of their nations. Their power was declining steadily and the only way to stop it would be to restore the French monarchy. Napoleon joined a conspiracy against the weak government in Paris. He and his colleagues seized power and established and new regime. The constitution was edited in 1802 to make Napoleon consul for life an in 1804 to create him emperor. In 1800, he assured his power by crossing the Alps and defeating the Austrians at Marengo. He then negotiated for peace in Europe that established the Rhine River as the eastern border of France. Napoleon also concluded an agreement with the pope that ended the argument with the Roman-Catholic Church. In France, the administration was reorganized, the court system was simplified, and all schools were put under centralized control. France's law was standardized in the Code Napoleon and six other codes. They guarantee rights won in the Revolution. Great Britain was prepared to take the war to Napoleon.

Alexander Hamilton and the National Economy

Alexander Hamilton and the National Economy Alexander Hamilton made a name for himself during the American Revolution, eventually rising to be the untitled Chief of Staff for George Washington during the war. He served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention from New York and was one of the authors of the Federalist Papers with John Jay and James Madison. Upon taking office as president, Washington decided to make Hamilton the first Secretary of the Treasury in 1789. His efforts in this position were hugely important for the fiscal success of the new nation. Following is a look at the major policies that he helped implement before resigning from the position in 1795. Increasing Public Credit After things had settled from the American Revolution and the intervening years under the Articles of Confederation, the new nation was in debt for more than $50 million. Hamilton believed that it was key for the US to establish legitimacy by paying back this debt as soon as possible. In addition, he was able to get the federal government to agree to the assumption of all the states debts, many of which were also sizable. These actions were able to accomplish many things including a stabilized economy and a willingness of foreign countries to invest capital in the US including the purchase of government bonds while increasing the power of the federal government in relation to the states. Paying for the Assumption of Debts The federal government established bonds at Hamiltons behest. However, this was not enough to pay off the huge debts that had accrued during the Revolutionary War, so Hamilton asked Congress to levy an excise tax on liquor. Western and southern congressmen opposed this tax because it affected the livelihood of farmers in their states. Northern and southern interests in Congress compromised agreeing to make the southern city of Washington, D.C. into the nations capital in exchange for levying the excise tax. It is noteworthy that even at this early date in the nations history there was much economic friction between northern and southern states. Creation of the US Mint and National Bank Under the Articles of Confederation, each state had their own mint. However, with the US Constitution, it was obvious that the country needed to have a federal form of money. The US Mint was established with the Coinage Act of 1792 which also regulated the coinage of the United States. Hamilton realized the necessity of having a safe place for the government to store their funds while increasing the ties between the wealthy citizens and the US Government. Therefore, he argued for the creation of the Bank of the United States. However, the US Constitution did not specifically provide for the creation of such an institution. Some argued that it was beyond the scope of what the federal government could do. Hamilton, however, argued that the Elastic Clause of the Constitution gave the Congress the latitude to create such a bank because in his argument it was, in fact, necessary and proper for the creation of a stable federal government. Thomas Jefferson argued against its creation as being unconstitutional despite the Elastic Clause. However, President Washington agreed with Hamilton and the bank was created. Alexander Hamiltons Views on the Federal Government As can be seen, Hamilton viewed it as supremely important that the federal government establish supremacy, especially in the area of the economy. He hoped that the government would encourage the growth of industry in a move away from agriculture so that the nation could be an industrial economy equal to those of Europe. He argued for items such as tariffs on foreign goods along with money to help individuals found new businesses so as to grow the native economy. In the end, his vision came to fruition as America became a key player in the world over the course of time.

Analyzing Civil Rights

Analyzing Civil Rights Slavery, Civil Rights, and the Constitution during the 19th CenturyIn 1619, a Dutch ship sailed into Jamestown, Virginia and sold twenty African slaves to the Virginia colonists, thus slavery and involuntary servitude begun. Throughout the early 1800s the South and the North drifted progressively further apart over the issue of allowing the institution of human slavery to continue in the United States. In 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected president and refused to let the southern states "go in peace and made a movement to abolish slavery, which resulted in the American Civil War. After the Civil War was over, Congress passed the three great Civil War Amendments to our constitution. In this paper I will take a closer look at Slavery, Civil Rights, and the Constitution during the 19th Century (AfricanAmericans.Com, 2004).The Dred Scott DecisionDred Scott and his wife Harriet were slaves owned by Master Sanford.English: 14th Amendment of the United States Const...In 1846, Mr. and Mrs. Sc ott filed suit for their freedom in the St. Louis Circuit Court. This suit began an eleven-year legal fight that ended in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court issued a landmark decision declaring that Scott and his wife are to remain a slave, that they are property, and the Constitution made no distinction between slaves and other types of property. The judge reasoned that the Missouri Compromise deprived slaveholding citizens of their property in the form of slaves, and that therefore the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional, which contributed to rising tensions between the free and slave states just before the American Civil War (University Libraries, 2004). Mr. and Mrs. Scott's only last hope was that the Chief Justice would decide that Scott was free because of his length of stay in the free state of Illinois, but the Chief Justice made no such decision.

Comparison of todays sport with the characteristics of sport in past Essay

Comparison of todays sport with the characteristics of sport in past times suggests why sport is such a major cultural force both then and now - Essay Example The time period of 1890 till 1920 is marked as progressive era in the history of USA. This was the period when industrialization flourished in the country. However because of industrialization the workload of factories as well as industries also increased which affected the social life of workers of USA. They did not find much time for their extra curricular activities. Owners of industries put their pressures on employees to increase their productivity at any cost (Quandt iii). There were many sports which were played during progressive era. However boxing was one of the most popular games played during that period. There were many people who were interested in this sport. USA’s Black Afro-Americans in particular were very fond of boxing. Jack Johnson the first Black American who achieved heavy weight title also belonged from progressive era of American History. Politics of reach also came into play when White Americans observed that Black people were going to rule on boxing in future. Since Blacks were not recognized as first class citizens in progressive era that is the reason why majority of the conflicts in the sports also arrive because white people often hesitate to play against the people of color. Progressive era is also among one such period where Black American came in positive news in American Press. In USA boxing was mostly played by working class of that time which was sponsored by upper class of the society (Hartmann-Tews and Pfister i ii). Besides boxing baseball was also one of the games which were introduced in progressive era. The introduction of baseball was facilitated by Young Women Christian Association. Football was also among one of the popular sports of that time. It was considered as a college sport, however during this era, football also made its way to schools as well. Soccer, hockey, baseball and boxing all have had their best players in that era. Women also had a major contribution in the development of sports. There

Seismic Analysis and Response of Bare and Masonry-Infilled Reinforced Coursework

Seismic Analysis and Response of Bare and Masonry-Infilled Reinforced Concrete Frame Structures - Coursework Example Since the infill walls play some roles during earthquakes, their design need consideration to withhold lateral forces. From a research conducted out, most concrete structures succumb to seismic loads due to: Failures of beam-column joints as a result of poor reinforcement at the joints and/or poor workmanship in installation of reinforcement beams; Basic failure that results from flexural weakness and or low shear strength; Failure of the infill wall that results from enough shear strength or a flexural strength that is out-of-plane (Griffith, Mike 2008, p.2). The relationship between un-reinforced masonry in-fills and reinforced concrete has led to unique influences in comparison to bare frames or seismic response. The behaviour of the in-fills to seismic loads remains controversial for existing buildings (Magenes, Guido and Pampanin Stefano, 2004). The issues to be addressed are modelling of structural elements and masonry in-fills panels. The analysed model need validation in term s of Beam-Column Subassemblies, single storey frames with infills, Dimension Frame with infills for multi-storey structures. Limitations related to infill panels and joints area also considered (Magenes, Guido and Pampanin Stefano, 2004). ... Therefore, structures in these areas need to be designed to withstand seismic loads. The success achieved will assist in reducing risks of collapsed structures in case of earthquake disasters. The aim of this project is to analyse the importance of masonry infill in relation to seismic loads. A comparison between structures with infill and bare structures are considered to help determine the best structures for earthquake prone areas. Part Two: References Article One:Diptesh Das and C.V.R. Murty, Brick masonry infills in seismic design of RC buildings: Part 1- Cost implications. 2004. The Indian Concrete Journal. According to Diptesh das and C.V.R. Murty(2004), the infills of reinforced concrete structures has contributed some strength to a structure in relation to seismic loads when compared to bare structures. Keen interest should therefore be put during seismic design stages of the infill walls. The focus is on design methods that make use of the importance of infills, improve the ir functions and minimize their negative impacts. The purposes of infill walls are; I. They minimize drifting in inter-storey structures, II. Improve the strength of the structure and III. Makes the structures stiff. Despite these advantages, infills reduce the structure’s ductility. Other factors that determine the strength of infill masonry is the quality of material used, the workmanship and the type of frame-infill interface. The design codes for infill are very few. The common codes are; a. Eurocode 8 b. Nepal building code 201 and c. Indian seismic code. The Eurocode 8 (EC 8) refers to RC frames and infill of brick masonry as a dual system. This infill is classified thrice depending on ductility, mainly low, medium and

Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance Research Paper

Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance - Research Paper Example CSR- related policies function as built-in, mechanisms through which the business evaluates and ensures that it operates actively in compliance with ethical standards, the law, and international expectations. As such, CRS activities are supposed to impact the stakeholders, environment, communities, consumers, employees and the overall public sphere positively. There are a number of goals that drive businesses into engaging in corporate citizenship. However, the key objective of the activity relates to the establishment of sustainable businesses, which, in fact, need healthy communities, markets, and economies. Some of the drivers of corporate social responsibility include enlightened self-interest, social investment, trust and transparency, and increased expectations of enterprises by the public according to ASOCIO (2004). There are various approaches that corporate entities can take in regard to social responsibility. While for example, some will opt for philanthropy, others will op t for a community-based development approach. Yet again, others will prefer to go the Creating Shared Value (CSV) way. Whichever method or approach is assumed, however, the organization somehow commits some of its resources for the good of other parties as earlier mentioned. Research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has blossomed in the 21st century. There is also an increased interest in the topic by different firms and people as seen in table 1. This is attributed to various factors like pressure exerted on organizations to demonstrate high ethical standards and the increasing concern about CSR expressed by policymakers. Firms from developing countries are driven by heightened demands on forms exporting to their products to Europe and other western countries do document their compliance to high ethical standards so as to be competitive. Generally, various organizations develop and express CSR because of various factors that can be summarised as internal and external factor s. In this paper, three international companies namely Monsanto Company, Microsoft Corporation, and Coca-Cola Company will be used to illustrate the various arguments. All the three companies already have a CRS in place.   Why International firms are showing increasing interests in corporate social responsibility and corporate governance There are internal and external factors that are making or motivating international firms to show increasing interests in CSR and corporate governance. Internal factors include managers, shareholders, employees, customers, and suppliers while external factors include social, economic, cultural, legal/government regulations, technological, global standard and nongovernment organizations. Economic and Social factors Researchers have given a special attention to the connection between CSR and the financial performance of an organization.

Privatization of Public Utilities Essay

Privatization of Public Utilities Essay A National Government’s Decision to privatize It’s Public Utilities Introduction There has been a prevalent political agreement on improving-benefit effect of private governance in the last decades. More than $1 trillion revenues have been generated for the government on the sale of government-owned firms to private owners. Public executives nowadays evaluate privatization as a suitable tool to implement a rapid growth of promising product innovations, facilitate financial economy development and promote more efficient production technologies. However, substantial figures of firms across the world are still owned by government. (Aghion and Tirole, 1994; Ahmed and Ashutosh, 2008). Having mentioned the privatization benefits, why are there general impediments in the decision process from the government, prioritizing to privatize some firms over the others to private sectors? In answering this research question, certain firm’s political and financial-economy factors were investigated in the selection of companies for privatization. As supported by literature on private firm decision to go public, financial characteristics of firms that can probably influence the decision to privatize were recognized (Ansolabehere and James, 2007). Arguably, the sale of government owned firms can not only confide in financial-economy factors but also on political settlement and costs. However, Dixit and Londregan (1996) argued that privatization may be seen as a negative development by the public on the opinion of undemocratic shift of property owned by the government to private investors. This can result in the governing party losing its votes in such region. The position of political patronage in the decision to privatize was considered, such as; hiring decisions of government-owned firms can be influenced by politicians to favour supporters. Further to the evaluation of political and financial-economy effect on privatization, research was conducted on India Government. This country was used as a case study because it has a huge political competition among its political parties with multiparty democracy (Dinc and Gupta, 2011). This research contributes to the political and finance-economy literature by investigating privatization effects suggest that selection of companies for privatization are done randomly, but the result presented from Dinc and Gupta (2011) point out that privatization decision is probably endogenous to characteristics of the firm. The literature is structured as follows; Section one describes the political system in Indian along with its privatization. Section two, discusses the political and financial-economy factors that are possible to affect government decision to privatize its public utilities. While section three, presents the conclusion of this research. 1. Privatization and Indian Political System 1.1. Firms Owned by Government In Indian post-independence era, firms owned by government were justified by anxiety that projects that involve large investment and time-consuming gestation periods will not be awarded to private sectors. There was rapid nationalization of firms across all sectors between 1960 and 1991, which boost the formation of gross capital in firms owned by the Federal Government to 40% of the entire gross capital establishment in the market economy (Ministry of Finance, 1996). According to Ministry of Finance (2004), the wages of government companies’ workers are higher compare to private companies’ staff and overstaffed usually occur in government companies. For instance, federal government firms employed over 10% workers from various structured sector in 2003, and their wages were averagely double that of private sector (Panagariya, 2008). This huge difference in their wage recommends why government workers vigorously disagree with government decision to privatization. 1.2. Political System India has a legislative system where representatives are directly elected from 543 single member constituencies dispersed across 35 states, while the national government was formed by alliance of parties or political party that wins most of the constituencies. About 450 political parties participated in five elections to the federal government, held since the commencement of privatization program in 1991. These elections are 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004. It is important to recognize the establishment of alliance among national political parties, before the commencement of election so as to inflate their probability of acquiring the majority (Dinc and Gupta, 2011). The Congress Party initiated the economic reforms that won the 1991 elections with the support of its allies and remain in as the ruling party until the 1996 election. After 1996 election, there were successive short-lived governments that later collapsed as a result of support deficiency from affiliated members (Dinc and Gupta, 2011). 1.3. Privatization Process In 1991, Indian created sweeping economic reforms which comprises of privatization and deregulations, as a reaction to balance payment crisis. 50 companies out of 280 nonfinancial companies that are owned by the Federal Government were privatized between 1991 and 2006. The decision to privatized list of companies was takes at the Cabinet level where every government produce its own list. The Congress government commenced the privatization in 1991, and later continued in 1999 by the BJP administration after a brief interruption by the successive government (Dinc and Gupta, 2011). Comparatively, privatization is not famously practiced in India unlike United Kingdom (UK) where almost all government-owned firms are been privatized such as British Gas, Transport for London (TFL), British Airport Authority. Since Congress and BJP parties have engaged in privatization, neither any of them as an intellectual obligation to privatization, as both parties have campaigned against each other using anti-privatization rhetoric (Dinc and Gupta, 2011). For instance, the Congress government were attacked by the BJP conservatives on privatization plans (Reuters News, 1992; cited in Dinc and Gupta, 2011), and eventually collide with the labour unions to protest privatisation (Reuters News, 1993; cited in Dinc and Gupta, 2011). In 2004, the Congress Party also campaigned against the BJP’s reform agenda, based on the platform of limited privatization, the Congress party won the election (Dinc and Gupta, 2011). 2. The Role of Political and Financial-Economy Factors in Privatization Decision 2.1. Financial Factors: Firm Size and Profitably Adverse effect could exist in the quality of companies that decide to publicized, if the issuers have more information than the investors about the company’s value (Leland and Pyle, 1977). According to Chemmanur and Fulghieri (1999), they argued that there is probability for adverse selection cost to be greater for both smaller and younger companies. This is backed by the result of Pagano et al. (1998), who suggested that smaller companies are not likely to be privatised. In the context of privatization, the methods of sales in a cross-country sample of privatised companies were compared together by Megginson et al., (2004). From his analysis, he finds that compared to private capital markets, big companies have the possibility to be privatized over shares sales to the public. 2.2. Political Factors Theoretically, Persson and Guido (2002) suggested that is likely for the politicians to target public funds to important constituencies with swing voters to succeed in elections. Experimentally, Dahlberg and Johansson (2002) shows that allowance allocation in Sweden is intense in constituencies with more swing voters, and research shows that French companies that are politically associated create additional jobs in politically aggressive constituencies (Bertrand et al., 2007). Shleifer and Robert (1994) argued that interference in the operation of companies by politicians is a major cause of inefficiency in companies owned by the government. Conclusion Since most privatizing governments sell companies, owned by the government over time or not at all, we investigate if political and financial-economy factors as well as political objectives are likely to affect government decision to privatized its public utilities. Using Indian as an exemplification, government owned companies which comprises of companies that remain fully government owned and privatized companies were investigated. Although privatization advantages like efficiency developments are distributed across the community, the costs are probably to be distinctively intense among a small group. Therefore, the voter’s support could be declined for the governing party in constituencies where the company is located. Similarly, the public may have negative opinion on privatization as a diverging transfer to public utilities or assets to private investors. The adverse reaction on outcome of elections in that constituency will be increased if the ruling party encounter a close race with the other political parties. Finally, the research suggests that selection of companies for privatization is not by chance. Accepting political contest as a tool for privatization decision, the sale of companies owned by the government was found as a facilitator to significance development in efficiency as well as profitability of these companies. References Aghion, P., Tirole, J., 1994. The management of innovation. Quarterly Journal of Economics 109, 1185–1209. Ahmed, S. and Ashutosh, V., 2008, Battles half won: The political economy of India’s growth and economic policy since independence, World Bank Working paper No. 15. Ansolabehere, S., and James S. J., 2007, Party control of state government and the distribution of public expenditures, Scandinavian Journal of Economics 108, 547– 569. BÂ ¨os, D., 1991. Privatization: A Theoretical Treatment. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Chemmanur, T. and Fulghieri, P., 1999, A theory of the going public decision, Review of Financial Studies 12, 249–279. Department of Disinvestment, 2007. Evolution of Disinvestment Policy in India . Government of India. Available at: http://www.divest.nic.in/evolutionp.htm.> Dinc, S. and Gupta, N., 2011. The Decision to Privatize: Finance and Politics. The Journal of Finance, LXVI(1), pp 241-269. Dixit, A. and Londregan, J,. 1996, The determinants of success of special interests in redistributive politics, Journal of Politics 58, 1132–1155. Gupta, Nandini, 2005, Partial privatization and firm performance, Journal of Finance 60, 987–1015. Leland, H. and David P., 1977, Informational asymmetries, financial structure, and financial intermediation, Journal of Finance 32, 371–387. Ministry of Finance, Government of India, 1996, Economic Survey of India (Government of India, New Delhi, India). Ministry of Finance, Government of India, 2004, Economic Survey of India (Government of India, New Delhi, India). Pagano, M., Fabio, P. and Luigi, Z., 1998, Why do companies go public? An empirical analysis, Journal of Finance 53, 27–64. Panagariya, A., 2008, India: An Emerging Giant (Oxford University Press, New York). Persson, T. and Guido T., 2002, Political Economics: Explaining Economic Policy (MIT Press, Cambridge). Persson, T. and Guido, T., 2002, Political Economics: Explaining Economic Policy (MIT Press, Cambridge). Shapiro, K. and Willig, R., 1990. Economic rationales for the scope of privatization. In: Suleiman, E.N.,Waterbury, J. (Eds.), The Political Economy of Public Sector Reform and Privatization. Westview Press, Boulder, CO. Shleifer, A. and Robert, V., 1994, Politicians and firms, Quarterly Journal of Economics. 109, 995–1025. A National Government’s Decision to Privatize its Public UtilitiesPage 1

