Whiteness studies Essay Example for Free

Whiteness studies Essay ?In essence, it’s a simple concept: white privilege refers to the both minor and significant advantages that white people have in today’s American society. To be honest reading this article was a huge eye opener for me. I still struggle with both believing that white privilege exists and figuring out how to get rid of it. I have never felt that I was privileged to be white, however, I suppose that could be because as McIntosh states â€Å"whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege† After reading McIntosh’s list of the daily effects of white privilege I now understand these privileges and can put myself into the shoes of other non-white individuals to see how they would perceive me as a privileged white woman. I have never thought of myself as being privileged, or better in any way that those that I come in contact with. The concept of white privilege does not deny my individual hardships that I’ve dealt with throughout life. Hardships can be circumstantial, they can be something we are born with, or even something that we cause on our own. These circumstances are for the most part out of our control. Some hardships are related to race, and those who haven’t experienced those particular race-related hardships, I now suppose are white. In most ways conferred dominance and the fact that whites have been labeled as superior in any way is the exact opposite of the way I feel about myself, and the way I view others in my daily life. After reading McIntosh’s article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, I suppose that I do see some advantages that I may have just always taken for granted. The one that may seem silly, but I’ve always wondered about is: why do they only make white â€Å"flesh† colored band aids? I t seems like a no brainer to me to make them in all flesh tones. In my school community which consists of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students I struggle to pick out white privileges. I do not feel that any of our teaching staff or administrators see themselves as dominant over any other race or culture within our school community. I suppose that the fact that our school principal, secretary, and most teachers are white would portray dominance within our race. The majority of our staff speak English, however we do have several bilingual teachers and staff members. In the classroom environment, other than our bilingual classrooms the population of white students is greater than that of any other race. As a teacher I am committed to equality and treating all of my students fairly and as equals in our classroom community. I do not think that 7 and 8 year old white students see themselves as dominant of more important than any other classmate. I can, however see how a Black, Hispanic, or students of other cultural background would feel at times to be the minority. I think that this feeling, however is taught to them at home, or somewhat of a learned feeling of identity. In my school community we do our best to incorporate other cultural history into our curriculum by designing lessons that educate our students about important people in our history from a variety of cultures. The majority of our schools population is comprised of white and Hispanic students. I think that as a whole we could do a better job at integrating more of the Hispanic culture into our school’s curriculum. After reading this article I now find myself more aware of the white privilege that I do hold, and am definitely going to work toward building my daily classroom routines and lessons to include a wider variety of cultures and discuss current events around the globe that my students can relate to.

The Machine Stops Essay Example for Free

The Machine Stops Essay We all look in to the future and hope to see our world different and filled with news things. The problem is we can’t see what will become of us and what is in store. In â€Å"The Machine Stops†, by E. M. Foster, a world never imagined is played out in to a short story, wrote in 1909. Paul Rajilich, who brought the story to light, states that Foster’s story has several notions of invention that have come true throughout history, after 1909. Foster’s ideas of inventions have become relevant in today’s society, from when it was wrote in 1909. Along with the relevance in today’s life, this short story acts as a teaching tool to all that read it. As the times are changing, and the world is evolving, we are inventing new ideas and new machines. â€Å"The machine stops†, has underlining inventions that have evolved into greater machines that Foster may have predicted. Some of the notions include, air plans, which are called air-ships, in the story they are used to carry passengers to different destinations just as they are today. Movies are a part of our day to day life but in 1909, Foster envisioned a cinematophones, which project movie like projection on a viewing screen. Some of the inventions have similar names to the names we use now like, oxygen tank, an apparatus that carry’s oxygen to a person, but in â€Å"The Machine Stops†, they call this a respirator. The biggest invention that plays into today’s life is the machine itself, we look at this as our brain it controls our movements and our thoughts day to day. In â€Å"The Machine Stops†, the machine does everything for the citizens, it controls what they do and when. Foster’s story acts like a window into the minds of the inventers who developed some of these apparatus. Technology will always be relevant to everyone’s world some way or another in our society. Specifically in â€Å"The Machine Stops†, the citizens live in honey comb like houses, and everything revolves around the machine. The residents of these houses look to the machines for everything from communication, food, entertainment, and to their health. In today’s world, the technology that’s offered gives people the opportunity to develop resources to live in their own homes for long periods of time. In the story the residents communicate through an apparatus that the machine brings to them; in today’s society we use our computer and phones so that we can see and talk to people on programs like Skype at home. Connection to the outside world is easier now that we have access to the internet, we can obtain food, a job, and have a good social connection online. Over the years, technology has changed drastically, but in Foster’s story many of the ideas are still relevant today. In our society, citizens have surrounded themselves by technology, from the way they communicate to the way they view entertainment. Rajilich’s claim of â€Å"The Machine stops† is completely true, that the story has many connections to the society today. In the story it refers people can live in a bubble like form, which can be possible in today’s world with all the technology that is offered. With the technology changing daily and new inventions developing, society will forever be changing form to adapt to new technology.

