Business Ethics In an Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Ethics In an Organisation - Essay Example TCF has to its credit more than 330 schools to date and it plans to build a total of 1000 schools before it decides to go on the support mode – meaning whereby it would just look after the schools already built and not construct any further. TCF schools are a mark of quality and dedication – built from strength to strength of the organizational employees, its varied stakeholders and the innumerable donors who have done more than they could in such a short period of time. For TCF to remain committed to its cause of providing state of the art and free education there is a dire need to comprehend the fact that TCF remains ethically correct in all its actions, behaviors and talks. For this, there are several departments working within its realms which take care of these facets from time to time. In fact the vision is set on a very proactive level within the lengths and breadths of TCF itself. TCF provides complete financial details and break up of the tasks to it donors on a periodic basis and makes sure that the donors remain on board with the ethical domains of the organization at all times. There is a separate department that looks at the way these donors are managed. It is known as the Resource Mobilization department which essentially takes care of the donors and the resources that are mobilized through them towards the schools that they build in either their own name or of their company’s. Coming to the quarters of understanding the ethical undertakings within the business realms of TCF itself, one finds that TCF has long adhered to the principle of being transparent to all its stakeholders and thus the fact that its annual reports, financial ledgers and other similar resources are shared not only within the organization itself but also with the stakeholders and the general public at large. What this does is to have a proper one-on-one interaction with the people who want to donate just about anything under the banner of

Producers Reaction to Raw Material Price Changes Essay Example for Free

Producers Reaction to Raw Material Price Changes Essay These days all over the world people use products of crude oil. Most of people cannot imagine their life without products such as diesel or gasoline. However, these are only the finished products, which go through specific stages of production. They are made out of crude oil, which sometimes is called „black goldâ€Å". Fuel; however is not the only production made out of crude oil. Lubricants, asphalt, paraffin wax, tar – all these are product made out of crude oil. As stated by US Energy Information Administration (EIA): estimated consumption of oil in the world in 2011 will be 87. 421 million barrels of oil each day. Obviously, crude oil is an important material in the modern world. It has an important role in economy as well. The cost of crude oil affects economy both directly and indirectly. Nowadays, debates about rising prices of fuel or heating are almost an everyday topic. The price changes of fuel are always mentioned on financial news on TV. Naturally, it is interesting what influences the cost of crude oil. How the rise or fall of price affects the price of fuel, and how businesses deal with the fluctuating prices. 1. Crude Oil as a Raw Material When talking about product price changes it is important to understand how the price of raw material is calculated and how it is affected. The perception of how the price is set for the raw materials gives an opportunity to better understand the price of the final product, and all the fluctuations related to the final products’ prices. Also, it helps to recognize how various political decisions or world-wide events, including disasters or new innovations, affect various markets. As for crude oil prices, the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy called Energy Information Administration (EIA) has defined seven key factors which have an influence on and each contribute to the price of crude oil. 1. Production. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) consortium provides about 60 percent of all the oil production traded on international markets and 40 percent of the world’s oil production. All actions and statements of this organization can and do affect world oil prices, because of the dominant crude supply market share. Changes of the amounts of crude oil production lead to changes in price. If OPEC cuts the production, it generally means a rise in price of oil. 2. Supply. The other oil suppliers still represent 60 percent of the world’s oil supply. Even though non-OPEC suppliers as a group are 50 percent larger than OPEC, they have almost no spare capacity. Non-OPEC suppliers are considered to be â€Å"Price Takers†, rather than â€Å"Price Setters†. They respond to market prices, not like OPEC, who manipulate them. Consequently, non-OPEC suppliers practically produce near to full or at full capacity. Any fault in production has the effect on increasing oil supplies. As well, it gives OPEC the capability to further manipulate world supplies. 3. Global oil inventories. The supply and demand is balanced by global oil inventories. For example, if more oil is produced than demanded, the excess supplies can be stored. This principle also works in reverse order. If consumption exceeds demand, inventories can be used to meet the growing demand. The bond between oil inventories and oil prices makes corrections possible in either direction. If oil futures rise in comparison with the current spot price for oil, the need and urge to store oil will increase. As well, spot oil prices will drop, if market makers notice an inventory build. That is the response to balance demand with supply. 4. Financial markets. Oil is not only sold by its physical form, but also there are trade contracts for future delivery. This type of sales is called â€Å"futures†. In order to avoid future oil price increases, some major customers, like airline companies, purchase futures. That is because oil price changes have a significant impact on their ability to operate profitably. Also, often oil futures contracts are sold to lock in a price for a specific period of time. 5. Demand. The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an international organization of U.S., Japan, most of European countries, and other advanced countries. The organization is responsible for 53 percent of the world’s demand for oil. Even though OECD countries consume more than non-OECD countries, the rate of growth in OECD countries is considerably slower. OECD demand went down during the period from the year 2000 to 2010. However, non-OECD countries’ demand went up by 40 percent during the same period of time. 6. Non-OECD demand. For the last decade China together with Saudi Arabia and India had the largest growth in crude consumption among non-OECD countries. There is a direct relationship between the rate at which oil consumption rises and the rate of economic growth. It is not surprising that for China and India, the use of crude oil is increasing at a very fast pace compared to the United States’. Besides that, developing countries also usually have more manufacturing-related industries, which have a tendency to consume higher amounts of crude oil. 7. Spot market. Crude oil is