Indias Highest Gallantry Award (Pvc) Winners

Param vIr chakra: The medal is a circular bronze disc 1. 375 inches (3. 49 cm) in diameter. The state emblem appears in the centre, on a raised circle. Surrounding this, four replicas of Indra's Vajra (the all-powerful mythic weapon of the ancient Vedic King of Gods). The decoration is suspended from a straight swivelling suspension bar. It is named on the edge. On the rear, around a plain center, are two legends separated by lotus flowers. The words Param Vir Chakra are written in Hindi and English. A purple ribbon, 32 millimetres (1. in) long, holds the Param Vir Chakra. The medal symbolizes Rishi Dadhichi, who had donated his bones to the Gods for making Vajra Facts about Param Vir Chakra: 1. Of the 21 Paramveer Chakra awardees, 20 are from the Indian Army and one from the Indian Air Force. 2. Som Nath Sharma, the first recipient of the award, was the award designer Mrs. Savitri Khanolkar's son-in-law posthumous. 3. Grenadiers Regiment have received the most number of Param Vir Ch akras, with 3 awards, one each for the Indo-Pakistan 1965 war, 1971 Indo-Pakistan war and the Kargil War.The Gorkha Rifles have also received three awards, with the 1st Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment), 8th Gorkha Rifles and 11th Gorkha Rifles each receiving one. 4. The Sikh Regiment, Kumaon Regiment, 17th Poona Horse and Jammu and Kashmir Rifles have received two awards. 5. The highest rank to be awarded a Param Vir Chakra is that of a Lieutenant Colonel. Lt. Col. Ardeshir Tarapore. 6. The award to Major Dhan Singh Thapa, for the battle of Sirijap in the 1962 War was initially announced as a posthumous award. It was not known that Major Thapa was taken POW at that time.Param vir chakra winners Stories of the highest gallantry award winners of the armed forces. 1947-48 Jammu and Kashmir Operations Major Somnath Sharma, 4 Kumaon, posthumous Major Somnath Sharma Major Somnath Sharma son of Major General Amarnath Sharma, was born on January 31, 1923, in Himachal Pradesh. He was comm issioned in the Kumaon Regiment on February 22, 1942. On October 22, 1947, Pakistan launched the tribal invasion of Jammu & Kashmir. Major Somnath Sharma laid down his life for the country on November 3, 1947 in Badgam, Kashmir in a brave fight against Pakistan troops.Major General Amarnath Sharma received India's first and highest wartime gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra, on behalf of his son. 2nd Lt. Rama Raghoba Rane, Corps of Engineers Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane was born on June 26, 1918 at Chendia, Karnataka. He was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers on December 15, 1947. He served with distinction during the 1947-48 Jammu ; Kashmir operations. On March 18, 1948, the Indian Army recaptured Jhangar, which was lost to the enemy in December 1947. Indian troops then planned an advance from Naushahra to Rajouri.Rane made a substantial contribution in facilitating the Indian advance on Rajouri. The gallant effort made by Rane during t his critical advance earned him the highest wartime gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra. †¢ CHM Piru Singh Shekhawat, 6 Rajputana Rifles, posthumous Company Havildar Major Piru Singh Company Havildar Major Piru Singh was born on May 20, 1918 in Rajasthan. He was enrolled in the 6 Rajputana Rifles on May 20, 1936. During the Jammu ; Kashmir operations in summer of 1948, Pakistani raiders mounted a strong counter offensive in the Tithwal sector.The enemy also forced the Indian Army to vacate their forward positions across river Kishanganga. After the setback, Indian troops took position on the Tithwal ridge. Havilder Major Piru Singh laid down his life, in a brave fight against the enemies, leaving for the rest of his comrades a unique example of single-handed bravery and determined courage. He was honoured with the highest wartime gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra, posthumously. Naik Jadunath Singh , 1 Rajput, posthumous Naik Jadunath Singh Naik Jadunath Singh was born on November 21, 1916 in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh.He was enrolled in the 1 Rajput Regiment on November 21, 1941. During the Jammu ; Kashmir operations in the winter of 1947, the capture of Jhangar on December 24th, by the Pakistani raiders, placed them in an advantageous position in the Naushahra sector. At a most critical stage in the battle for the defence of Naushahra, he saved his picket from being overrun by the enemy. Naik Jadunath Singh was honoured with the highest wartime gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra, posthumously. †¢ Lance Naik Karam Singh, 1 Sikh Lance Naik Karam Singh Lance Naik Karam Singh was born on September 15, 1915, in Barnala, Punjab.He was enrolled in 1 Sikh Regiment on September 15, 1941. He had earned a Military Medal in World War II. During the Jammu ; Kashmir operations in 1948, the Indian Army made substantial gains in the Tithwal sector. Karam Singh was honoured with the highest wartime gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra, for his outstanding role in the bat tle of Tithwal. 1962 Indo-China War Major Shaitan Singh , 13 Kumaon, posthumous Major Shaitan Singh Major Shaitan Singh, son of Lieutenant Colonel Hem Singhji, was commissioned in the Kumaon Regiment on August 01, 1949.During the 1962 Indo-China conflict, 13 Kumaon was deployed in Chusul sector. The battalion led by Major Shaitan Singh held a crucial position at Rezang La, at a height of 5000 metres. The expected Chinese attack on Rezang La came on November 18. Unmindful of his personal safety, Major Shaitan Singh moved from one platoon post to another and encouraged his men to fight. He was mortally wounded. Shaitan Singh was awarded Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal, posthumously, for his leadership and devotion to duty. Major Dhan Singh Thapa , 1/8 Gorkha RiflesMajor Dhan Singh Thapa Major Dhan Singh Thapa, born on April 10, 1928 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, was commissioned in the 8 Gorkha Rifles on August 28, 1949. The Sirijap valley, north of the Pangong La ke in Ladakh, was considered vital for the defence of Chushul airfield. The 1/8 Gorkha Rifles had outposts there to thwart any enemy encroachment in the area. One of these outposts named Sirijap-1 was held by a platoon of ‘D' Company under the command of Major Dhan Singh Thapa when the Chinese attack came on October 21, 1962. Major Thapa repulsed the attack, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy.For his gallant act, Major Dhan Singh Thapa was honoured with the highest wartime gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra. Subedar Joginder Singh , 1 Sikh, posthumous Subedar Joginder Singh Subedar Joginder Singh was born on September 26, 1921, in Faridkot, Punjab. On September 28, 1936, he was enrolled in the 1 Sikh Regiment. During the 1962 Indo-China War, Subedar Joginder Singh commanded a platoon in the Tawang sector of North East Frontier Agency. On October 23, the Chinese launched an attack on the Bum La axis. Subedar Joginder Singh and his platoon stood firm like a rock.Singh, despite a wound in the thigh, refused evacuation. He manned a light machine gun and killed a large number of enemies. By now all ammunition with the platoon had been exhausted. Subedar Joginder Singh and his men fell upon the advancing enemy and bayoneted many to death. Subedar Singh was killed in this epic battle. For his inspiring leadership, courage and devotion to duty, he was awarded the highest wartime gallantry medal, the Param Vir Chakra, posthumously. 1965 Indo-Pak War Lt. Col. A. B. Tarapore, 17 Poona Horse, posthumous Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Burzarji Tarapore Lieutenant Colonel ArdeshirBurzarji Tarapore was born on August 18, 1923 in Mumbai. He joined the Hyderabad State Force in 1942 and saw active service in West Asia during World War-II. He was commissioned in Poona Horse on April 01, 1951. The biggest tank battle of the 1965 Indo-Pak War took place at Phillora in the Sialkot sector. Lt. Col. A B Tarapore defied the enemy's charge, held his ground and gallantly attacked Ph illora with one of his squadrons supported by an Infantry battalion. When wounded, he refused to be evacuated. On September 14, 1965, he led his regiment to capture Wazirali.Unmindful of his injury, he again led his regiment and captured Jassoran and Butur-Dograndi on September 16, 1965. In this battle his own tank was hit several times. Lt. Colonel A B Tarapore tank was in flames and he died a hero's death. Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Burzarji Tarapore was awarded with the highest war-time gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra, posthumously. CQMH Abdul Hamid , 4 Grenadiers, posthumous Company Quarter-Master Havildar Abdul Hamid Company Quarter-Master Havildar Abdul Hamid was born on July 1, 1933, in Uttar Pradesh. He was enrolled in the 4 Grenadiers on December 27, 1954.During the 1965 Indo-Pak War, 4 Indian Division was entrusted with the responsibility of capturing Pak territory East of Lchhogil Canal and contain possible enemy attack on Kasur-Khem Karan axis. The enemy tanks had pen etrated the forward company positions. Hamid was commanding a recoilless gun detachment. He knocked out two enemy tanks. By this time the enemy brought down concentrated machine gun and high explosive fire on him. But he kept on firing. He was mortally wounded by a high explosive shell. Hamid was honoured with the highest war time gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra, posthumously. 