Creating an Organizational Culture Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Creating an Organizational Culture - Article Example Different experts have tried to explain its influence on an organization according to their experiences, theories, and their point of views. In this regard, we will try to define, discuss, and analyze different perspectives of an organizational culture, and will try to understand different steps that are carried out for its creation, amendment, and maintenance, in order to influence collective effort in an organization or institution. Different experts have given a lot of importance to the culture and cultural perspectives in an organization. According to an author, specific environment and conditions are coming up with the help of development of an organizational culture in an organization. Today, many complex issues and problems are confronted by organizational leaders, when the organizational achievement is attempted by them in a number of different environments, such as VUCA environments. In this regard, it has been suggested that it is very necessary and important to define and understand the term of organizational culture properly, which plays a vital role in the success of an organization, as well as, its leaders. Therefore, it has been notified that organizational culture is, and has become an important part and factor of an organization’s success. In this regard, different multinational companies, as well as, small industries are trying to implement the organizational culture in their sectors, in o rder to provide opportunities to their employees for a successful future and prosperity. In addition, the inability of understanding organizational culture was traced out to be the reason of problems and complex issues that are being confronted by the leaders and managers in different companies. Failure has been also been observed in different and various business and marketing strategies that oppose the organizational culture and seems to be inconsistent with it. Therefore, creation of new strategies and their implementation also requires

Fashion Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Fashion Culture - Essay Example The essay "Fashion Culture" states the culture of fashion. The society, in the modern times, is deeply influenced by fashion as they see in the popular media; represented by their favorite celebrities and icons. Fashion is often criticized for affecting the society in a negative manner through its portrayals of beauty. These portrayals of beauty compel the ordinary people to go to extreme measures in order to be labeled as beautiful and chic. As fashion influences society, it is also influenced by the society in which it resides. The fashion of Paris would be altogether different from the fashion of an Arab country. Thus fashion in a way is constricted by the dictates of the society. Individualist expressions also find a way into contemporary fashion and fashion becomes a mode of expression. The history of fashion in America is a testimony to this fact. However, it is difficult to understand the extent of the impact of fashion on the culture as culture is also impacted by fashion and this two-sided affect makes the situation difficult to evaluate. In this paper, we attempt to understand the role that fashion plays on culture and vice versa for the role that culture plays on fashion. Each is impacted by the other and this paper will attempt to generate a conclusion on the extent of the influence of both fashion and culture on each other. Fashion in America was predominately inspired by the British. It was the British who came into America in large numbers and brought their fashion with them. In the earliest days, American fashion was exactly like the British fashion with its gowns with mutton shaped sleeves and corsets that stressed on the hour glass figures of the women. Fashion, at that time, was inspired by the society’s ideal of beauty. During the 1920s, the ideal beauty was petite and feminine. For this reason, corsets were a necessary part of every woman’s wardrobe; also shoes where pointed and small, so as to give the impression of a delicat e being who could be compared to a bird. Fashion at that time was thus not about comfort but about looking beautiful and presentable (Boyer and Dubofsky, 137). The next change in fashion began with the industrial revolution. Industrial revolution was an era of mass production that led to an increase in consumerism and materialism. As products were produced in mass quantities, they cost cheaper and fashion was available to the common public. This was aided with the boom in cotton industry of America that allowed Americans local access to the crop. Thus these mass products were sold in retail shops throughout the country along with catalogues for consumers outside the reach of the retail shops. Fashion at this time was still dictated by the Europeans. Also the concepts regarding women was changing as women were getting liberated and moving out of the constraints of their corsets and moving towards adopted the brassiere (Frings, 30). Another change in fashion came with the civil war. A s social unrest in the country increased, individuals became more expressive with their sense of fashion. The blacks began to express their African origins while the Middle Class adopted the hippie fashion. T-shirts were adopted by the hippies as a means of protest and propaganda (English, 91)However, during the 1960s and

Uganda Pipeline Project Management