sold all over the world. There are many different â€Å"streams† of crude oil, however they are likely to move in lockstep with one another regarding the prices. All these streams are put in a certain process of production to make product which are used, such as: gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, lubricant and other various petroleum products. All of the financial channels on TV are talking about crude oil prices. However the essential point here is the price of the final products. Any events that have the power to disrupt the flow of crude oil and end products have a significant effect on the price of those goods. Geopolitical events, massive oil leaks, natural disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes, terrorist acts, etc. all are included to the list of event which can and do influence the price. Both supply and demand are rather inelastic, this means that any of the above events, or perceived risk of the happening, usually leads to higher prices, espe cially in the futures market. All these factors clearly show how easily the system of oil trading can be shocked, leading to huge swings in the price of crude oil. Also, it has to be pointed out, that most of the world’s oil supply is located in countries or parts of the world that are politically instable. All this explains why the price we pay for oil product is so volatile. Example how natural tragedies affect the price of crude oil: In 2010 April 20th in the Gulf of Mexico a huge oil spill took place. It was one of the biggest oil spills in history. Without a doubt it had a significant impact on the oil prices. Figure 1. History of oil prices. Clearly, the chart shows that the price of oil rose when the clearing begun. This proves, that certain events have influence on oil prices. 2. Gasoline usage Gasoline is the most popular Transportation Fuel in the U. S. Gasoline is one of the most popular fuels consumed in the United States and the main product made from oil. Usage of petrol in 2010 was approximately 132 billion gallons, which means about 360 million gallons a day. Gasoline used as energy for transportation stands for more than 64%, 48% of all petrol consumption and more than 18 % of all consumed energy in U.S. Petrol is mostly used in cars and light trucks. It is also consumed by owners of boats, recreational vehicles ran by fuel and landscaping, farm, construction equipment. Benzine is made year-round, however, the highest demand and the biggest imported quantity is seen in the summer. The graph shows the amount of gasoline consumed in U.S. 1950-2010: Over 260 million vehicles on the streets Nowadays, in the United States, gasoline is the fuel used by most passenger engines. There are more than 260 million vehicles that use gasoline, the amount of them increases each day and they manage to travel over 12,164 miles per year. There are around 170,000 fueling stations that ensure comfortable refueling for users. Above two-thirds of fuel consumed for moving is in the form of petrol. Each benzine station usually sells three types of petrol: * Regular * Midgrade * Premium 3. Determining gasoline prices The changes of gasoline prices affect all the countries and their economies. Each person that owns a vehicle run by petrol is affected individually. Every day the retail price of gasoline changes, but only few people know what exactly makes the prices fluctuate. There are several different factors that has sway on fuel prices. The first and also the biggest reason that influences the price of petrol is the cost of crude oil from which it is obtained. In 2000, average retail price of gasoline was only 2.37$ per gallon and the total price included only 55% of crude oil. After more than 10 years the costs of it grew and the percentage of crude oil now seeks over huge 66%. In the last few years the consumption of petrol fuel grew so rapidly that the producers of these had many difficulties succeeding to fulfill their cutomers needs. The growth of demand of fuel is another huge factor that has affected the cost of petrol. The demand isntantly grew up and the supplies went down. This made a huge influence on petrol price. In addition, another great reason of gasoline price growth is refining costs and profits. In 2000, it made approximately 15% of total price of fuel. After 10 years, the percentage of those costs consisted over 12%. The percentage reduced, but it still remains high and definately makes a huge impact on retail fuel price. Crude oil price change influence on producing gasoline The price of crude oil is one of the main factors that influences the cost of retail gasoline. The cost of crude oil changes each day. The price depends on many different factors. The change of the crude oil price hugely affect the retail price of gasoline. When the price of crude oil grows, eventually the cost of petrol also rises. The growth of crude oils price reduces the production of gasoline, diesel, gas. Producers lowers the production of petrol and fuel and also increases the retail prices of them. When the price reach highest point, the demand of fuel, gas and gasoline reduces. After the price and demand stabilizes, price starts to reduce and demand begins to grow. Conclusion First of all we can say that prices of oil production generally are set by OPEC. They provide crude oil all over the world, so generally they can control prices of oil. Moreover, other suppliers still represent 60 percent of the world‘s oil supply, however they don‘t set prices, they are more like „price takersâ€Å". So OPEC certainly manipulates the power they have. Global oil inventories help to balance supply and demand; the excess supplies are more likely to be stored, when growth of the prices is forecasted. OECD is mainly responsible for the demand of oil. Even though OECD countries consume more than non-OECD countries, the rate of growth in OECD countries is considerably slower. Crude oil is the main material which is used to make gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, lubricants and other various petroleum products, but it doesn’t set the total price of fuel, the main thing is the final product. Moreover, the price of crude oil can be affected if the system is disturbed, because of natural disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes, terrorist acts, etc. Talking about gasoline, it is the most popular fuel consumed in the U.S. and the main product made from oil. Petrol is used in almost all cars, light trucks and boats. Usage of petrol in 2010 was approximately 132 billion gallons, which means about 360 million gallons a day. Gasoline used as energy for transportation stands for more than 64%, over 48% of all petrol consumption and more than 18 % of all consumed energy in the United States. Furthermore, there are around 260 million vehicles that use gasoline, the amount of them increases each day and they manage to travel over 12,164 miles per year. To sum up, the main things which fluctuate prices of fuel are: the fluency of crude oil supply system and the actions and statements made by OPEC. All in all, raw materials’ prices change and influence producers’ behavior. In the case of crude oil production, prices tend to go up, because of relatively inelastic supply and demand. Yet, more efficient technologies are created to minimize or replace use of crude oil products.