1971 Indo-Pak WarMajor Hoshiar Singh , 3 Grenadiers – 1971 War Major Hoshiar Singh Major Hoshiar Singh was born on May 05, 1936 in Haryana. He was commissioned in the Grenadiers Regiment on June 30, 1963. He was also Mentioned-in-Despatches. On December 17th, during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, though wounded seriously in enemy shelling, Major Singh again went alone from trench to trench, moving in the open. Major Singh, realising the importance of fire support at this juncture, rushed to the machine gun pit and operated the gun inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. The enemy attack was repulsed, and th ey beat a hasty retreat.Throughout this operation, Major Singh displayed the most conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy, grim determination and indomitable spirit. He was honoured with the highest wartime gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra. 2nd Lt. Arun Khetarpal , 17 Poona Horse, posthumous Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, son of Brigadier M L Khetarpal, was born on October 14, 1950, in Pune, Maharashtra. He was commissioned in the 17 Poona Horse on June 13, 1971. During the 1971 Indo-Pak War, the 47 Infantry Brigade, with the 17 Poona Horse under command, was ordered to establish a bridge-head across the Basantar River in Shakargarh sector.Khetarpal fiercely attacked the enemy strong points and captured many enemy soldiers and recoilless guns at gunpoint. He destroyed several enemy tanks. In the thick of the battle, Khetarpal's tank also received a shot and burst into flames. But realising the useful role of his tank in preventing a breakthrough, he set about destroying t he remaining enemy tanks. At this stage his tank received a second hit. The brave Officer met his death denying the enemy the intended breakthrough. For his conspicuous gallantry, Khetarpal was honoured with the highest wartime gallantry medal, the Param Vir Chakra, posthumously. Fg. Off. N. J. S.Sekhon , No. 18 Squadron, posthumous Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was born on July 17, 1943 in Ludhiana, Punjab. He was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on June 4, 1967. During the 1971 operations, Sekhon was with No. 18 â€Å"Flying Bullets† Squadron flying the Folland Gnat fighter based at Srinagar. He and his colleagues fought successive waves of intruding Pakistani aircraft with valour and determination. On the 14th of December 1971, Srinagar Airfield was attacked by a wave of six enemy Sabre aircraft. Sekhon took off and immediately engaged a pair of the attacking Sabres.He succeeded in damaging two of the enemy aircraft. Hi s aircraft crashed and he was killed. For his sublime heroism, supreme gallantry, he was awarded Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal, posthumously. Lance Naik Albert Ekka , 14 Guards, posthumous Lance Naik Albert Ekka Lance Naik Albert Ekka was born on December 27, 1942 in Ranchi, Bihar. He was enrolled in the 14 Guards on December 27, 1962. During the 1971 Indo-Pak War, the 14 Guards was asked to capture a Pakistani position at Gangasagar, 6? km west of Agartala in the eastern sector. Ekka went with the left forward company of the battalion in the attack.He charged the enemy bunker, bayoneted two enemy soldiers and silenced the light machine gun. Though seriously injured in this encounter, he continued to fight alongside his comrades with courage, securing bunker after bunker. He hurled a grenade into the enemy bunker. Ekka died of the injuries suffered during this battle. Lance Naik Albert Ekka was awarded Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal, po sthumously. 1999 Kargil Operations Four Kargil war heroes were awarded the highest gallantry award on January 26, 2000 for displaying the valour of the highest order during operation Vijay.While Captain Vikram Batra and Lt. Manoj Pandey were awarded PVC posthumously, Grenadier Yogendra Singh and Riflemen Sanjay Kumar received the award from the President, Mr. K. R. Narayanan in person. Captain Vikram Batra , 13 JAK Rifles, posthumous Captain Vikram Batra Captain Vikram Batra, 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, and his Delta Company were given the task of recapturing Point 5140. Captain Batra single-handedly engaged three enemy soldiers in close combat and killed them. He was seriously injured during this combat, but insisted on regrouping his men to continue with the given task at hand.Inspired by the extraordinary courage displayed by Captain Batra, the soldiers of 13 JAK Rifles charged the enemy position and captured Point 5140 at 3:30 a. m. on June 20, 1999. Captain Batra led his men t o even more glorious victories with the recapture of Point 4750 and Point 4875. He was tragically killed, when he tried to rescue an injured officer during an enemy counterattack. For his sustained display of the most conspicuous personal bravery, Captain Vikram Batra was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest medal for gallantry, posthumously.Lieutenant Manoj K. Pandey , 1/11 GR, posthumous Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey, 1/11 Gorkha Rifles, forced back the intruders from the Batalik sector on June 11, 1999. He led his men to recapture the Jaubar Top, a feature of great operational importance. But his finest hour was in the capture of Khalubar in the early morning hours of July 3, 1999. On the night of July 2-3, 1999 the battalion's progress on to its final objective, was halted by a determined enemy firmly entrenched on commanding heights.The young officer led his platoon along a narrow, treacherous ridge that led to the enemy position. He surge d ahead of his troops and charged at the enemy with a full-throated battle cry through a hail of bullets. Although wounded in the shoulder and leg, he pressed on his solitary charge with grim determination. Critically bleeding, he collapsed at the final bunker and finally succumbed to his injuries, but not before the last of the enemy had been annihilated. Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest medal for gallantry, posthumously.Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav, 18 Grenadiers Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav of 18 Grenadiers, was part of the Commando ‘Ghatak' Platoon tasked to capture three strategic bunkers on Tiger Hill during the Kargil war on the night of July 3-4, 1999. In spite of having been hit by three bullets in his groin and shoulder, displaying great strength and resolve, he climbed the remaining 60 feet, all by himself and reached the top. With rare grit and courage, he crawled up to the bunker cri tically injured and lobbed a grenade killing four Pakistani soldiers and neutralising enemy fire.For his sustained display of the most conspicuous personal bravery and gallantry of the highest order in the face of the enemy, Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest medal for gallantry. Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, 13 JAK Rifles Rifleman Sanjay Kumar Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, was the leading Scout of a team tasked to capturing Area Flat Top of Point 4875 in the Mushkoh Valley on July 4, 1999, being held by Pakistani-backed militants. Without concern for personal safety, Kumar crawled alone up the ledge and charged towards the enemy bunker, through a hail of automatic fire.Bleeding profusely from the bullet wounds, he continued the charge towards the bunker. He then picked up the enemy machine gun and crept towards the second enemy bunker. Three enemy soldiers, taken completely by surprise were killed by him on the spot. For his sustained display of bravery, Rifleman Sanjay Kumar was awarded the Param Vir Chakra. UN Operations Captain G. S. Salaria , 3/1 GR, posthumous Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria was born on November 29, 1935, in Gurdaspur, Punjab. He was commissioned in the 1 Gorkha Rifles on 9 June 1957.After the Belgians quit Congo, a civil war situation developed in that country. When the United Nations decided upon military intervention to retrieve the situation, India contributed a brigade of around 3000 men to the UN Force. Captain Salaria prevented the enemy from going to the roundabout thereby saving the UN Headquarters in Elizabethville from encirclement. For his extraordinary leadership and devotion to duty, Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria was awarded the highest wartime medal, Param Vir Chakra, posthumously. Saichen Operations Naib Subedar Bana Singh , 8 JAK LINaib Subedar Bana Singh Naib Subedar Bana Singh, born in Kadyal, Jammu on January 6, 1949, was en rolled in the Indian Army on January 6, 1969 into the Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry (JAK LI). During June 1987, the 8 JAK LI, was deployed in the Siachen area. Naib Subedar Singh volunteered to join the special task force formed to root out Pakistani infiltrators. Naib Subedar Bana Singh led his men through an extremely difficult and hazardous route. Lobbing hand-grenades, charging with a bayonet and moving from trench to trench, he cleared the post of all intruders.He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal, for conspicuous bravery and leadership under most adverse conditions. IPFK Operations Major R. Parameswaran , 8 Mahar, posthumous – IPKF Operations Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran was born on September 13, 1946, in Mumbai. He was granted Short Service Commission in the Mahar Regiment on January 16, 1972. He took part in a number of operations undertaken by the Indian Army. Under the Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement many In dian Army units were dispatched to Sri Lanka to maintain law and order there.On November 25, 1987, Major Parameswaran and his column were ambushed by a group of militants. With great presence of mind he encircled the militants from the rear and boldly charged them. During the hand-to-hand combat that followed, one militant shot him in the chest. Undaunted by his grave injury, he snatched the rifle from a militant and shot him dead. Though critically wounded he continued to give orders and inspire his command till he breathed his last. For the most conspicuous bravery & supreme sacrifice, Parameswaran was honoured with the Param Vir Chakra, posthumously.

