PROJECT DESCRIPTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

PROJECT DESCRIPTION - Essay Example Particularly, I focused on the water conditions, depth, and flow. The experimental research took various routes; however, my first observational study was the water conditions. Apparently, the samples of the water revealed a substantial amount of Algae, which is a type of bacterial substance produced by duck week and sewage residues. Through further research into algae, I found that there is a way of filtering this algae bacterium into a mineral. According to research, this is said to be good for muscular a joint conditions. Having found out this possible, I wanted to talk this further. Therefore, I decided to design a thermal pool whereby I would use the algae as the healing mineral. In the course of enriching the discovery, I will have a three-floor building beside the thermal pool. The ground floor will serve as the changing rooms as well as toilet facilities. The first floor would be the lab area for important experiments and presentation of findings. Subsequently, it will constitute a gallery space where the bacterial findings and different filtration as well as a recycling processes display. Most importantly, this will include the bacterial filtration process for the Algae collected, the sand filtration process which is used to recycle the canal water to the thermal pool and third the recycling process of the used thermal water channelled back into the canal. In essence, the water is pumped from the canal into pipes using a pressure pump, which then pumps to the roof of the building. Conceivably, this is where all the filtration processes take place, opened into a valve, which lets the waterfall down into the pool

What is a circular economy, what are some of the key principles, Essay

What is a circular economy, what are some of the key principles, concepts and building blocks and what system shifts might be needed to bring it about at scale - Essay Example This report deals with the analysis of a circular economy by considering the main principles and challenges associated with this kind of economy, by assessing the benefits and need of this kind of economy and by discussing how this economy has already been implemented by some nations cross the world. For this purpose, evidences are drawn for Jamaica and the Caribbean regions to understand the exact proposition and need of a circular economy. The report is suitably concluded by highlighting and summarizing the key findings and supporting the arguments as presented in favour of the need to shift from the traditional industrial economy framework to a circular industrial economy framework. The circular economy can perhaps be best explained by drawing a parallel of this economy with the traditional linear economy that is currently existent in the industrial domains. In the current economic system, the companies and industries tend to extract resources from the ecosystem at an accelerating pace and then use them into the manufacturing and production processes to make products that are usually disposed after some time of use (Lowitt, 2008). This approach seems to be efficient from the perspective of an organization or an individual. However, if observed from a global and holistic view, then this approach would seem to be highly unsustainable and hazardous for the future of the ecosystem and the planet (McDonough, Braungart and Clinton, 2013). Therefore in order to help the organizations, ecosystem and the industries to survive, an economic system should be developed that would operate within the natural and planetary boundaries. The concept of the circular economy is dev eloped on the basis of the idea of decoupling the prosperity and growth of the organizations and industries through the use of the ecosystem and natural resources with the concern

The factory system on the rise of labor movements in the period before the Civil War Essay Example for Free

The factory system on the rise of labor movements in the period before the Civil War Essay The factory system that developed in the early nineteenth century utilized new complex technology to manufacture consumer items on a large scale.   These products, traditionally produced by families in their homes or by small shops in a â€Å"cottage industry,† could now, by means of the machines and assembly lines of the factory system, be turned out of large facilities in standardized qualities, and by a mass of workers in tremendous volumes. These workers were pulled away from their farms and homes in the countryside to be housed together and to labor side by side in the factory shops.    In these conditions the workers could be organized, supervised, trained, and managed efficiently. As a result of these machines and organizing methods, the cost of the finished consumer products fell dramatically, driving small shops and craftsmen out of business.   Intense competition developed between competing factories and their owners, and this led to the ruthless exploitation of labor, including the abuse of women and children, the working of long hours without rest, and meager wages, as the primary ways of cutting costs and increasing competitive advantage. The factory system allowed for the accumulation of enormous profits to the owners, but the workers grew increasingly weary of these oppressions and so they began to organize themselves into unions for collective actions and collective bargaining, to develop and consume anti-capitalist philosophies such as those taught by socialists and communists, and to go on strikes.   In the beginning, governments in Europe and the U.S. generally sided with the factory owners and helped to suppress worker strikes, but workers continued over time to resist, to organize themselves, and to agitate for change. 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chief Justice John Marshall emphasized that the Constitution gave Congress the power to make all â€Å"necessary and proper laws† needed to carry out its delegated powers. How did the necessary and proper clause apply to the case of McCulloch v. Maryland? What was the impact of this clause on the scope of federal power? In 1817 a dispute arose between the Maryland Legislature and the Second Bank of the United States.   The Bank, without charter of the legislature, began operations in Baltimore, and set about competing with other duly-authorized banks.   In response, â€Å"on February 11, 1818, the General Assembly of Maryland passed an act entitled, an act to impose a tax on all banks, or branches thereof, in the State of Maryland, not chartered by the legislature. James McCulloch, head of the Baltimore Branch of the Second Bank of the United States, refused to pay the tax.   Maryland sought collection, and asserted that the Constitution of the United States gave no specific authorization for the Federal Government to charter a bank, and in court, Maryland won the case.   The Bank appealed to the Supreme Court, where Chief Justice Marshall overturned the decision and forever altered to nature and expression of federal power. Marshall cited the â€Å"necessary and proper clause† of the Constitution, asserting that this empowered Congress to employ any means necessary to achieve any objectives that are not specifically forbidden by the Constitution.   He said â€Å"let the end be legitimate, let it be within the scope of the constitution, and all means which are appropriate, which are plainly adapted to that end, which are not prohibited, but consist with the letter and spirit of the constitution, are constitutional.† The Federal Government has since employed this precedent repeatedly to justify ordinary and controversial legislation and centralization of authority, to the extent that the several States retain exclusive jurisdiction over practically nothing.

