3 Reasons Trucking is on the Rise

3 Reasons Trucking is on the Rise Have you ever seen those commercials on TV for tractor-trailer training schools? They always make professional truck driving look fun and fulfilling: keep on trucking through this great land of ours, and make a living doing it. Sounds pretty appealing, right? Well, it turns out that it just may be the career (or career change) for you and here are 3 reasons why. 1. It’s BoomingAccording to Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) research, the professional truck driving industry is on a serious upswing right now. The FTR tracks growth and aggregates positive (or negative) characteristics like pay, demand, and growth in an industry. For 2014 (and 2015 so far), trucking has grown greatly in all of those areas. Especially in demand, which means that new drivers would be entering the field at a great time.2. It’s ProfitableAs demand for professional drivers goes up, so does the rate of pay and number of jobs available for drivers. Most carriers are able to get rising rates for their drivers, building on a strong 2014. The FTR’s high rating of the trucking field shows that pay, benefits, and stability are likely to continue on that positive path for the time being.3. It’s Getting Better All the TimeWith customer-driven commerce growing all the time, the trucking industry needs to keep up with the demand for drivers and offer a good amount of benefits and stability to get those drivers on the road. That the trucking industry has experienced so much growth in the past two years makes it a good entry point for new drivers. The FTR expects this trend to continue, on pace with 2014’s numbers.So what do you think? Are you ready to hop in the cab and hit the road?Read More at www.roadmaster.com

Clinical Decision Support Systems Essay Example

Clinical Decision Support Systems Essay Example Clinical Decision Support Systems Paper Clinical Decision Support Systems Paper Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper explores the world of clinical decision support systems(CDSS) and the effects they have in the work place. Also how many different types of CDSS such as Bayesian Network (BN), Neural Network(NN), Genetic Algorithms(GA),and MYCIN. This paper will describe key reasons why a decision support system might fail to meet a users expectations and suggest measures that could be taken to avoid such an outcome. Finally this paper will explain what decision tree induction(DTI) means and how it used for classification problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While alarms and alerts are the most common visible CDSS interventions, there are many more. I will describe many different types of CDSS and their uses in relation to their health care usage. CDSS have been being developed for years for use in the health care society. for the purpose of assistance of diagnosing and treating various illnesses. There is no defined outline for   CDSS as they adapt to the needs of physician and patient. Throughout this paper I will introduce various CDSS and their uses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most CDSS consist of   the knowledge base, inference engine, and a communication mechanism. The knowledge base contains the rules and guidelines of gathered data .   With this physicians can program a CDSS to think in an IF-THEN sense. It also allows to user to input additional or new information regarding the diagnoses or treatment of diseases. For example the if the machine is reading a diabetics blood sugar level and it is low then it alerts the physicians. However, some CDSS use a form of artificial intelligence to compile data, read the data, compare it to that of the patient and produce results. In other words it is basically a learning computer in which it takes information from previous account and uses them in the present.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) is an adaptive CDSS that uses a form of artificial intelligence, that allows the systems to learn from past patients traits and symptoms and apply an educated guess on the symptoms of a current patient. It consists of nodes called neurodes and send signals between the neurodes in a sort of straight line approach. An ANN consists of 3 main components: Input (receiving data ), Output (informing of possible diseases) and Hidden (data processing). The system becomes more and more effective as it collects data from many patients.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ANN has many advantages such as the virtual elimination of needing to program the systems and providing input various information. The ANN CDSS can process incomplete data by making educated guesses about all other data collected from past experiences. Additionally, ANN systems do not require large data banks to store all of its information in. However ANN does have disadvantages as well such as the training process to new users may be very time consuming leading users to not make full use of the systems. Another down side being disease harboring similar symptoms may be mistaken for one another. Thus the ANN is a double-edged sword.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another less commonly used CDSS is a Genetic Algorithm (GA) a   method developed in the 1940s at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology based on Darwin’s evolutionary theories. These algorithms   form different combinations that are better than the previous solutions. Much like neural networks, the genetic algorithms receive their information from patient data.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Advantages of genetic algorithms are the fact that these systems go through an iterative which means to solve a problem through many assumptions of an initial guess. This process is used to produce an the best solution. The wellness/fitness function determines calculations from the ones that can be discarded. A disadvantage is the lack of leniency   in the reasoning involved   making it a less than first choice for physicians and clinicians. The obvious challenge in using genetic algorithms is in defining the wellness/fitness criteria. For genetic algorithms to work correctly there must be many factors such as multiple drug use, or multiple therapies. The Bayesian network(BN) is a   graphical representation that shows a set of variables and their probable relationships between illnesses and symptoms. They are based on conditional probabilities, the probability of an event in relation to the probability of another event. Bayes’ rule helps physicians compute the probability of an event with the help of   readily information and it   processes options as new information is presented.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some of the advantages of BN include the knowledge and conclusions of experts in the form of hypothesis, assistance in decision making as new evidence is available and are applicable to many models   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MYCIN(MY) is a CDSS designed to diagnose and recommend treatment for certain blood infections such as meningitis. It has been extended to handle other infectious diseases. MY operated off what physician call if-then statements which means, if certain factors are present then a certain illness is present. It was a goal-directed system, using a sort of reverse thinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the ordering phase of a clinic or hospital it is important to take all factors into account. The clinicians and physicians must look at what it is they specialize in what CDSS is best for that particular area. Also have CDSS can accommodate for other fields as well. As stated in Ten Commandments for Effective CDSS [Bates et  al.2003],   speed is everything. This means how quickly the CDSS gathers information and formulates a course of treatment. Also stated is the CDSS must fit into the users work flow, no time can be wasted trying to get a machine to de exactly what you want it to.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reasons a CDSS may not live up to   clinicians or physicians expectations are abundant. First, a machine is just that a machine it can only do what it is programmed to do. Second, It takes time to learn to use and machine and even after learning operation mistakes do happen. Finally, the thing most machines need and most clinicians and physicians dont have is time, the time to program and operate the machine exactly how they want to it to work. This can conflict with work schedules as well as treatment schedules.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are ways to prevent using a seemingly useless CDSS. The most important thing is results, make sure the CDSS is capable to producing quick accurate results. Other things that should be kept in mind is that staff must be trained to use the machine make sure you have time to do so.   Have the knowledge and ability to use the CDSS to its fullest potential while at the same time produce speedy results. It is stated in   Ten Commandments for Effective CDSS that â€Å"All health professionals in the United States face increasing time pressure and can ill afford to spend even more time seeking bits of information† again meaning peed and time are everything.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In CDSS decision analysis, a decision tree   is a   support tool that uses a graph of decisions and their possible outcomes, including chance possibilities, various treatments, and diseases. A decision tree is used to identify the strategy   to reach a course of action suitable for the patient. Another use of trees is to calculate rare cases of a certain disease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   a decision tree is a predictive model mapping from observations about an item to conclusions about its optimal outcome. Here is an example of a decision tree: In conclusion CDSS can be seen as a very useful tool. They are considered one of the best course of actions in the medical field. Though they may have some setbacks these are easily avoidable with the right information. Thus making CDSS a suitable tool of the health care industry. As long as the clinicians or physicians knows what they need the machine for and its capabilities based of their priorities they are a must have advancement in medical technology. [Bates et  al.2003]Bates, D.  W., Kuperman, G.  J., Wang, S., Gandhi, T., Kittler, A., Volk, L., Spurr, C., Khorasani, R., Tanasijevic, M., and Middleton, B. (2003). Ten commandments for effective clinical decision support: making the practice of evidence-based medicine a reality. J Am Med Inform Assoc, 10(6):523–530. Clinical Decision Support Systems; Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2004, July 22). FL: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 02/20/09 from wikipedia.org