Case 35: Stock Repurchase Program Recommendation

Memo To:Rajat Singh, managing director at Hudson Bancorp From: Date:08/01/2002 Re:Stock Repurchase Program Recommendation The purpose of this memo is to examine whether Deluxe Corporation should increase borrowings to buyback stocks. After considerable analysis of the company’s financial position, we recommend that Deluxe Corp. to borrow up to $1. 023 billion to buy back 34,175 shares. In order to achieve this, Deluxe will need to lower its bond rating from A rating to BBB , which results in a decrease in WACC from 11. 47% to 9. 5%. By doing this, Deluxe ’s WACC is minimized, yet the bond rating is still at investment –grade rating; plus, the firm will have a financial flexibility of $872 million, and an increase in its equity value per share by $35. 34. This memo explains in detail the calculation of the current WACC, the current intrinsic equity value, the unused debt capacity at different ratings, and the recommended WACC as well as the estimated increase in e quity value with respect to the new WACC at the recommended debt borrowing level.Current WACC Based on our calculation, the current WACC is 11. 47% as of August 01, 2002. In this calculation, for the borrowing rate, we use 5. 70% regarding Deluxe’s bond rate A from Exhibit 8. The marginal tax rate is is projected to be 38%. We use 5. 41% for the risk free rate of return with respect to the 20 years U. S Treasury bond. The equity risk premium and beta are given at 6% and . 85, respectively.Since the beginning of 2002, Deluxe had retired all of its long term debt, we calculate the total debt by adding the short-term debt and the long-term debt due within one year to arrive at $151 million; for the total equity, we multiply the number of shares outstanding which is given in the company’s 2001 Financial Summary, by the market adjusted close price per share which we look up in yahoo finance to get to $1,568 million. For the small stock risk premium, we use 1. 73% as Deluxeà ¢â‚¬â„¢s total equity is between $1. 05 billion and $1. 6 billion. Current intrinsic equity valueDeluxe’s intrinsic equity value as of August 1, 2002 using a discounted cash flow analysis and the current WACC of 11. 47% has a premium of $2. 38 over the current market value. We estimate the terminal value growth rate to be at -2%; we make this assumption by taking the average of the industry’s annual decline growth rate between 1% and 3%. The free cash flows for 2002-2006 are taken from the company’s Financial Forecast; and, to calculate the terminal year’s free cash flows, we grow it by -2% and divide it by the difference between the WACC and the long term growth rate.Since August 1st is our evaluation date, there is still 5 months left for 2002, the cash flow to be received for 2002 is calculated by taking the total cash flow times 5/12, and for the remaining years, the cash flow to be received is equal to the total cash flows. And, finally, for the midy ear factor ,we also take same caution that t are 5 months left to receive cash flows, and payments are made semiannually . Thus, our mid-year factor for 2002 is 5 over 24, and (5+6) over 12 for 2003, and for the remaining years we add 1 to the prior year’s midyear factor.Flexibility by rating Our analysis of the flexibility in allowed debt under each bond rating provided us the maximum allowable unused debt for each rating. We calculated this figure by considering both the interest coverage ratio as well as the leverage ratio, and then using the smaller of the two figures. We calculated the maximum allowable debt using the leverage ratio by multiplying the five-year EBITDA average times the required leverage ratio under each credit rating. The lower the credit rating the larger the allowable debt becomes.By choosing the lower of the two calculations, the maximum allowable debt under credit rating AAA is 278. 9 million and ranges up to 2,456. 6 million for bond rating B. In or der to maintain an investment grade rating, Deluxe’s maximum allowable debt would be 1,023. 5 million. Recommended WACC In calculating the WACC for each bond rating, we altered several components for each. First, the borrowing rate increases as the bond rating decreases. These figures were provided in Exhibit 8. Second, we recalculated beta taking into account the changes in the debt/equity capitalization structure using.The re-levered beta was calculated using the levered and unlevered information. Third, as ratings declined their debt/equity ratio increased and altered their weighted cost of debt. Fourth, their equity/debt ratio decreased as their bond rating declined. Our final calculations of the WACC for each bond rating went from 11. 47% at AAA down to 9. 95% at BBB and back up to 11. 02% at a B rating. We recommend using the debt level allowed under the BBB rating since it maintains our status as investment grade bonds and also provides the lowest possible WACC. Estima te increase in equity valueTo determine the number of shares to be repurchased in the upcoming repurchase program, we used the maximum allowable debt under the BBB bond rating and subtracted our current debt to determine the total funds to be used to repurchase shares. In order to determine the number of shares that could be repurchased, we divided the total allowable debt by the current market per share price. This resulted in a recommended repurchase of 34,175 shares. Next, we conducted a free cash flow analysis to determine the intrinsic enterprise value of Deluxe Corporation.This analysis is similar to the one conducted for the Current intrinsic equity value. However, we lowered the WACC to reflect our recommended credit rating. In estimating the total increase in shareholder value from this repurchase program, we took enterprise value minus the maximum allowable debt at the BBB rating. This gave us the equity value of Deluxe Corporation. Then, we divided the equity value by the current outstanding shares net of the repurchase program. This gave us equity per share value of $63. 24. In comparing this to the old equity per share value, we found an increase of 127%.This is a highly favorable move for the shareholders of Deluxe Corporation. Concluding Recommendation We believe Deluxe Corporation should borrow funds in the amount of $872 million for the stock repurchase program. By borrowing these funds, Deluxe Corporation will be able to increase their equity value per share by 127% while still maintaining investment grade status. Deluxe is aiming for a flexible capitalization structure, and by borrowing more debt we believe they can achieve this due to the high cost of equity. If you have any question or concern, please feel free to contact us via emails:

Moby Dick: Chapter 58 Essay

It is in human nature to hold in contempt and fear things unknown to them, on the other hand many people hold the pursuit of knowledge as the one true path to fulfillment in life. The dangers of the pursuit of knowledge are an underlying topic in Ishmael’s discussion of brit. Ishmael describes the sea as enigmatic and immensely more dangerous than the land; in doing so reveals how attempting to study the unknown in the pursuit of knowledge is far more dangerous than remaining ignorant. In Ishmael’s discussion about brit he quickly drifts off the subject of the actual brit and begins to make comparisons between the land and the sea. He states that even â€Å"though some old naturalists have maintained that all creatures if the land are of kind in the sea†(Melville 272), he has yet to see any creatures of the sea that have the same charm and kindness as domesticated pets. He reveals the inherent lack of kindness or hospitability in oceanic creatures by making this statement. He goes on to say that,†however baby man may brag if his science and skill, and however much in a fluttering future that science and skill may augment; yet forever and ever to the crack of dawn, the sea will continue to insult and murder him†¦ man has lost that sense of the awfulness of the sea which aboriginally belongs to it.†(Melville 273). This passage illustrates the core of what Ishmael is trying to describe in his argument. It reveals the horror and indomitable terror of the sea, which according to Ishmael people seem to have forgotten about and take for granted. He also belittles human’s in the passage calling them â€Å"baby man† showing how powerless he believes people are compared to the sea and how no matter how much people advance they cannot compare to the sea’s power. He goes on to expand on this idea stating the many ways in which the ocean’s horrors hold supremacy over all others such as the sea’s lack of mercy and control as well as its deceiving beauty and how â€Å"its most dreaded creatures glide under water unapparent for the most part and treacherously hidden beneath the loveliest azure†(Melville 274) Underlying this description of the terror of the ocean is a warning; Ishmael attempts to show how trying to study the unknown in pursuit of knowledge is far more dangerous than remaining in a state of ignorance. Ishmael uses detailed description to over emphasize how terrifying the ocean is. This shows the use of storytelling and redefinition in order to get the audience picture the terrors of the ocean and in doing so empathize with Ishmael’s beliefs. This indicates Ishmael’s use of pathos in his argument. Ishmael besides describing the ocean as a perilous place he describes it as â€Å"an everlasting terra incognita† (Melville 273), this declaration of the incapableness of man to unravel the mysteries of the ocean shows the, almost fearful, reverence he holds towards the ocean and its mysteries. A reverence he attempts to impart upon the audience through the aforementioned use of hyperbole and redefinition, showing a use of pathos to make the audience sympathize with these feelings. It seems that Ishmael would rather people not attempt to learn about the unknown rather than expose themselves to its dangers. This is apparent when this extract, â€Å"For as thy appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of a man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by the horrors of the half known life. God keep thee push not off from that isle, thou canst never return!†(Melville 274). This is the conclusion to Ishmael’s discussion and reveals the reasoning for his statements. The â€Å"horrors of the half known life† encompassing the â€Å"insular Tahiti† are the things people attempt to learn about the world and themselves. Ishmael believes that by venturing out into the sea of one’s soul man exposes himself to all the dangers of the world. This shows how he believes that it is better to remain on a peninsula of ignorance and comfort than venture out into the sea of knowledge. Ishmael urges people to remain in their small insular world threatened by what lies beyond. He believes that one will find less comfort in discoveries than in ignorance and as such people should stay clear of the mysteries of the world.

Applied Statistics for Finance and Economics Project report Coursework

Applied Statistics for Finance and Economics Project report - Coursework Example Since in this data we are focused on 2002 to 2006 we see that the seasonal and the cyclic component are present. We take a time plot of the returns data of home furnishers to investigate if the data exhibit trend in this case. From the above trend we can see that there is linear trend in the returns of the home furnishers. To eliminate trend to make the returns data stationary, we take the differencing of lag 1 and observe the progress the remains. The time plot of the returns also shows that the return data exhibit trend. Thus from the above analysis of the returns and return squared, the returns can be predicted and has a very high predictive power while the return squared has very low predictive power. Broadly speaking, a time series is said to be stationary if there is no systematic change in the mean (no trend). If there is systematic change in variance and is strictly periodic variations (seasonal and cyclic component) are removed. Most of probability theory of time series analysis is concerned with stationary time series and for this reason time series analysis requires one to change a non-stationary time series to a stationary time series analysis so as to use it. In this study we plot the variables and test their stationary using a particular variation of unit root test- the Augmented Dickey-Fuller test. We then difference the time series of return to make the series stationary. After differencing the return data we can observe that the data is stationary. This can be clearly seen in the time series plot of the differenced data at lag. The plot of differenced data of returns below shows that the data is stationary after differencing it once. The pair trading is a common thing in the trading market. Literature on pair trading, market efficiency and return volatility behavior is plenty for a developed stock market. The study involves pair trading using the

Unification of Germany and Italy in the 19th century Assignment

Unification of Germany and Italy in the 19th century - Assignment Example During the year 1848 Europe was taken over by the democratic revolution and the German representatives in the unification were King Wilhem I (King of Prussian), who wanted to increase the strength of the army and elect a new Prime Minister. The second leader was Otto von Bismarck who was the Prime Minister, who had no room of idealism in his regime and was the leader of realism. During the year 1866 and 1877 there was a seven week war which provoked the Austria to call a war on Prussia, in which Prussia were successful and they took control over the northern Germany, which was followed by the Franco-Prussian War in which the Prussian army took over the northern France and took 80,000 French Prisoners. This war the final stages into the unification of the Germany and the southern region on accepted the Prussian as the leaders. There were many reasons that lead to World War I, few of the reasons were long pending and few of other arose near the war that made the decision more affirmati ve. Few of the long reason that forced the war was the Rise of Militarism, this was in result of the increase of use of power by the European in the late 18th Century. The Europe started to believe that the military powers were one of the most feasible and desirable reasons to resolve the increasing hostile and fragile political conditions in the world. Another long term reason that caused the World War I was The Arms Race, the excess use of military caused imbalance in the powers; this led to the innovation of technology with respect.