Eco Hotel Business Plan

Eco Hotel Business Plan Business Plan ECO-REST Non-Profit Hotel Executive Summary The current hospitality and tourism market finds itself under threat, almost as a direct result of the heightened awareness of the impact that is being Imposed by the relatively new phenomenon that is know as climate change. The market: As an industry the hotel and hospitality sectors have an abundance of establishments, particularly in the Greater Miami areas. In essence it could therefore be argued that there is no need for yet another hotel. The answer to this viewpoint is that the proposed ECO-REST hotel project has two distinctive and unique features and benefits that provide it with a potentially new business model that, to a large extent, will enable the hotel to create its own niche marketplace. Further, the diversification into the non-profit arena, with the objective of feeding excess income out to support community based environmentally positive projects, does show that the non-profit hotel organisation can bring about change in an effective manner and one that involves every member of the local community. Customers: Research has shown that the business and leisure traveller are becoming more discerning; In particular this reveals itself in the concerns that are being expressed relating to business response to climate change. The overwhelming majority of consumers now believe that it is the duty of the hotel operator to encompass the improvement and changes needed to combat global warming and they are prepared to pay a premium to those establishment that can prove they have adopted eco-friendly systems and structures within their operational procedures and methods of trading. With 80% of travellers being of in favour of this position it is clear that there is a need for the hospitality organisations to adapt their objectives to a set of rules that takes into account the demands of the consumer and face the environmental issue. Alternatively, they face the risk of the loss of competitive advantage and market share, neither of which options would be received positively by shareholders who are the m ajor investors in the hotel sector. Hotel features: The features that are being included within the design and build of ECO-REST are intended to include all the latest technology and design that is being used and recommended as a template for reducing the impact that hotels have upon the environment. These include energy saving systems, methods by which the maximum benefit is gained from the use of daylight; solar and wind-power and the recycling of all basic discarded and waster material. The green features also extend beyond the needs of the building to address environmentally friendly systems in the garden and grounds belonging to the business. In fact the whole ethos of the business is to approach every aspect of the business operation of the basis of â€Å"how green can it be.† Research has shown that this approach not only provides a competitive advantage when seeking to increase market share but also has a positive affect upon the profitability of the business as well. Operating principles ECO-REST has a philosophy that is specifically designed based on giving back to the customer, which is the reason why it was decided that this project should be styled as a non profit making charitable organisation. This allows the business to have the extra flexibility to be able to donate to organisations of its choice that will be of positive use to the community and its environment. The Future There is little doubt that as the warning relating to climate change becomes more vocal people are going to become more strident in their demands for the traditional systems of commerce. It will not be acceptable in the future to react with cosmetic measures designed to appease. In the future consumers will want to proof of improvements. Hotels such as ECO-REST are examples of structures and establishments that contain that proof. Therefore there is little doubt that the opportunity exists to be able to take this business model and replicate it, not only in other areas of the US but also to the international community. Contents (Jump to) Executive Summary 1. Introduction 2 Target market opportunity 2.1 Tourism 2.2 Business Eco-travel 2.3 The hospitality and tourism market in Florida 3 Marketing 3.1 Tourist and corporate travel operators 3.2 Advertising and promotion 3.3 Strategic alliances 4 Competitors 4.1 Five forces analysis 5 Corporate strategy 5.1 Start up strategy 5.2 Operating principles 5.3 Operational programme 6 Management and governance structure 7 Financials 1. Introduction It is extremely rare to find a hotel establishment within the commercial market that operates on a non-profit making basis, with all excess revenue earned during the year being used for charitable purposes rather than to enhance shareholder/owner value. Similarly, few hotels have taken full advantage of all the green and eco-friendly and sustainable measures that are available to this sector of the hospitality industry. The ECO-REST hotel project is designed to fit within both of these criteria. ECO-REST Hotel, an establishment that will have 120 rooms and be based in Greater Miami, Florida, will make full use of all currently available environmentally friendly practices and partner with environmental organisations to donate all profits to help fund local green and sustainable projects. This report contains the proposed business plan for ECO-REST Hotel and will outline the research that has been conducted into the market, its competitors, the anticipated financial performance and req uirements for the project. 2. Target market opportunity Research has shown there is an increasing demand from tourists and business travellers for hotel establishments that took the incorporation of environmentally measures within their establishments seriously and were prepared to pay a premium for accommodation that fulfilled these requirements. 2.1. Tourism Although there are various forms of tourism[1] in the context of the ECO-REST project the concentration will be focused upon Ecotourism and sustainable tourism. In these two areas there are significant indicators that these forms are the future growth sectors of the industry, as can be evidenced from the following: From the beginning of the last decade it has been estimated that ecotourism has been growing at an annual rate of between 20% and 34%[2] Eco and sustainable tourism numbers in 2004 was outpacing the overall tourism industry growth by three times[3] Produces economic benefit for the local community, in terms of increased employment 62% of Americans consider it important to learn about other cultures when they travel[4] 80% of Americans consider hotels should take steps to protect the environment[5] and an increasing number base their accommodation selection upon these factors In addition to the above most research has indicated that these forms of tourism have economic benefits for the hotels and destinations. 