Hubspot: Inbound Marketing Essay

HubSpot is an online marketing software company that utilizes inbound marketing, a system which pulls prospective customers to a business and its products. Although inbound marketing has been highly successful and the company has reached its milestone of 1,000 customers, HubSpot is now faced with the dilemma of which direction to steer towards, while considering the viability of inbound marketing at a larger scale. HubSpot must decide whether to target the Marketing Marys (MM) segment, the Owner Ollies (OO) segment or both. We recommend that HubSpot focus on the OO segment. Our strategy is to actively grow this market segment, lower the churn rate and increase the retention rate. By targeting this segment, it will help HubSpot further its goal of becoming an industry leader in the Leads, Analyze and Qualify Traffic sectors of the inbound marketing industry. Our recommendation is based on quantitative analysis which showed that the OO segment is more profitable than the MM segment. Considering the $1000 acquisition cost of OOs and their current pricing, the breakeven for this segment is 2 months. In addition, the lifetime revenue for the OOs is estimated to be $1. M (Exhibit B). In contrast, the breakeven time calculated for the MMs is 9 months with an estimated lifetime revenue of $1. 6M. In addition to quantitative analysis, we also considered qualitative factors in determining our recommendation. We determined that inbound marketing should remain the primary marketing system because it is a user-friendly and a cost efficient product and most importantly, it is HubSpot’s guiding philosophy. Inbound Marketing, a core value and strength, will continue to differentiate HubSpot from its competitors as it grows. In choosing to target the OO segment, we are assuming that OOs will continue to migrate to HubSpot’s hosted content management system at the same rate. The plan is to foster the OOs through retention programs and an improved quality customer service department. The company can lock the customer into a one-year contract at a discount or offer initial free consulting services. In addition within this timeframe, HubSpot’s salesforce will promote the advantages of migrating to the CMS system. We considered alternatives such as targeting both OO and MM segments or focusing solely on the MM segment. However, according to the company product timeline, it takes more than 3 months to develop new products and processes so the alternative of targeting both segments was rejected. As a new company, HubSpot has limited resources to service the diverse client base, which will cause product growth to lag behind servicing customers’ needs. In the long run, this will put the company at a less competitive position in the industry. Additionally, we also considered targeting only the MMs because this segment realized the most growth during the last four months of 2008, perhaps indicating long term growth potential. We rejected this strategy as a result of our expense breakeven analysis: it takes 4 ? times longer to breakeven with MM customers than it does with OO clients (Exhibit B). Finally, while we realize that the shift in focus could potentially lead to loss of market share within the MM segment, we believe that the gain in OO segment will offset the loss in the long run. In conclusion, we recommend that HubSpot target the OO segment. We identified HubSpot’s goals as growth within the OO segment, a lower churn rate and an increased retention rate. HubSpot can accomplish these objectives by promoting the CMS system and implementing a new customer contract initiative. As the company moves towards accomplishing these goals, it will no doubt become a market leader in the online software marketing industry.

Great Gatsby: Weddings and Social Occasions

Ruby DeFelice 11/14/12 Pd. 2 Mr Brennan Lavish parties are abundant all throughout the novel The Great Gatsby. Luxurious bashes thrown by Jay Gatsby attract the â€Å"foul dust† of East and West egg like moths to a lamp. Those in attendance at Gatsby's parties tend to be the elite scum of the earth caring for no one and nothing except their own personal social reputations. Two occasions are particularly relevant to the development of the novel; the consistently present soirees and Gatsby's funeral together illuminate the realities of the attendees values, develop the readers empathy towards Gatsby, and help uncover a deeper moral.Hundreds of wealthy fools show up at Gatsby's mansion prepared for a fun filled night of drinking and inebriated antics. Night after night people come to Gatsby's, their generous host, trash his house, drink his alcohol and have a grand old time. One would think Gatsby is a well liked man with many friends and loved ones, at least thats what his popul ar parties allude. Yet no one in attendance seems to know who Gatsby really is at all. Guests in Gatsby's house, not even knowing who the man is, twitter rumors about him all night never really knowing the truth, never really caring to know.Gatsby's life is full of people who use him, in other words his life is empty, a fact we don't fully understand the severity of until his funeral. At Gatsby's funeral we discover how alone he really was. Of all of the guests floating in and out of Gatsby's parties, taking advantage of his hospitality, only one cares to show up at his funeral. Even Daisy the woman Gatsby had created his illusionary life for is to self absorbed to make an appearance.The lack of company at Gatsby's funeral infer the carelessness and self absorption of the elite East and West egg citizens. One man even has the audacity to call Nick, our protagonist, a day before Gatsby's funeral looking for his tennis shoes! Of course he cant make it to the funeral of his once genero us host because of prior picnic plans! The sad truth of Gatsby's lonesomeness and the leeches that took advantage of him finalize their appearance during his funeral and cause the reader to succumb to a strong empathetic attitude toward the late Jay Gatsby.Through Gatsby's parties and his funeral emerges a deeper meaning of human hope. Gatsby believed in the green light of the future, the light that although you may never reach will always be there beckoning to you. Gatsby is alone from the start and in the end dies alone, even the one person he cares most about, his â€Å"green light†, doesn’t seem to care enough to show at his funeral. Gatsby's dream fails, but even the terribly sad and lonely life he led couldn’t stop him from trying to reach his dream until the bitter end.