Human Resources Administration - Week 7 Scenario Assignment

Human Resources Administration - Week 7 Scenario - Assignment Example The main elements in a workplace include the human resources and other aspects of production like time and efficiency in duties (Jagdev 67). In this context, John is skilled and knowledgeable in his area of expertise. However, he has a weakness in articulating his expertise skills with other aspects of production in the workplace. The main problems are concerning his relationship with team members and the efficiency of documenting company data in an orderly manner. Some of the opportunities that can help John develop his competence include administering training programs to subordinates, leading and directing projects and attending workplace-competence related seminars ( Jagdev 72). Administering training to company subordinates will enable John to integrate his teachings into his workplace practices. John will be expected by the trainees to lead by example; hence, he will have the responsibility of upholding his teachings. In addition, attending workplace-competence seminars like those concerning teamwork will facilitate his understanding on the principles of workplace competence. Lastly, the opportunity of leading proj ects will improve his skills on data collection and documentation of the resulting information. This will help him to become organized (Jagdev

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 45

Reflection paper - Essay Example According to the recommendation 4 of the health reforms, it is desired that by 2020, the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to have increased to 80 percent (Institute of Medicine) (2011). This is a 30 percent increase from 2010’s 50 percent. In addition to the attainment of the baccalaureate degree, the recommendation is also concerned with the diversity of those who attain it (Ibid 2011). IOM (Institute of Medicine) (2011) the essence of diversity of the nurses with the baccalaureate degree holders is to cater for the diverse population’s demands. Increasing my level of education will affect how I compete in the current job market in profoundly beneficial ways. Strong evidence has established a desirable â€Å"relationship between higher education for nurses and improved patient outcomes† (Ibid 2011). With regard to the requirements for entry-level practice, the expectations from the general public are that more people interested in nursing will pu rsue the baccalaureate degree (Ibid 2011). Therefore, settling down with a baccalaureate degree will not offer me a competitive advantage. In the business world, employers are being hired with preference to those with BSN and Higher degrees (Ibid 2011). My goal is to pursue a doctorate in nursing since unlike the baccalaureate degree this gives me the competitive advantage that I need in the current job market. Institute of Medicine (2011) recommendation 5 pursues that by 2020, the number of nurses with a doctorate to have doubled. The multiplication of the current number of nurses is also closely associated with the catering for the diverse populations’ demands. Moreover, an increase in the number of nurses with a doctorate will contribute to the researcher of the nursing faculties. Pursuing a nursing course so far has opened up my mind to heightened interests in the field. Increasing my level of education is expected to substantially affect my role in

Conflict in friendships Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Conflict in friendships - Research Paper Example Such love, care and understanding the relationship is based on the knowledge and trust on each other (Damon, 1977; Selman, 1980). It has also been observed through research, that close relationships play a key role in the socialization process during adolescence which in turn helps in an individual’s overall development of self. Friends become an integral part of people, during adolescence, when their dependence on their parents lessens, and that on their peers or people their own age, grow over time. However, interpersonal conflicts between friends are common, and given the high amount of reliance and interdependence on each other, such conflicts can prove to be devastating to their mental and physical health. This paper aims to study, analyze and discuss the normative aspects of such interpersonal conflicts among friends. Review Findings: Interpersonal conflict can be defined as a dynamic process which takes place between individuals or groups in co-dependent or interdepende nt relationships. The chances of occurrence of such an event are directly dependent on factors such as situational or personal i.e. where there is a personal history of conflicts between the individuals concerned, or differences between the individuals; or it may be on account of their positions (Fink, 1968; Pondy, 1967; Wall and Callister, 1995). The term conflict on the other hand, can be described as one which includes the presence of one or more of the following factors – disagreements over various issues; interference; and / or negative emotion (Barki and Hartwick, 2001; Pondy, 1967; Wall and Callister, 1995). These above mentioned factors can also be described as cognitive factors, behavioral factors or affective factors influencing interpersonal conflicts. Although there are various other key reasons behind the occurrence of interpersonal conflicts between friends, one of the most researched topic is the one related to disagreements. Friends often tend to argue over a number of things. These arguments tend to be over various issues on which they disagree and stems from various factors such as differences in their personal values and attitudes, perspectives and notions, needs; interests, opinions and goals etc among others. Interpersonal conflict is associated with certain typical behavioral traits or reactions which include excessive arguments and debates over certain issues; constantly trying to compete with each other; attempts to manipulate the situations or friends; backstabbing – which is considered one of the most common reasons leading to interpersonal conflicts among friends; often leading to aggressive and hostile reactions and repercussions. Furthermore, it must also be noted that despite these traits being closely associated with interpersonal conflicts among friends, the mere existence of one or more of such behavioral traits does not necessarily imply the existence of a conflict. The conflict is known to exist / occur only whe n one friend tries to interfere or argue / debate / question the other friend’s behavior or motives, and prevents them from attaining their desired goals. Furthermore, apart from factors which are known to be the cause of conflicts between friends, there are a range of overwhelming emotions, which are also closely related with interpersonal conflicts. These include a series of negative emotions such as fear, hatred, agony, anger, frustration, anxiety etc among others.