Impact of Stress on Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Impact of Stress on Nursing - Essay Example The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines stress as "the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them" (Murray, 2005). This essay takes into consideration the negative effects of stress to which nurses may be prone. It also presents strategies for nurses to that can reduce the level or types of stress that nurses encounter. A number of negative effects of stress have been identified. Patterns of extreme or high stress may lead to the fight-or-flight response (Selye, 1976) and psychological and physical illnesses or many times its symptoms (Cropley and Steptoe, 2005; Neilsen et al, 2005). There are also situation where stress results in extreme discomfort (Drew, et al., 2005), exacerbation of age-related declines in memory (Vendras, et al., 2005), low quality of life (Lustyk, Widman, Paschane, and Ecker, 2004), and premature death (Robinson, McBeth, and McFarlane, 2004). Today with the increasing pressure and stress on the nursing staff, it is estimated that first-year retention rates for new graduate nurses is only between 40% and 65%. In terms of numbers as many as 6 out of 10 new nursing grads leave nursing practice within one year of graduation (Rosebrough, 2005). It is important to understand the impact of stress and ... If we try to categorise the type of stress faced by nurses it can be said that physically, the job of a nurse is often demanding with high levels of muscular-skeletal stress, culminating in many aches and pains. Mentally, nurses are required to be alert and 'on the ball', making calculations for medication and responding to important questions from patients and relatives. Emotionally, the impact is felt when nurses involve themselves in empathising and helping people and working in an environment where there is pain and sadness. Additionally, the context of work may be characterised by resource constraints, poor staff support and organizational change, which add to the energy expended. Too much stress and burn out brings the discomfort of finding the nursing staff struggling (Murray, 2005). Strategies of Stress Management Nursing is the profession of serving others and it is very important that nurses maintain a balance between work and other personal activities. Since most of the nursing staff work on shift basis it is important to use leisure time to recharge and energise themselves. There are several strategies for stress management and among these the coping strategies and relaxation techniques are simple, effective and helpful in controlling anxiety levels, depression and anger. Besides, there are a range of interventions that can reduce stress in nursing. According to a recent review cognitive behavioural interventions and relaxation or the meditation strategies are effective in bringing down personal levels of stress (Mimura and Griffiths, 2003). Cognitive-behavioural interventions are intended to help people live longer, feel better and avoid having self-defeating thoughts. These interventions help nurses to

Homeland Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Homeland Security - Essay Example This definition of the effectiveness of the US department of Homeland security constitutes of various facts such as: the security services cannot stop all the terrorist attacks from taking place, the services have to create a strategy for both the longer run and the shorter run and the services should counter terrorist activities while balancing citizens interests, minimizing financial cost and making sure that citizens freedom is never at stake. Security services should devise plans that are fool proof and can prevent most of the attacks from taking place, this does not means that their plans can stop hundred percent of the attacks that are being planned and implemented. Even if the Homeland Security department cannot stop all the attacks, their measures are not necessarily ineffective. If at any particular point in time, no attacks are taking place, this does not represent that the strategy implemented by the department has become successful and are of utmost effectiveness. The Security services should always have a short term and long term strategy in position to counter both short term and long term plans. If they have only short term plans, then they are overlooking the longer plans that terrorist activity conductors have prepared. The services should plan its measures in accordance to the way terrorist organizations behave, they set long-term goals, all individuals are committed to a common goal and they are ready to e xperience utmost difficulty for the achievement of their cause. Terrorists are ready are actively participating in a never ending war with the security forces all around the world including Homeland Security, thus it is this the duty of the security department to continue creating a long-term strategy. While developing a strategy to counter terrorist activities, policy developers and strategy developers should ensure that their strategies and tactics do not harm the liberty and

Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Finance - Essay Example This is because when an employee cannot be understood, making good use of that employee will be hard (Arthur, pg 15). From my own perspective, communication skills play a very important role in moving the organization forward. It is through this quality that issues such as conflict, stress in the organization, and also good relationship between senior and junior employee can be managed. From the point of a new employee, it may be different. This is because individuals come from different background and what say to be a good communication skill may be different from their perspective. Problem solving skills, most employers currently are looking for employees who are motivated to handle challenges arising in the work place with little direction being offered to them. Such kind of people are able to know what kind of actions they are suppose to take when there are challenges or problems. For instance, employer don’t expect to tell their employees what to do when there is fire bre ak out but rather they expect employees to know that they need to take action to rescue the situation (Arthur, pg 24). In my own opinion, I think that having skills to solve problems is very important because it helps one to handle certain issues on their own. An advantage of this is that it helps an individual to think on solutions to the given problem. Loyalty, this is a key quality most employers do look for when hiring new employees. The issue of trust between employer and employee has to exist. Employers do not require employees who cannot be trusted while representing the organization. From the point of an employee, it may be challenging to be loyal due to conflict of interest. An employee may realize later on that the employer is dealing in illegal business such as drugs and so it may be hard on the part of the employee to be loyal (Arthur, pg 26). Competency, some occupations require skills in order to perform a task e.g. in accounting, and legal fields. When looking for a n ew employee, the employer must consider the job in offer and the level of competency of the new employee. For example if the job on offer is accounting job then the new employee must possess accounting knowledge from college, university. With this the new employee stands a chance in getting the job (Arthur, pg 30). This is a quality that must be considered in my own opinion. This is because when you hire a person who has a background of what he is expected to do, then I believe that the output of that employee will be high. Team player, most employers consider this quality because it plays a very important role in increasing productivity of the organization. This quality enhances the ability of people to work together towards achieving the organizations goal. From my perspective, team building is a factor that should not be overlooked while hiring a new employee. The aspect of having individuals working as a team normally increases their productivity and hence helps in working towar ds the organizations goal (Arthur, pg 34). To the new hiree, this will help him or her to get along with fellow employees in the organization. I think it should not be emphasized so much especially where we have a big company since other employees will take advantage over other fellow and they will not give all their input in the realization of the

The Global Village Finally Arrives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Global Village Finally Arrives - Essay Example According to Lyer, the traditional metaphor for the changes globalization has made and is making to the world is that of a mosaic. The fragments that the world is composed of combine to make one big picture, and if you stand back to look at it from a good distance, it seems to be one image and those fragments are now part of a whole. As well as this, the mosaic itself is not static, and the fragments are constantly shifting this way and that to form new images. Using the mosaic as a metaphor illustrates how the lines of what constitutes national or country identity can begin to blur as cultures borrow heavily from one another. It also reinforces the idea that despite the love affair that many people have with all things American, it is definitely a give and take situation, where countries all over the world both give to and borrow from other cultures. â€Å"As fast as the world comes to America, America goes round the world†. (170) Globalization is driven by people – â€Å"defined†¦by an international youth culture that takes its cues from American pop culture.† (170) This may be true, but it is an America that is increasingly diverse, with the multitude of cultures in the country constantly borrowing ideas from each other, and from the world. Even as teens in Asia and Europe are wearing Levis jeans and watching American TV, Americans are eating sushi and watching Japanese anime cartoons. The America that sets the style for so many other countries is and always has been a melting pot for a host of different cultures and perhaps it is this that drives globalization now. American culture as a whole is surprisingly rich simply because it is a mix of so many different cultures. Interestingly, while globalization maybe more widespread than ever before, as Lyer points out, it is not a new thing. Cultural diversity has always existed, in Biblical times and before. Modern technology, however, has made a very significant contribution to the spread of globalization - in the age of phone, fax, internet, satellite television and rapid transit nothing is very far away anymore. As countries all over the world become increasingly modernized, they beam information all over the world, so that "the news is in Mandarin; today's baseball game is being broadcast in Korean". (169) Lyer's essay points out in no uncertain terms that globalization is a two-way street. The fascination of other countries with America has certainly been one of the driving forces. However, it is just as certain that America has always been a multi-cultural society, and borrows just as heavily from other cultures and nations as they do from

Leveraging IT for Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leveraging IT for Business - Assignment Example The benefits of offshoring are numerous to the company that engages in it. These include the reduction of the cost of doing business. Businesses have been able to reduce costs especially on the salaries that it pays out as well as other benefits. This is of benefit to the organization as it enables the organization to continue to function without unnecessary expense added to it (Click and Duening 2005). This is because most of the outsourcing destinations like China, India and other countries offer cheaper labour to these companies that outsource to them. Another benefit of outsourcing is the competitive advantage that it gives to those companies that use it. This is gained both in the local as well as in the international scene. This is due to the lower cost of business operations and the proximity to the available market for the finished goods. On the other hand, the difficulties of outsourcing a business are also present and must be put into consideration. These include the propor tionality of the projects availed and the provider of the BPO to fulfil the obligations. As the size of the provider goes up, so is the risk. At the same time, there is the matter of trust between the provider and recipient. The people or companies that are the recipients of the services that are being outsourced may be unknown. This means that it is a testing venture when a company, for example, far away, Australia decides to entrust its business to a little-known group like in India. The end result may be a poor show of the BPO which may be a great threat to the survival of the company. Another challenge to outsourcing is that it has the capacity to cause brain drain. According to unions within Australia, the outsourcing has driven a number of nationals from Australia to other countries in search of better terms of employment (Switzer 2006). This is because when companies outsource, they reduce the number of local jobs that they have. This is nature of unemployment that drives the job seekers elsewhere to try and survive. Outsourcings will, therefore, cost the country a lot of its highly productive labour.  