Achieving Sustainable Development In Developing State Of Grenada Tourism Essay

Achieving Sustainable Development In Developing State Of Grenada Tourism Essay In order to adequately address the question of why Sustainable Development is important in the context of the Small Island Developing State of Grenada it is important to first understand what Sustainable Development is and what it entails. Secondly, the characteristics of Grenada must be described in terms of the most viable approach for achieving Sustainable Development. According to the Brundtland Report (1987), sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs The commission also emphasizes that whether a country is considered developed or developing (in the context of Grenada) the goals of social and economic development must be defined in terms of sustainability. According to the CIA World Fact Book (2010), Grenada relies heavily on tourism as its main means of foreign exchange. The tourism industry contributed 72.98 % of Grenadas overall GDP in 2008 (World Bank Statistics, 2008), which underpins the importance of this industry to the economy. Therefore, sustainable development as it pertains to Grenada should be examined within the framework of tourism since it is Grenadas principal income generator and in essence what fuels the economy. However, it must be noted that tourism is not the only industry that can be looked at in terms of sustainability in Grenada. Agriculture, construction, textiles and food and beverages are also other industries. However, these also feed into the tourism sector. According to Joseph (2010), tourism utilizes the historic, economic, socio-cultural and environment to grow and develop. The concept of sustainability as it relates to tourism put forth by McKercher (2003) further strengthens this point since its approach is very holistic and encompasses four main pillars; economic, ecological/environment, cultural and local. All four pillars are recognized as being paramount in order to achieve any form of sustainability. Therefore each pillar will be examined in the in the context of Grenada. According to McKercher (2003) economic sustainability is geared at profiting the country in both the immediate and long term. Tourism affords the Small Island Developing State of Grenada the opportunity of improving its economic well-being (Joseph, 2010). Grenada derives many economic benefits from the tourism industry. The tax revenues collected as a result of accommodation, restaurant taxes, airport and sales taxes all provide the government with much required tax revenues. The jobs created are spread across the economy, such a retail, construction, manufacturing and communications (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 1999). Additionally, it earns the country valuable foreign exchange. This new money which is brought into the country in turn creates a multiplier effect, thus circulating many segments of the economy (Joseph, 2010). Tourism also attracts additional businesses and services as a means of support. Grenada is currently experiencing tough economic times as a result of the global financial crisis. As a result, unemployment and poverty levels are increasing creating the need of employment opportunities for locals. According to the International Monetary Fund (2010), the Gross Domestic Product of Grenada is estimated to have declined 7.7% with a 13% drop in tourism. Therefore, one of the economic concerns for tourism in Grenada that this brings to the forefront is the diversity of the local economy. According to McKercher (2003) the diversification of the products by developing a wide range of tourism activities is part of economic sustainability. This should be taken into consideration since the tourism sector in Grenada is seasonal thus being unable to provide steady streams of income. Also, Grenada is susceptible to natural disasters particularly hurricanes which have a devastating effect on tourism infrastructure. Therefore, the adoption of sustainable tourism development could serve to create diversity and thus mitigate against economic vulnerability in the tourism sector. Another economic consideration that pertains to sustainable tourism in Grenada is the minimization of leakage. McKercher (2003) promotes the formation of partnerships throughout the entire supply chain from micro-sized local businesses to multinational organizations. A major form of leakage in the context of Grenada is that many of the profits generated from the industry are exported since many of the major tourist operations are owned by foreigners. For Example, many villas are being built in Grenada by foreign investors who later sell these villas to individual owners, thus not significantly contributing back to the local economy. The Port Louis project is a perfect example. Although the lagoon is much more picturesque than it was before Peter De Savary invested in it. Grenadians havent directly benefited from this development since Mr. De Savary has made his profit by selling the pr operty to Camper and Nicholson, another foreign owner, and left with his money. Consequently, the occurrence of leakage results in the local population bearing the environmental and cultural costs of tourism while retaining relatively little of the economic benefits and thus reducing the multiplier effect. Over the last few years Grenada has experienced a tremendous amount of development as a result of tourism. However, many of these developments were not executed in an economically sustainable manner. Bhola (2010) emphasizes that economically sustainable tourism should ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income, earning opportunities and social services to host communities and contributing to poverty alleviation. The Brundtland Report (1987) further stresses the integration of economic and ecological considerations in decision making because these concerns need no necessarily have to be in opposition. McKercher (2003) purports that when it pertains to ecological/environmental sustainability that any form of development must be compatible with the maintenance of essential ecological processes, biological diversity and biological resources. However, in the context of Grenadas tourism industry, according to Kelly (2008) the Grenadian government is sacrificing the islands pristine [environment] to the fast buck of resort development. The Mount Hartman estate development is one such project identified as a potential threat to a tract of pristine dry forest and swampy mangroves and also the Grenada Dove which Mount Hartman happens to be a nesting site for. According