A Business Plan to introduce Clean City Ltd

A Business Plan to introduce Clean City Ltd This document serves as a Business Plan to introduce Clean City Ltd, a registered Limited Company that was formed in January 2010. The sole purpose of Clean Citys business will be to solely engage/enforce the sorting of garbage, its collection, transportation and delivery/disposal to recycling plants and dumping sites, our main focus being recycling plants. What is Waste Management? Waste management is the collection, transportation, processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials, while Recycling is the process of re-using a given product (beyond its intended use), or producing a new product from a recyclable material. Nairobis population is approximately 4 million, 44% Kenyans fall below the poverty line, meaning approximately three quarters of Nairobis population falls under the urban poor category. In Nairobi, approximately 1,530 tonnes of garbage is generated daily and as illustrated in the Pie Chart below, approximately 1,130 tonnes of garbage rots uncollected close to its source, or is burnt in homesteads, dumped at illegal landfills or dumpsites or is collected by Non Governmental Organisations and Community based groups. Due to economic hardships and the high rate of unemployment, we have seen an increase of people migrating from rural to urban areas in search of better prospects to support their immediate families and/or dependants, and more often than not, most of these people eventually reside in low class areas such as the Kibera Slums or Peri-urban areas such as Gachie, Ongata Rongai, etcetera. Approximately half of the Kenyan population is based in Nairobi, and most of these migrants find themselves close to fragile areas such as rivers, valleys, steep slopes and adjacent to sewers or dumps. Nairobi City Council whose mandate is to provide and sustain a clean and healthy environment in Kenya has been unsuccessful due to its failure to formulate and adopt clear and comprehensive strategies that take into account all aspects of waste management; its reluctance to involve stakeholders and to educate the general public on taking responsibility for their garbage disposal; and its manner in which it has disseminated information on the inherent dangers of inadequate attention given to waste management, or lack thereof. The Councils Systems and Methods adopted to manage solid waste have failed to conform to the minimum requirements stipulated in the Environment Management and Co-ordination Act (EMCA) 1999, Part 11, Section 3(i). Generally it is poor governance. It is very sad indeed to witness adult pedestrians, motorists and passengers alike, ditching rubbish on footpaths, streets and roads without giving a second thought to the negative effects of their actions and having no regard for the beauty of Kenyans Capital, the Green City in the Sun. Majority of our young citizens, that is, our children, who are our leaders of tomorrow, innocently litter anywhere and everywhere outside their homes and/or school premises, and in many instances this habit grows uncorrected because these young impressionable children mirror what many of us adults do resulting in a vicious cycle. Many of Nairobi streets and footpaths are littered with rubbish ranging from maize cobs, cigarette butts, fruit skins to plastic papers. City Council of Nairobi owns and operates Nairobis only official landfill disposal site that is located in Dandoras high density residential neighbourhood where a quarter of low income voiceless Kenyans reside. The Dandora landfill is currently filled with approximately 1.3 million cubic meters of waste spread over approximately 30 acres. Dandora is approximately 7.5 km away from the Central Business District, out of sight out of mind. This has serious health consequences to the dwellers and the urban environment at large. In addition, low income areas are largely affected by uncollected rubbish due to poor infrastructure or geographically inaccessible areas and also due to the residents inability to pay for garbage collection services rendered by the Private firms. With the burgeoning population or in this case urban escalation, there is an urgent need for an operational mechanism to be put in place by the Council with the backing of the Kenyan Government to enable the formulation of structures that will encourage the participation of the private sector and the general public in waste management initiatives. Clean Citys main objective is to act as a catalyst towards the green movement, to eradicate the negative effects of environmental degradation where it will promote a cleaner, air pollution-free, urban environment and habitat by equipping the Public with facilities, knowledge and tools, in order to effortlessly segregate their garbage at source, meaning to sort out their garbage at the point of disposal; basically to make this practice a part of their lifestyle. Recyclables are treasures buried in our landfills and Clean Citys underlying desire is to promote the re-use, to enhance well organised and structured recycling systems instead of waste been burnt or dumped in landfills. Recycling is a pollution-reduction strategy and at the same time will save land that is currently being used as landfills. There is an urgent need for the public to unlearn the poor garbage disposal habits and to internalize that the sorting out of Garbage is a proactive approach to a clean habitat that will ultimately be beneficial to them at different demographical levels. 1.1 Objectives Clean City Limiteds endeavour is to have established a fully fledged Garbage sorting business by the year 2012 that will have incorporated the following Objectives: To run an ethical business that involves Corporate Social Responsibility in all aspects of our business activities. To aim for a return on investment of at least 15% yearly To achieve an operating profit of 10% of our total sales Incorporate or win the favour of the public and private sector in promoting waste management in Nairobi To advocate for the withdrawal of Dandora as a landfill plus other illegal dumpsites within Nairobi and to reallocate them to isolated land away from residential areas; and to convince the Council to allow privately owned landfills. To expand our horizons in the wider part of Nairobi and eventually to Kenyan major towns like Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret and to further penetrate regionally to our neighbouring East Africa such as Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. To exemplify to Kenyan citizens the benefits of garbage sorting. To educate Kenyans on the benefits of untapped or low key recycling business that can be used as a source of income, where scarce natural resources can be obtained, which are currently hampered by the landfill dumping. To introduce Leaf-it Depots where organic waste such as garden waste, grass, food, leaves, wood shavings can be deposited for composting Most importantly, to reinforce Nairobis slogan, The Green City in the Sun and to encourage and educate Kenyans on the paramount importance of living in a clean and healthy environment.    1.2 Mission Clean City Limiteds mission is to provide a garbage sorting framework that will encourage and promote effective and efficient methods of disposing of garbage by using our garbage sorting systems that would eventually enhance the current skeletal recycling business. Our labelled coloured/categorized recycling dustbins equipped with appealing advertisements and educational campaigns will be used as a conduit to achieve this mission. 2.0 Our Business Idea Currently, there are a few privately owned Garbage collecting firms that collect garbage once a week. These firms distribute between 8 12 bags per household for the months use and their charges range from between Kshs.400 Kshs.800.00. The current system involves households paying a monthly fee for garbage collection through their monthly service charge contributions to either an external management company or to their internal management committee, whom in turn organise for garbage collection services. Standalone/Bungalows would directly pay to the service provider. Once the garbage is collected, it is directly delivered to landfills where human scavengers sort out the garbage and sell to recycling plants. The vehicles used for collection and transportation are Lorries without canvas or any other material that can cover the back, therefore the back is left open with the stinky garbage out in the open for all to see and garbage spillage on the roads. Where does Clean City come in? Clean City will deliver an efficient and effective collecting/transporting service but at a premium cost. We shall diffuse in the minds of our clients the idea of an organised disposal/collecting/transportation system, a value for money service that will be a valued added benefit. We shall provide communal huge categorized Dumpsters that will be stationed on communal ground of households that constitute more than 6 units in a compound, where full thrash plastic bags from individual households can be disposed of for collection. We shall also provide our residential clients with service contracts stipulating the standards of proper sorting and disposal. Also included in our contract will be the probability of our refusal to collect garbage that has not been correctly sorted. 