Otherness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Otherness - Essay Example The domination of Native Americans by European settlers, relegated them to no longer be masters of their identity. In films and books they were portrayed as savage and ignorant. They met the typical definition of the other in that in the eyes of the dominant group they lacked some â€Å"essential quality† (The Other, 2010). This othering of a group within society has very negative consequences. It is well illustrated in Sherman Alexie’s story â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona.† This stpry shows readers about life on a reservation. Identity is at its heart; especially the tension between an identity you make for yourself and one that is given to you by someone more powerful. Alexie's story tells the reader a great deal about what life can be like for Native Americans. It shows the serious social conditions on reservations and the breakdown of family relations due to substance abuse and other problems. The truth is that many Native Americans today live in the shadow of a trauma that was done to them many years ago. We have to have a sense of history if we are to understand people like Victor or Thomas Builds the Fire. These are men who are placed outside of society and whose sense of self is shaped not by their own dreams and ambitions but by a relentless effort to define them as others, as not full citizens. It is no wonder that faced with this kind of onslaught so many Native Americans struggle with substance abuse problems. The fact that much of the plot of this story takes place on a reservation is key. The Natives have been separated from the rest of society. They live on their small plots of lands with their own rules. They are not assimilated. In fact, few people know much about them. They are, in a sense, outside of history. History plays a major role in defining identities. What Alexie manages to show us, however, is how the characters in his story are more than blank canvasses or merely Other—they are real l ive human beings, facing their own struggles to shape their own place in the world. They are, for example, still able to forgive one another, as Thomas Builds the Fire is willing to forgive Victor. Thomas is passionate about storytelling—to him it is a ways to find his own place in the world and take some control over his circumstances. This is how a group defined as Others does its best to fight back—by telling its own stories about itself. In this story, it is Thomas who is ostracized on the reservation. Alexie represents otherness through the treatment of Thomas by the band. Anyone who is seen to have an imagination is considered to be different. Thomas tells the â€Å"same damn story over and over again† (Alexie, 62), and for this reason in part is seen to be different. When he breaks his leg, he is hated, for being imaginative enough to embrace his dream, even if only for a moment. This is how otherness is represented. Alexie’s perspective on otherne ss is surely a part of his own personal experiences growing up as an Indian in America. He grew up on a Washington reservation as part of a marginalized community. On top of that, he had a childhood disease which marked him out as different (Konigsberg). These things certainly shaped his relationships with others. He must have felt like an outsider looking in, a victim of other peoples’ preconceptions about him. It is useful to teach our children about these kinds of issues because they crop up everywhere in society. However, the discussion can be a little complex. The

Art History Midterm Essay Example for Free

Art History Midterm Essay The tomb painters were more of artisans than they were artists in ancient Egypt. The reason for this is they didn’t typically come up with the ideas for what they were painting in the tombs; they were told what to paint and painted it. Artists would have had free range on what to paint rather than being told what to paint exactly. Artisans are more the people who can actually paint someone’s idea who might not be able to design or paint the idea given. 2. One rationale reason for cave paintings in prehistoric times, that I have heard and agree with is that they painted these things on the walls in hope that the creatures would come so they would have food among other things. One particular example would be all the paintings in the Las Caux cave in France; it is a cave entirely full of images of bulls. Bulls or bison were a source of not only food but probably clothing and they could use other parts of the body for various things. These animals were extremely important for their culture to survive. I believe they painted them on the walls not only to honor the creatures for all they did to help their people but also as wishful thinking. It’s the whole â€Å"if you build it they will come† idea, if the people painted these animals maybe something miraculously would help their hunting season better. This theory helps show how they believed in gods and looked for help from a higher being just like we do now. 3. During ancient times goddess statues were extremely popular all over the then world. One of the most famous goddess statues is the Venus of Willendorf. She is the very first goddess statue that has been found and dates back to 24,000 bce. She is a very small pudgy statue with and large female areas; her face is not there and is replaces with grooves. The statue has no feet and cannot stand on its own. The way that the statue was created shows the importance of fertility and women by not only the enlarged breast but the wide hips that would be of assistance when it comes to giving birth. They most likely used this little statue to wish new couples luck when it comes to reproducing and it was a fertility statue. Modern day has a much different view on our â€Å"goddess† culture. People nowadays look up to Barbie dolls and stick thin models and celebrities. So much has changed since then. The prehistoric times and even up until more recent times believed that fuller women were beautiful and even that it showed wealth. I think that our culture looks up to the wrong people when it comes to our versions of a â€Å"goddess culture†. One Mesopotamian civilization that I like is Babylon. It was a land in the Fertile Crescent between the rivers like most civilizations in that time period. They had one of the most influential and important leaders, Hammurabi, who came up with one of the most well known set of laws or Hammurabi’s code. Babylon also was the home of one of the Seven Wonders of the World the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Babylon was a very well set up society and really changed the way people governed their civilizations. They were one of the first cultures to write down their set of rules and stick by them through thick and thin and that was entirely new. Question 1: When it comes to restoring artwork it is a tricky subject. I think that they should restore art but not add anything to it because it makes it a different then it was originally portrayed. I think restoring the art so it is in full form is ideally good because we want future generations to see the pieces of art the way they were meant to be viewed. I mean yes, it is using a lot of time and a lot of hours to be fixing something that is broken and old, but it’s our history. If these artifacts were not there we would have no look into our past and how people lived. People should fix up old paintings, statues and buildings because not only is it part of history but it’s incredible to see how people could build such magnificent things without the technology we have today. It makes people appreciate what they have now and all the advances we have gone through. When it is 300,000 years from now and out pictures and buildings are slowly falling apart we would want someone to take their time and interest to fix up something that we once held as a huge part of our lives and our society. If the paintings, statues and buildings were built and built so beautifully they were made that way for a reason. Art is art and I think we should do everything humanly possible to keep this world as beautiful through the decades as it was meant to be when they first were displayed.

Linking Modern Technology To Global Pollution Environmental Sciences Essay

Linking Modern Technology To Global Pollution Environmental Sciences Essay The 21st century, often referred to the era of globalization, we are expecting to make tremendous advancements in the field of science, technology and telecommunication. The rapid change of technology over the past thirty years has brought the many innovative changes and as a result of advancement in technology and increasing the standard of living. Scientists are producing new modern technology for the welfare of human results in new luxuries being produced. We enjoy an assortment of new consumer products that have enriched our lives and provide luxuries benefit to us all. For example such as computer, iphone, satellite networks and so on. However, a newly industrializing country and the rapid industrialization along with greater consumerism by adoption modern technology has led to increased levels of global pollution, such as air pollution, green house gasses, acid rain, global warming, toxic chemical usage, ozone depletion and so on. As we know, in today modern life of living, modern technology manufacturing operation has generated an increasing demand for the use of industrial chemicals. The use of these chemicals has resulted in great benefit in the advancement of technology and the standard of living but at the same time, they are generating the pollution and waste into the environment. Pollution can reduce the quality of life, impacts negatively on socio-economic conditions and harms to the environment. And waste can cause to lose destroy and become physically worn to an unusable or unwanted substance or material, such as a waste product. Today, there are many of environmental problems, all with unique causes and consequences and the primary causes is because of the adoption of modern technology that make to the degradation of the environment. For an example, the heavy industrial use of chemicals can cause air pollution. Air pollution is including all the contaminants found in the atmosphere. And these dangerous substances can be either in the form of gases or particles. Every time we breathing, we also are taking risk in inhaling the dangerous chemicals As a result, the health of human can have serious consequences and also severely affects natural ecosystems. Many diseases could be caused by air pollution unconsciously such as bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart disease and so on. This is because air is located in the atmosphere, which it can able to travel far off places easily. Besides that, the ozone layer, which protects the environment from dangerous UV radiation, is being destroyed by the release of chlorfluorocarbons (CFCs), which is allowing the penetration of UV radiation to the lower atmosphere (Wark et al.,1998; Sharma and Kaur, 1994). The burning of fossil fuels as an energy source creates CO2, which along methane and CFCs is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming. Fossil fuels, since the beginning of the industrial revolution, have been the dominant energy source throughout our economies, but is has bring to the pollution. The global pollution of the release of CFCs into the atmosphere has caused major health hazards such as global warming and acid rain. Actually, as a manufacturer must bear the responsibility of declining the level of air pollution to dangerous levels. But unfortunately, they are like to use instruments such as fridges and air conditioners that release CFCs in the environment which in turn deplete the oz one layer. This can increase the incidence of skin cancer and affects plant growth. Aside, land pollution and water pollution which by the increasing use of plastic bags was lead to the pollution of the land and the sea. They can kill plants and trees by destroying their leaves, and can kill animals, especially fish in highly polluted rivers. Meanwhile, because of the manufacturing operation, harmful chemicals are discharged into the seas and rivers by irresponsibility factory. For example, oil spills, can kill fish, marine birds and other marine life, as well as destroy critical habitats such as mangroves and coral reefs. It has a negative impact on fisheries affecting local livelihoods. In the other hand, tropical forest, a variety of plant species and the animal or insect life that inhabit in the forests act to conserve soil, water resources and provide food to people living in these lands. But because of industrialization and modernization, these resources are decrease. The felling of trees for construction purpose is reducing the forest areas in Malaysia. This reduction in the forest area has not only reduced the natural green cover which acts as a sinking base for the polluting carbon dioxide in the air, but has also led to the extinction of plants and animal species leading to loss in bio-diversity. (Purba Rao, 2004). In addition, the uncontrolled deforestation to built buildings for the accommodation is increasing the oxygen content in the atmosphere, which is leading to global warming. Global warming has resulted in increase in the earthà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s surface temperatures, which has terrific effect on human health. The rapid melting of snow in the attic, rising of sea levels and erratic climate variations because of global warming can cause serious alterations to the eco system, as there would be changes in the vegetation. Moreover, the rain forests, which hold water, are shrinking due to frequent forest fires. And the ocean is getting warmer that until the storms can pick up more energy from them due to global warming. These all will increases the temperature of that place as well as the global temperature. b) The need for sustainability in terms of raw materials and energy in manufacturing. Because all of the industrialization and modernization activities, it is force a need to take some proactive action to solve and protect the environment. And if this trend of modernization activities is continuously sure will ultimately make the change of earth into a new place, which will be full of pollution and unsuitable for flora and fauna. Therefore was born the sustainability concept such as cleaner production, lean production, eco-efficiency, total quality environment management, and preventive environmental management, which are involved in industrial manufacturing. Besides that, there are a lot of possibilities action to reduce the environmental problem exist. For example: optimization of the environmental performance through good housekeeping, total quality management, application of end-of-pipe techniques, recycling of wastes, non-renewable products substitution or adaptation cleaner technologies. Nowadays, a broad and worldwide consensus has been reached on the great importance of striving for sustainable development (Qinghua Zhu, Raymond P. Cote, 2004). Sustainable development is a dynamic process which enables all people to realize their potential and improve their quality of life in ways which simultaneously protect and enhance the Earths life support systems Forum for the Future, 2000. It has been increasing consciousness of the environment. These issues are not only of concern to the general public, but are serious problem for the manufacturing industry. All of these environmental issues are because of the modern technology adoption. Without doubt, in this age of industrial progress, there is an improvement in the quality of life but at the same time, they will lead to environment degradation and it has become a serious problem that must to handle. If not, it could lead to a serious threat to the environment. There are many approaches and concepts can use for the environment protection, for example the use of environmental friendly raw material to achieve the efficient use of the natural resources, the way to conservation of water and energy in a save way to reduce the pollution and waste. Among the famous concepts being implement are clear production, total quality environmental, eco-efficiency, green engineering and lean manufacturing and so on. The effect of environmental pollution has put the governments, industries and communities on alert to take an appropriate action to protect the environment for our future and better generation. Worldwide concern about the environment, people are becoming aware of this problem. They start realize the environmental damages and the important of environment. With the increasing awareness in global pollution and sustainable development, all the governments, corporations and also industries are seeking more cost-effective ways to manage their manufacturing operation to ensure a cleaner and safer environment. There are some new technologies that can help in prevent global pollution like recourse depletion, ground water and air pollution global warming and many others facets of ecological degradation. To built sustainable economy in 21st century, It is require breakthrough technologies that are cleaner and can help produce on mass scale to cater to the needs of teeming millions that would have added to the population of the world by the end of this century, advanced batteries and fuel cells to build non-polluting automobiles, genetically engineered plants that actually can grow biodegradable plastic, fundamental changes in manufacturing science and engineering to achieve the goal of conservation of material and energy requirement and to have cleaner production. Sustainability in terms of raw materials is the process to choose of raw material or by improvement materials to reduce waste and for environment protection. Example of improvement materials is the efficiency in gasification of coal and biomass can be improve by hot gas clean up and filters fabricated by high rate chemical vapour infiltration of low cost fiber. Furthermore, Materials management is very important in sustainable development. Material management is involves making a materials useful while minimizing the amount of added processing needed to effect recovery. There are 3 categories of materials managementà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s activities, which are design for recycle, design for assembly, and toxics management. Design for recycling is applies to the cost-effective reuse of materials and whole components. Because the current design practice is ignore the need to support the product disposal stage or the potential for reusing. While design for assembly is applie s to the use of assembly methods and configurations that allow foe cost-effective separation and recovery of reusable components and materials. Lastly the toxic management is applies to the elimination or control of toxic materials that are an intrinsic part of the product. Example is the cadmium in batteries or lead solder in printed circuit boards. And the sustainability in terms of energy is by the efficient energy generation. Efficient energy generation is high-efficiency natural gas conversion, in which less fuel would be required to produce the same amount of electricity, while containing the amount of emissions per unit of electricity. Presently power plants convert fuel to electricity at about 32-38% efficiency, the existing gas turbine power plants are up to 40% efficient. With improvements in technology, it is possible to raise the efficiency to 50-60%. Besides, there are some several ways of saving energy through efficient use. For example, the technology of high compact fluorescent light, dimmable ballasts, electronically corrected systems, some of which have already become available. As we know the earth is the place we live, the environment is a source of raw materials, energy, food, clean air, water, and soil for useful human purposes, so we must preserve it for our future and better generation. Thus, according to W. Burton Hamner (1996). Sustainable development is to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development integrates economic development and environmental sustainability. Thus the goals of economic and environmental development must be defined in terms of sustainability in all countries by developed or developing, market-oriented or centrally planned. For example, manufacturer must ensure that products have as beneficial an impact as possible throughout the whole life. Manufacturer must source sustainable raw materials, use energy efficient processes, develop long-life and low maintenance products, and make recycle, reclaim and re-use products at the end of the initial life. In order to working toward sustainability, many industries are starting do all this commitment into their company for a part of their responsibility. By broadening the responsibility, company should try to integrate all the manufacturing considerations in their production strategies for example the product design, choice of raw material, energy and technology, or even their worker, supplier and business partners. Not only manufacturer industries, the governments, or even communities also have responsibilities towards the environment. After that, only can make sustainability in reality.