Uganda Pipeline Project Management International oil and gas management INTRODUCTION Energy is a key component of all economic activities in any country. It not only improves the quality of life but is fundamental for sustainable social and economic development in both the developed and developing countries. A secure adequate, affordable and reliable supply of energy is thus a necessary precondition for sustainable development[1]. Energy security is therefore a major concern of most governments and thus remains a top agenda. To ensure energy security, its mandatory to have a well balanced supply and demand[2]. Fossil fuel (Crude Oil) still remains the main energy source in most countries both in the developed and developing economies. High oil prices and supply disruptions therefore have significant negative impacts on all social and economic activities especially to countries that are net oil importers. Such countries are faced with the challenge of always having enough stock of oil or oil products to avoid any ultimate shocks due to supply disruptions or price ch anges. Like many developing countries, the main sources of energy in Kenya and Uganda are biomass and commercial energy sources. Biomass is used mainly in the rural areas and accounts for up to 80% of the overall energy mix in the region. Commercial energy sources on the other hand are used mainly in the urban areas. The figure below shows the energy sources consumption patterns in the region. Kenya and Uganda are heavily dependent on oil especially in the transport sector and partially for electricity generation and commercial purposes. The lack of a commercially viable substitute fuel remains the main reason behind the over dependence on oil in the transport sector. These two countries are net oil importers faced with the challenge of ensuring there is enough supply of oil products to meet the demand of the various sectors of the economy. This over reliance on imported oil has constantly exposed these two countries to externalities of market power by the powerful suppliers[4]. Kenya and Uganda import crude oil and finished products from the Gulf region through the Indian Ocean to Mombasa Port. There is a fully functional Oil refinery at Kenyas Mombasa Port where the imported crude is received, refined and later on pumped to the major towns through a petroleum pipeline in the country[5]. Uganda being a land locked country relies to a greater extent on Kenya (some of the i mports come through Dar es Salaam in Tanzania) for its oil import which is first refined at the Kenya Petroleum Refineries before being pumped through the Kenya Oil pipeline to the Eldoret fuel depot[6]. The products are then transported by road or rail from the depot to Uganda. This process has proved quite inefficient causing supply disruptions that finally impact all the socio economic sectors in Uganda negatively. This inefficiency made the two governments draw a game plan to ensure efficient transportation of petroleum products to Uganda. These developments facilitated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Kenya and Uganda that led to the establishment of a Joint Coordinating Commission (JCC) in 1995[7]. The JCC was charged with the responsibility of coordinating a feasibility study for constructing an oil pipeline from the Eldoret Depot in Kenya, an extension of the already existing Kenya pipeline, to a terminal to be constructed in Kampala, U ganda. In 1998 a feasibility study funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB) was conducted by JCCs consultants, Penspen Limited of UK. The report by the consultants presented in May 1999 concluded that the project was feasible and viable[8]. JCC was later on given the mandate in 2000 to implement the project. However due to time lapse between the feasibility study and the decision to go ahead with the project implementation, taking the dynamic nature of the oil and gas industry in these two countries, a second feasibility study was conducted funded by the two governments[9]. The report from the consultant, like in the first study, concluded that the project was still viable and could be taken to the next phase. JCC therefore made a decision to proceed with the project implementation on Public Private Partnership with the two governments having a share of 24.5% each and 51% for the private investor[10] An invitation to Tender was floated inviting interested bidders internationally to bid for the execution of the project on BOOT basis for a period of 20 years. Tamoil East Africa Ltd (TEAL) won the bid in 2006 to finance and construct an 8 inch pipeline at a cost of US$78.2 million[11]. An agreement, The Heads of Agreement, between the two governments and TEAL was then signed in January 2007 to enable the investor to start the development phase of the project[12]. A number of developmental phase activities had to be completed before commencing the construction activities. These included the preparation of all the legal agreements affecting the Project, the pipeline Route Survey to determine the right of way, the Environmental Impact Assessment Study in compliance with the environmental laws in the two counties, updates of the Market Study and revised product demand forecast leading to optimum sizing of the pipeline and finally carrying out the Front End Engineering Design (FEED)[13]. The successful completion of the above phase was the main determinant of the project costs upon which the developer was expected to make a final investment decision to proceed with the construction phase of the project[14]. TEAL