2.1 Target Market Residential and Commercial in Upmarket Areas Residential We have taken into consideration that not many apartments are provided with a provision for waste bins which normally is situated in the laundry/balcony area next to the Kitchen and if they are, the space is too limited to accommodate 3-1 recycling bins. However, we still intend to approach apartments and suggest they use 1 bins with compartments, that is, for glass/metal/plastic recyclables and the other for organic/wet and paper, and others. Please see images below. Standalone/Town Houses/Maisonettes have the advantage of spacious verandas and balconies for storage. Shopping Malls, Major Airports, 3-5 Star Hotels, Hotel Apartments, Golf and Social/Sports Clubs and Shopping Complexes we shall place huge Dumpsters in strategic positions please refer to images below. Schools Of paramount importance is to educate the young on the benefits of disposing of garbage in an organised and hygienic manner and to enlighten them on recycling materials. Upcoming Housing we shall also keep a keen eye on upcoming apartments so as to educate developers/real estate dealers on the need to have provisions in households for storing bins. We shall also approach newly completed apartments/standalone housing to enable us incorporate our services before tenants occupy them. Recyclers We have approached 4 major recycling companies PET Recycling Company for plastic waste Central Glass Industries for glass waste Roll Mill Limited for metal waste Pan Africa for paper waste Community based groups for organic matter However, we shall not limit our sale of recyclables to the above mentioned companies. 2.2 Business Model Once we have equipped our clients with the necessary bins and accessories, our Business model which is solely manually based will involve the following process: Each weekday will have a designated Zone or Region for Waste for once a week collections. We shall start off with 3 rear load trucks that have been equipped with a rear hydraulic conveyor lift that will lift Thrush bags into the main hold of the truck. Each truck will have a driver and two support staff, who will assist each other to lift the bags onto the hydraulic conveyor. All the 3 trucks will be dispatched together at any one time to their different zonal schedules. All waste will be delivered to our Waste Holding Site in Karen, where Waste will undergo a final segregation phase. Purchasing hydraulic trucks is a massive investment however this expenditure will compensate for the reduction in labour expenses in the long term. Classified Recyclables will be purchased and collected from us by Recycling Plants on a weekly basis while non-recyclable waste will be dumped at official landfills. Staff Working Hours Working hours will be from 8 am to 5 pm from Mondays to Saturdays. We do not foresee overtime issues, however, in the event of overtime, staff shall be compensated accordingly. No of Supporting Staff 3 drivers 6 staff to accompany drivers 4 staff to be based at our holding site Main Equipment/Accessories We have identified 3 reconditioned Trucks from the United Kingdom, model Personal Protective Equipment Bins and Dumpsters Plastic Garbage Bags Occupational Health and Safety Measures To avoid any job site hazards, we shall comprehensively train our staff on health and safety measures while on duty and also provide them with Personal Protective Equipment that will consist of the following: A pair of heavy duty gloves Jungle Green A pair of high top heavy duty boots/shoes Jungle Green Light weight safety helmet (for comfort due to tropical weather) Lime Green Safety Vest Lime Green Overalls Jungle Green The table below shows the total cost of the safety equipment. ITEM QUANTITY COST PER UNIT TOTAL COST Gloves 13 100 1300 Boots 13 500 6500 Helmet 13 750 9750 Safety Vests 13 500 6500 Overalls 13 600 7800 The Bins will be sold to residential clients while the Dumpsters that come in big sizes will be on rental to commercial clients. The dominant green colour will speak for itself, Clean Citys Green Footprint and the same principle will be applied to our trucks. Our Logo and Corporate colours The following Recycle symbol will be our logo and brand that will be pasted on all our equipment, uniforms and stationery. Our corporate colours are green and white. Our Offices We shall be located in Karen on a 1 acre plot that will be on rental, where most operations will take place. The site will consist of an Admin Office while most of the land will be an open air field with a shed, for sorting purposes. The monthly rental for the 1 acre office in Karen will be Ksh. 75,000/= 3.0 Management Team City Clean is owned by 3 partners, namely Regina Maru, Sheily Shah and Maureen Adhiambo, in the capacities of Managing Director, Financial and Human Resources Director and Sales, PR and Marketing Director, respectively. Once we have our operations running we shall bring on board an Office Manager. Structure, Ownership and Intellectual property City Clean is owned by 3 partners namely Regina Maru, Sheily Shah and Maureen Adhiambo Flat Structure Managing Director Finance Human Resource Director Sales, PR Marketing Director Accounts Clerk Sales Representative Admin Manager Support Staff Managing Director 4.0 Industry Analysis 5 Forces Model Threat of new entrants Already the market is flooded with waste collection businesses that are not following the Waste collection regulations, and the National Environment Management Authority has introduced more stringent regulations and measures to our competitors. NEMA further assured us that they shall not allow new entrants until the Clean Citys sorting/recycling concept has been fully established. Threat of Substitutes Clean Citys existing competitors offer an inferior service. We shall charge our residential customers a one-off fee for the cost of the bins however our service, that is, collection of weekly garbage will be Kshs.500.00 which is similar to what most of our competitors charge per month. Buyer Power Bargaining power of our customers will be low as City Clean has no competitor offering a similar product and service. Supplier Power Bargaining power of our suppliers, in this case, Kenpoly Industries who specialise in plastic, will be low as we are able to source the Bins and Dumpsters from other suppliers both locally and internationally, for example in China. Rivalry the degree of rivalry in the waste collection industry is low as City Clean is introducing a new and superior product and service. 5.0 Marketing Plan 5.1 Our Product and Service Clean City is entering a niche market as this concept has not been introduced in Kenya, in fact countries worldwide that practice this healthy habit are few and far in between. It will be a new phenomenon in Kenya that we know will be received with mixed reactions; however, we are also very confident that we shall eventually have a good footing. Clean City will have a competitive advantage as no other Company in Kenya or even East Africa offers a similar product or service, neither do any of the other garbage collecting companies have automated hydraulic trucks that shall be in use. Our marketing strategy focuses on differentiation due to its nature of providing a value added benefit, uniqueness, affordability, profitability, superiority and ultimately giving us a competitive edge. Clean City is two-fold as it shall provide both a product and service. Our product has 4 facets that are interdependent of each other and these are the Bins, Garbage plastic bags, Dumpsters and Trucks while our service will involve the collection of pre-sorted waste that will be delivered to Recycling Plants and Landfills. Clean City shall have 5 or more classes of beneficiaries/customers at both ends of its supply chain as follows. The following table illustrates that Customers falling under 2 will benefit from our product while the rest will be benefit from our service. Customer Description of Benefit 1 Nairobi City Council Gradually reducing the size of the Dandora Landfill and assisting and advocating for its reallocation. 