Study On Managing Organizational Change Management Essay

Study On Managing Organizational Change Management Essay 1.1 Introduction According to the Future Administrative systems Team (University of Houston, 2004), managing change is a systematic process of taking into account the global conditions affecting an organization, as well as specific conditions in the organization. The change management methodology examines the current environment with respect to organization culture, communication, organization design, job design, infrastructure, personnel, skills and knowledge, people/machine interfaces, and incentive systems. Organizations are defined as systems comprising elements of formal organizational management and operations as well as elements of more informal aspects of organizational life (Senior and Fleming 2006). Several definitions of organizational change have been presented over the years, For example, Burnes (1996)  suggests that organizational change means the understanding of alterations within organizations at the broadest level among individuals, groups, and at the collective level across the entire organization. Managing change requires Methods and processes that assist individuals in adjusting constructively to new systems, procedures, processes, workflow, organizational relationships and other differences as they occur. Three important factors are acknowledged in the above definitions of change management the organizations culture, the people and communication. Managing change and liaising with stakeholders in order to perform change are integral parts of good staff and project management, but change is never easy to manage. The adoption and implementation of a new system will bring about change to any organization. Sometimes the changes required by an organization are likely to have incited the acquisition of the new system. Adoption of a new system can support a changed approach, but the system itself is not regarded as the change. The organization has to be prepared for the change in order not to be seen as the cause of the change thus preventing resentment and resistance which may lead to the failure of the system implementation. An example of this is the implementation of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and Managed Learning Environment (MLE) in a university. Such environments are always part of an institutional strategy about learning and sharing knowledge, but a university cannot be converted to a different type of learning organization simply by implementing a VLE or MLE. The implementation of system projects must run in tandem with change projects. However, putting the responsibility on the implementers of the system is likely to result in the failure of the project. In the context of a system implementation, change management will require an institution to anticipate, prepare for, manage and undergo major organizational change from one state to a newer state. The change can be represented by: -The legacy system to the replacement system; -One organizational mission to extended institutional pursuits; -One infrastructure and set of skills to a different make-up; -Old business processes to new trading methods; -Decentralized ways of working to centralized functions; -One set of values to an adjusted collection of principles and standards; and/or -A known management approach to other styles of governance. Almost all people are nervous about change. Many will resist it consciously or subconsciously. Sometimes those fears are well founded the change really will have a negative impact for them. In many cases, however, the target population for the change will come to realize that the change was for the better (reference) The pace of change is ever increasing particularly with the advent of the Internet and the rapid deployment of new technologies, new ways of doing business and new ways of conducting ones life. Organizational Change Management seeks to understand the sentiments of the target population and work with them to promote efficient delivery of the change and enthusiastic support for its results. D.C. Brandenburg and C.V. Binder (1992) suggests that managing change requires Methods and processes that assist individuals in adjusting constructively to new systems, procedures, processes, workflow, organizational relationships and other differences as they occur. There are two related aspects of organizational change that are often confused. In Organizational Change Management we are concerned with winning the hearts and minds of the participants and the target population to bring about changed behaviour and culture. The key skills required are founded in business psychology and require people people. Organizational Design may be a specific objective of the project, for example where there is to be a reduction in the workforce, or it may just be a consequence of the changed business processes and technology. Organizational Change Management issues are often under-estimated or ignored entirely. Typically, the concept of organizational change is in regard to organization-wide change, as opposed to smaller changes such as adding a new person, modifying a program, etc. instances of firm-wide change might include a change in mission, restructuring operations (restructuring to self-managed teams, layoffs), new technologies, mergers, major collaborations, new programs such as Total Quality Management, re-engineering, etc. 2.0 Organisational Change and Transitions There are two approaches to organizational change, namely: Hard systems model for change Soft systems model for change The hard systems model for change (HSMC) definition of an organization is a stable, formal structure that takes resources from the environment and processes them to produce outputs (Laudon and Laudon, 2000) while the soft system model for change (SSMC) regard an organization as a collection of rights, privileges, obligations and responsibilities that are delicately balanced over time through conflict and conflict resolution (Laudon and Laudon, 2000). 2.1 Hard Systems Model for Change (HSMC) This approach has identified some classical schools. The classical school is a management perspective that emerged during the 19th and early 20th centuries that emphasized a rational, scientific approach to the study of management and sought to make organizations efficient operating machines (Daft, 2008). Some of the key players in the classical school include Frederick Taylor (1856-1915) who proposed the scientific management- a systematic method of determining the best way of getting a job done and specifying the skills needed to do it as well as the machine theory which dismissed the psychological aspects of behaviour because workers were regarded more like machines. The two methods had a clear division of tasks and responsibilities between workers and management. The scientific selection of people encouraged the selection of people with appropriate abilities to do newly designed job. Another major player was Henry, L. Gantt who developed the Gant chart used to measure planned and completed tasks at each stage of production. A good classical school is the Fordism. This involves the application of scientific management principles to workers jobs, installation of single purpose machine tools and assembly line with provision mass production and systems and control units. Other key players include Weber who identified bureaucracy as a legal rational type of authority and Fayol who listed planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling as the five basic management functions in administration. 2.2 Soft Systems Model for Change (SSMC) This approach has identified the problems with organizations, namely: Highly complex multi-dimensional have problems that are difficult to locate and define Need total solutions. Problems with organization can either be resolved, solved and dissolved (Ackoff, 1993). According to Ackoff, to resolve a problem involves the selection of an action that yields an outcome that is good enough. This approach relies on the use of common sense and to some extent, trial and error. This often used by most managers in decision making and is also called the clinical approach in dealing with messes because it involves reaching a consensus by a group of people on how to resolve a problem. This approach keeps most people happy and on board with the change but lacks analytical rigour in its formation of the objectives, thus, does not indicate how far the objectives of the change have been met. To solve a problem involves eschewing the use of common sense and base decisions on quantitative models like the use of scientific models rather than qualitative models. This is also called the research approach to mess management as it is likely to be used by scientific or technologically inclined managers. From the fore-going, the two approaches mentioned are limited in their capacity to plan and implement change hence, the suggestion of a third approach called the concept of dissolving a problem. To dissolve a problem involves changing the nature and/or the environment of the entity in which it is embedded so as to remove the problem (Ackoff, 1993). This approach is also called the design approach because problem dissolvers in addition to using the methods of problem resolvers and solvers seek to redesign the characteristics of the larger system containing the problem like changing the organizational structure, culture and processes. Only a few managers use this method and these are those that have the principal objective of development rather than growth or survival and who recognize it. 3.0 The Organizational development Process This approach identifies the importance of the people that make up the organization. It identifies that people at all levels of the organization are individually and collectively the drivers and engines of change. The assumption is that people perform better when they have high quality of life and that workers that are under-utilized are capable of contributing towards the goal of the organization if given the opportunity of taking more responsibilities. Paton and McCalman (2008) identified three concepts with respect to managing people and gaining their commitment to work in an organization: Organizations are about people Management assumptions about people often lead to ineffective design of organizations and this hinders performance. People are the most important asset and their commitment goes a long way in determining effective organization design and development. Total Systems Intervention (TSI), developed by Flood and Jackson (1991), is a meta-methodology that brings together a range of systems metaphors, a framework of systems methodologies, and various systems approaches to enable creative problem solving. In a process of TSI, systems metaphors are used to encourage creative thinking about organisations and the issues confronting managers. The discipline of Organizational Development has evolved over the past fifty years or so. Both French and Bell, describe organizational development asa long-term effort, led and supported by top management, to improve an organizations visioning, empowerment, learning, and problem-solving processes, through an ongoing, collaborative management of organization culture-with special emphasis on the culture of intact work teams and other team configurations-using the consultant-facilitator role and the theory and technology of applied behavioral science, including action research. (French Bell, 1999, pp. 25-26) On a practical day-to-day level, we think of OD as an ongoing, thoughtfully planned effort by all members of an organization to improve how that organization operates, serves its stakeholders, fulfills its mission, and approaches its vision. What are more compelling than the definition of Organizational Development are the underlying and continuously evolving philosophy and values of the discipline 3.1 Lewins three phase model of change Lewin (1951) proposed an extensively referred literature on change. It consists of three phases: Unfreezing Moving Refreezing Unfreezing involves shaking up of peoples habits of thinking and behaviour in order to create their awareness for need for change. This implies the change of the status quo by strengthening or weakening the forces that could push or maintain the change (Cummings and Worley, 2009). This might involve the selective promotion of employees or termination of employment (Goodstein and Burke, 1993). A good example is the case of Pitford College in Shire County. A member of staff was promoted to director of open and resource based learning (ORBL) while others had their responsibilities changed from teaching the students to tutoring students working in self service types of learning environment. Part of the unfreezing process was the consultation with the head of departments and decision makers to discuss new developments which were seen as challenging the status quo on education. Moving is the second stage of the Lewis change process and it involves making the actual changes that will move the organization to a new state. This includes the establishment of new strategies and structures to new ways of doing things. For example, In the Shire County, the ORBL involved a series of seminars on concepts of ORBL for staff. In addition, Pitford Collge, one of the other two colleges in the County, large new ORBL centres were built with multimedia teaching and learning facilities. Lewins final phase in the change process is the refreezing and this involves stabilizing or institutionalizing the changes. This involves making sure that new changes are secured and prevented from back sliding and may even involve the recruitment of new staff that are untainted with the old habits. The continual involvement and support of top management is very crucial and essential at this stage. Once the changes have been made, it is also important to reinforce the changes with symbolic actions and signs such as change of logos, building designs, forms of dress, and ways of grouping people to get work done. It is essential to continually collect data and feedback to track the progress of the change and to monitor the further change in the light of environmental changes. According to Senge (1990)  learning organizations  exists where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. The basic rationale for such organizations is that in situations of rapid change only those that are flexible, adaptive and productive will excel. For this to happen, it is argued, organizations need to discover how to tap peoples commitment and capacity to learn at all  levels