2.2.  Business Eco-travel The corporate market is also becoming increasingly involved with environmental and sustainable issues[6]. This has occurred both because of the increasing national and international legislation that is being introduced to tackle the effects of climate change and is being influenced by the changing demands of their consumers. An integral part of annual reporting for the majority of corporations today is the inclusion of a corporate and social responsibility report (CSR). Within this document is included an overview of the business response and performance upon issues such as steps to make the corporation processes and operations more environmentally friendly and its contribution towards sustainability within the local community. Reducing the corporate carbon footprint is as essential element of these CSR performances and therefore the importance of the environmental impact of business travel, which hotel and hospitality accommodation is an element of, is becoming increasingly importan t for the business brand. The US travel industry is one of the economy’s largest sectors and produces revenues in excess of $100 billion per annum, of which 70% is spent on domestic travel. Of this domestic travel element approximately 45% is related to business travel and accommodation requirements. Based upon the fact that 80% of the US population believes that hotels should take a protective approach to the environment, it therefore is apparent that there is a considerable potential for revenue growth to be generated by offering corporate hospitality, with the product being enhanced to include the environmental and sustainable factor that are becoming increasingly important. 2.3.  The hospitality and tourism market in Florida As can be seen from the following graph (figure 1), the visitor numbers to Florida as a state has experienced a year on year growth of domestic, overseas, and Canadian visitor numbers since the turn of the century[7]. These numbers include both the business and tourism sectors. As can be seen from this graph, although the numbers of overseas an Canadian visitors have remained relatively flat for the period, the significant rise in domestic tourists has increased by nearly thirty percent as more US citizens are taking domestic vacations. In addition, the same research indicates that, of this number, approximately 44.3% uses hotels and other paid accommodation, which in 2007 equates to around 37.4 million guests to be accommodated. In terms of the hotel market specifically related to Miami, a recent report indicated that occupancy rates for the Greater Miami area for the first four months of 2008 were up to 80.5% with room rates averaging $196.61[8]. However, this position is expected to have slowed during the final part of the year and is likely to remain static for 2009 due to the global economic downturn. Nevertheless, as will be shown later within this report, these rates are considerably higher than the business plan for this project envisages. 3. Marketing ECO-REST hotel has set its target occupancy rate for the business at 70% with an average room rate, taking into account discounts and special offers, of $170. To achieve the targets set, a strategic marketing programme has been designed, which will concentrate upon the following three areas. 3.1.  Tourist and corporate travel operators Although a number of eco-tourists and business travellers tend to book and compile the component parts of their visits to Florida and Miami via the Internet, a large number still rely upon the services of external agencies. These include travel agents and tour operators. It is the intention of the business to create relationships with these organisations, particularly those that have an interest in eco and sustainable tourism and hospitality. To cement these relationships, the hotel will offer discounts at certain times and also provide evaluation and inspection visits, particularly at times of low occupancy, to enable representatives from these organisations to have a better understanding of the facilities offered by the hotel and its aims and objectives. 3.2.  Advertising and promotion It is important part of the strategic marketing programme for the business to promote the unique selling points (USP’s) of its business. Therefore, the focus of promotional material will be the environmentally friendly aspects of the business accommodation and the charitable support it provides to local and regional organisations directly involved with projects that address these issues. Furthermore, it will be necessary to ensure that the promotional message is directed to the most appropriate market segment. To achieve this objective the business intends to take a threefold approach. Promotion to destination organisations, such as cultural and nature attractions, including seeking to have the hotel advertised on their advertising literature Linking with members of such organisations through newsletters or other advertising based upon their membership lists Appropriate advertising targeted at the publications and media events relating to the issues that are relevant to the hotel’s aims and objectives In addition to these methods, it is intended to design an attractive website that displays and promotes all the important aspect of the hotel and its facilities. This will include visual and video images of the hotel and audio as well as written data and an interactive booking facility. The online promotion programme will also include a significant element of networking. This will be achieved by the creating of a corporate blog, interactive links with relevant organisations and charities and involvement with appropriate social networking sites, such as â€Å"You-tube†. 3.3.  Strategic alliances The third aspect of the marketing strategy for the business is to create strategic alliances with organisations and corporations that provide a fit for ECO-REST hotel’s USPs. Included amongst this selection will be the state tourist and environment offices, local NGO’s such as Friends of the Everglades and historical and cultural destination operators. To access the corporate market alliances will be formed local and regional trade and commerce associations supported by personal invitations to local corporations to visit the hotel and experience its facilities with the objective of securing occupancy from the out of areas suppliers and sales personnel that visit these businesses. It is anticipated that a targeted and disciplined marketing and promotional programme that incorporates the above described elements will enable the business to achieve its occupancy target within the first year of operations. 