New Company Business Plan Adventure International Travel Tourism Essay

New Company Business Plan Adventure International Travel Tourism Essay Adventure International Travel would be a sole proprietorship company that will provide adventure trips and activities such as skiing, river rafting, mountain climbing, biking, etc. along with other services such as lodging, car rental, airline tickets and so on. The location of the company will be in the central of California. The idea behind setting up this business is its high growth rate; travel industry growth rate is 4% and 10% of adventure travel per year. AIT will take advantage of this growing sector by providing full adventure packages with the support of experienced staff and effective marketing. The estimated set up cost for AIT would be approximately $102,500, out of this figure $85,000 will be a loan from First National Bank and remaining will be the personal investment. The large percentage of AITs target market would be health conscious, ages between 18-34, and families with annual household income of $50,000 and it will maintain 10% margins on all airline tickets and 20% gross margins on other services such as lodging, car rental, etc. AIT will start with 4 full time positions (manager, marketing and advertising director, accountant, and travel agent). It expects slow growth in first 2 quarters of operation because it will be new in the market and will take time to establish. Details about market analysis, strategy, management, and financial plan are described in this study. AIT is a travel agency that provides adventure trips and consultation to its customers with a view to make their vacation worthy. Providing adventure trips is our primary business and hence we generate profits from it. The required capital for setting-up the business would be approximately $103,000, out of which some investment would come from personal and remaining would come from long-term loan from First National Bank in north-west location (Edward G. Hinkelman, 2004). EXPENSES: this will include rent of the office, consultants fees, cost of insurance, electricity, water and other utilities bills. The large portion of investment will go in setting-up the computer systems. LOANS: a loan of $85,000 would be taken from First National Bank. (Startups, 2010). AIT will be a sole proprietorship owned business that will be located in Central California. Once the Business achieves its goal we may go for a partnership with other agencies to expand our Business. This probably is done after 18 months of operation. AIT has searched for 3 potential locations for setting up the Business. All these locations are in the central of California and are between approximately 1200-1500 square feet of area. After achieving the goal within defined time period in the travel industry AIT would be among the top 30 agencies in California with population of 38 million in 2010 (Allan Beaver. 2005). AIT provides travel services to both individual and group of customers. We provide special offers to corporate clients also. We provide full travel package that includes air tickets, lodging, car on rent, rail passage, sightseeing, etc. Our aim is to keep differentiate ourselves as a specialist in adventure travel agency (Adventuresportsonline, 2010). AIT will provide a high standard of services including air tickets and travel packages. Top of it we will provide services like accommodation and entertainment, customer satisfaction, and assistance in handling the passport. Moreover, we offer quality services with competitive rates focusing mainly on Adventure travel. There are two categories of Adventure travel, hard and soft adventure. Both categories involve physically active and athletic activities. Soft adventure activities involve less physical work and risk as compared to hard adventure activities. Economic indicators suggest that there is a high rise in demand for adventure travel services. We can position ourselves as a niche services provider in the field of adventure travel. AIT will deal with all the top-notch suppliers with accomplished backgrounds. If any of the suppliers failed to meet our requirements for high standards of quality we will discontinue our business with them (Ibid). The travel agency business is very highly competitive in market and the latest technology, computerized reservation systems (CRS) using the internet has changed the way how agencies operate. With the help of internet both agencies and clients can search for best deals in the market. Air fare brokers offer more discount on online reservations. It has resulted in price competition. CRS can increase the speed and efficiency of agencies to respond to customer transactions. It has also resulted in increased set-up costs for other travel agencies those wish to be competitive. Increasing industry competition and the number of travel options that are available have forced smaller travel agencies to become specialist at least one of the travel types and AIT would try to establish as a specialist in adventure travel. AIT believes in establishing customer relationships for its long-term sales and will provide full adventure packages with free consultation and lower prices (Trekamerica, 2010). Brochures such as travel locations, airlines, train passage, car rental companies, etc. would be obtained from the suppliers of these services and wholesale houses with whom IT would deal. On the request of customers, AIT will mail these brochures to them electronically. Also, other marketing mix activities such as direct mailing, printed advertising, pamphlets, etc. will be utilized as needed. Customers contact information can be retrieved if database is maintained by AIT (Howard S. Rowand). AIT need to establish strong relationships with the suppliers who provide travel related products and services. AIT will select two major airlines as its primary ticket providers. As per industry standard we can keep 10% margin on ticket sales. With the help of market research we have identified working relationships with many of the service providers globally. There is an opportunity to keep margins up to 25% in profits in the location; AIT has selected to start business. AIT will keep monitoring the quality of its offerings by taking the advantage of trade fairs, market publications, and other information that is related to travel industry (Travel trends, 2010). It would be better if AIT follows the recent trend of technology in client reservations i.e. Computerized Reservation System (CRS). The CRS will help us in identifying the customers need and in retrieving the required information in just few numbers of clicks. It will increase the speed and efficiency of communication with clients and suppliers. Also, CRS will help us in maintaining the customer database for future references. Excessive use of internet in searching information and communication would be needed (Travel industry wire, 2010). 