Athletes as Role Models :: essays research papers

Athletes as Role Models Athlets have been lookd up to as role models for as long as sports have exsted. There is just something attractive about the thought of being in good physical condition and being talented in sports. But, are athlets the kind of people that children should be looking up to for direction and guidance? Many children often look up to the professional athletes as role models. In fact, in 1995 Sports Illustrated for Kids did a survey for kids who were ages 7 through 12 about who their role model was. The majority of the kids answered that a professional athlete was who they most looked up to. Only four percent of the children answered that their role model was one of thir parents. Because of today?s media, athletes are constantly in the public eye. Everything they do on and off of the playing field. Some professional athletes speak a positive message through their fame by demonstrating constructive ideas such as teamwork and commitment while they are on the field. Even off of the pl aying field some athletes set a good example by visiting children in schools, going to hospitals, or even setting up foundations and organizations to help the ill and less fortunate people. However, other athletes are not as considerate to the fact that someone may be looking up to them, some athletes are not concerned about anything other than the sport they are getting paid to play and themselves. These athletes are the ones that propose questions over whether athletes should be considered role models or not. A role model can be defined as a person whose behavior, example or success is or can be emulated by others, especially young people. Who would want their child looking up to someone who has been convicted of domestic violence or has a drug addiction? It is an argument of opinion that cannot be settled. The side of athletes most commonly seen is when they are on the field. Athletes can be a very positive influence while on the playing field for many reasons. Teamwork is displayed in sports such as football, baseball, soccer, and hockey. It is where all the players working together and are all striving to reach the same goal. Anybody watching a game such as hockey or baseball can clearly see that the players must work together in both offense and defense to win the game.

Temporary Working Essay -- Business, Temporary Employees

Temporary employment is becoming increasingly popular within the UK, allowing organisations to manage when they encounter staff shortages, and external and competitive pressures. Temporary workers are individuals who are employed by organisations to fulfil job roles when they are in demand. Temporary employees may work full-time or part-time, for one week or several, depending on whether or not the organisation requires their labour. Temporary working contributes to the labour problem of low productivity and low performance, this essay will considered this employment form from a number of perspectives and discover solutions to this problem. The articles will be critically evaluated weighing up opinions and arguments made by each author. Firstly a brief introduction of the profiling of the temporary workers, followed by reasons for employing temporary staff, and the benefits and drawbacks to both the employer and employee. Following the evaluation will be an analysis of each management perspective and solutions for the temporary working labour problem. Profiling Temporary Workers Kirk and Belovics (2008) suggest that a large number of individuals comply with the key characteristics of temporary workers. The most common profile of temporary employees is those individuals who are looking for flexible working arrangements or low-skilled work; women, students and immigrants. Conley (2002) agrees with Kirks and Belovics (2008) profiling of temporary workers, as studies have revealed that higher numbers of temporary contracts are held by these individuals. However, in Burgess and Connell (2006) article, Hipple and Stewart (1996) argue that the nature of temporary work has changed and is continuing to chang... ...rary employees may feel disloyal to their work, lack commitment towards the company, and harm their market share, providing reasons for these predicaments. Moreover it is clear that with the adaption of management perspectives’ within an organisation, there are solutions. If Conley (2002) was to adapt the unitarism or the pluralism perspective into the UK public sector they may find that NQTs are more likely to stay within the industry and they would receive lower annual resignation figures. However, by taking these perspectives, managers may find themselves getting too attached to employees who are there to carry out tasks and lose their right to control them. Consequently, with the adaption of the correct management perspectives and techniques to individual employees, organisations should discover effective solutions to their employee relations issues.

Ethics: Review Questions Essay

1. Why do we study ethics? Morality or ethics is one of the main subjects of philosophy, which focuses on the morality of human society. Delineate what is right and what is wrong. If it is easy to explain what ethics means to be separated from the good from the bad, why we should learn about ethics because learning ethical action is right or wrong according to society, culture and traditions of happiness? 2. Why should we be concerned about doing â€Å"the right thing†? Doing the right thing is to make a social convention by which people in society recognize the need and the peace of society, free from bias and corruption to society. 3. If each of us has a unique set of influences and values that contribute to our personal value system, how can that are applied to a community as a whole? The Personal Values ​​to social participation is difficult, if our thinking is not good enough, and contrary to social ethics. But it’s not that impossible, if we know how to convince people in the society and present the advantages and disadvantages that will be followed for everyone to learn our thoughts may be influenced by a small group to big society is not difficult. 4. Is it unrealistic to expect others to live by the Golden Rule? Which we have moral, ethical, and with others person, it cannot guarantee that other parties will perform as well as we do the right thing always. Thus, we must adhere to what is good for social peace. 5. Consider how you have resolved ethical dilemmas in the past. What would you do differently now? I’ve been hit in the head several times to err on the side of ethics. For example, using connections to make good results from others using the influence of the family. After doing so, I think that the act is wrong, I should have the ability to solve their own problems and presented with their own ability to influence others not to threaten to get in the thing desired. 6. What would you do if your resolution of an ethical dilemma turned out to be the wrong approach and it actually made things worse? If I am in a situation like that, I tend to see the damage that would follow from the action unethical if it is not serious, I will find a good solution to that situation. Serious consequences if I choose not to do, and he was reprimanded by my boss to summer than to others person, I believe that every situation there is a solution, if everybody not  selfish.