4. Competitors There are a considerable number of hotels and similar establishment in Florida and in the Greater Miami district. A reasonable segment of these hotels, due to their small sizes and limited facilities, would not present a competitive threat the ECO-REST’s project. Furthermore, in terms of specific comparisons, whilst most of the hotels have made certain attempts at becoming eco-friendly, many still have areas in this regard that require improvement. Evidence of this can be found at a website called Best Green Hotels, which reviews hotels and accommodation by a set of environmental indicators[9]. An example of this criterion can be found in appendix 2. The scoring system, based upon a â€Å"green† tree badge system, works in the following manner. 1 tree=1-4 ticks on the list 2 trees=5-9 ticks 3 trees=10-15 ticks 4 green trees=16-22 ticks 5 trees=27-29 trees 6 trees= 27-28 ticks 7 trees=29 ticks (maximum) A review of the 224 hotels listed for Florida and the six specific to a Miami search shows that none of these establishments have so far achieved a position of more than four stars. The aim for ECO-REST hotel is to create an environment that will enable the establishment to fulfil all of the stated criteria, thus achieving the highest award level offered by this listing. The intention therefore is to use this criterion as a guide to ensure that the environmental objectives of the business are achieved. 4.1.  Five forces analysis Addressing the hotel market in the Greater Miami area by using the five forces strategy developed by Michael Porter[10] it is anticipated that, whilst there are some concerns, the objective discussed earlier should place ECO-REST in a strong position to be able to gain a competitive advantage. Figure 2 Porters five forces Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_5_forces_analysis Rivalry Due to its location and brand awareness in the tourism and hospitality industry, the supply of hotel rooms in the Miami area is reasonably high, with a number of establishments that the tourist and business traveller. With the ECO-REST project involving the razing and rebuilding of an existing establishment it is unlikely that there will be any appreciable increase in the supply of room nights available in the area. Similarly, as the business average rate determinate is in line with current market rates it is considered unlikely that rivalry based upon price will be an immediate issue. It is further anticipated that the strategy being adopted by the ECO-REST hotel has a sufficient level of product differentiation to reduce the influence that rivalry might have upon its establishment[11]. In addition, research undertaken to date, mainly web based, has revealed few hospitality establishments operating on a non-profit basis apart from those directly aimed at the social service market, for example, those dealing with issues such as homelessness and persons experiencing social deprivation for a number of reasons. Supplier power Because the business is seeking to work through a number of strategic alliances within the travel industry and providing incentives from which these stakeholders will benefit, the level of supplier power will be reduced. An additional benefit in this respect will be accomplished by the fact that excess revenues from the ECO-REST project will be fed back to local environment and cultural project, thus leading to a level of competitive advantage that would not be achievable by the commercial hotel sector. With the requirement of creating â€Å"added value† for their shareholders, together with the cost of dividends, taxes and management benefit packages; these corporations will not be able to compete with the donation levels available to ECO-REST. Furthermore, the prospect of such funding will enhance the value of the relationship that ECO-REST will enjoy with local suppliers. Buyer power Buyer power is perhaps the most volatile element of the five forces framework to assess for two reasons. Firstly because the product has to match with the buyer’s or consumers purchasing determinates and demands and secondly because the experience has to match with their expectation in terms of satisfaction. However, based upon the researched that has been outlined in sections 2.1 and 2.2 of this proposal it is considered that the product offered by ECO-REST hotels addresses the first of these issues in that the hotel environment matches the increased demands for an environmentally friendly product. In terms of the second aspect, it is considered that, with the degree of quality attached to the hotel establishment and the anticipated service quality, the physical experience should exceed the consumers’ expectations. Substitute products Existing hotel establishments will find it impossible to match the product that is being offered by ECO-REST hotels without a severe disruption to their current trading levels. The benefit for ECO-REST is that this project is commencing with a â€Å"clean sheet† approach. This approach allows for the incorporation of eco-friendly systems at the design and construction stage of the project (see more detail in section 5). These will be applied to the building itself, its utilities and the external landscape. The cost of conversion or redevelopment of an existing hotel, particularly if undertaken by a commercially orientated organisation, would prove prohibitive to existing operators. Additionally, in the event that such organisations should decide to follow the lead set by ECO-REST hotel, the timescale for redevelopment provides this project with the benefit of being able to consolidate its market share and â€Å"first-mover† position in this niche sector of the hospitality market. Barriers to entry Barriers to entry into the niche market that is being anticipated within this project are considered to exist in the following areas: Non-profit structure The fact that the ECO-REST hotel is designed to be a non-profit organisation will reduce the numbers of new entrants by eliminating the commercial investor from this sector of the hospitality market as, if this model is followed; there is no commercial return on the investment made. Cost and timescale for development To commence a development of the