3.6 Future Services When saturation point will reach then AIT may think to open offices in other locations and may look to participate in other segments of the travel industry. AIT will keep researching for further potential opportunities in market to expand business. The long-term goal of AIT is to achieve global position in providing top class adventure travel services at low costs. We will try to make profits by increasing the number of sales instead of increasing in prices. 4.0 Market Analysis Summary AIT plans to provide adventure travel services in all the greater parts such as California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri, Utah, Colorado, Washington, New Jersey, Maryland, Hawaii, and North Dakota. Adventure travel is one of the sub-categories of leisure travel and further divided into soft and hard adventure travel. Travel agencies in the U.S are generating more than $50 billion of revenue annually and out of which soft adventure travel is generating approximately $40-50 million and $12-15 million for hard adventure travel (tours to United States, 2009). 4.1 Survey Conducted AIT has conducted the market survey for its customers and it has observed the following (Survey money, 2010): Out of the group of 51 individuals Occupation 43 (84.3%) are students + working. 10 (19.6%) are only working 2.0% 1 others Age 22 (43.1%) are between 18 to 20 28 (54.9%) are between 21-34 of age 1 (2.0%) is above 34 Interested in Adventure trip AIT is surprised that due to stress in life, people are moving towards adventure trips to have some fun and relaxation in their life. 49 (98%) are interested in adventure trip 1 (2%) is not interested, and 1 did not decide yet. Annual income of families 22 (45.8%) have $50,000 of annual income 11 (22.9%) have $60,000 of annual income, and 15 (31.3%) have above $60,000 of annual income 3 skipped the question. 4.2 Market Segmentation AIT is targeting health conscious couples and individuals with average of $50,000 annual household incomes as customers. AIT will focus on people with the interest of adventure activities such as river rafting, mountain climbing and biking, skiing. The large percentage of men who were interested in taking adventure travel was between the ages of 18 to 35. But these days the number of women travelers is increasing rapidly. According to survey of women traveling together in 2008, women comprises of 49% of adventure trips. The average spending of men on adventure travels are more than women. AIT will also provide adventure packages to married couples aged between 25- 35 with children (Adventure women, 2010). 4.3 Target Market Segment Strategy The location of AIT would be in the pacific northwest of U.S because this region is rich in the natural beauty and provides outdoor activities to fitness oriented individuals. This area has people with more per capital income than any other part in the country those like to take part in such soft and hard adventure activities. These people will be the AITs target market. This area has many big companies and most of these companies organize such adventure trips for their employees as a group task and to increase group cohesion. 4.4 Market Trends One of the notable trends in the field of travel industry is Increased Deregulation. Deregulation is directly proportional to the need for differentiation of products and services that is if deregulation increases, the need for differentiation of products and services also increases and has resulted in decrease in the prices of airfare and other travel and tourism related services. Other trends include caps on commissions of travel agencies by many of the larger Airlines resulting increase in adventure travel and reducing profit margins. More than 147 million adult travelling populations (about 50% of adult population) of the United States have taken an adventure trip at least once in their lifetime and out of this figure 98 million have taken in the past years. Nearly 31 million of the adult population have engaged in hard adventure activities such as river rafting, mountain biking, and scuba diving and around 25 million population is engaged in both hard and soft adventure activiti es in which people have high interest and participate during their adventure vacations are camping (84%), hiking (75%), skiing (52%), scuba diving (31%), sailing (25%), river rafting (24%), and mountain biking (24%). These customers are young and affluent, aged between 18 to 34 and one fourth of them have $50,000 (Â £ 32,500) or more annual incomes (Adventure travel industry growth statistics, 2009). 4.5 Market Growth The travel industry has a high growth rate. Reasons behind this growth are healthy domestic and international economies and the devaluation of foreign currency in other areas which has made travel cheaper for United States residents. According to the Tourism satellite accounting (TSA) world travel and tourism has generated close to $ 8 trillion of revenue in year 2008 and expected to generate approximately $ 15 trillion over the next ten years. Due to the global economic downturn it has experienced a slowdown in growth (In 2008 it was 3% in comparison to 3.9% in 2007). By looking at the past experiences the long term forecasts believe that the growth for world travel and tourism between the period of 2009 and 2018 would be around 5% per year, supporting 289 million employment and approx 11% of total global GDP by 2018 (Ibid). 