to Dr. Clare Morrall (as cited by Kelly, 2008) Grenadas mangroves are incredibly important to the ecosystems of the surrounding area and what is happening in Grenada will have an impact on fishing stocksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦which are at the point of collapse. The environmental characteristics of Grenada are one of the main reasons that it is such an attractive tourist destination. These include the lush green vegetation, white sandy beaches and exquisite marine and terrestrial life. However, tourism puts added strain on these resources through excess demand and unbalanced economic development (Bhola, 2010). Some of the environmental problems associated with tourism are deforestation, water and air pollution, poor solid waste management practices and coastal destruction of coral reefs, mangroves etc (Joseph, 2010). The development of hotels, marinas and harbours along our coastline has served to damage shoreline ecosystems, coral reefs and mangrove systems. According to Burke, Greenhalgh Prager et.al (2008), the valuable goods and services provided by ecosystems such as coral reefs are often overlooked or underappreciated in coastal investment , development and policy decisions, resulting in short-sighted decisions that do not maximize th e long-term economic potential of coastal areas. Therefore, not only is the environment affected but the viability of Grenada as a tourist destination is also compromised which in turn threatens economic well being since these resources are depended upon to support Grenadas main industry. World Bank Statistics (2008) shows that Grenada currently has 3 mammals and three plant species that are threatened. The Caribbean region and by extension Grenada has been listed as one of the top hotspots for endemic species worldwide, yet the Caribbean retains only 11.3% of its primary vegetation (Myers et al, 2000). This exemplifies the lack of concern for the environment and how development has been allowed to significantly contribute to the reduction of our natural resources. According to Gardiner (2009), ever form of life on this planet does not stand on its own but is supported by, and supports, other living things. He further goes on to state that to lose one species is equivalent to losing an important part of the ecosystem. This therefore underscores what is at stake if these mammal and plant species identified by the World Bank as being endangered in Grenada are allowed to become extinct. As a result, both environmental and economic vulnerability of Grenada is being exacerbated by unsustainable development. Another very important aspect of sustainable development is cultural sustainability. According to McKercher (2003), cultural sustainability increases peoples control over their lives and is compatible with the culture and values of those affected and strengthen the community identity. Grenadas history of colonialism has created a very unique and diverse culture and history which serves to enhance its marketability as a tourist destination. Colonialism has facilitated a movement of people to the Caribbean and by extension Grenada from Africa and Asia with has greatly influenced the formation of the culture through the mixture of experiences from these different Diasporas (Smyth, 2010). Carnival, Parang, Maroon festival, Folklore, string band music, big drum dancing and patois are a few of the cultural aspects of Grenada that adds to the attractiveness of the tourism product (Joseph, 2010). Although tourism could serve to reinforce the preservation and conservation of heritage and trad itions, it can also degrade the cultural environment through the commercialization of the culture, religion and arts (Joseph, 2009). Many observers believe that tourism has negatively impacted the Grenadian culture and society. According to McKercher (2003), cultural sustainability should guarantee the protection of nature, local and the indigenous cultures and especially traditional knowledge.One of the key ways in which tourism negatively impacts society is through the conflicting lifestyles and ideas between the tourist and the locals. In the Grenadian context, the locals try to imitate these lifestyles and ideas which lead to a dilution of the culture and value systems on the island. This in turn increases social problems such as theft and prostitution, and increased alcohol and drug use. In addition, the divisions between the tourist and the local population can cause a lot of tension. This tension arises from the fact that small communities where poverty, unemployment and overcrowding are pervasive are sometimes located near to hotels and other developments specifically designated for the tourist. As a result, locals become aggravated since they feel a sense of inequality in their own country. Sometim e locals are even displaced in order to accommodate a tourist. This was exemplified during the development of the Port Louis project where many of the locals were relocated to La Sagesse in St. Davids in order to make room for the villas. In this case the new development was once where the locals depended on their livelihood through fishing. Local sustainability is also a key aspect of sustainable development. According to McKercher (2010), local sustainability should be designed to benefit the local communities and generate and retain income in those communities. The provision of quality employment to community residents and the equitable distribution of financial benefits throughout the supply chain are identified as being important aspects of local sustainability. Local industries such as farming and fishing should employ sustainable practices, which should also be developed to meet the needs of the tourist. This could in turn minimize the effects of leakage. Many of the goods used by the tourism industry are bought outside of the country because many times the local suppliers cannot adequately meet demand or provide the right quality. A locally sustainable approach would provide incentives and training to local suppliers (farmers, craftsmen, fishermen etc.) to improve their standards and also to find other avenues to benefit from tourism. The Gouyave fish Friday is an example of how a local fishing community was able to benefit from tourism not by directly supplying to the hotels but through their own initiative and thus directly benefiting. However, Tourism puts added strain on local industries such as fishing and farming, therefore, a sustainable approach must be employed in order to ensure that the locals continue to benefit. The Levera turtle protection group is another example of how the locals were diverted from exploiting the turtle, by killing them for meat, to protecting them. This is more sustainable because a protected turtle will be around for a longer period to generate income for the locals, whereas the previous approach would have eventually resulted in them becoming extinct. The importance of sustainable tourism in the context of Grenada must be emphasized since the benefits that can be derived from it are numerous. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (1999) further underscore this point by stating that the sustainable development of tourism is of importance for all countries, in particular for Small Island Developing States. The economic, environmental, cultural and local security of Grenada is at stake if sustainable development is not adequately adopted in Grenadas approach towards tourism. If a sustainable approach is not employed there is much at stake. The cost of repairing damages to the marine as well as the terrestrial environment could put added strain on the economy. Also, at stake is possibility of loss of endangered plant and mammal life and biodiversity. The country will also continue to experience and increased state of vulnerability towards the effects of climate change since according to AOSIS (2009), climate cha nge poses the most serious threat to our survival and viability and that it undermines our efforts to achieve sustainable developmental goals and threatens our very existence. Also at stake is the degradation of Grenadas culture and traditions. Nettleford (1977) emphasizes the importance of culture by stating that the issue of cultural identity is of great significanceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and as such should be treated with the same level of importance as economic self sufficiency. In addition, the welfare of the local population could be significantly compromised since there is a possibility of increased poverty. The Brundtland Report (1987) stresses that poverty reduces peoples capacity to utilize resources in a sustainable manner which intensifies the mount of pressure placed on the environment. Therefore, every aspect of life in Grenada can be affected if a sustainable approach to tourism in not immediately employed. Therefore it can be concluded that, since tourism is such an integral part of Grenadas economy, if a sustainable approach is adopted it can significantly contribute to environmental protection, conservation and restoration of biological diversity and the sustainable utilization of natural resources (UNEP, 2003). A sustainable approach to tourism in Grenada should employ a holistic approach encompassing the economic, environmental, cultural and local aspects since all these different segments of the country serve to benefit. The adaptation of a sustainable approach in the economic sense would improve the diversity and functionality of the sector while at the same time providing a wide range of economic benefits. The goods and services provided by the environment will be preserved through ecological sustainability. Cultural sustainability would serve to promote the preservation and celebration of the local culture and beliefs. And, local sustainability provides the locals with rewardin g and immediate work and income opportunities. Consequently, ever aspect of life would be positively impacted and the Small Island Developing State of Grenada could secure a more viable future.

Are We Illiterate Essay -- Essays Papers

Are We Illiterate Literacy throughout history has been defined and redefined nearly as rapidly as new generations emerge. As we tread into the twenty first century, our generation moves to redefine literacy once again. However, unlike generations past, we are taking literacy and rapidly spanning it over new mediums that had been, until recently, unavailable. Advances in technology within the past twenty years have been so immense that the human race has literally packed up centuries of research, data, history and other information and moved it into the digital world, spawning a new necessity to have a general working knowledge of computing technologies. Mainstream society as a whole has concluded and accepted that in the twenty first century use of computers and application software will dictate most aspects of everyday life, therefore all but requiring the citizen of the new millennium to be literate in at least the most basic of computing technologies. In it’s earliest forms literacy was purely the processes of interpreting symbols or hieroglyphics. Many ancient writings have been recovered and interpreted, undisputedly proving that literacy has, in some form, always existed. As time passed new forms of language and literature surfaced and literacy became known as â€Å"the ability to read and write.†1 Or, more specifically, one’s ability to convey one’s thoughts onto a medium understood by others. At first these mediums took the form of nearly anything: mankind has used anything from rocks to canvas. Eventually, with inventions such as the printing press, the mediums used by people became standardized and the definition of literacy was in no need of revision. With the onslaught of technology brought on by the twentieth century, society began to accept new mediums over which to express themselves. Multimedia, the use of several different forms of media, has been becoming commonplace in everyday life since the advent of the internet, a world-wide conglomeration of computers networked together via telephone lines, optical wires, and satellite connections (among other forms of digital communication). Content of seemingly boundless quantities is available in nearly every household in the US thanks to the so-called â€Å"Information Super Highway.† To capitalize on such a useful resource requires that people of all ages be able to knowingly operate the appli... ...be â€Å"productive† to be literate, as a person who understands the use of an application used for browsing the internet may also be literate while remaining completely unproductive. Furthermore, if one was to separate, in a fittingly binary manor, the computer literate from the illiterate, who is to say which group is better off? Obviously being computer literate in the early twenty first century is not completely necessary, however, if ratios of computer literate to illiterate increase at so much as half the rate they have in the past twenty years it will not take long before society has firmly and implicitly declared that being computer literate is a necessity of everyday life. Will we ever see a time when those who are computer illiterate will be looked upon by the literate as ignorant, just as those who can not read are looked upon today? Perhaps it will be a generation not far in the future that decides that â€Å"literate† is ready to be redefined. Bibliography: Webster’s II New Riverside Dictionary, (c)1978 Houghton Mifflin Co. Ask.com, (c) 1995-2000 CNET Networks, Inc. College of Education, University of Houston: http://www.coe.uh.edu/insite/elec_pub/html1995/092.htm