nature of ECO-REST hotels does require the outlay of a considerable cost. Moreover, the timescale to completion is anticipated to be in the region of nine months. These factors will have a deterrent effect upon new entrants in two ways, particularly if this entrant is a commercially minded organisation. Firstly, the return on the investment in the short term will influence the level of costs attributable to the project. Secondly, the time taken for completion will provide first movers and preceding entrants, such as ECO-REST with the ability to establish the Brand and gain competitive advantage Strategic alliances The development of strong strategic alliances with the organisations as outlined in section 3.3 of this report, together with a programme that ensures continuing process of bi-directional and interactive communication between the ECO-REST business and these stakeholders will serve to reduce the potential of such organisations being tempted to change their allegiance to new entrants. Research has shown that, providing the right quality of service and commitment to stakeholders is maintained their inclination to change to a new promotional or revenue source will be reduced. Economic benefits As will be evidenced in the financial details contained within section 7, the reduction and elimination of the commercial elements from an operation that is conducted within the non-profit sector does present certain advantages to the beneficiaries of the product. In particular, in the case of this specific project those beneficiaries exist within two main areas. In the first instance of the profits (or excess revenues) from the ECO-REST project are being returned to the local economy. Secondly, and of equal importance, the project is designed to attract a more affluent and discerning visitor to the locale, which will increase revenues enjoyed by other commercial organisations situated in the Greater Miami district. Community benefits Finally, the project is designed to bring benefits to the local community. By increasing tax revenues to the district it enables the local authority to undertake more improvements to the community infrastructure and the environment in which its citizens dwell. Similarly, by increasing the funding available to local tourist natural and cultural destinations the project will improve the community’s enjoyment of their leisure facilities. 5. Corporate strategy Within this section of the business proposal the strategy and operational principles and procedures for the ECO-REST hotel project are presented and discussed in further depth. 5.1.  Start up strategy ECO-REST hotel is currently working closely with the WTO[12], a local architect and a US construction corporation renowned for their involvement with the construction of environmentally friendly buildings. With the increased levels of concerns relating to environmental issues and the desire to sustain local destinations and environments, it is anticipated that the planning application and approval stage of this development should be completed within two months of that application being lodged with the local authorities. Currently two sites are being evaluated and discussed concerning their suitability for the project. The basis for continuation of the project has been agreed to concentrate around the following format. The construction company, taking advantage of the favourable grants and loans available for the construction of environmentally friendly structures, have agreed to fund the cost of the building works. In return for this advantage, the property, when completed, will be leased back to ECO-REST for a period of forty years at a rate that is commensurate with current market values. Consideration is being given to extending this business model and concept throughout other US states in the future, thus increasing the funds available to local natural and cultural destinations and enhancing the lifestyle and economic wealth that attracts to the local community. This project will also serve the purpose of heightening the awareness of the population to the environmental issues and dangers currently being faced by the global community, whilst at the same time demonstrating that the solution to these issues does not always require the motivation of the profit or shareholder â€Å"added value† drivers. Furthermore, it will also show that, providing the desired relationships can be developed between social and environmental needs and the commercial ethos in a manner that merges the motivational needs and requirements of all of the stakeholders, each and every one of these stakeholders will benefit from the concerted effort required to complete and fulfil these pro jects. 5.2.  Operating principles The operating principles, or mission statement, that has been proven to be the driving force behind the ethos upon which this project has been developed is: â€Å"It is possible, by the building of a new and unique relationship between the varied objectives of numerous stakeholders, to create a vision for the future that satisfies the needs and aspirations of all of these parties.† Furthermore, following the success of this project it will also show that, providing corporations within the tourism and hospitality sector fulfil the promises that are made to other stakeholders within the supply chain, . Environment To ensure that the ECO-REST project addresses the environmental issues being faced by the global community in the twenty-first century, and to set an example for the future, the following are some of the environmental systems of improvements will be used in the construction and design of the new building. These methods are also intended to enhance the comfort of the experience for the guests who stay at the hotel. Building The basic structure will be circular in shape and all of the rooms will be build around a central core which will house on the ground floor the extra facilities such as the conferencing rooms, dining and lounge areas. A special glass central roofing section will be installed, enabled to warm the building in the winter and cool it during the summer. As many common areas as possible will be walled in glass (similar to the design on the book cover left). The advantage of this design and roofing is that it will increase the amount of daylight that penetrates the building, thus reducing energy usage. Much of the structural work will make use of recyclable materials. It has also been noticed that in standard hotels one of the major sources of energy waste evolves from the fact that the bedrooms and accommodation areas are often quite dark, even during the course of the