2 Household and Commercial Providing education and tools to sort waste 3 Compost Manufacturers Providing pre-sorted green waste 4 Recycling Plants Providing pre-sorted recyclable material 5 Animal Farms, example Pig Farms Proving pre-sorted food waste 5.2 Product Description Our Bins and Dumpsters will be custom-made to match the quality of imported Bins that are used in developed countries; however, City Cleans will be available at lower prices. The Bins that shall be rectangular in shape will come in 2 varieties; either with 2 or 3 partitions for recyclable waste which will be influenced by the amount of storage space available. A sample of Truck Leyland truck each  £6500.00 CIF. The government has kindly granted us freight clearance charges and government tax subsidies. Specifications 4 tonnes 62 midlift Hydraulic lift Vulture body Double bin lift Cummins engine A sample of Dumpsters. Size Specifications for Dumpsters Length 72 inches, Width 16 inches, Height 40 inches -For General Waste, Organic/Food, Glass, Metal Cans, Plastic Bottles/Containers. Each dumpster costs Ksh. 3500/= A sample Bins we shall supply both the 3-in-1 and 2-in-1 depending on household storage space. The size specifications for the Bins per partition Length 12 inches Width 12 inches Height 24 inches Green will symbolize organic and food waste Brown will symbolize general waste Yellow will symbolize glass and plastic bottles/containers and metal example Metal and Aluminium Cans/Tins. 5.3 Marketing Budget KES. Designing and Printing of Fliers 100,000 500,000.00 Mazingira Advertisements A4 size quarterly 80,000.00 Facebook Advertisements 15 days per month for 3 months 7,200.00 Purchase of .com Website and Design 20,000.00 Roadshows 4 times a month 40,000.00 5.4 Costs of Official Launch of City Clean To facilitate the official launching of Clean City, we have humbly requested the presence of Minister for Environment and Mineral Resources, Hon. John Michuki, the Environmentalist Activist and Nobel Peace Price Winner 2004, Ms. Wangari Maathai and the Director General of NEMA, Mr. Muusya Mwinzi and UNEP top officials, just to name a few. The launch programme will be brief and will mainly consist of a few speeches and refreshments. The venue will be at our Karen site. Costs of Tents 20,000.00 Refreshments 10,000.00 5.5 Promotional and advertising plan To build a customer database of a minimum of 2000 households within the next 12 months To build leads of at least 50 households and 10 Firms per week Advertise our services by distributing 1000 pamphlets/fliers to 50 households per week Give a personal touch by sending seasonal promotional representatives to deliver our Bins and Dumpsters door to door and illustrate the use, features and benefits of the Bins and plastic bags to our customers, with an aim to minimise resistance. Advertise our services on Facebook, Twitter Myspace and send out e-shots to a minimum of 50 per week Launch our website www.cleancity.com and invite internet users to join Advertise on Environmental magazines such as Mazingira We have already received backing on financial sponsorships from organisations we plan to partner with, UNEP has so far given us a pledge. 5.6 Pricing Strategy The pricing strategy of clean city will be quite similar to those of the prevailing competitor firms. The following figures depict the pricing strategy. For the services the company will charge households Ksh. 500 per month and Firms Ksh. 800 per month. A pack of a months supply for households bin bags will cost Ksh. 150 and those for firms will cost Ksh. 200. During the first month, households will have to purchase bins which will be sold in 2 varieties, 2 in 1 and 3 in 1. The 2 in 1 will be sold for Ksh. 700 and 3 in 1 for Ksh. 850. The firms will have to purchase huge dumpsters which will cost them Ksh. 3400. We will assure that the quality of all these materials is high and durable. 5.7 Market Segmentation Our target market is solely in upmarket areas that include residential homes, shopping malls, Cineplexes, 4 and 5-Star hotels and upmarket schools. 6.0 Operations Plan 6.1 Licensing and Registration Requirements NEMA The National Environment Management Authority, who is Kenyas Government Parastatal that has been given the mandate to act as Kenyas Environment Authority, has given us the required framework for all the licences and waste management policies, procedures and regulations. NEMA officials were very impressed and assured us of their full support. The cost of acquiring the licence and other regulations would be a total of Ksh. 65000. 6.2 Operating and Control Systems In order to have the operating and control system in place, we will purchase 2 computers and softwares. Our staff is already well trained in maintaining these systems and thus we will not spend on training more staff. Each computer will cost Ksh. 35000 and each software will cost Ksh. 10000 6.3 Accounting and Cost Cutting Controls We shall have computerized accounting systems with Software designed for book-keeping purposes. We also shall have an Electronic Tax Register that can calculate Value Added Tax and keep a record of our stock and daily sales. Fuel Consumption We shall sign contracts with only one fuel station close to our Site in Karen, where our Trucks will be fuelled using fuel cards, to avoid cash changing hands and to keep abreast with our fuel consumption. We shall also fit in all our trucks an anti-fuel theft device to stop any fuel siphoning. The fuel cost per month will be Ksh. 30,000 for each truck Therefore for 3 trucks a total of Ksh. 90,000. Mileage We shall take down Mileage readings of our trucks on departure and arrival on a daily basis. Performance Controls Applying Total Quality Management by incorporating benchmarking, through regular collections and comparisons of customer data in form of surveys and focus groups For effective communication purposes, our trucks will be equipped with VHF radios and a base station radio at our Site. Our trucks will undergo regular servicing to ensure effectiveness and efficiency We shall adhere to all the Governments regulations and ensure timely licence renewals 6.4 Financial plan: Accompanied summary: Company was formed in January and no revenue was earned during this period, therefore the financial projections commence from the month February 2010 when actual operations start. Target of having a customer base of 2000 households in a year and 500 firms in a year. 10 dumpsters will be purchased initially. Further dumpsters will be purchased as demand increases. Utility costs include telephone, water, electricity and internet. Salary Structure: 3 drivers @ 15,000/= each, 6 support staff @ 12,000/= each, 4 staff at holding site @ 12,000/= each. Each truck costs  £ 6500; 6500*127.945449 (exchange rate) = Ksh831, 645/= During the first month, we expect to have a customer base of 200 households and 10 firms; we expect these figures to gradually increase by 35% each month. Households will be charged 500 a month and Firms will be charged 800 per month. Sale of recyclables per Kg Ksh 10/=. We assume each household accumulates waste of approximately 2kg everyday out of which 1.5kg is renewable. Each firm accumulates 10kg of renewable waste per day. A pack of one Bin bag for households (medium size) that contains 30 bin bags for a month supply costs Ksh 150 /= A pack of one bin bag for Firms (Large size) that contains 30 bin bags for a month supply costs Ksh 200/= We assume each month half the new household customers purchase 2 in 1 bin whereas the other half purchase 3 in 1. Therefore initially we expect total households customers of 200; 100 will purchase 2 in 1, the other 100: 3 in 1. Consequently each month the 25% increase in customer base will follow the same trend. The 2 in 1 Bin will be sold for 700/= whereas the 3 in 1 will be sold for 850/=. Dumpsters are purchased for each firm @ 3500/= per dumpster. Break Even point i.e. when total revenue is equal to total costs and net profit is zero. After Break even point Clean City will start making profits. From the graph, the Break Even point is marked as 5.5 which is mid May 2010. After the 1st year, in the projections for the 2nd and 3rd year, we expect the number of customer base for both households and firms to increase by 15% annually. From the second year, we will depreciate the trucks and the office furniture on a straight line basis. The percentage annual depreciation will be 5%. The fuel cost for the 2nd and 3rd year will increase by 15% each year. This is attributed to increases in oil prices as well as increased demand of services and therefore more distance to be covered by the trucks. The initial cost of set up is presented in the table below: Item Quantity Cost per Unit (Ksh) Total cost (Ksh) Hydraulic Trucks 3 831,645 2,494,935 Gloves 13 100 1300 Boots 13 500 6500 Helmet 13 750 9750 Safety Vests 13 500 6500 Overalls 13 600 7800 Acre Plot in Karen 1 75,000 75,000 Purchase of website 1 20,000 20,000 Cost of purchasing office furniture 1 50,000 50,000 Cost of computers 2 35,000 70,000 Cost of software for each computer 2 10,000 20,000 Licensing and registration 1 65,000 65,000 Anti siphoning device for each truck 3 5000 15,000 Cost of Launch 1 30,000 30,000 TOTAL START UP COST: 2,871,785 PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT PROJECTIONS YEAR 1 2 3 Revenue: No of Households 15545 17877 20558 Price charged per Household 500 500 500 Total revenue from households 7772500 8938375 10279131 No of Firms 1013 1165 1340 Price charged per Firm 800 800 800 Total revenue from Firms 810400 931960 1071754 Sales of recyclables 7299150 8394023 9653126 TOTAL REVENUE 15882050 18264358 21004011 Expenses: Rent 900000 900000 900000 Salary 1980000 1980000 1980000 Utility 84000 84000 84000 Security 60000 60000 60000 Administration Costs: Stationary cost 24000 24000 24000 depreciation of office furniture 2500 2500 2500 loan repayment 565357 565357 565357 Truck expense: Depreciation of trucks 124747 124747 124747 Fuel (30,000 per month per truck) 1080000 1242000 1428300 servicing charges (10,000 per truck) 360000 360000 360000 Cost of Purchasing Bin bags 2534350 2914503 3351678 Cost of purchasing Bins: 3 in 1 443275 990994 1139643 2 in 1 365050 816113 938529 Dumpsters 245,000 531825 611599