Visa para jóvenes para trabajar como staff campamento

Visa para jà ³venes para trabajar como staff campamento Una de las mejores opciones para jà ³venes para trabajar  en Estados Unidos y practicar inglà ©s con una visa de intercambio J-1 en el programa de staff de un campamento de verano. En este artà ­culo se explican cules son los requisitos para disfrutar de esta oportunidad de trabajar como monitor (staff) en un campamento de verano, cules son las precauciones que deben tomarse para evitar problemas migratorios y cules son otras posibles opciones en programas similares.  ¿Quià ©nes Pueden Aplicar Por Visa J-1 Para Trabajar Como Staff de Campamento? Pueden trabajar en campamentos de verano como staff los extranjeros con una visa J-1 de intercambio los extranjeros que viven habitualmente fuera de Estados Unidos y  que reà ºnan todos los requerimientos siguientes: Tener al menos los 18 aà ±os cumplidosSer estudiante universitario o de un programa acadà ©mico semejante. O ser un trabajador joven o un maestro o una persona adulta con habilidades adecuadas para este trabajo  Tener conocimientos de inglà ©s suficientes para poder supervisar y relacionarse con adolescentes y nià ±os americanos Pasos  Para Trabajar Como Monitor de Campamento en USA Antes de pedir  esta modalidad de la visa J-1 de intercambio en la Embajada o consulado que corresponda es necesario encontrar un patrocinador para ese trabajo. Para ello hay que contactar con una de las organizaciones autorizadas por el Departamento de Estado para patrocinar  extranjeros para este programa.   Este es el listado de organizaciones designadas para patrocinar. Encontrars el nombre de la organizacià ³n, pgina web, su ubicacià ³n (ciudad y estado) y nà ºmero de telà ©fono. Puedes contactar a los que quieras y es posible que tengan un colaborador en tu paà ­s. Pero verifà ­calo por correo electrà ³nico o por telà ©fono con la organizacià ³n en Estados Unidos. Cuando una de estas organizaciones decida patrocinar  te enviar un documento que se conoce con el nombre DS-2019. A  partir de lo  cual puedes iniciar a tramitar la visa por internet llenando el formulario DS-160 y pagando la cuota correspondiente. Y sà ³lo ms tarde tendrs que ir al consulado o a la Embajada a la entrevista.   Si tu solicitud es aprobada, se te dar la visa. Si la solicitud es negada no podrs recuperar el dinero pagado al aplicar por el visado. Cà ³mo Evitar Problemas Migratorios Con Visa de Intercambio Aà ºn cuando se te entregue la visa, no puedes utilizarla para ingresar a Estados Unidos sino hasta que falten 30 dà ­as o menos para la iniciacià ³n del programa de campamento en el que se va a participar. La fecha exacta de comienzo es la que establece el documento DS-2019 que te entregà ³ la institucià ³n que te patrocina. Una vez que finaliza el programa tienes 30 dà ­as para salir de Estados Unidos. A menos que hayas pedido a tiempo una extensià ³n y se haya aprobado. Otros Programas de Intercambio J-1 Que Quiz Te Puedan Interesar Si eres joven y buscas mejorar tu inglà ©s y conocer Estados Unidos y la cultura americana de primera mano puede que te interesen programas similares al de monitor de campamento y que tambià ©n requieren de una visa J-1, puede que consideres de interà ©s los siguientes programas. Por ejemplo, la visa para  trabajar  y viajar en verano, tambià ©n conocida como SWT, por sus siglas en inglà ©s, o la de  Au-pair, tambià ©n conocido en algunos paà ­ses como nià ±era o canguro. Finalmente, los muchachos que han finalizado sus estudios universitarios pueden estar interesados en programas de prcticas profesionales, que estn disponibles para distintos campos de trabajo, como salud, arquitectura, arte, ciencias, etc. Es muy importante entender que cada programa dentro de la visa J-1 tiene sus propias reglas. De hecho, pueden tener requisitos muy diferentes. Lo fundamental es cumplir con los requerimientos del programa al que se aplica. Las Visas de Estudiantes Como una Excelente Opcià ³n Para Jà ³venes Para los muchachos interesados en estudiar en Estados Unidos estn a su disposicià ³n las visas F-1 para estudiantes de idiomas o en instituciones acadà ©micas  y las visas M-1 para estudios vocacionales o en escuelas no acadà ©micas. Adems, para los mexicanos y canadienses transfronterizos est a su disposicià ³n la visa F-3. En la actualidad Estados Unidos es el paà ­s del mundo con mayor nà ºmero de estudiantes internacionales. Los 3 estados preferidos de los alumnos internacionales son, por orden de mayor a menor, California, Nueva York y Texas. En cuanto a las universidades ms populares son New York University, University of South California y Columbia University. Para los que desean estudiar en una universidad estadounidense, sin duda el primer paso es hacerse una idea completa de los requisitos que se necesitan para aplicar con à ©xito a la institucià ³n elegida. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Qué pasa al quedarse en EE.UU. más tiempo que permitido

Quà © pasa al quedarse en EE.UU. ms tiempo que permitido Los turistas extranjeros pueden visitar Estados Unidos con una visa en vlida, o incluso, sin visado si pertenecen a un grupo selecto de paà ­ses que pertenecen al Programa de Exencià ³n de Visados, pero deben salir del paà ­s antes de que expire el tiempo autorizado para permanecer en el mismo. Los tiempos que se puede quedar un turista depende del tipo de documento que se utilice para ingresar y, si se ingresa con visa, incluso de las condiciones de su titular. En el documento que se conoce como I-94 registro de entrada y salida, puede verificarse exactamente por cunto tiempo se est autorizado a permanecer en EE.UU. Ahora es un documento digital que puede consultarse en internet en la pgina oficial de la CBP. Si se ingresà ³ sin visa, el tiempo mximo de permanencia es de 90 dà ­as. Con independencia de si se ingresà ³ a EE.UU. con visa de turista o sin ella por ser de un paà ­s del Programa de Exencià ³n de visados, todos sufren las mismas consecuencias si se permanecen en el paà ­s ms all del tiempo autorizado. En este artà ­culo se explican cules son esas consecuencias y por quà © se debe evitar intentar hacer trampa con el tiempo de permanencia. Consecuencias de quedarse en EE.UU. ms tiempo del permitido Desde el punto de vista migratorio los turistas que exceden el nà ºmero de dà ­as de estancia permitida se convierten en indocumentados. A partir de ahà ­ si entran en contacto con una autoridad migratoria pueden ser expulsados inmediatamente o deportados, dependiendo del caso de cada uno. Aunque existen posibilidades de legalizarse (regularizar la situacià ³n), en realidad tampoco hay tantas y los requisitos son estrictos. Por esta razà ³n, lo mejor siempre es salir del paà ­s dentro de plazo o pedir con tiempo una extensià ³n o un cambio de visa. En este punto destacar que los turistas que entraron sin visado no pueden hacer ni una cosa ni otra, para ellos sà ³lo cabe la opcià ³n de salir de Estados Unidos. Adems, deben hacerlo dentro de los 90 dà ­as siguientes al dà ­a de ingreso. Por ello, antes de decidir quedar en Estados Unidos en situacià ³n de indocumentado, consultar con un abogado de inmigracià ³n y entender muy bien todos los problemas que pueden surgir.   En casos muy excepcionales, en los que se permanece en Estados Unidos ms tiempo que el autorizado en la visa es posible  solicitar y obtener una restauracià ³n de estatus. Esto es lo que se conoce como Nunc Pro Tunc para casos en los que no se solicità ³ a tiempo la extensià ³n o un cambio de visa. Otra consecuencia de quedarse ms tiempo del permitido es que la visa de turista se cancela. Tener en consideracià ³n que el titular no es notificado de este hecho. Se entera cuando intenta ingresar a EEUU en el siguiente viaje y no se le permite. En el caso de haber ingresado a EE.UU. sin visa, se pierde ese derecho. A partir de ese momento es necesario pedir al consulado una visa de turista si se quiere regresar a Estados Unidos y la aprobacià ³n de la misma no est asegurada. Adems, tanto si se entrà ³ con visa o sin ella, haber estado ilegalmente es causa de inadmisibilidad y si se ha estado ms de 180 dà ­as ilegalmente en el paà ­s y despuà ©s se sale de Estados Unidos, aplica el castigo de los tres y de los diez aà ±os, con algunas pocas excepciones. Es cierto que para solicitar una visa no inmigrante, como es la de turista, estudiante, intercambio, inversià ³n, etc., es posible solicitar un perdà ³n por la penalidad de los 3 o de los 10 aà ±os, pero no se aprueba frecuentemente. E incluso en los casos en los que ya ha transcurrido el tiempo del castigo puede resultar difà ­cil que el oficial consular apruebe una nueva visa puesto que se plantà ³ ya la duda sobre las intenciones del solicitante.   Eso no quiere decir que resulte imposible obtenerla. Pero sà ­ que se va a mirar con gran detenimiento la aplicacià ³n. Error grave a evitar El sistema informtico de las aduanas de EEUU es, en estos momentos, muy completo. No es como antes. Todas las personas que dan por perdido el pasaporte, piden a sus embajadas unos salvoconductos y una vez que estn de regreso en sus paà ­ses solicitan un pasaporte nuevo y la visa americana estn cometiendo un error.   Eso podà ­a pasar en algunos casos hace aà ±os. Ahora ya no. Queda registrado que no se salià ³ a tiempo. Es este punto es de interà ©s conocer  quà © informacià ³n tienen en el control migratorio de la aduana americana. Los oficiales de migracià ³n, control de paso migratorio y de los consulados de Estados Unidos no tiene que probar nada. Es la persona interesada la que tiene que demostrar, en caso de duda, que efectivamente se salià ³ a tiempo. Al oficial consular o al inspector de aduanas les basta con tener la sospecha para negar la visa o la entrada. Puntos clave a tener en cuenta Quedarse ms tiempo del permitido conlleva convertirse en indocumentadoLa visa se cancela o se pierde el derecho a viajar sin visa como turistaPuede aplicar el castigo de los 3 y de los 10 aà ±os. Este artà ­culo tienen una finalidad meramente informativa.