day. To reduce the use of lighting in these areas the bedroom windows will stretch the width of the room. Moreover, the main doors will be panelled with non-see-through toughened glass to improve daylight access to the rooms from the centre of the hotel. Energy systems Modern environmentally friendly energy systems will be incorporated into the building. This will include the use of Geo-thermal underground heating, solar panelling for water heating and other power supply purposes. In addition, miniature wind turbines will be strategically placed around the building structure to support the efforts to make the hotel free from reliance upon fossil fuels. Water In terms of the water supply a grey water system will be installed to ensure that waste water is cleaned and recycled for use in such areas as the toilet system and for garden irrigation purposes. Additionally, modern water saving techniques will be used in the bathroom facilities and the central hotel laundry. Finally, water storage systems will be installed to ensure maximum usage of natural rainwater. Waste As much human waste as is possible will also be treated and recycled in the outdoor garden areas. Guests will also be encouraged to help in the recycling process through the provision of special bins in their rooms so that they can separate the waste paper etc that is left from their stay. Garden and landscaping It is intended to also extend the environmentally friendly and sustainable systems into the garden area with the designing and implementing of xeric gardens and, furthermore, one new tree will be planted in the grounds for each of the bedrooms and suites that the hotel offers in

Trinity Church :: essays papers

Trinity Church Henry Hobson Richardson designed his most famous building, Trinity Church in Copley Square, after winning a competition in 1972. James O’Gorman described Trinity as â€Å"a cultural even of the first importance in American history.† â€Å"The building both represents a departure of the Boston’s mind from its Puritan past, and emergence of American creativity as a force in architecture.† Born in 1838, Richardson was raised just outside New Orleans and surrounded by the colorful stucco buildings of New Orleans. He was from an American family but was greatly influenced by the French culture of his area. After being denied admission to West Point, Richardson graduated Harvard, class of 1859. After Henry Hobson Richardson graduated Harvard University, he decided to remain in the North to study rather than return to New Orleans. He had the opportunity to study in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, travel to London, travel through rural England, and through Southern France and Spain, making some trips with his friend Henry Adams. Richardson collected postcards throughout his trips that would eventually amount to over 3000 images. Later, he returned to the US and began practicing in New York. Richardson served on the Staten Island Commission, and then moved to Brookline, MA in 1874 after completing several commissions in Boston. Richardson then designed Trinity Church during his remaining twelve years that he spent in Massachusetts. Trinity Church is a prime example of revival architecture. When the â€Å"New Republic† of the United States gained its independence, the â€Å"New Democratic Citizens† wanted their place in history reflected in their architecture. The people of the 18th century were proud people, with rights, rights to build homes and communities of their own. And so, the revival style was born, a style built upon the perceptions of their predecessors, the Greeks and Romans. The difference was they had more freedom than their predecessors. This revival style continued into the 19th century when Trinity Church was designed in a Romanesque Revival Style. The primary difference was scale as churches grew dramatically in size. Furthermore, the construction of the Trinity Church brought about the Richardsonian Romanesque Style. This architecture style remained prevalent during the Victorian period, primarily as a result of the widespread influence of the Trinity Church that displayed bold stonework, complex roof patterns, and arched openings. One defining feature of Romanesque architecture is a round-headed arch. Trinity is articulated with many round-head arches that frame its windows and entrances.

Opal Koboi in Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer :: essays research papers

In the book â€Å"Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident† by Eoin Colfer there is a very intelligent pixie named Opal Koboi. She has an IQ of over 300 which means that she is a certified genius. She appears as a villain in The Arctic Incident and in The Opal Deception (third book in this series). She is the rightful owner of Koboi Labs which designs and creates the majority of the LEPrecon’s (Lower Element Police recon group) equipment. Throughout the time where she was creating all of their stuff she was making it all so she could remotely sabotage it. Opal Koboi is extremely smart. Throughout the book she is proving herself more and more intelligent. She has a plan to takeover Haven City and to do so she hires the B’wa Kell Goblin Triad to assist her. Hiring this gang was a very smart move on her part. The members of the B’wa Kell Goblin Triad are very well known as smugglers. They’ve been illegally smuggling with the mud people (what the people call humans) for the longest time. To smuggle with the mud people is a very dangerous and forbidden thing because if the mud people find a way to the underground towns of the people (basically what any mystical creature in this series call themselves) it would be destroyed. In the beginning of the book Holly Short and her partner have a run in with them and get attacked. It was a smart move because of how sneaky and sly they are. Another example of how intelligent she is, is when she was sent to a mental hospital. Towards the end of the book she is sent to a mental hospital because of her insane plot to capture Haven City. While she is there, really wanting to escape, she is able to make a clone of herself, which took her place, so she could escape. She is also a character that has very realistic problems. She is a very crazy character. After being rescued by the Brill Brothers she became both paranoid and bipolar. She also started having fits of anger. After she escaped she just kept getting crazier and crazier. Opal became so paranoid that she made rules that her pixie enforcers had to follow. There was a rule that no one could look directly at her because she thought that it would be bad for her skin.