Essay --

Project 4-1: Develop a Personal Disaster Plan 1. Determine which types of natural disasters are the most common for the region in which you live. In Kansas and Missouri states, the most common natural disasters are occurred by Tornado’s and Snow storms. Kansas is ranked in 3rd position in the frequency of tornados. Missouri is ranked in 8th position. Joplin tornado was one of the biggest disasters in Missouri State. This occurred in the summer of 2011. This disaster took lives of more than 150 people and injured over 1000 people. This disaster caused property damage close to $3 billion. The maximum width covered by this tornado is close to 1 mile. St. John’s Regional Medical Center was one of the most damaged areas of this tornado. Heavy snow falls in the months of January and February and a minimum of over 10 inches snow fall is expected in every winter. So we have to be prepared for the snow storms as well 2. Find out which government or private agencies and organizations have information on disasters for your area. There are several government or private agencies which have information regarding disasters in our area. One of the government agencies among those is Missouri Department of public safety State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). This has information regarding planning and preparing for disasters. This also has information regarding recovering and rebuilding from the disaster. This will also let people to volunteer for the disaster recovering programs. The plan and prepare section of the official website of SEMA has information on how to plan ahead for the various disasters like preparing for severe winter weather conditions, preparing for tornados, preparing for floods, etc. There is also one more agency ca... ...t state. †¢ Teach them about the first-aid process and other safety procedures. †¢ Mock the situation and practice my family in case of emergency. References:- 1. 2011 Joplin tornado - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Joplin_tornado 2. Retrieved from stormaware.mo.gov/preparing-for-a-tornado/ 3. Retrieved from stormaware.mo.gov/tornado-facts-history/ 4. How to Prepare for a Tornado: 14 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2014, from http://www.wikihow.com/Prepare-for-a-Tornado 5. Kansas Tornadoes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.disastercenter.com/kansas/tornado.html 6. Missouri Tornadoes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.disastercenter.com/missouri/tornado.html 7. Severe Winter Weather. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://sema.dps.mo.gov/plan_and_prepare/winter_weather.asp Essay -- Project 4-1: Develop a Personal Disaster Plan 1. Determine which types of natural disasters are the most common for the region in which you live. In Kansas and Missouri states, the most common natural disasters are occurred by Tornado’s and Snow storms. Kansas is ranked in 3rd position in the frequency of tornados. Missouri is ranked in 8th position. Joplin tornado was one of the biggest disasters in Missouri State. This occurred in the summer of 2011. This disaster took lives of more than 150 people and injured over 1000 people. This disaster caused property damage close to $3 billion. The maximum width covered by this tornado is close to 1 mile. St. John’s Regional Medical Center was one of the most damaged areas of this tornado. Heavy snow falls in the months of January and February and a minimum of over 10 inches snow fall is expected in every winter. So we have to be prepared for the snow storms as well 2. Find out which government or private agencies and organizations have information on disasters for your area. There are several government or private agencies which have information regarding disasters in our area. One of the government agencies among those is Missouri Department of public safety State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). This has information regarding planning and preparing for disasters. This also has information regarding recovering and rebuilding from the disaster. This will also let people to volunteer for the disaster recovering programs. The plan and prepare section of the official website of SEMA has information on how to plan ahead for the various disasters like preparing for severe winter weather conditions, preparing for tornados, preparing for floods, etc. There is also one more agency ca... ...t state. †¢ Teach them about the first-aid process and other safety procedures. †¢ Mock the situation and practice my family in case of emergency. References:- 1. 2011 Joplin tornado - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Joplin_tornado 2. Retrieved from stormaware.mo.gov/preparing-for-a-tornado/ 3. Retrieved from stormaware.mo.gov/tornado-facts-history/ 4. How to Prepare for a Tornado: 14 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2014, from http://www.wikihow.com/Prepare-for-a-Tornado 5. Kansas Tornadoes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.disastercenter.com/kansas/tornado.html 6. Missouri Tornadoes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.disastercenter.com/missouri/tornado.html 7. Severe Winter Weather. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://sema.dps.mo.gov/plan_and_prepare/winter_weather.asp