4.6 Market Needs Most of the customers are unsure about the location where they wish to go for adventure trip. So travel agencies should provide better knowledge about destinations to their customers. These days customers are price conscious and look for agencies with competitive price. Time is also one of the precious commodities. AIT would be the solution to save time and money and insure that customers are fully satisfied with their vacation. 4.7 Service Business Analysis Before 2000 travel and tourism industry in the U.S. was the countrys third largest retail industry and according to the department of commerce, it is now at number one. There is a 100% increase in the revenue generated from travel and tourism industry in the last decade. The U.S. travel agencies generate more than $100 billion of revenue each year. Travel industry is divided into two main categories 1. Business travel and 2.Leisure travel. Each of them contributes about 45% of the total revenue and remaining 5% of revenue comes from combined business and leisure trips. Travel market is than further divided into domestic into domestic and international travel. 70% of the revenue is generated by domestic travel. Business travel can be separated into medium to large business trips and small independent businessman trips. The classification of leisure travel Customers is based on the type of trip they take, budget, or age (Ibid). The four primary groups of customers under leisure travel are:- Adventure lovers, special-interest groups, honeymoon couples, and sightseeing trips. Rich travelers with high incomes. Budget conscious travelers, and Families with children, group of students and seniors. 4.8 Competition and Buying patterns At present there are number of adventurous activities and types of travel such as theme parks, motor home trips, less expensive self-planned trips and cruises that are available to people to choose from and contemplate an adventure vacation, have created huge competition in the travel industry. Also, many high income people like to invest money in other financial services instead in having vacation. There are many travel agencies that are creating direct competition by providing adventure travel packages. Lifestyle, age and income are three major factors that influence the decision of customer to travel and the type of travel to participate in. According to survey, on average an adventure traveler takes at least one of the adventure travel every 12-18 months (US Travel, 2009). 4.9 Main competitors Rollins and Hayes: They are based on the eastern costal area and are the most famous and respected travel agency in the world that provides adventure trips. Since last 20 years they are in travel business and providing adventure packages to their customers. They are very successful in travel business. This gives them total control over the entire vacation. Rollins and Hayes have the advantage of their established reputation, strategic alliance, and experience in providing high quality trips with economies of scale. The negative thing about them which could be an opportunity for my business is that their packages are expensive and appeal only to rich customers with high incomes. Sundance travels: It is a traditional travel agency based in Colorado and has been in the business for last 10 years. Slowly they have made the move towards adventure trips and are now well known for it. Their major strengths are reputation, past experiences, and financial solvency. And their major weaknesses are high personnel and management turnover and they are lacking behind in constructing better road map for future growth. Global Adventure: They started travel business in 1995 in the Los Angeles area and now successfully established and well-known as adventure travel specialists. The Los Angeles is a very competitive area because of its large number of tourist attractions and other travel agencies. Global has achieved good position through their highly skilled management and successful marketing communications (Ibid). 4.10 Distributing a Service The distribution channel in travel industry pattern is from supplier to agent and then to customer. A conference system can be used for distribution between agency and suppliers. Airline reporting corporation (ARC) and International airlines travel agents networks (IATAN) are the two conferences through which agency and air travel providers communicate. The primary work of the agency is to hold the fixed number of airline ticket vouchers from the airline reporting corporation and then responsible for storing and collecting the payments for the vouchers. To keep the prices down and to attract more customers, agencies are buying airline tickets in large quantities and selling them online (Microstrategy, 2010). 5.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary AIT has planned to adopt the following strategies to achieve the goal of becoming leader in the adventure travel business in the Pacific northwest of U.S. AIT would establish its reputation by providing differentiation of products and services to its clients. This could be possible through better Marketing Communication programs at AITs target market using various forms of media. By providing supreme services to the customers so that AIT can gain repeats Business and build trust. This can be done by providing superior services in all stages of the transaction. By promoting adventure travel as a healthy, exciting, and interesting activities and by publishing photos and testimonials of customers who participate in such activities in companys newsletter, website and other advertising Medias. 5.1 Competitive Edge Competitive edge of AIT is its dedication, interest in adventure travel, focus on building long term relationships and trust, and experienced staff. AIT will provide differentiated travel services to customers with the better utilization of Management experience, cost and commitment in maintaining quality service. 