Marketing Plan ( Customer and Market Profile) Assignment

Marketing Plan ( Customer and Market Profile) - Assignment Example The US has stable political and economic conditions to support the development and marketing of niche products such as the Brain Reader. The socio-cultural and business situation of the country enhances prosperity of the market for this device. Financial aid by the government helps in further development of the product. Needs satisfied by the product The Brain Reader is a product of the twenty-first century, belonging to the new generation of â€Å"portable neural devices and algorithms† (Duncan, 2012) loaded with the capacity to read the different thoughts that go on in the complicated brains of human beings. The brain is a complicated chamber that generates various kinds of thoughts, feelings, desires and emotions. Till date scientists have been putting sincere efforts to develop ways in which the minds of people can be read; hypnosis is one of those methods, but none of these methods have been able to render complete success. It has been proved in various scientific studies that human beings are often unable to report their thoughts properly either naturally or due to some disability. This makes it difficult for them to communicate properly. This specific product has been devised with the aim of bringing immense benefit to a number of sectors. The commodity would have a simple design and would be user friendly. The person using it would be required to wear it on his or her head like a hair band and a small box attached to the band, which acts like a transmitter, would convert the signals generated in the brain into electronic waves that can be seen on a screen in the form of waves. These waves would be converted into words or commands via a software installed in a computer attached to the screen. Thus the thoughts of a person can be read by outside people that are communicating with that person. The transmitter works on a small battery installed within the box and no connection of electricity is required for running this new device. This data would be automatically updated with time and hence it would be easy to study and analyze the data at a later point of time. Market segmentation and target marketing Market segmentation Market segmentation is â€Å"the process of dividing a market into meaningful, relatively similar and identifiable segments or groups† (Lamb, Hair & McDaniel, 2011, p. 259). This is done with the purpose of enabling the marketer to tailor the marketing mixes so as to cater to each segment successfully. For the current product the market segments have been represented through the following pie chart: (Source: Author’s creation) The four market segments identified for the Brain Reader are criminal investigators, HR Departments in private companies, teachers and academicians and psychologists. While criminal investigators and human resource personnel are the target markets, it can also be used by school teachers to make the process of teaching and learning more efficient. Using the Brain Reader a t eacher would be able to measure the level of understanding of the pupils by evaluating their responses to the lessons imparted in a better way than conducting tests. The device would also ease

In what ways would you characterize Las Vegas as a 'western' city Essay

In what ways would you characterize Las Vegas as a 'western' city - Essay Example We can also look at the world â€Å"western† as it refers to the locations of Las Vegas as in the western portion of the United States and referring to the western part of Nevada. Finally, we can characterize the word â€Å"western† as linked to the Old West, with a rich history of how Las Vegas began. This essay will attempt to characterize all three concepts of the word â€Å"western† and how it applies to the city of Las Vegas both now and linked to its broad history. The term â€Å"western culture† is used as a reference to a background of social normality’s, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, accepted political systems, and identified artifacts and technologies. The term has generally come to apply to countries whose history is strongly marked by Western European immigration or settlement, such as the settlement of the Americas. This can be applied to and characterized to Las Vegas as the settlers moved West in the Americas to settle new lands. The first settlers to enter the land now called Las Vegas were the Mormons. They traveled from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas mainly to protect the Los Angeles to Salt Lake City mail route in 1855. The first settlement consisted of a square building of sun-dried bricks, clay and grass called adobe. The Mormons planted fruit trees, planted gardens and mined lead for bullets from the mountains. Unfortunately, the settlement was abandoned in 1858 mainly due to Indian raids. A portion of the Mormon Fort still stands in Las Vegas near Las Vegas Boulevard North and Washington Avenue. Members of the Church of Christ of the Later Day Saints dedicated a Mormon Temple in Las Vegas in 1989, which is visible to the east of the city. The Mormon religion has been a very big influence in the historic roots of Las Vegas and its early beginnings. This characterizes the religious western influences that still remain. Las Vegas was discovered by accident by Rafael Rivera and the exa ct date is unknown. Rivera was a very experienced scout who rode west in search of water. He ventured into the unexplored desert, and by accident discovered Las Vegas Spring. Given the name â€Å"the Meadows† in Spanish, it was an abundant area of marshlands and vegetation. This discovery was able to shorten the trail from Los Angeles, and lent a positive aspect to hasten the rush west for California gold. Just 14 short years after Rivera’s discovery, John C. Fremont led an overland expedition to Las Vegas Springs in 1844. His name is present today in the city of Las Vegas with the Fremont Hotel-Casino and Fremont Street; the main thoroughfare in the heart of the city, another link to the western influences that began in Las Vegas. Any connection to the western world started with the mail routes and the pony express. In 1863 an Ohian named Octavius Decatur Gass began buying land and ranching it. He fell into financial disaster and mortgaged his land to Archibald Stewar t. The ranch did really well for around five years, but Stewart died and his widow Helen was left to run the ranch. She worked the ranch with hired hands and provided a stopping point for travelers and provided postal services for the area. And today the name Gass is honored with a street name in Las Vegas. Railroad developers determined that the water-rich

Interviewing Skills in Legal Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Interviewing Skills in Legal Practice - Essay Example â€Å"They may have been served with a paper stating things that they know to be untrue; they may have been wronged by another† (Sarat & Felstiner, p. 83, 1997). They may consider that they have acted in a befitting manner and, once all the details are uncovered, no sensible individual could oppose that they have been wrongly charged. They may realize that they have acted incorrectly by some means but have a litany of allegations of improvement, justification, and rationalization.   Public speaking is constantly stated as an extremely frightened occasion in investigations. Lawyers have to do a considerable amount of discussion and be at ease communicating in the presence of others, even the transactional legal representative who under no circumstances goes to the courthouse apart from to file real estate papers. Therefore, it is essential to take into account that the prospective customer may have a huge deal of apprehension regarding telling his or her narrative to an unfamiliar person. How to deal with the clients’ preliminary requirement to tell their narrative is something that is handled differently by various lawyers. It is a manifestation of their individual approach and the topic of their practice. There is no exact technique here, even though there are a few incorrect ones, for instance, the lawyer doing the talking for the most part, with lots of inexplicable legal terminology and giving ‘little or no time for follow-up questionsâ€⠄¢ by the prospective client.   Listening is a most important requirement for an interview, and like other abilities can be enhanced with learning and rehearsal. Too many times within these days’ society, what stands for listening is only waiting silently for your turn to have a discussion.