Tertiary Preparation Essay

I am applying to QUT to study the Bachelor of Design – Architectural Studies because I have a passion for design. I haven’t known I wanted to go down this career path long, possibly only six months. I have always had a passion for the same area of work although I haven’t been able to pinpoint the career I really want until recently. Once completing this degree I would like to complete my masters in architecture then create my own business designing sustainable, environmentally friendly and carbon neutral housing. I am fully aware of the impacts that tertiary study will have on my life. With an estimated forty hours a week of study ahead I have secured a well paying and completely flexible job for the oncoming years to assure that I have ample time to attend uni and study the various subjects. I have also saved enough money over the past year to pay for the first year of University and rent for 6 months all textbooks, stationary and all other necessities relevant to tertiary study. I have a home office in my current accommodation that is isolated for uninterrupted study and or work, including a computer, printer, internet, etc. I realize that with a four year gap between school and the present day I will have some knowledge and skill deficits. The main one for myself is reading, writing and interpreting text to great depths. To try and combat this I have always tried to read as much as possible, be it a novel while in bed or even a websites blog, I feel this has kept me from falling too far behind in this area. Tertiary Maturity I will become an architect whether or not I am accepted this year. When I put my mind to something it happens and I don’t quit even after adverse objections, as each challenge should teach you something new and valuable. I have always been the type of person that goes about work very strategically, finding the most efficient, easiest and most practical way to complete the task ahead. This works to my advantage as a carpenter and also when completing computer based work By the second year of my apprenticeship I was going to jobs by myself and dealing with the clients and organizing other tradesmen. I feel that being thrown in the deep end as I was, really tested me. I was then responsible for the performance of the job, including time and money restraints. The last three years I have been working away from home doing shift work which placed me in a heavily routine workplace and home life. In this time I have travelled to work in many different areas; Townsville, Tully, Roma and Bundaberg and Mitchell to name just a few. Working in very isolated areas has made me very adaptable to the ever changing surroundings. I am fully committed to tertiary study, I feel ill will be very suited to architecture because of a combination of my love for the environment, passion for art and design and my heavy involvement and interest in the building industry. Even if I am not accepted into architecture this year I will be trying to register for a different university course and trying again next year. Independent Learning Strategies I am predominantly a kinesthetic learner. I get distracted easily and I am sometimes forgetful with short term information. These are my main flaws, by knowing my flaws I work on ways to fix them. To aid me in this I have several different fixes, one being a diary which all work related items get placed in, linked phone and computer calendars and the most helpful of all, a routine. At the start of each working day I check over my diary and calendars and produce a list of what tasks I have ahead, how long each one will take and I mark them as I go. I use these methods to help me in work and day to day life. Working two jobs, my apprenticeship and my own handyman business has taught me how to manage time effectively, how to prioritize tasks by importance, time restrictions and deadlines. To manage my stress levels I like to exercise, as it calms me down and keeps  me focused. I am up at 4:30 am every weekday and heading to the gym, it also clears my head of all stray thoughts so I can start each new day fresh. I also listen to and create music and draw as it calms me down and allows me to think straight when I am stressed. Interpersonal and Communication Skills As mentioned previously I have been running my own handyman business while completing my apprenticeship. It was by no means at all difficult work although it taught me more about interacting with different types of people from various walks of life. After working this business I found that I had much improved professional people skills. Having to deal with clients and the real estate agent on a regular basis it was necessary for me to be clear and concise with all forms of communication between the two otherwise it was far too easy for sticky situations to arise. While working for Ambrose Building as a carpenter I was working as part of a team for seventy percent of the time. I often paired up with another lower ranked apprentice. Teaching and working with an apprentice is a great test. I needed to be able to express my thoughts logically and within reason without confusing them as most of the work and information is completely new to them. I believe that my oral communication skills are proven to be very adequate as I would not of excelled in any of the jobs I have had up until now as they all have required enormous amounts of communication in a wide variety of situations. This is further reassured by both of my references the one from Karen Hornsby mentioning my maturity beyond my years in conversation and in the reference from Brett Ambrose my abilities when dealing with clients and sticky situations at work are praised. As I have not been in an office type job or any heavy study since school my writing abilities are probably not to the same standard as most of the other university students. I believe that years of having to communicate often via emails for work in a highly professional manner and that this PCA is some proof that I have adequate writing abilities. Achievement and Experience In 2009, while I was in year twelve at Mansfield State High School, I was picked to be part of a team that was to build a house to be the main exhibit at that years HIA Expo in Brisbane. The project was called the Adapt House by Latemore Design. It was a great experience in which I was included in all facets of the construction process, from welding the subfloor together through to putting on the roof. During this project is where I started to develop keen interest in the building industry and in modular housing as it was my first real involvement in it. After the Adapt House I was certain that I wanted to work in the building industry. I had a fascination with the mighty structures that man could build. I just didn’t know what part of the building industry I wanted to work in. Once finishing school I started my carpentry apprenticeship. I worked the majority of my first year building new homes in the Brisbane area and found not a lot of interest or challenge to it at all. I then requested a transfer to a different company hoping I will be able to learn and participate in a wider variety of work. That was the best move I could have made. I ended up working for Ambrose Building, a large insurance builder with an impeccable reputation for quality and satisfaction assurance. I worked my fingers to the bone for them and after a couple of months my hard work started to pay off. At first I was given minor tasks to organize jobs, predominantly work by myself. I showed a lot of initiative and drive while doing these and I thoroughly enjoyed what I was doing. Because of this, I was handed larger and more complicated tasks where I was not only organizing myself but other trades as well. Halfway through the second year of my apprenticeship I was teaching one of the estimators at work a few computer literacy basics. Seeing that I had skills in the field I was asked to help develop and improve their estimating programs. To do so I requested to be able to learn more about what I was trying to improve. For a couple of weeks I tagged along with another estimator learning the basics, asking as many questions as I could and trying my best not to make too many mistakes. I caught on quickly and was soon heading to sites estimating jobs ranging between $10 000 and $100 000 by myself. After a couple of months I had shown great improvements and was then able to go on estimating larger jobs going up to around $400 000. During each day of estimating I would take notes on different features and procedures on the program and how they needed to be added, removed or improved. This was all then brought up at the weekly office meetings that the estimators would have. The program ended up working cleanly and concisely, with very few faults overall. I really enjoyed this part of the job and I was good at it. From then on still in my apprenticeship I was asked to supervise jobs estimate when they had too much work and also complete carpentry work. It was quite the balancing act but I managed, first priorities being the supervising, followed by the estimating and then the carpentry work as we always had plenty of carpenters for labor work. While going through the rest of my apprenticeship I was slowly groomed to become a fulltime estimator once I had finished my apprenticeship. The only really solid factors that stopped me from pursuing that career path was the lack of creativity involved and the repetitive nature of the work. Therefore I found Architecture very interesting and was keen to explore this. I have also completed various low grade first aid courses through St Johns. This training has been quite useful while I have been working on construction sites. Working for Ambrose Building I was the unofficial first aid officer I just didn’t have to deal with any of the paperwork side. I would always get contacted first when an emergency situation was in motion and people were unsure of what to do as I have knowledge and a bit of experience in the field. A few major worksite injuries that I have had to temporarily treat were snake bites, a broken arm, broken wrists and ankles and lacerations via knives and an angle grinder. I have always really enjoyed helping people like this and it gives me great satisfaction when they have been properly taken care of. Due to my enjoyment and interest in  first aid I still plan to study further into the field. After I qualified as a carpenter I left my job for Ambrose Building due to the fact that I had worked away from home for three years straight and need a break and my social life back. I then started at a building firm in Brisbane called Carpentology. I was working on a multi-million dollar upgrade to a mining magnates property. While there I was mainly building the two aircraft hangers there. It was excellent to learn more of the commercial side to the building industry as I have not had all the much to do with it. I learnt more about the forces that applied to large structures, the different materials and products used in commercial work and the incredible designs that can be engineered to millimeter precision. I have packed my life full of work in the past four years and doing so I have had to sacrifice a few personal pastimes and hobbies. One of these being AFL which I achieved quite well in. I played for the Springwood Pumas FC for seven years, getting heavily involved the the club. While there my team won three division one premierships and were runners up for another two. During my years there I won a few awards being, best and fairest twice, most improved once and the one pecenter on two other occasions. Although I haven’t played now for four years I try to stay an active member of the club. Skills and knowledge I haven’t completed a study skills course or any formal training for university preparation although I don’t believe that this will disadvantage me as I have ample self-discipline, the ability the apply myself very well and I know how to use the library to its fullest, I am very computer literate and the most important of all, I want to learn. As I am computer literate, proof of this can be found in the attached letter of recommendation from Brett Ambrose and in this typed and printed essay. Not only am I proficient in those areas on the computer but I am also quite competent on a few design programs such as Revit and Google Sketchup. I enjoy drawing different urban designs as experimentation and I have so since  starting my apprenticeship. I have always wanted to design and build my own house. I usually try to take ideas and inspiration from different types of living situations and environments (urban and rural), current buildings I have worked on and from places I have visited here and overseas. I then use the different programs to create a 3d image of the building. Being a qualified carpenter I also like to try and design different tools for around the worksite that would make life easier and safer. I feel it is one thing to sketch drawing but it really comes to life when you can create the 3d model. I also use Photos hop which might come in handy through architecture although I currently only use it for photo editing to my own pictures as photography Is another hobby of mine. As for academic ability, the only real academia that I have been involved with, is what was required at TAFE, the STAT test that I participated in this year and the first aid certificates. Although I did not do extremely well in the verbal reasoning section of it, a percentile rank of 54, I feel I did quite well in the quantitive reasoning with a percentile rank of 97. I think that this will aid me with my future studies as all building design and anything to do with the constructions industry is always heavy on mathematics. The aforementioned duties such as supervising for Ambrose Building helped me with my problem solving skills. Being solely renovation work we always have to match existing materials and appearances which can be sometimes difficult, especially when working on heritage buildings. For example the Hubringer Hall museum in Cardwell which was destroyed in Cyclone Yasi. We had to completely rebuild the structure to modern regulations whilst also retaining the heritage listing of the building as it was built in the 1890’s. The project took longer than expected but ended up a great success. My abilities to analyse, organise information, evaluate and interpret issues were honed when I was estimating for Ambrose as mentioned beforehand. If I wasn’t able to create an accurate estimate based on the property and circumstances, the company would suffer financially on the project when going to undertake the works. Going through my carpentry apprenticeship as I did and picking up all the extra skills and knowledge I have in the building industry and the maturity and experience I have from working in the real world, I feel it gives me a huge advantage over others applying for architecture. I think everyone should know how a house is built before they try and design one.