5.2 Marketing Strategy The basic goal of the AITs Business is to create and keep clients for future. The Marketing Strategy of AIT will reflect this goal in building its reputation in the Pacific North western area. Though AIT will operate in the travel industry but it will provide much more than just an adventure trip. It will provide adventure and freedom to enjoy it. Due to busy era most of the people spend 50 weeks of a year in their office only. AIT will encourage them about the challenge, excitement, ability to do, and importance of an athletic endeavor. AIT will try to promote the benefits of having an adventure travel and theses benefits may include body fitness, ear to ear grins, personality development, excitement, and lots more (travel agent success, 2010). 5.3 Promotion Strategy During the opening ceremony of AIT there will be a grand party and we will organize and sponsor many athletic related events such as 2km fun race, 5km marathon, mountain climbing and biking, etc. AIT will provide travel related packages to winners and other consolation prizes to participants. It will be easier for AIT to promote its services through interaction with people present on ceremony if all employees working with AIT would from the local athletic clubs background. During the opening ceremony and other fun events, AIT will give presentation on the services and trips it offers. AIT will negotiate with local health clubs and other promotional activities through these strategic alliances (saac, 2010). Specialty advertising association of California will serve marketing service to AIT because they are very famous and provide better advertising service at lower costs. AIT will also promote its services on local Radio stations. Orkut, Facebook, Twitter are also acting like an effec tive tool for promoting services online. AIT will create communities named as Adventure Travel Lovers on these social websites and will publish information about its travel offerings. Personal selling is also very effective promotional tool but AIT will keep it limited to safe cost on phone bills. According o IT facts, in California 96% of households have internet access, so AIT will focus more on online promotional activities. AIT also planes to station sales in major public places such as shopping malls (Ibid). 5.4 Distribution strategy AITs distribution strategy will focus on the direct selling in the area where it is possible to reach at minimum cost and for other areas World Wide Web will be use to establish distribution capability. This will increase the ability of AIT to establish a national reputation. 5.5 Marketing Programs AIT will use traditional marketing communication methods to reach its customers. Every month AIT will conduct surveys to know the taste of both soft and hard adventure lovers and their profiles such as where they live, where they work, what is their profession, etc. According to IT FACTS California, most of the travel customers purchase either over the internet or through travel agents and AIT will assist them in both ways: online and in-personal. The use of internet will provide a better and an effective methods of communication with clients and suppliers. In starting AIT will focus on primary customer group and this group is defined as the number of customers who have purchased an adventure package before and who are interested in buying it. In addition to Internet, AIT will follow all those marketing tools with which customers feel comfortable such as travel magazines, direct mail, in house meetings and personal selling. Initially, AIT will start operating in the local region than within 18 or more months of operation it will extend sales into other national and global markets. It will keep informing about its season, off season offers through newsletter every month (Ibid). 5.6 Positioning Statement Both individuals and corporate clients who are interested in having the adventure travel, AIT is a solution for it because it is a premier adventure travel agency that provides full package including transport, accommodation, sightseeing, consultation, and adventure activities. 5.7 Pricing Strategy AIT will decide its pricing according to the market standards. As per the current market standards (10% to 16%) it will maintain margins of 10% on all travel services (it facts, 2010) and will try to keep 20% margins on remaining products and services that will depend on the pricing of providers. It will keep the prices low (just minimum margin 10%) as compared to other travel agencies in the region to maintain a competitive pricing policy. AIT will try to make its reputation as the best travel service provider in the region and will charge the best for services (resources. net, 2010). 5.8 Sales Strategy The main aim of the AIT is to deliver the benefits of products and services that it offers and promotes. It sells the freedom of life to customers and there are numerous benefits of this freedom such as healthy and balanced lifestyle. AIT will keep reminding its old and new customers about the importance of having the adventure trip and will hold a tag line as There is more to life than building bigger barns. AIT will provide full assistance with adventure travel and its primary concern is to provide high standard services and to make customers satisfy instead of maximizing the profits without concerning customer satisfaction. If AIT follows this, it will reduce costs and gives profit in long run because maintaining a relationship and good will with customers is always less expensive than to develop a new one (Ibid). 5.9 Sales forecast The monthly sales forecast is projected in the table below. AIT expects that in the first quarter of operation there would be a less number of sales but it has been estimated that 3 years growth would be around 20%. 5.10 Strategic Alliances With purpose of promotion AIT will develop strategic alliances with California family fitness centre, spectrum athletic clubs, and many others according to need of the business. Alliances with providers of adventure travel in other US. States and abroad will also be established (California family fitness, 2010). 