Essay on the Evils of Capitalism Exposed in Catch-22 -- Catch-22

Evils of Capitalism Exposed in Catch-22  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      "That's some catch, that Catch-22" (47). Some catch indeed, for Catch-22 "is the best there is" (47). A strange paradox preventing men from being grounded under any circumstances, Catch-22 eventually evolves into a justification for doing virtually anything. After all, it "says [anyone] can do anything [that] we can't stop them from doing" (416). A less obviously stated, but equally powerful, validation for one's actions is the guarantee of profit. "It [is] odd how many wrongs leaving money [seems] to right" (418), for the promise or presence of some form of profit, rights even the wrongs warranted by Catch-22. Milo Minderbinder takes full advantage of this powerful reasoning and uses it extremely well. Yet, rather than using it to right wrongs, Milo uses it to justify his own dastardly deeds. Therefore, throughout Catch-22, Milo's capitalistic greed leads him to be an emblem evil. Milo spends most of his time in the army traveling Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in search of the best deal. With the use of "donated army equipment" (239) he buys and sells various items in order to make the highest profit. Rather than fly missions, Milo seeks to make money, capitalizing on his time abroad. After all, Milo "didn't start this war...[he's] just trying to put it on a businesslike basis" (262). This attitude leads Milo to begin a syndicate, one in which "everybody has a share" (238-239). This proposed arrangement keeps everyone at ease, so much so it leads to general sloth. Because "everybody [has] a share, ...men [get] fat and [move] about tamely with toothpicks in their greasy lips" (259). One by one, the men succumb to the charms of plenty as well as to their internal greed... ...avoids and resists many things that bring him closer to death or to violating his morals. Be it Aarfy, Colonel Cathcart, or war itself, Yossarian distances himself from the evil in question. Ironically, defiant as he is, Yossarian fails to break through the limitations of the syndicate and actually befriends its proprietor. Yossarian doesn't even attempt to do otherwise, for even he "sagged back in a contented stupor, his mouth filmy with a succulent residue" (22); Yossarian had become one of the men who "got fat and moved about with toothpicks in their greasy lips" (259). Therefore, even he who refuses to conform to other standards is corrupted by the sweet blandishments and innocent appearance of capitalism. The novel thus ends on the note that no one remains free from so powerful a force. Works Cited Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. New York: Knopf, Inc., 1995.

Communications and Media the use of social media Essay

What SouthWest Airlines (SWA) has done is to consolidate customers and fans for the better performance of its operation in light of competition it is facing. This is a clear case where social media is being used as a channel that supports community building, customer collaboration and sharing ideas and market trends that propel the performance of a company. This strategy should be adopted in an ideal education situation so that university systems could look for ways of engaging and motivating learners to be more proactive. Still on SWA, the Company actively engaged fans on Facebook through posting different items and argumentative debates just to gather opinions on what customers expect from them. This is what Dani and Singer (2008) term as ‘discrete approach to marketing and feasibility study on what people expect’ (p. 192). American University of Sharjah needs to integrate a number of social media tools into the learning process to reflect the success SWA has enjoyed w ithin the shortest period of time it has been on business. Beginning with how SWA has integrated Facebook within its platform, it is important to note that what American University of Sharjah should strive to achieve is to have social networking. To contextualize this point, when using Facebook to engage customers, the case (Southern Airlines by Adam Saffer) reports that by posting a video from Air Zealand there were 58 comments and 95 likes. These comments according to the author helped the Company strategize on the best approaches to deal with the demands of its client. Contextualizing this case, research by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI 2007) has shown that at least 87 percent of students in universities have social media accounts and as such, Facebook account for about 90 percent. This statistics shows that social networking websites have become integral parts of students’ live at American University of Sharjah. It is from this perspective that the university should try as much as possible to engage students in dec ision making process by posting agendas and policies for debate. That is, facebook should be integrated as part of learning process. From the case, it has been noted that SWA communicated with Facebook fans in response to the questions and issues they were having. When there was a query or a problem from their fans, they could respond to the question on time and publicly. This is particularly to the issue that Lala Palelei asked on November 2nd 2009. It is from this approach that it is recommended for American University of Sharjah to actively engage with students through Facebook. As a matter of fact, Alexander Astin proposed a developmental theory that sought to engage with learners (Geyer et al. 2009). In his theory, he proposed that social interaction with learners help them grow psychologically and physically. Just like what SWA did, responding to the issues students are asking should be evidence-based. That is, answers should be well researched so that engagement includes effo rts students invest in their educational activities and such empirically connected to the objectives of the university. Just like SWA, American University of Sharjah is active on Twitter. It is important to note that adoption of official Twitter account is one factor, making it outpace empirical understanding of the use of such technology and the available theories regarding why it (the Twitter account) may alter a number of organizational process is another. It is from this observation that the university should make twitter account serve the purpose SWA’s twitter account is doing. The case reads, ‘of the social tools, SWA has found Twitter to be its primary means of interacting with its public.’ There are inherent reasons as to why the Company finds Twitter to be a source of interaction. Citing a case, it is reported that Jessica Turner had an interesting post concerning newest service location which was geared towards attracting debates on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This post attracted attention of its followers to an extent that the SWA managed to understand dynamic s of the market through what is termed as ‘two-way communication between SWA and its publics.’ Basically, this is the recommendation the University needs—a two-way communication between students, teaching staff and the public. This recommendation is evidence-based. Scholars such as Daly (2010) have studied the relationship between social practices and new technologies and found greater utility in the concept of affordance and unity because by positively engaging others through social media forums explain why organizations using same technology are likely to engage in disparate or similar work practices and communication. On 14th December 2014 the University through its official Facebook account posted the 12th NGN10 Competition where engineering students from the university were invited to contribute on the best way to make the lightest tower crane. While this approach is similar to what Christi Day did about his Twitter post on ‘Grab your bag. It’s on’ it is recommended that for effective interaction, the university should integrate marketing campaign when making such posts so that a conversation is generated between interested parties and students. Flickr and You Tube are other two social media SWA has used to capitalize on the needs of its customers and fans. On Flickr the information provided is that organizations such as the University can use social media to counter unrealistic claims and complaints aimed at tarnishing its image. This is in regard to complain made by Scooteriscracy. However, to maintain transparency and avoid circumstances as the one SWA found itself in, the line between personal business and professional posting should be distinct. It is recommended that the University should be careful in its posting. Nuts about Southwest as the name of SWA’s You Tube should be used as a benchmark in helping American University of Sharjah note that the use of social media also encompasses permitting every employer to self-publish as long as such publication conforms to specific regulations of the institution. It is apparent that the manner in which the University uses You Tube does not allow people, including stude nts to communicate or share their views and opinions across faculties or organizational boundaries. To conceptualize this recommendation, Brzozowski et al. (2009) conducted a research on the benefits of institutional engagements of leaners on social media. After interviewing 425 undergraduate students from the Midwestern institution, is was found that when learners are allowed to share, post or participate in education forums posted through social media there is a positive correlation between student engagement in the affairs of school and success of the school in policy drafting and implementation. In fact it is through this recommendation that SWA has managed to achieve its objective—great customer service (being ranked as the airline with the least cases of complaints per passenger since it started monitoring the data in 1987). It is important to mention, just like Fuller and Valacich (2008) does that the usage of social media in American University of Sharjah should be about providing meta-knowledge. That is, making the institution understand the type of people in its environ and what they may do so that good relationships and rapport is maintained. Just like what SWA is doing through blogging, the University could let students and employees create profiles pages on different social media where such pages have corporate directories information, photos as well as summary of content that individuals have contributed. It is from such initiatives that people will learn more about the interests, backgrounds and activities of students, workers. It is apparent that what SWA has succeeded in is creativity which as not only placed it as one of the fasted growing companies but also made it become effective. This will be achieved if the University allows participation by all in social media activities. Finally, Ameri can University of Sharjah has a reputation to keep and for the usage of social media, maintenance of confidentiality, transparency and respect to the property should note be overshadowed by the quest to adopt the recommendation provided. References Brzo zowski, M., Sandholm, T., & Hogg, T. (2009). Effects of feedback and peer pressure on contributions to enterprise social media. Proceedings of the 2009 International Conference on Supporting Group Work (pp. 61–70). New York: ACM. doi:10.1145/1531674.1531684 Daly, E. M., Geyer, W., & Millen, D. R. (2010). The network effects of recommending social connections. Proceedings of the Fourth Conference on Recommender Systems (pp. 301–304). New York: ACM. doi:10.1145/1864708.1864772 Dani s, C., & Singer, D. (2008). A wiki instance in the enterprise: Opportunities, concerns and reality. Proceedings of the 2008 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (pp. 495–504). New York: ACM. doi:0.1145/1460563.1460642 Fuller, R. M., & Valacich, J. S. (2008). Media, tasks, and communication processes: A theory of media synchronicity. MIS Quarterly, 32, 575–600. Geyer, W., Millen, D. R., Dugan, C., & Brownholtz, B. (2009). People sensemaking and relationship building on an enterprise social networking site. Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press. doi:10.1109/HICSS.2009.343 Higher Education Research Institute (2007) College freshmen and online social networking sites.Available at: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/PDFs/pubs/briefs/brief- 091107SocialNetworking.pdf (last accessed 17th December 2014). Source document