Different Views on Ethical Perspectives Essay

We, as human beings are more often aware of our actions. Before we make decisions critical analysis comes with a great consideration. We are able to analyze these things because are considered as rational beings and we have the ability to think to the highest level we can. We opt to consider whether these things are good or not, if it’s right or wrong and if it’s really needed or not; this we often consider as ethics. Ethics is an issue of morality. There are things that we do that others consider wrong, but others may consider righteous. According to the society we should act as what it considers right; norms are one of the foundations of ethics and we should act accordingly. Norms can be a basis of what is morally right or wrong. There are four perspectives to be discussed in this paper, each of them having their own characteristics and each of them having their strong points and their weaknesses. The perspectives are universally known as the character or virtue, deontology or the perspective of obligation, the theory of utilitarianism and the equity or principle of relativism. The theory of utilitarianism points out two things; one thing is better than the other if we could gain more pleasure from it, and the other thing is not that good, or better yet to say evil, if we could only gain pain from it. This theory also states that we do things voluntarily, that one is considered as the pilot of his own decisions and that such consequences could have not taken place if only he did or did not do such actions. The amount or quantity of pleasure or pain takes into a great consideration in the concept of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is better understood as having the maximization quantity of benefit and less quantity of bad or the pain it can cause. A person would have two distinct choices, the first one is that if he does the action he would gain more pleasure or shall I say he can maximize the benefits of the action; the other is that if he does the action he would have to gain more risks and consequences. The first choice would be most favored because we, as human beings would not want to suffer from the choices we make, we do not want to be suffering from the consequences of our actions so what we do is do the thing that would give us the most favorable and maximum quantity of pleasure (Moore, 1912). Virtue is an ethical perspective that tackles about the actions that we make and the ideals we have in life that we should strive for and that these ideals help us in developing our highest potentials as human beings. This focuses on the traits or character that one has, the dispositions in life and the attitudes whether be it bad or good. Virtues are acquired through doing it everyday, they become a person’s characteristic when they are practiced for the longer time. There are a lot of characteristics and virtues a person can have; truthfulness, patience, honesty, and courteous are some of these. Virtue would help us in pursuing the ideals that we have in life (C. A. Manuel Velasquez, Thomas Shanks, S. J. , and Michael J. Meyer 1996). The theory of ethical relativism states that morality is based on the culture of a society. It singles out that one can either be wrong or right, bad or evil depending on the society the person belongs to; the society is the one concerned in creating its own culture. This theory is basically called relativism because being good or bad is relative of the kind of society a person belongs to; the society dictates whatever thing is perceived as good or bad. Every single society shares a common culture, this culture defines good and bad and the people should act with accordance to the standards of the society they belong. This theory is often argued because of the fact that every single society has its own culture and therefore has its own perception of bad or good. However, this theory is useful in exploring the reasons behind the differentiation of culture among societies (C. A. Manuel Velasquez, Thomas Shanks, S. J. , and Michael J. Meyer, 1992). Obligation perspective holds the golden rule â€Å"do not do unto others what you don’t want others do unto you†. It simply states that we should do what is only right and not what is wrong. It holds the principle of doing what is good because of the obligation. Say for example, a person should tell the truth because that person is bound to have an obligation to tell the truth because he doesn’t want other people not to trust him and because he upholds the value of truthfulness. This perspective is sometimes being pertained to utilitarianism, but it is totally different. While obligation is obligatory, utilitarianism is a voluntary act. After taking the ethical awareness test, I have known that what ethic perspective dominates in me is the obligation or the deontology. My perspective is based on my obligation or duty to do what is morally right. With this, I am to consider a thing as ethical if I choose how I act and what rules I am willing to oblige. It is also stated in my ethical perspective that the people should not be treated as a means to justify an end, simply stating â€Å"the end does not justify the means†. I also believe that every single individual should be given the respect that any man should have and therefore I won’t be able to comply with the policies and social traditions aimed at the best interest of the society as a whole. However, my approach to ethics requires legal and humane limits, I simply believe that people should be allowed to make their own choices and I advocate policies that have the intention to ensure equal opportunities for all as well as equal respect. My ethical perspective upholds the principle of doing things in accordance with the standards of right and wrong. However, though my ethical perspective aims to do what is morally right I am faced with numbers of dilemmas with regards to work. These problems would somehow cause me frustrations and may lead to a more devastated life in the future for it is not only concerned in the present but it also pertains to the future. One of the problems I am going to face with this perspective is that the people I work with might argue that some people within a society are not able to act in their own best interests. I may find this a fallacy because it was once used in the denying of the equitable treatment to women and the minorities. This somehow would result to frustration. The second problem I am to face with this perspective is that what I perceived to be morally right may not benefit most of the people. It doesn’t necessarily mean that if I have perceived a thing to be morally right it would maximize the good or pleasure. This would cause me another frustration because if I had made a decision which I perceived to be right and it didn’t work to be beneficial I may have doubts when I make a decision again. It might cause greater problems in the future. Another dilemma I am to face with this perspective is that defending this may end up in economic hardship; in worst cases I can be terminated. Say for example, in a working place several employees should be terminated because the company is having low production because these people are handicapped or they are simply not productive, the best action would be to terminate them but I, as a moralist would say that they should not be terminated because they have children. In the long run, if these people would be in the company and the company has still a low productivity the company would have losses and it may lead to closure because of the losses. Having things perceived as morally right may not be totally right; some may be beneficial but some can create more problems. We as human beings should act accordingly to whatever it is that we perceive because these choices are free of charge, because God created us with the opportunity of having what we call free will and should be practiced. We should not depend on what others may in making our decisions but we should also be ready for the consequences that accompany our decisions. Whatever action we do we should think of it twice, we should think that there are always two sides of a story. We should not be bounded by obligations because this might cause us greater frustrations in the future and this may lead to a very low self-esteem. We don’t want these to happen that’s why we should think critically and make decisions wisely because we are the pilot of our own lives.

Free Essays on Terror Strikes America

Terror strikes America Since the â€Å"Attack on America† the world has been in grievance and in shock. Our conception of America has been we are the biggest, the best, and the most powerful in the world. But since terrorism has killed thousands of people and sent our country into devastation we have doubts about how our great country is going to react. As a nation we are feeling anger towards the perpetrators responsible for this, as well as sadness for those lives lost and for their families. America has been the leading world power for decades. September 11, 2001, America was struck by terrorism. Terrorist hijacked four commercial airliners, with the intent to kill as many people as possible. They steered and crashed two planes into each of the World Trade Centers in New York City, as well as one plane into part of the Pentagon in Washington. The two towers were soon crumbling down on top of the rescue workers and the innocent victims still inside the buildings. The other plane was wrecked into farmland in Pennsylvania after the passengers on board called their loved ones and found out what was happening. They soon rushed the hijackers with the intent to hopefully save many more lives, while giving up their own. It is the heroes on that plane, and the rescue workers willing to die for the unimaginable and unselfish love for the integrity of American humanity. Although our country is in turmoil, we have come more together now then ever before. Our rescue workers are still working night and day after two weeks to find the lost loved ones. They are tearing through two buildings that took over two years to build, and taking them down with buckets. Since the tragedy began, all the families and loved ones that lost friends, and parents, and children have not gave up hope. But yet still have the undeniable fact that they have to come to deal with. They have put their prayers in God and have posted pictures and lit candle... Free Essays on Terror Strikes America Free Essays on Terror Strikes America Terror strikes America Since the â€Å"Attack on America† the world has been in grievance and in shock. Our conception of America has been we are the biggest, the best, and the most powerful in the world. But since terrorism has killed thousands of people and sent our country into devastation we have doubts about how our great country is going to react. As a nation we are feeling anger towards the perpetrators responsible for this, as well as sadness for those lives lost and for their families. America has been the leading world power for decades. September 11, 2001, America was struck by terrorism. Terrorist hijacked four commercial airliners, with the intent to kill as many people as possible. They steered and crashed two planes into each of the World Trade Centers in New York City, as well as one plane into part of the Pentagon in Washington. The two towers were soon crumbling down on top of the rescue workers and the innocent victims still inside the buildings. The other plane was wrecked into farmland in Pennsylvania after the passengers on board called their loved ones and found out what was happening. They soon rushed the hijackers with the intent to hopefully save many more lives, while giving up their own. It is the heroes on that plane, and the rescue workers willing to die for the unimaginable and unselfish love for the integrity of American humanity. Although our country is in turmoil, we have come more together now then ever before. Our rescue workers are still working night and day after two weeks to find the lost loved ones. They are tearing through two buildings that took over two years to build, and taking them down with buckets. Since the tragedy began, all the families and loved ones that lost friends, and parents, and children have not gave up hope. But yet still have the undeniable fact that they have to come to deal with. They have put their prayers in God and have posted pictures and lit candle...