6.0 Action plan/Milestones 7.0Management Summary However, AIT will start as a small business organization and will hold sole proprietorship, so employees working with it would have to share their duties and responsibilities. There would be a general manager who will be responsible for decision making. It is necessary for all employees to be capable of accepting all types of responsibilities of the business. During hiring period of employees, applicants should meet the following requirements: They must have at least 3 years of experience in the travel industry and activities, AIT will promote. They must hold certification in certified travel counselor from a reputed institute for example Institute of certified travel agents (ICTA) (totaljobs.com, 2010). 7.1 Organizational structure In the beginning AIT will start its operation by hiring four full time positions and these positions are describes below. 8.0 Financial plan The financial plan for AIT is discussed in the following sections. During first 2 quarters of operation, AIT expects slow growth because it will be new to market and other seasonal factors. All the estimated costs are based on the current market standards. AIT has decided to keep sufficient cash to overcome the situation of negative cash flow, if required. There may some differences in the figure during setting up the company due to gross margins, but this will present a realistic financial plan (Travel financial help, 2010). Important Assumptions National growth will not affect the growth of travel industry for the next five years. The demand for adventure travel will keep growing. International situation for providers and suppliers of services would remain positive. All calculations are carried out in Dollar ($). 8.1 Key financial indicators AIT has developed a chart which is shown below and describes major financial indicators for the first 3 consecutive years of operation. The U.S. economy has recovered lot from recession that will support the positive growth in adventure travel business. 8.2 Break Even Analysis AIT has decided to keep 20% gross margins and accordingly break even analysis is carried out. The table below describes the BEA, including monthly sales BE points (Ibid). 8.3 Projected profit and loss AIT will try to improve its operation progress in the third quarter of the 1st year after establishing itself in the market. It will improve gross margins from 22% in 2nd year and 23% in 3rd year. The below graph shows estimated annual profit and loss details. 8.4 Projected cash flow Both monthly and yearly estimated cash flow is projected in the below graph. Yearly cash flow is calculated by taking 60 day collection period. AIT has considered positive cash flow during the mid of the first year of operation (Ibid). 8.5 Projected Balance sheet Estimated balance sheet is shown below. 8.6 Business ratios-Below are the AITs Business ratios, estimated based on Standard Industry Classification (SIC) index code 4724.- Appendix

The Transition from Childhood to Adulthood in Joyce Carol Oates Where

The Transition from Childhood to Adulthood in Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" All people experience changes in their life. Some of these changes are small such as the passing from one grade to another in school. Other changes are more intense, such as the transition from childhood to adulthood. In Joyce Carol Oates? ?Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?? Oates goes into depth regarding the transition from being a carefree, innocent child to adulthood. In the short story ?Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?? two separate worlds are drawn to the reader?s attention. The first is the normal daily life of Connie, a fifteen year old girl living in a home with her parents. Connie?s daily life is simple childhood. The second is the day Arnold Friend shows up at her doorstep and brings with him the difficulties of what the future holds. Connie is described as being an attractive fifteen year old girl whose actions are stereotypical of what one might expect from a girl her age. She spends her time listening to music, shopping, daydreaming, having fun, and trying to meet boys. Her friends share the same interests and when they are together they, ?would lean together and whisper and laugh secretly?. ( ) Connie puts on two different shows, one to her friends and a completely separate one to her family. ?Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home.?( ) Connie does not show any real affection ...

Pervasive Computing: IBMs Autonomic System and the Cautions Necessary

Pervasive Computing: IBM's Autonomic System and the Cautions Necessary Pervasive computing is here. It is being integrated into our society in as many ways that can be thought up. Chips are popping up in everyday objects. Cars, planes, ships, phones, PDA’s, refrigerators, and soon a person’s hat, shoes, and clothing. This is all well and good, the advancement of technology is something that has always and will always be a constant in our culture. The need for more interconnectivity is becoming more apparent in business, schools, and personal lives. IBM is working on a project, called Autonomic Computing, which will create a universal standard for technology and the integration of electronic devices. One of their claims for the necessity of the project is a quote, â€Å"Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them." - Alfred North Whitehead. They say that we make cultural advances by taking the processes and procedures we have now and automating them, thus giv ing the freedom to explore new and unique ways to complete the left over processes and procedures. The advancement of the culture is a necessity for any society, but the relinquishment of control of certain processes has to be regulated. IBM says that the problem is because of the rapid expansion of information and technology we as humans cannot keep up with the increase. Access to information is becoming rampant through the creation of wireless and handheld devices. These devices need a standard of production and connection to provide the greatest effect. IBM’s solution is a computer network that is â€Å"flexible, accessible, and transparent.