Research on Science Essay Example for Free

Research on Science Essay ABSTRACT The study explores ways in which students who have participated in a curriculum innovation, Science ALIVE! acquire Science process skills and perceive the relevance of Science in everyday life. It investigates whether students have, after the programme, perceived an improvement in applying Science process skills. Four classes of Secondary 2 Express students attended one of four modules in the Science ALIVE! programme and responded to a pre- and post-course survey to measure their perceived skill competency for each process skill. They also responded to questions on whether the programme enhanced their awareness of the relevance of Science in everyday life. Five students from each module were selected to provide written feedback at mid-course and write a journal after the course. The content of their feedback and journals were analysed to provide deeper insight of the results of the perception surveys. The data was triangulated with teachers’ feedback, which was used to provide insight of the factors that affect the acquisition of the process skills. The findings show significant increase in students’ perception of skill competency while a high percentage of students indicated that the programme has made them more aware of the relevance of Science in their lives. INTRODUCTION Traditional learning approaches in which students are passive recipients of knowledge are inconsistent with the call for Singapore schools to Teach Less, Learn More (TLLM). There is a need to allow learning to occur in settings that are relevant to students’ experiences and real world problems. In Clementi Town Secondary School (CTSS), Project Work was used as a platform for students to transfer their learning and apply in authentic applications. However, teachers who had conducted Project Work for Science at Secondary 2 observed that students’ projects lacked depth in the specific content area, and the skills needed for scientific investigations. This spurred the need to cover content knowledge relevant to the projects assigned. It also raised the concern that Science process skills, as stipulated in the MOE Lower Secondary Science (LSS) Syllabus, were not sufficiently emphasised compared to acquiring scientific knowledge. Teachers also indicated that students were una ble to appreciate the relevance of Science in solving problems in their lives after past Project Work tasks. Science Process Skills â€Å"Science process skills† is commonly used to describe a set of broadly transferable abilities that are reflective of what scientists do. These skills are grouped into two types – basic and integrated. Basic process skills provide a foundation for learning the integrated skills, which are more complex skills for solving problems or doing Science experiments. In this study, reflecting is listed as a process skill to be investigated, though it is usually considered part of thinking skills which is a broader category that subsumes process skills. Some Science educators have argued that â€Å"teaching students Science facts is not as important as developing their Science process skills so that they can learn this knowledge on their own† (Young, 1995). Studies in the United States have shown that elementary school students who are taught process skills, not only learn to use those processes, but also retain them for future use. In Singapore, the MOE Primary Science syllabus also emphasises the teaching of basic process skills and some integrated skills, while the LSS syllabus emphasises the use of process skills for planning investigations and creative problem solving, and other thinking skills. Curriculum design plays an important role in the acquisition of Science process skills. The MOE Assessment Guidelines for LSS recommends an explicit teaching of the process skills, followed by the integration of these skills by students in experimenting or carrying out investigative projects. Padilla (1990) pointed out that â€Å"when Science process skills are a specific planned outcome of a Science programme, those skills can be learned by students Teachers need to select curricula which emphasise Science process skills.† These basic skills are learnt more effectively if they are considered an important object of instruction and if proven teaching methods are used. There must be a deliberate effort to focus on teaching process skills through a modified LSS curriculum. Young (1995) recommended that if teachers have the freedom to select their own topics, they should choose topics of direct interest to themselves and which would excite students. Science knowledge serves as background for lessons but should not take up the whole lesson. Instead, more time should be spent on activities that enhance the understanding of Science concepts and improve Science skills. Some studies have shown that instead of using the didactic approach, teaching Science through the use of activity-based approaches significantly improved students’ achievement in Science process skills (Beaumont-Walters, 2001). Berry et al (1999) suggested a few crucial factors that influence the acquisition of process skills used in laboratory work. Firstly, students need the relevant content knowledge that is assumed by the task to be mentally engaged. For example, a more knowledgeable student would be able to explain an observation, which in turn â€Å"validates† his knowledge and gives him a certain amount of intellectual satisfaction. The ‘doing’ of Science has to be coupled with ‘learning about’ Science, if students are to appreciate the value of scientific inquiry (Haigh et al, 2005). A second factor suggested by Berry et al (1999) is students’ ownership of laboratory tasks. Ownership would be more apparent in open laboratory tasks, where the student has to design his own experiment than in closed laboratory tasks, where the â€Å"correct† experimental procedure is written out in a â€Å"cookbook† style and the student is likely to carry out the tasks unthinkingly. Another effective strategy to enhance students’ process skills would be to let students keep a â€Å"scientific journal† (Tomkins Tunnicliffe, 2001). It was observed that diary writers tend to build more confidence in their own interpretations, engage in intellectual debates with themselves over the plausibility of their explanations and ask questions that are more quantifiable. Relevance of Science in everyday life Research studies conducted in recent decades on students’ perception of school Science have consistently shown that they perceive Science as not relevant (Bennett, 2001). Similar findings have raised a serious concern in several countries. For instance, a report by the Dutch Ministry of Education in 2002 observed that secondary school students did not see a connection between what they learnt in Chemistry lessons and the chemistry happening around them (Van Aalsvoort, 2004a). A subsequent report recommended teaching Science in context. However, a study carried out on a contextualised Science curriculum introduced to Swaziland students highlighted some shortcomings (Campbell et al, 2000). The findings showed that less than half of the sample students could draw on Science concepts to explain everyday experiences or solve everyday problems. It was suggested that contextualised learning could be made more effective through student-initiated project work on everyday problems. Van Aalsvoort (2004b) suggested using activity theory to address the issue of the relevance of Chemistry in chemical education, where reflection plays a key role in evaluating and developing an activity. Reflection could be carried out through writing reflection journals, which also helped enhance the acquisition of process skills, as mentioned earlier (Tomkins Tunnicliffe, 2001). According to Van Aalsvoort (2004a), relevance can be defined in four aspects: (i) personal relevance – Science education makes connections to students’ lives; (ii) professional relevance – Science education offers students a picture of possible professions; (iii) social relevance – Science education clarifies the purpose of Science in human and social issues; and (iv) personal/social relevance – Science education helps students develop into responsible citizens. This study considers relevance in three aspects – personal, professional and social. INTERVENTION Project Work aims for students to transfer the learning of concepts into applications in authentic settings. To address the areas of concern raised by teachers teaching Project Work, the Science ALIVE! programme was conceived to integrate Project Work and the LSS syllabus. This 13-week programme was conducted during Semester 2 of the Secondary 2 Express Science curriculum and used alternative assessment to replace the traditional end-ofyear examination. In this programme, a team of teachers crafted four modules which covered a variety of topics from Biology, Chemistry and Physics. As a motivating factor, students could choose from one of the four modules offered: Aroma Chemistry, Biodiversity, Life Science and Water Rockets. In each Science ALIVE! module, specific content knowledge was taught using hands-on strategies such as laboratory work, field trips, journal writing and group discussions. These strategies were intended to promote student engagement. Most importantly, the programme addressed the three key issues of concern in the following ways: 1. Content knowledge covered was specific to each module and relevant to the projects that students were assigned. This enabled students to better transfer the concepts to the projects. 2. Science process skills could be applied by students through journal writing, laboratory work and investigative project work. Science process skills were used as criteria for assessment to emphasise their importance and focus. 