U.S. States Named After Kings and Queens

U.S. States Named After Kings and Queens Seven of the  U.S. states are named after sovereigns  - four are named for kings and three are named for queens. These include some of the oldest colonies and territories in what is now the United States and the royal names paid tribute to the rulers of either France and England. The list of states includes Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Can you guess which kings and queens inspired each name? The 'Carolinas' Have British Royalty Roots North and South Carolina have a long and complicated history. Two of the 13 original colonies, they began as a single colony  but were divided shortly after because it was too much land to govern. The name Carolina  is often attributed as an honor of King Charles I of England (1625-1649), yet that is not entirely true.   What is fact is that  Charles is Carolus in Latin and that inspired Carolina. However, the French explorer, Jean Ribault first called the region Carolina when he tried colonizing Florida in the 1560s. During that time, he established an outpost known as Charlesfort in what is now South Carolina. The French King at the time? Charles IX who was crowned in 1560. When the British colonists established their settlements in the Carolinas, it was shortly after the 1649  execution of  King Charles I of England and they retained the name in his honor. When his son took over the crown in 1661, the colonies were also an honor to his rule. In a way, the Carolinas pay tribute to all three King Charles. 'Georgia' Was Inspired by a British King Georgia was one of the original 13 colonies that became the United States. It was the last colony established and it became official in 1732, just five years after King George II was crowned King of England. The name  Georgia  was clearly inspired by the new king. The suffix -ia  was used often by the colonizing nations when naming new lands in honor of important people. King George II did not live long enough to see his namesake become a state. He died in 1760 and was succeeded by his grandson, King George III, who reigned during the American Revolutionary War. 'Louisiana' Has French Origins In 1671, French explorers claimed a large portion of central North America for France. They named the area in honor of King Louis XIV, who reigned from 1643 until his death in 1715. The name  Louisiana  begins with a clear reference to the king. The suffix  -iana  is often used to refer to a collection of objects in regards to the collector. Therefore, we can loosely associate  Louisiana  as a collection of lands owned by King Louis XIV. This territory became known as the Louisiana Territory and was purchased by Thomas Jefferson in 1803. In total, the Louisiana Purchase was for 828,000 square miles between the Mississippi River and the  Rocky Mountains. The state of Louisiana formed the southern border and became a state in 1812. 'Maryland' Was Named After a British Queen Maryland also has an association with King Charles I yet, in this case, it was named for his wife.   George Calvert was granted a charter in 1632 for a region east of the Potomac. The first settlement was St. Marys and the territory was named Maryland. All of this was in honor of Henrietta Maria, queen consort of Charles I of England and daughter of King Henry IV of France. The 'Virginias' Were Named for a Virgin Queen Virginia (and subsequently West Virginia) was settled by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584. He named this new land after the English monarch of the time, Queen Elizabeth I. But how did he get Virginia  out of Elizabeth? Elizabeth I was crowned in 1559 and died in 1603. During her 44 years as queen, she  never married and she earned the nickname of the Virgin Queen. That is how the Virginias got their name, but whether the monarch was true in her virginity is a matter of much debate and speculation.

Alconomics. Alcohol consumption in US and Russia Essay

Alconomics. Alcohol consumption in US and Russia - Essay Example Correlation analysis is used to establish whether there is a linear relationship between the variables income (independent) and level of consumption, measured in pints of alcohol for the preceding month (dependent variable). We realize that there is significant positive correlation between the amount of money an individual earns and their tendency to increase alcohol intake, at 1% level of significance. Therefore the richer a Russian is (owing to their immediate income), the greater their tendency to take more alcohol. There is weak positive correlation between the income of an individual and the severity of their alcoholism tendencies. However, the correlation between the variables is not significant at 1% level of significance. This means there is a weak positive relationship between the earnings of an individual and their alcohol consumption rate in the USA. Next we test whether age is a strong determinant (or a determinant at all) of the level of alcohol consumption among individuals. This is tested using regression analysis. The dependent variable is level of consumption (number of pints) while the independent variable is the age of the respondent. Only 2.2% of the variation observed in the dependent variable (age of respondent) is explained by the independent variable (amount of alcohol). Therefore age is not a valuable predictor of the amount of alcohol consumed by the Russian population, when the results are generalized to cover the whole population represented by the sample. Next the study takes a predictive dimension, trying to ascertain what we would expect to see in the levels of alcoholism between the two countries. To do this we assume that on average, the respondents are not sure whether they will stop alcoholism at all. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test is used to test any deviations of the overall response from this pre-determined score (assumed median

Why do we distinguish between network administration and systems Essay

Why do we distinguish between network administration and systems administration - Essay Example However, many companies have more than one roles being performed by a single person. This is mainly due to the lack of resources, limited operations and economic reasons. However, despite all this, the roles of the different people involved in any typical IT department can easily be defined separately. The IT director being the head of the department represents the IT in the top management team. Other three categories and/or designations are the people directly involved with workings and infrastructure of the IT of the company. The database administrator is simply the person managing the central database server of the organization. However there are significant confusions regarding the roles of the system and network administrator(s). The field of system administration is a broad term used to define the roles and responsibilities of the person who maintains and operate the IT infrastructure of the company as a whole. A system administrator, also known as the 'sysadmin' (Microsoft, 1999), can have a work schedule ranging from a few hours per week to a full time job depending on the size of the organization. A system administrator might not even know the CEO, but he actually acts as the liaison between the technical and the non-technical staff of the organization. Some of the basic duties performed by the system administrator(s) are (Limoncelli & Hogan, 2007); Install and maintain the user... Determine hardware and software pre-requisites, which patches and/or plug-ins to install, which services to provide, and which services to disable. Plan and manage the machine room environment Design machine room; specify cooling temperatures, cabling configurations, power connections and alternate support, and environmental controls (fire alarm, security, etc.) Schedule downtime to perform upgrades/patches, and test devices and schedule downtime to manage devices. Install and maintain the user accounts; develop acceptable use policy and login-name policy, rights and privileges of different users; determine password change policies; install/configure/manage name services; and manage licenses. Determine disk quota allocation, manage disk space, and monitor log files. Configure network services (Burgess, 2002): Printing, file sharing, name service. Determine file sharing needs and printing policies. Manage security for shared resources. Other duties of a system administrator may also include scripting, programming, project management for systems-related project of automation and/or system analysis and designing, supervising and/or training computer operators, and serving as a consultant for computer related problems beyond the ordinary knowledge of the technical support staff. A System Administrator is supposed to demonstrate a versatile blend of fine tuned technical skills and responsibility. Larger organizations have clearly defined models while smaller organizations will be likely to consolidate functions in order to maintain the health and operational capabilities of the systems. In both cases a system administrator would be there either as part of the larger IT group or as the only IT manager responsible for every system