† (The Solution, IBM Research) The system will... ...lems are cause for worry. Humans ultimately need to have the control over the system, having the option to monitor and observe the system, limit its sphere of influence, or completely deactivate the system. Bibliography 1. http://www.research.ibm.com/autonomic/ Autonomic computing; IBM, 2. http://www.doorsofperception.com/projects/chi/ â€Å"The design challenge of pervasive computing,† John Thackara Doors of Perception, April 2000.. 3. http://www.nathan.com/thoughts/unified/unified.pdf Information Interaction Design: A Unified Field Theory of Design, Nathan Shedroff, Chief Creative Officer, vivid studios, 1994 4. Halligan, Tom., (1999) â€Å"Lose the remote, take in some oxygen.† Electronic Design. p. 16 (database: Applied Science & Technology Abstracts 1983 – Present) 5. Electronics industry index from www.encyclopedia.com

Human growth and development-Conception to Birth Essay

Conception This is the very first stage of the making of a human baby which is known as conception. This is when the sex cell or (gamete) from the males sperm and a gamete from the woman’s ovum or egg cell join to form the embryo.Conception can only occur during ovulation, which happens about the middle of the month between menstrual periods. The human baby’s life begins as a single cell which is formed when the sperm and egg cell join and the egg becomes fertilised, creating life. The fertilised egg (zygote) divides into two and continues to do so rapidly, at this stage some cells form the embryo and some of the placenta. These cells now resemble a mulberry, are called morulla and take about 4 days to travel along the fallopian tube and into the uterus. This point it is called a blastocyst. The blastocyst now gets attached to the uterus wall by tiny projections called villi. Once it attached to the uterus it connects to the blood stream, so it is able to absorb oxygen and essential nutrients for fast growth. Around 10 to 14 days after conception the baby is called an embryo. After conception and the embryo is formed development of it begins into a full term foetus. The 3 stages of development are known as trimesters. First trimester ‘Week 3(embryonic stage) – first period missed. Foundation of the brain and nervous system is laid down Amnion sac is formed around the embryo, which floats in a liquid (the amniotic fluid). The placenta is formed, which lies against the uterus wall and acts as the liver, lungs and kidneys for the embryo and the foetus. The placenta is connected to the embryo’s circulatory system by the umbilical cord. Nutrients pass through to the embryo and digestive waste products and CO2 pass from the baby to the mother.’(Btec national early years, Penny tassoni) Week 4 – the neural tube closes( if this does not close spina bifida occurs)The embryo is around 6.4mm in length Week 5 – the baby’s heart be can be detected and the embryo is now the same size as a small seed. Week 8 – the embryo is about 8mm long, and has developed the startle reflex. The formation of the eyes, ears, organs and limb buds is at a rudimentary stage. Foetal stage (week 12) – the baby is now called a foetus and all its body parts have grown they just need to be refined. The foetus can swallow, roll, somersault and has also developed the sucking reflex. The foetus organs are functioning it measures about 7.5cm and has downy hair and fingernails. Second trimester Week 15 – the foetus hears its first sounds Week 16- the genitals of the foetus have formed. From this stage the sex of the baby can be determined all though difficult. A greasy wax substance covers the baby’s skin, this is called vernix. Week 20- the baby weighs around 460g and babies born at this stage have a very low chance of survival. Week 22- baby can dream and feel emotions. It develops reflex to root and grasp, their bones harden and their body grows. Week 24- if born at this stage has a reasonable chance of survival with intensive care as lungs are not yet fully developed. The eyes open for the first time. Week 27- is very active e.g. kicking and moving around, and weighs around 500g and is 33cms long. Third trimester Weeks 28-32- the foetus rapidly grows to about 1700g and is about 35cm long. Developing brain able to process information more and respond to it, like recognising voices especially the mothers. Starts to develop waking and sleeping rhythm. Weeks 33-36 – foetus continues to grow and gains bout 280g a week! Brain develops rapidly and head grows more to allow this. Fine hair covering body disappears. The foetus can now swallow, make breathing movements and urinate. Glycogen forms in liver for energy during birth and soon afterwards. Also the head engages in the pelvis for 1st pregnancies otherwise may not be until labour. Weeks 37-40- amount of amniotic fluid reduces and foetus grows to fill amniotic sac. Foetus is about 3kg and its head is lying down. Birth may take place between weeks 38 and 42. Now that the baby is born, some dramatic changes will take place in all areas of their growth and development, during its first year of life. Below is a month by month guide to how babies grow and develop up until the age of 1 year. 0-1 months- babies express emotion mainly by crying, grimacing, or displaying a bright and alert face. Babies are very open to learning at around 3 to 6 weeks they develop different crying sounds for different needs e.g. hunger. Babies have reflexes which help them to survive and as they start to fade their movements become more deliberate and controlled. E.g. the walking reflex disappears after the first few weeks and they learn to walk at around 12 months. It is important to interact with babies as they gain a lot from it, especially with their family or carers. 