had finished all the tasks at the development phase by 2008 when large Oil discoveries were made in Uganda in commercial quantities[15]. This therefore meant the initial 8 inch pipeline design, having considered only one way flow from Kenya to Uganda, could only serve Uganda in the initial years before production begins and would be rendered inactive thereafter as the there will be need to transport oil from Uganda to the Neighboring countries and to the other international. With these new developments, JCC therefore considered a redesign of the pipeline to accommodate reverse pumping from either direction. This would satisfy Ugandas petroleum needs in the short run, importing fuel through Kenya, and finally in exporting its refined oil products to the other markets through the Kenyan Port of Mombasa. A new financial analysis of the project based on the redesigned pipeline diameter was therefore necessary to capture the new CAPEX and projected throughput as this would have an impact on the project cash flow when product will be pumped from Uganda side. TEAL through its consultant, Matt MacDonald UK, finished the new design earlier this year and came up with the new project cost as shown in Table 1 in Annex 1( the table also shows the cost breakdown of the initial design)[16]. TEAL also carried out additional economic analysis to come up with a new tariff based on the new developments. TEAL was therefore faced with the challenge of carrying out a more detailed financial and project analysis to justify the viability of the project to its shareholders and to present the same to JCC for review and approval. It is at this stage that I joined the company as an intern to assist the project team on various tasks but more specifically on the financial analysis of the project based on the new project developments and to analyze the effect of scope creep on the projects viability. This report aims at elaborating more on the tasks undertaken during the internship period. However the main task undertaken was working with the financial consultant of the company in carrying out the financial analysis of the project and finally discussing with the project team the impact of the changes in scope (scope creep) on project cost. A report of the analysis was presented to the project team with a summary of the model assumptions and results. The final investment decision was to be taken based on the findings and the results presented in the report[17]. This report gives a brief description of the project from inception to the status during the internship period in its first and second chapters. The third chapter focuses on the financial analysis carried in fulfillment of the allocated task. A brief of other tasks undertaken during the internship is given in the fourth chapter. The final chapter focuses on the conclusions and recommendations of the whole exercise highlighting the benefits of the internship both to the intern and the company. The conclusions details the key challenges of scope creep in effective project management. The report will be based on the information collected from the Project Information Memorandum (document available in TEALs project office), earlier study reports in the project office, skills gained from different modules taken up during my training at CEPMLP and various text books. CHAPTER 1 1. Overview of the Project The need for adequate and reliable supply of oil products to Uganda at affordable cost was the key driver of the Kenya Uganda Pipeline project. However this was also in line with the policies of the Kenyan government ensuring the country also benefits from the project. The key issues of the project are briefly mentioned in the following subsections. These include the main project drivers, the justification for the choice of having a public / private partnership, the economic policies in the two countries and the benefits of the project to the two countries. 1.1 Project Drivers A reliability, efficiency and cost effective means of transportation of oil products to Uganda was the main project driver as already mentioned. In addition to that, there was a need to have a safe and an environmentally acceptable means of transportation of the products in line with the environmental laws in both countries[18]. Various transportation options discussed in the following chapters were considered and the pipeline emerged as the most cost effective option that satisfies the requirements above for both the current and future oil demand. 1.2 Economic Policies of Kenya and Uganda in relation to the Project Both the GoK and GoU look forward to the successful completion of the pipeline project albeit their different economic policy drivers. Ugandas main policy behind the project is to ensure adequate, reliable and affordable supply of energy to the various sectors within its economy. On the other hand Kenyas main driver is the need to create more wealth and employment to its people. The economic policies of the two countries are highlighted below; Uganda Economic Policies The overall policy of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development Uganda is to â€Å"To ensure an adequate, reliable and affordable supply of quality petroleum products for all sectors of the economy at internationally competitive and fair prices within appropriate health, safety and environmental standards†[19]. The responsibilities of the MEMD Uganda include; Establishing the available energy resources within the country; Carrying out energy demand forecasting for the various sectors of