3. To enhance the relevance of Science, students were given a choice of the elective module to study, and to decide on the problem to work on for their projects. Contextualised learning, which draws on scientific understanding to explain everyday situations, was consciously infused into the curriculum design for each module. Reflection journals were written after selected activities, which according to activity theory helped students evaluate their learning (Van Aalsvoort, 2004b). RESEARCH QUESTIONS The two research questions are: (1) How does the Science ALIVE! programme help students to apply their Science process skills? And (2) How can the Science ALIVE! programme enhance the relevance of Science in students’ lives? METHODOLOGY Participants 147 students from all four Secondary 2 Express classes attended the Science ALIVE! programme and participated in the study. Pre- and post-course perception surveys were conducted for all students to measure their perception of their skill competency and their awareness of the relevance of Science in their lives through the programme. In addition, five students were selected from each module to give written feedback in week 8 (mid-course) and write a journal in week 13 (at the end of the course). To provide maximum variation, the five students from each module were selected based on their Science grade in Semester 1 and their reasons for selecting the module which reflected their motivational level. Instruments In the pre- and post-course surveys, students were asked to rate their perception of their Science process skills using a four-point Likert scale. The post-course survey included an item to measure students’ perception of increased awareness of the relevance of Science in their lives. Data Analysis For survey items on Science process skills, the mean value of each skill was calculated for the individual module (Table 2) as well as across all modules (Table 1). Skills with ratings of less than 3 (out of 4) were identified and analysed. The differences in mean values for pre- and post-course surveys were compared. The differences were considered significant if there was an increase or decrease of at least 0.3 in value (or 10% of the range of scale used). Journals and mid-course written feedback of the 20 selected students were used to surface possible reasons for these perceptions. The data was triangulated with teachers’ feedback, which was used to provide insight of the factors that affect the acquisition of the process skills. For the survey item on the relevance of Science, the total percentage of students who indicated an â€Å"Agree† or â€Å"Strongly Agree† was computed for each module. Content analysis of the journals and written feedback from the selected students were carried out. Frequency counts of the responses were based on three categories: personal, professional and social relevance. Teachers’ feedback was used to provide depth to the findings. RESULTS Acquisition of Science process skills The perception of all students on the level of their skill competency before and after the Science ALIVE! programme was measured through surveys. The survey results were compared using the mean values for each process skill, as shown in Table 1. Table 1: Comparison of students’ perception of skills before and after Science ALIVE! Mean value (scale 1 – 4) Pre-Course Post-Course 3.1 3.2 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 3.1 2.8 2.6 3.0 3.0 2.7 3.1 3.2 Process Skill (a) Elaborating (Research) (b) Conducting scientific investigations (Planning investigations) (c) Conducting scientific investigations (Using scientific apparatus) (d) Conducting scientific investigations (Analysing data) (e) Communicating (Writing scientific reports) (f) Reflecting (g) Questioning (Learning by asking questions) In the pre-course survey, the items which scored less than 3 are the skills of ‘planning investigations’, ‘using scientific apparatus’, ‘analysing data’, ‘writing scientific reports’ and ‘learning by asking questions’. Students’ perception rating increased in the following skills ‘using scientific apparatus’, ‘analysing data’ and ‘learning by asking questions’ suggesting that the Science ALIVE! programme had benefited them in these areas, with the exception of ‘planning investigations’ and ‘writing scientific reports’ where there was marginal increase or no change between the pre- and post-course rating. This revealed that in general, students still did not have much confidence in these skills and suggests that more could be done in the next cycle to guide students in these aspects. The changes in the rating for items (b), (c) and (d) in the pre- and post-course surveys suggest that students’ perceptions that their skills in handling apparatus and equipment have improved. This could be attributed to the fact that students were introduced to various new apparatus or equipment during project experiments in all modules. For example, the Biodiversity module used dataloggers which was equipment new to students. Skills in items (b), (c) and (d) are all part of the process of conducting scientific investigations. However, there was only a marginal increase in the rating for (b) ‘planning investigations’ after the programme. This could be because planning investigations is a higher order process skill which encompasses making hypothesis, identifying variables and writing the experimental procedures. Analysis of Science process skills by skill category The results were further categorised to compare and study the changes in students’ perception of skill competency for the individual modules, as shown in Table 2. Table 2: Comparison of perception of skill competency by module Mean value (Scale 1 – 4) BioLife diversity Science Pre Post Pre Post 2.9 3.2 3.0 3.3 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.9 3.3 2.9 2.4 2.9 2.8 2.4 3.3 3.3 2.4 2.9 2.7 2.5 3.1 2.9 2.8 3.0 3.1 2.9 3.2 3.0 Module Process Skill (a) Elaborating (Research) (b) Conducting investigations (Planning investigations) (c) Conducting investigations (Using scientific apparatus) (d) Conducting investigations (Analysing data) (e) Communicating (Writing scientific report) (f) Reflecting (g) Questioning (Learning by asking questions) Elaborating Aroma Chemistry Pre Post 3.3 3.2 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.7 3.1 3.0 2.7 3.1 2.9 2.7 2.8 3.2 Water Rockets Pre Post 3.1 3.1 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.5 2.9 2.6 2.5 3.0 2.9 2.7 3.0 3.2 The results of item (a) in the pre- and post-surveys showed an increase in rating for this skill for the Biodiversity and Life Science modules. This could be because these modules are more content-based topics, which require greater use of such skills. It should, however, be noted that for Aroma Chemistry module, the pre-course survey score was already high and it might be difficult to make further significant improvement. From the written feedback of selected students in the 8th week of the programme, half indicated that they had learnt to research to look for more information. All five students from the Biodiversity module wrote that they had learnt to assess â€Å"how reliable the sources are†. For example, one student from the module wrote in her journal that â€Å"before creating our ecosystem, we need to do research on the organisms that we choose, on what they feed on and their suitable habitat† (Student S8). Teachers conducting the programme felt that most students were still at the developmental stage of doing research, as they could not extract relevant information from sources. They also observed that some students lacked the initiative and discipline to do research work, though teachers had provided a list of resources. This could be seen in project reports, where the evidence of research is lacking. A likely explanation for this observation is the past practice of didactic teaching, resulting in students â€Å"so used to being given all materials and information by teachers that they do not know how to get started† (Teacher T3). Teacher T1 recommended the need to balance between providing students with information and allowing them to be independent in their learning. Conducting Scientific Investigations For item (b) on ‘planning investigations’, the Life Science module had the largest increase in perception rating (more than 10%). Here the Life Science teacher explained that students were taught how to design experiments step-by-step with given examples. The importance of planning in investigations is stated by one of the students in the module: When we need to choose something, we need to think about all its aspects. After everything is ok, we can start work (Student S14). However, Teacher T2 commented that students still needed a lot of hand-holding and practice to be competent. A student from another module echoed this: â€Å"I am not sure how to design an experiment on my own†. Item (c) on the practical skill of ‘using scientific apparatus’ or equipment had the largest increase for all modules, except Life Science where the initial pre-course rating was already high (mean 2.9). All modules were designed to include more hands-on activities, which required the use of apparatus and equipment. One student wrote about the importance of using the right procedures as he â€Å"learnt how to use steam distillation by setting up the apparatus correctly and doing the extraction properly† (Student S2), while another student shared her new skill of using â€Å"dataloggers to measure the different abiotic factors from the †¦forests† (Student S7). Teachers observed that the students were excited and enjoyed themselves when using new apparatus. On their part, teachers also sought to infuse rigour by ensuring that students perform the experimental procedures accurately. The enjoyment of Science through hands-on activities, particularly laboratory work, was a motivating factor in learning Science. The rating for the skill of analysing or inferring from experimental data in item (d) increased more for three modules than for the Biodiversity module. This could be the result of students being given more opportunities to handle experimental data in their projects and make conclusions for the Aroma Chemistry, Life Science and Water Rockets modules. On the other hand, the investigative project for Biodiversity was of a smaller scale, and students’ main form of project assessment was a conservation proposal. One factor which attributed to the increase in perception rating was group collaboration. As students did their projects in groups, they could discuss how to analyse the data obtained from the investigations. Students analysed their data in various ways depending on the type of data collected in each module. For example, Student S11 commented: â€Å"I got a chance to compare and compile the results of surveys, test the reliability of our product, put into tables and identify the similarities and differences present. Others learnt to analyse the cause of problems in their projects, as noted by Student S16: â€Å"†¦ our rocket failed in launching and we realise that the problem is due to the leaking of our rocket†. Teachers however concurred in their observations that though students could comment on their data, their analysis lacked depth. Besides these investigative skills, many students also reflected in their journals that they had developed observation skills during practical work and investigations. One student wrote: â€Å"In the past, I would have just used my eyes. Now I have learnt to use all of my five senses to know more about the subject I am observing† (Student S10). Communicating In item (e), ‘writing scientific reports’ was the focus in the skill of communicating. Though there was no change in overall student perception (see Table 1), Table 2 showed a significant drop in the rating for Biodiversity module compared to an increase in Life Science module. The Biodiversity teacher attributed the drop in rating to students’ â€Å"realisation and shock† in receiving feedback on their first report draft, as they â€Å"did not anticipate scientific reports to be of slightly different nature and demands though they were briefed†. But she noted that the provision of formative feedback and the re-drafting of reports helped students in this skill. The Life Science teacher linked the increased rating to having provided illustrative examples and templates for students, but she felt that they were still lacking in the skill and could be given more practice. Students’ journals hardly mentioned this skill, except Student S10 who wrote that he â€Å"learnt to sieve through the report for important points to put in the abstract†. Reflecting Generally, students felt that they were able to reflect on their lessons. Item (f) in Table 2 showed an initial high rating which was unchanged after the programme. Students saw their journals as an â€Å"opportunity to clarify and reflect upon their learning† (Student S3). At the end of the programme, a few students said that the reflections helped to monitor their understanding of lessons, and one student mentioned that she would research on the internet to address questions she had (Student S1). Teachers believed that â€Å"journal writing and providing consistent formative feedback