1 month- most babies lift their heads, respond to sounds, and stare at faces. Some babies may also be able to; follow objects, ohh and ahh, and can see black and white patterns. Their arms are very active and constantly moving although they do not have much control over them. At this age babies start to recognise their carers face and voice and they become settled if they hear, smell, feel or see their parent or carer. Between now and 2 months of age babies communicate by cooing and use of gestures, this shows their skill to â€Å"take turns† in conversation. 2 months – at this age babies are on their way to realising that they and their carer are separate beings. Babies can hold up head for short periods and they will also follow objects. Babies show a variety of emotions (e.g. hunger) via their facial expressions, arm, leg and finger movements. 3 months- Babies can hold their head up and may roll over when placed on tummy and they will also begin to wave and kick their arms as their muscles are strengthening. Babies will watch their own hands, will press them together and clasp hands together in finger play. They begin to eat and sleep more regularly, respond to voices, smile at faces become more alert and look around for longer, cry and vocalize more. 4 months- at this age babies can hold their head up and put weight on their legs as muscles strengthen. Around now babies develop vowel sounds and then their first consonants sounds are heard, which are learnt through self exploration (this is also know as babbling and usually occurs when babies are alone). Babies at 4 months begin to develop their self image which helps them over the coming months discover the kind of person they are as well as what they can do. 5 months- babies can distinguish between bold colours, roll over, and amuse themselves by playing with hands and feet. They enjoy listening to music, looking at speaker’s lips and mouth to show that they enjoy listening to speech. Babies will show a clear preference for a loved one. Their primitive squeeze appears but their hand movement is uncontrolled therefore finds it difficult to let go of objects. Also they enjoy practising dropping and throwing e.g. toys. 6 months- up until now babies gain an average of 0.5oz (14.2g) to 1oz (28.4g) every day! The babies coo and smiling now proceeds to babbling and chuckling. Between now and 10 months babies will babble (add on consonants and make strings of sound e.g. dah dah dah). Babies’ opportunity to play increases, especially when encouraged by an interested adult. Encouragement to interact and play promotes positive self image. By now most babies have learned all the basic and distinct sounds of their native language. Babies of this age will also: reach out for things and grasp them, sleep in a favourite position, get their first teeth, laugh and squeal, shows pleasure and displeasure through sounds, looks carefully at things they see, recognises carer best may be afraid of others. 7 months- they can sit without support, reach for objects with a sweeping motion and imitate speech sounds. Babies of this age are aware of their emotions or feelings and start to realise that others have emotional responses linked to their interactions; they also begin to develop their understanding that they exist separate to others. 8 months- babies of this age can say â€Å"dada† and â€Å"mama† to both parents (they aren’t specific), begin to crawl and pass objects from hand to hand. Words begin to have some meaning and they form a clear image that those around them are important. 9 months- babies learn hand eye co-ordination to pick up small objects. They handle objects with enthusiasm e.g. passing from one hand to the other. Develops early pincer grip. Babies of this age should be able to combine syllables into word like sounds, stand while holding onto something, sit unsupported for up to a minute, imitate sounds, watch others, feed self, hold bottle, be shy with strangers, smile at own face, and respond to own name. Babies communication becomes increasingly intentional, they may show object as a way to communicate which paves the way for pointing. They begin to understand familiar names of people and objects, and babbling is in longer strings (â€Å"bababa mamama†) 10 months- babies begin to respond to simple commands such as â€Å"up you come†. They are able to wave goodbye, pick things up with developed pincer grasp, crawl well, and cruise. Babies of this age can tell the difference between their own regional accent and foreign ones, and understands her name. 11 months- can say â€Å"dada† and â€Å"mama† to the right parent (is specific), plays patty-cake, stands alone for a couple of seconds, can climb upstairs, can scribble with crayons. At this age babies will begin to speak in â€Å"gibberish† while making a few clear sounds. It is at this age that social skills advance. Imitation also starts, where they love to copy but they learn through doing so. 12 months- at this age babies become more capable of doing things themselves, being independent and more open to things around them. They pick up small objects e.g. crumbs with a confident pincer grip; they use both hands freely but may show preference for one. Children are now aware of themselves as people in their own right. Sometimes this is shown in negative ways of strong will e.g. throwing a tantrum to get required attention. Their first words are linked to familiar things e.g. ‘daddy’, ‘car’. Babies will begin to imitate others activities, jabber word like sounds, indicate wants with gestures. The birth weight will have tripled by this age, and most will have grown a total of around 10 inches in length since birth. Most babies are able to: sit steady for 10 minutes, pull self to a standing position, crawl on hands and knees, understand â€Å"no no†, says two words, become more confident with strangers, show emotions e.g. affection, likes to be with adults, cooperates in dressing, and turns pages in books. First single words are spoken in a child’s version e.g. â€Å"du† for duck. Will understand names of people and objects in a normal context. Will begin to shake head for â€Å"no† and try to â€Å"sing† to music.