Traffic Information Surveys

Chapter – 4PRELIMINARY SURVEYS AND DATA COLLECTIONIn the chapter 3, we have discussed about the aim and methodological analysis adopted for the work. In this chapter, traffic studies which are to be conducted and the demand of the studies for explicating the indexes of the mobility are briefly explained. The chapter is organized into two parts which consists of, Preliminary studies are conducted for the informations aggregation and the 2nd portion consists of secondary informations aggregation, which is obtained from assorted beginnings.4.1. Traffic SurveiesThe undermentioned preliminary studies were conducted for developing index.Traffic volume count studySpeed and hold surveiesRoad stock list studyOpinion study4.1.1. Traffic volume count studyTraffic volume count studies are conducted to acquire the accurate values and information about the sum of vehicles go throughing through the study country. Need of traffic volume count study: Traffic volume count studies are used to: [ 6 ]Traffic tendencies can be established by mensurating the traffic volume.To find the one-year travel clip in vehicle kilometres for the bing system and based on it economic justification can be provided for new proposals.Highway user costs, grosss can be estimated.In the present survey, classified volume count studies were conducted at the beginning and the finish of the identified stretch Need for Classified volume count study: [ 6 ]Components of Geometric design of main roads such as breadth of lanes, design of inclines, clearances for overhead constructions ; classs etc. are dependent on the categorization of the vehicles and its volume on the route.Pavement deign, design of Bridgess and design of other substructure installations on the route requires informations about classified volume count.Volume to the capacity, normally termed as V/C ratio can be determined merely on the footing of classified volume count.Classified volume count at peak hours throws visible radiation on the lacks of the systemsTo supply justification for the regulative steps such as, one-way streets, routing of traffic, parking installations.Traffic volume informations is really much of import in traffic, deign, planning, operation and research intents. Traffic volume Count Survey is conducted at identified midblock for 8 hours of the twenty-four hours covering both forenoon and eventide extre mum and off-peak hours. Behavior of the study: Manual traffic counts were conducted at the identified midblock of beginning ( Sunkadakatte ) and finish ( K.R.Puram ) of the stretch selected for 8 hours of the twenty-four hours. At each midblock, both directional classified traffic volume count study were conducted for the computation of public presentation indexs. Analysis of the informations: The traffic volume count informations collected from the field is scrutinized and the values are analyzed, where the information is analyzed. The entire volume is converted to Passenger auto units ( PCU ) as per IRC: 106-1990 to find the volume of the route to its capacity given in the codification.Vehicle TypeEquivalent PCU factors- Percentage composing of vehicles type in traffic watercourseFast Vehicles5 %10 % and above1. Two Wheeler motor rhythm / scooter0.50.752. Passenger auto, choice – up new wave1.01.03. Auto-rickshaw1.22.04. Light commercial vehicle1.42.05. Truck or Bus2.23.76. Agricultural Tractor Trailer4.05.0Slow vehicles7. Cycle0.40.58.Cycle jinrikisha1.52.09. Tonga ( Horse drawn vehicles )1.52.010. Hand cart2.03.0Table 4.1: PCU factors for assorted types of vehicles [ 7 ] ( Beginning: Table 1: Recommended PCU factors for assorted types of vehicles on urban roads. IRC: 106-1990 [ 7 ] ) End product of the survey: The obtained PCU/HR for both Peak and off–Peak hours are analyzed and the Volume/Capacity is calculated for the finding of the public presentation index.4.1.2. Speed and hold surveiesTravel velocity is reciprocally relative to go clip. The travel clip survey provides informations for the sum of clip required to track a specified subdivision of route web. These types of informations provide information about velocity, hold informations. Travel clip and hold features are good indexs of the degree of service that is provided and can be used to mensurate the efficiency of the traffic flow. The velocity and hold surveies yields the informations about mean journey clip, mean journey velocity, norm stopped hold, mean running clip, entire stopped hold and mean running velocity along the stretch studied. Need of Speed and hold surveies:Speed and hold surveies can supply information on the sum, location, nature of hold and cause for the hold. Congestion can be evaluated and can be rectified by traffic and other ordinances.Congestion index, Travel clip index are all dependant on the travel clip, which is obtained by the velocity and hold surveies.Behavior of the study: Out of the assorted available methods for transporting out velocity and hold surveies, drifting auto method / Test-Car technique method is used for the current undertaking. Two trial tallies are conducted to find velocity and hold for both peak and off-peak hr of the twenty-four hours. Analysis of the informations: The volume count informations collected from the field is scrutinized and the information is analyzed. The mean journey clip( in proceedingss ) for all the vehicles in the watercourse along the way of flow Q is given by equation 4.1 and 4.2 [ 5 ] = Ttungsten– ( nY/q ) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4.1 Q = ( na+nY) / ( Ta+ Ttungsten) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦..†¦4.2 Where, Q = flow of vehicles along one way of the watercourse. Na= mean figure of vehicles counted in the way of the watercourse when the trial vehicle travels in the opposite way. NY= mean figure of vehicles catching the trial vehicle minus the figure of vehicles overtaken when the trial vehicle is in the way of Q. Ta= mean journey clip, in minute when the trial vehicle is running against the watercourse Q. Ttungsten= mean journey clip, in minute when the trial vehicle is running with the watercourse Q. ( Mention: Highway Engineering, S.K.Khanna and C.E.G.Justo ) [ 5 ] End product of the survey Delaies along the stretch are obtained and the type and ground for the holds are besides obtained.4.1.3. Road Inventory SurveyRoad stock list study is conducted to update the database of the bing route web. Behavior of the study: For the selected stretch, ocular stock list was conducted and the undermentioned stock lists of the installation have been done.Identified subdivision length.Effective route breadth.Presence of median.Quality of siting surfacePresence of intersection installations.Handiness of foot way installations.Parking installations.Identified subdivision lengthTwo test tallies were conducted from Sunkadakatte to K.R.Puram and back, to find the effectual subdivision length between the beginning and finish and it is has been found out to be 26kms.Effective route breadth.Road breadth available for the vehicular motion is calculated for every 250m utilizing tape and is represented as below in the graph. It is classified as route width holding breadth & A ; gt ; 7.5m, breadth & A ; lt ; 7.5m, Width & A ; gt ; 10.5m. Graph indicates that 41 % of the route in the identified stretch has effectual route breadth & A ; gt ; 7.5m, 25 % has less than 7.5m, and 34 % has greater than 10.5m. Figure 4.1: Road width ClassificationPresence of median.Majority of the route which comes under identified subdivision has median, approximately 86 % of the stretch has average and it is absent or removed for approximately 14 % of the subdivision, due to the building of subway and other infrastructural activity. Figure 4.2: Median HandinessQuality of siting surfaceQuality of siting surface is evaluated by Pavement rating [ 8 ] by ocular observations. Following process is followed to measure the quality of siting surface. 5 Pavement like new 4 Many old ages of service life 3 Near to or necessitating Rehabilitation 2 Should hold been rehabilitated in the last twosome of old ages 1 Should hold been rehabilitated many old ages 0 ago Figure 4.3: Quality of siting surface Based on the above process siting quality is evaluated and is found out to be 3.71 for the full stretch.Presence of intersection installations.For the stretch of 26kms there are about 39 signalized intersections.Handiness of foot way installationsRoad stock list surveies are conducted to mensurate the handiness of footpath length and this has installation has been described briefly under Walkability index in chapter 4Parking installationsParking length on the on-street has been carried out to find the On-street parking index. This installation has been described briefly under On-street parking index in chapter 4.4.2. Secondary Data CollectionThe secondary informations required for the survey is collected from the assorted beginnings and informations collected from assorted authorities sections are as follows:Bangalore City Traffic Police.Accident statistics informations is obtained from Bangalore City Traffic Police.Regional Transport Office, Bangalore. ( RTO )Datas about Vehicles en rollment and the growing of vehicles for the decennaries is obtained from RTO, Bangalore.Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation ( BMTC )Datas abut coach fleet size, figure of agendas, figure of riders carried per twenty-four hours is obtained from BMTC, Bangalore.

Jeffrey Bezos

Most people believe a leader is either born or made. When it comes to Jeffrey Bezos, I believe it is a combination of the two. Bezos, founder of Amazon. com, was born into a family full of extraordinary people. Jeffrey’s step-father was a petroleum engineer and his grandfather was the manager of the Atomic Energy Commission’s operations office (Bezos, Ebsco). During his childhood, Jeff was intrigued by his surroundings, often finding ways to alter or enhance everyday items. The people and experiences throughout Bezos’ life have helped him become the successful CEO he is today.Jeff Bezos, born Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen, was born on January 12, 1964 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After his parents split up, his mother raised him until he was two years old. In 1966, Miguel Bezos came into the picture. After his mother remarried, Jeff was legally adopted and took Miguel’s last name. (Bezos, Ebsco) Since a young age, Jeffrey Bezos has been intrigued by the way thi ngs work. At three years old, Jeff took a screwdriver to his crib, disassembling it into multiple parts. This trend continued when later down the road he built a burglar alarm with an electronic kit his grandfather had given him (Bezos, Encycl).Bezos’ grandfather, Lawrence Preston Gise, played a big part in who Jeff is today (Bezos, Ebsco). From age four to sixteen, Jeff would spend the summers living on his grandfather’s ranch in Cotulla, Texas (Brandt). Here, Jeff’s grandfather put him to work doing jobs such as fixing windmills and repairing pumps. Bezos’ grandfather used his background in working on space technology and missile defense systems to help spark Jeff’s interest in similar things (Bezos, Ebsco). But this was just the beginning. At age eight, Jeff was enrolled in a gifted program at his elementary school in Houston, Texas.Jeff used his intelligence to wow teachers with his knowledge of computers. While none of the teachers even knew h ow to use a computer, Jeff and some of his friends had managed to program one. A local author by the name of Julie Ray took interest in Bezos and featured him in her book, Turning on Bright Minds: A Parent Looks at Gifted Children in Texas. (Bezos, Ebsco) In 1978, Miguel Bezos was transferred to Miami, Florida where Jeff’s fascination with space began. Jeff went to Palmetto High School where he was already thinking out of the box for his time.Bezos hoped to one day become an astronaut on a shuttle that would take passengers from earth into outer space. (Bezos, Ebsco) Bezos graduated from Palmetto High School in 1982 where he was class valedictorian. Along with this honor, he received recognition from the Miami Herald for his academic excellence by winning the Silver Knight Award. Upon graduating high school, Bezos began running his own business with his then girlfriend before heading off to college. Jeff spent the summer establishing an educational summer camp for children. B ezos, Ebsco) In the fall of 1982, Jeff began studying at Princeton University in New Jersey. He graduated summa cum laude in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (Bezos, Ebsco). After graduation, there were many opportunities awaiting Jeffrey Bezos. He proceeded to go to New York to work for Fitel, a company that allowed him to build a worldwide communications