help(ed) the students develop reflection skills† (Teacher T1). However, specific journal prompts are necessary to guide students so that they do not simply give a detailed account of the activities and concepts covered without reflecting on the learning points (Teacher T2). Questioning The survey results of item (g) showed more significant increase in the Biodiversity and Water Rockets modules. For each module, students acquired this skill through reflecting on their lessons in their journals and then asking relevant questions to find out more. One student reflected that she dared to ask more questions in class after learning to ask questions through journals (Student S6). Students had opportunities to generate questions when they were verifying the reliability of information. They also formulated questions prior to industrial visits and field trips, and posed them to the experts. At the mid-course feedback, a few students mentioned that they learnt to â€Å"raise questions in class† through ways such as â€Å"being a questioner in group discussions† (Student S13). The Biodiversity teacher attributed this improvement to conducive â€Å"lesson environment and delivery (that) promotes questioning†. Such lesson delivery may include guiding questions in class activities and journal prompts that encouraged further questioning, and peer evaluation where students critiqued the projects of other groups. The Water Rockets teacher reflected that in comparison to traditional Science lessons, â€Å"there was more chance for students to ask questions as things are now less predictable† as in most real world situations. The post-course survey included an item which required students to state whether â€Å"Science ALIVE! lessons have made them more aware of the relevance of Science in their lives†. Table 3 shows the percentage of students who â€Å"agreed† or â€Å"strongly agreed† with the statement. Table 3: Percentage of students who indicated that the programme had made them more aware of the relevance of Science in their lives Module Aroma Chemistry Biodiversity Life Science Water Rockets % Agree 73.5 47.2 64.1 73.0 % Strongly Agree 17.7 50.0 23.1 10.8 % (Agree + Strongly Agree) 91.2 97.2 87.2 83.8 The results in Table 3 show a very high concurrence with the statement for all modules. This is consistent with the programme objective of enhancing the relevance of Science in students’ lives. Students’ journals were analysed for indications of the relevance of Science in three areas: personal, professional and social. A frequency count of the responses showed 82% for personal relevance, 24% for professional relevance and 65% for social relevance. This revealed that students perceived the relevance of Science as mostly related to their personal lives. Only a handful of students could relate the relevance to their future career prospects. Further probing into students’ definition of personal relevance showed an extensive range of interpretation depending on the modules taken. Enhancing one’s quality of life is frequently mentioned in terms of personal relaxation and cure for illnesses. Students from the Aroma Chemistry module stated that they â€Å"could use essential oils to calm a person if he feels nervous† (Student S2). Life Science students surfaced the use of medicines when they fall sick and the growing of genetically modified food (GMF) for convenience (Student S15). Students also stated the importance of process skills in their lives, such as questioning the reliability of information sources. The majority of students could not appreciate Science as having professional relevance. Those who were able to see career possibilities were students who had gone for field trips, where they were introduced to experts in the related field. They saw the knowledge and skills gained through the programme as relevant to their â€Å"future education and working career† (Student S11). Others used the knowledge gained to better understand the requirements of various jobs. A student stated that she â€Å"could understand how people designing furniture, buildings and other things require this knowledge (of centre of gravity)† (Student S16). Three out of five students could relate Science to social relevance, which included how Science affected interaction between people and the environment. One Biodiversity student wrote: â€Å"This also taught me that in school or at work, we have to depend on one another for a living† (Student S10), while another could â€Å"understand nature better† and learnt not to pollute the environment (Student S7). Life Science students pointed out various applications in social and ethical issues, such as the use of forensic Science by police to solve crime (Student S11), knowledge of DNA in cloning (Student S15), and even checking via blood tests whether a child is biologically conceived or adopted (Student S12). Teachers’ feedback indicated that students were generally able to â€Å"connect Science to reality and †¦ in explaining happenings in their lives† (Teacher T2). These observations were made through students’ group discussions and written journals. Examples quoted by the teachers were mostly related to personal and social relevance. It showed that students had an increased awareness of scientific discovery (e.g. antibiotics, genetics) and technology (e.g. making of soap and sweets) that were directly related to their lives and the lives of those around them. The main catalyst that enhanced their awareness was personal experiences through engaging them in experiments that relate to real life and exposing them to more field trips (e.g. Yakult factory, flavour and fragrance industry, nature reserve). DISCUSSION Key features in Science ALIVE! that have helped students acquire Science process skills include scaffolding, group collaboration and journal writing. Scaffolding guides students in learning new or complex skills. Nelson (2004) pointed out that more scaffolding is required for students to be able to do research independently. To illustrate this, the increase in rating for skills on ‘planning investigations’ and ‘writing of scientific report’ in the Life Science module was attributed to â€Å"a lot of hand-holding† and exemplars provided by the teacher. Scaffolding in the form of specific journal prompts can also be adopted to ensure greater depth in student reflection. Teachers, however, will need to balance between providing students support and allowing them to be independent learners. Group collaboration is deployed extensively in the programme, where students worked in groups of three on projects, laboratory work and group assignments. This concurs with findings of a study conducted by Hofstein et al (2004), where cooperative learning in laboratory work helped students construct knowledge. Hofstein et al argued for more time to be spent on laboratory tasks, so that students could reflect on findings and also discuss with their peers. This would be one way to further improve students’ analytical skills, which they are still lacking. Journal writing in Science ALIVE! proves to be very useful in informing teachers of students’ conceptual understanding, acquisition of skills such as reflecting and questioning, and how students relate Science to their everyday life. It allows teachers to give regular feedback as part of assessment for learning. It is also of considerable value to students as it promotes greater ownership to their learning (Tomkins and Tunnicliffe, 2001). This leads to independent learning and moves students to a higher level of thinking, according to the principle on ‘Experience of learning’ in the Principles of Engaged Learning (MOE, 2005). Science ALIVE! lessons are different from the didactic traditional Science lessons, as they focus largely on the application of Science process skills. Hence there is a need to prepare students for the change, for example, from structured experiments to partially open investigations (Haigh et al, 2005). The need for such preparation was evident in the Biodiversity module as students were surprised to learn that scientific reports were different from other project reports, but they managed to overcome it after a few rounds of re-drafting. After the pilot run of Science ALIVE! programme, the teachers recommended that process skills be explicitly taught first followed by opportunities â€Å"created on purpose† for students to practise the skills. This is consistent with Padilla (1990) who suggested the need to provide students with â€Å"multiple opportunities to work with these skills in different content areas and contexts†. To enhance students’ investigative skills, Haigh et al (2005) proposed that teachers provide ‘refresher’ courses to cue students in the planning and conducting of their investigations .On completion of the investigation, students should be given the opportunity to evaluate their work so as to make it more meaningful. In Aroma Chemistry, students were asked to compare the quality of two batches of soap that they had made from different laboratory sessions and analyse the possible causes for the difference, while Biodiversity students had to reflect on the additiona l learning gained after a second trip to the nature reserve. Besides using appropriate strategies to help students adapt to the shift, it is also crucial to rectify students’ mindset on the importance and relevance of acquiring Science process skills. This is because students will be more motivated if they consider process skills an important object of instruction (Padilla, 1990). Thus teachers need to make explicit the â€Å"why† of teaching process skills (Haigh et al, 2005). The deliberate infusion of relevant Science applications in the curriculum of each module has succeeded in enhancing students’ awareness of the usefulness of Science in everyday life. Personal and social relevance dominated students’ ideas of the relevance of Science, though exposure to related industries and appropriate working environments could further promote an awareness of professional relevance. CONCLUSION Going forward, the Science ALIVE! programme would be refined in the next cycle to enhance students’ acquisition of Science process skills. Successful strategies such as the use of reflection journals, activity-based learning, group collaboration and contextualised learning will continue to be used. There would be more emphasis on the explicit teaching of process skills. In addition, more opportunities would be provided for the application of process skills in the core curriculum. RECOMMENDATION Further research on the Science ALIVE! programme could focus on the process skills which students found more difficult to master. With explicit teaching of these skills in the core curriculum prior to Science ALIVE!, the impact could be investigated. The usefulness of Science process skills acquired through the programme could be studied in terms of its impact on Upper Secondary Science, for example, the sustainability of student motivation in Upper Secondary Science. The findings in these research areas will help to inform the effectiveness of future Science ALIVE! programmes. REFERENCES Beaumont-Walters, Y. (2001). An analysis of high school students’ performance on five integrated Science process skills. Research in Science Technological Education, 19(2), 133-145. Bennett, J. (2001). Science with attitude: the perennial issue of pupils’ responses to Science. School Science Review, 82(300), 59-67. Berry, A., Mulhall, P., Gunstone, R., Loughran, J. (1999). 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