the economy; To contribute to poverty eradication by increasing access to modern, affordable and reliable energy services to its people; Improving energy governance and administration; Stimulating economic development; Managing energy-related environmental impacts. Kenya Economic Policies Kenya has already established its petroleum pipeline network within the country managed by the Kenya Pipeline Corporation. Kenya economic policy supporting the project as mentioned above unlike in Uganda was based on the countrys Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation (ERSWEC) launched in 2003[20]. According to the laid down strategy, the state is expected to facilitate private sector growth and investment. The pipeline project will create a number of jobs from the construction phase through to operation. The KPC has also laid an additional pipeline to ensure there is sufficient product for export to Uganda and the neighboring countries[21]. This expansion leads to an increment in the Countries revenue hence satisfying the policy of wealth creation. On the other hand, one of the key objectives of the Kenya Ministry of Energy is to ensure petroleum products transported within the country and for export purposes is done in the most efficient way with minimal loss es while maintaining the countrys environmental and safety standard, a criteria satisfied by the project[22]. 1.3 Public/Private Partnership Public Private Partnership (PPP) is where a public service is provided through a partnership of the public sector with one or more private companies. The private sector in most cases assumes financial, technical and operational obligations. However accountability remains with the public sector for the provision of that public service. PPP therefore enables most governments to improve on the delivery of public services and proper management of public facilities by sharing the financial obligations with other private investors. The private investor on the other hand gains from the partnership by earning a return on capital employed. The procurement of public services is greatly improved on PPP ventures. However, long term political commitment is mandatory for the success of PPP. Most infrastructure projects are capital intensive but the involvement of the private sector has enabled most countries world over to implement such projects. Figure 1.1 below shows the number and value of priv ate participation in infrastructure projects by region between 1996 and 2006. From the figure it can be seen that other regions of the world have put up many infrastructure projects with private participation well ahead of Africa. Some of the projects implemented under public private partnership in the region include the Songa Processing plant in Tanzania, Maputo port in Zimbabwe and Skida Desalination Plant in Algeria[24]. Energy sector projects are usually capital intensive and the returns take a relatively longer time to be realised. Most developing countries face financial challenges and can only rely on donors or investors for the funding and implementation of projects of this nature. This is the main reason behind the choice of Public/ Private Partnership for the Kenya Uganda Petroleum Products Pipeline Project implementation. The JCC came up with a mechanism to partner with a private investor for the implementation of the pipeline project. The investors responsibility is to finance and operate the project on BOOT basis. The private investor on completion of the project will be expected to manage and operate the pipeline for a period of 20 years before finally transferring ownership and operations of the facility to the two governments. The two governments agreed to have a 49% equity shared equally between them leaving the investor with a 51% share[25]. This was aimed at facilitating the private investors growth for faster economic development in line with the economic policies in the two countries. TEAL therefore partnered with the two governments having come up with the most competitive bid for the financing, construction and operation of the proposed pipeline project. The financial plan of the project is discussed in chapter three of this report. The cost of using the facility will be borne by the users and not the tax payers. 1.4 Benefits of the Project Alternative options of transporting petroleum products to Uganda have been considered in the next chapter. These range from transportation by road tankers, rail wagons, marine ships or ferries and finally pipeline transport. A number of benefits of the pipeline project that were the key drivers have been outlined below[26]; Secure and environmentally acceptable means of transportation of Petroleum products to the Uganda market; Provision of secure and easy access to supply of petroleum products to the other neighboring countries to Uganda; Reduction of road maintenance costs and reduction in the number of road accidents i.e. decongesting the roads; With a reliable supply of petroleum products, the oil marketers in Uganda will be able to maintain low stocks and reduce their costs resulting in low cost passed on to the consumers; The overall reduction in transportation cost will also lead to a reduction in the final market prices of the oil products; The pipeline will lead to a reduction in illegal product movement across the Kenya-Uganda border and ultimately prevent product adulteration which is common when products are transported by road tankers and finally, The pipeline will lead to a reduction on HIV prevalence among truck driver a situation that has become a national pandemic in the two countries. CHAPTER 2 2. Market analysis A number of market studies have been done in line with the Kenya Uganda Petroleum Products Pipeline Project. The most recent study was done in 2007 by TEAL through their consultant, Nexant Limited. The main objective of the study was to carryout petroleum products demand analysis and forecasting. The study was a development of the earlier studies carried out in 1999 and 2001. With an optimistic commencement of works by end of this year (2008) , the consultant focused on the prevailing Market data and carried out a demand forecasting up until 2028 (End of BOOT period). There has been a considerable growth rate in the demand of white products in Uganda and the Neighboring countries. 