network for financial trading (Bezos, Encycl. ). Two years later, while Fitel was struggling, Bezos accepted a job with Bankers Trust Corporation.This new job opportunity allowed him to develop software applications for the company’s pension fund clients. Jeffrey moved among the rankings quickly at Bankers Trust; within 10 months he became the company’s youngest vice-president (Bezos, Ebsco). But shortly after, Bezos realized this company was not for him. The next move would prove important in Bezos’ path to becoming an up and coming entrepreneur. In 1990, Jeffrey Bezos was hired by Wall Street financial trading company, D. E. Shaw. Bezos’ duties at D. E. Shaw included looking for new investment opportunities in areas such as insurance, software, and internet.In 1992, Bezos proved he was capable of his role by securing â€Å"one of the most successful qualitative funds on Wall Street†. He was promoted to senior vice-president shortly after. (Bezos, Ebsco) While researching for new business opportunities in the internet sector, Bezos came across some data that would help him in his decision to develop Amazon. com. According to these numbers, the internet was growing at an exceedingly fast rate. Jeffrey decided it was a good time for his next big step. He quit his job in 1994 at D. E. Shaw and prepared to venture into the world of online retail. Bezos, Ebsco) Jeffrey Bezos began by looking into what products could be sold successfully in the online retail market. He composed a list and determined that books would be the best choic e. Bezos told Karen Southwick in October of 1996 that â€Å"there are 1. 5 million Eng lish-language books in print at any given time. If you take all languages worldwide, it’s about 3 million books active and in print. † Bezos knew from his computer background that an online sorting and organizing database to purchase books would catch on. (Bezos, Ebsco) Jeffrey and his wife Mackenzie packed up and headed for the west coast.Jeffrey chose to start his new conquest in Seattle, Washington. Seattle offered a large number of skilled workers and was located by the largest book distributing company in the United States (Bezos, Ebsco). After experimenting with different names, Bezos decided to name the company Amazon after the world’s largest river (Bezos, Encycl. ). Using money from investors, his savings, and his parents, Bezos launched Amazon. com in July of 1995 from his garage in Seattle. At the close of the first month, it is said that Bezos had received orders f rom customers in all fifty states.The large quantity of books available on the database as well as the new features available on the site enticed many customers. (Bezos, Ebsco) Bezos and his colleagues established features that would change internet shopping forever. Amazon was the first of its kind to offer one click-shopping, customer reviews, and e-mail order verification (Hoover’s). Bezos’ main focus of the site was customer satisfaction. Along with these new additions to the site, Amazon was also one of the first companies to encrypt credit card numbers, ensuring safe shopping for their customers (Bezos, Credo).Jeff Bezos helped familiarize the public with on-line shopping, and it quickly became as popular as a trip to the mall (Bezos, Ebsco). After attracting 3 million customers, Bezos decided to take Amazon public in 1997. Jeffrey Bezos quickly became one of the first internet billionaires (Bezos, Credo). In 1998, Amazon broadened their inventory and began selli ng new products in order to gain new customers. Along with books, Amazon. com began offering CDs, videos, electronics, clothing, toys, and games to its millions of customers worldwide (Bezos, Ebsco). In 1999, Amazon. om hit a huge milestone when its sales crossed the billion-dollar mark. During this same year, Jeffrey Bezos was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year (Bezos, Ebsco). What once started as a small company in Bezos’ garage in Seattle had turned into the â€Å"world’s biggest everything store†. In 2000, Amazon. com teamed up with ToysRUs. com to launch a co-branded toy and video game store. However, this new partnership would not last long. Over the next few years, Amazon would dabble in an array of products. In 2002, Bezos began offering clothing sales from large retail stores such as the Gap, Nordstrom, and Land’s End.A few years later, in 2006, Amazon. com dabbled in online dry groceries. A year later the company began offering a fr esh delivery service for the Seattle area. (Hoovers) In 2007, Amazon expanded once again. Bezos introduced Amazon’s new electronic portable reader, the Kindle. By 2011, Amazon announced that they sell more e-books than printed books. Along with new items such as the Kindle, Amazon began offering products and services such as self-publishing, online advertising, e-commerce platform, hosting, and a co-branded credit card. (Hoovers) Today, Amazon. om has five international websites for Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The company has an estimated 20 million customers in 160 countries across the world (Bezos, Credo). According to Hoover’s Quick Report, Amazon. com employs 56,200 employees as of 2011 at all of their sites. Amazon’s efficient operating model has allowed it to succeed despite downward pressure on prices. Offering low prices to their customers has been a key success to Amazon’s business strategy (Hoovers). As a Business Man agement major, there are many things one can learn from looking at Jeffrey Bezos’ life.He saw a business opportunity and did everything he could to make it work. Starting off in his garage in Seattle, Bezos turned Amazon. com into the world’s largest online store. Despite the many years of not turning profit, Bezos managed to make Amazon. com into the company it is today. By focusing on customer service, Jeffrey Bezos was able to appeal to new customers and keep the current ones satisfied. Works Cited Bezos, Jeff (1964-). (2010). In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. om/entry/heliconhe/bezos_jeff_1964 Bezos, Jeff. (2003). In Capstone Encyclopedia of Business. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. com/entry/capstonebus/bezos_jeff Bezos, Jeff. (2004, Jan 1). Leaders of Information Age (Bio Ref Bank. Brandt, R. L. (2011, Oct 15). REVIEW — Birth of a Salesman — Behind the Rise o f Jeff Bezos and Amazon: Richard L. Brandt on the Founder’s Texas Roots, the Sites Chaotic Early Days, Why Negative Reviews are Allowed and the Increasing Use of Personalized Data. Wall Street Journal, pp. C. 1. -C. 1. http://search. proquest. com/docview/898391472? accountid=2837