2.1 Oil Transportation System in Kenya and Uganda As earlier mentioned, Kenya has an already functional oil products pipeline to the major cities operated by KPC. In addition to the pipeline, the country relies on rail and road transportation for distribution of the products to the remaining towns. Uganda on the other hand relies mainly on road transportation from Kenya and distribution within the country. 2.2 Market Opportunities for the Pipeline The main driver of the project was to ensure efficient distribution of petroleum products to Uganda. However there are a number of neighboring countries, relying on road transportation of their petroleum products supply through Uganda that would also benefit from the pipeline. These include Rwanda, Burundi, North Western Tanzania and Eastern Congo. The delays caused by long distance hauling add to the final fuel costs. The pipeline will therefore serve a bigger market beyond Uganda. With the new discoveries, depending on the quantities of crude discovered in Uganda, the pipeline will be used later on in transporting white Oil products from Uganda refineries to the Kenya Port of Mombasa for distribution to the wider international market[28]. 2.3 Competitors to the Pipeline Despite the benefits of the pipeline outlined, it is still subjected to stiff competition largely based on the final tariff charged to the shippers. This will ultimately affect the final cost of fuel passed on to the consumers. If the tariff charged for utilizing the pipeline is relatively high in comparison to the cost of using road or rail modes of transport (that are largely being used currently), then the oil marketers may not use up the facility instead they will maintain the current alternatives[29]. The three main competitors, road, rail and marine transport are discussed below. Road Transportation Uganda is currently relying heavily on road transportation, using oil tankers, for its oil imports through Kenya. There are two alternative routes to Uganda, through the Malaba border from Eldoret depot or Busia border from the Kisumu Depot. The shortest route to Uganda is however through the Eldoret Depot. In addition to the relatively shorter distance is its larger capacity, relative to the Kisumu Depot, to handle the extra transit oil products to Uganda. There have been massive delays in product delivery caused by road transportation of petroleum product. However there are a number of factors that have contributed to this delay the main factor being customs clearance for transit oil at the Kenya/ Uganda border where the trucks are expected to move in regulated convoys to avoid tax fraud. The other disadvantages of road transportation are the safety and environmental problems associated with spillage of products and road accidents. The high unit labor costs make road transport more expensive as compared to rail or pipeline over long distances. Despite the shortcomings of road transportation, it is still considered as the fastest way of transportation in relation to the other existing means in the absence of a pipeline. On the other hand it also provides employment to different groups at different levels, the drivers, mechanics etc. as compared to the other modes. Rail Transportation Uganda has two options of transporting oil products by rail. This can be through the Kenyan railway system managed by Rift Valley Railways Company or the Tanzanian railway system. There are three alternative routes by rail to Uganda, two from the Kenyan Side (direct routes from Mombasa and from Kisumu) and one from Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania. The routes through Kisumu and Dar-es-Salaam involve lake ferries through Lake Victoria. The preferred route by rail is through the Mombasa route, this is about 100km longer than the Kisumu route, as it takes relatively shorter transit duration than the other routes[30]. The railway systems use roll on ferries for moving across the lake. Railway transportation has the advantage of low marginal costs for incremental freight traffic after the initial capital investment is fully paid up. The major concern on the railway system in the East African region is poor maintenance in addition to the operational problems. The networks are not well developed causing delays. It however has environmental and safety advantages over road transportation. Marine Transport Lake Victoria connects the three East African Countries. Uganda therefore has the option of using either route through Kenya or Tanzania. The routes are however a subsidiary to the railway systems through the ferries. The infrastructure is not well developed and the systems are not so actively used. The oil jetty in Kisumu on the Kenyan side has not been in use since mid nineties when the existing pipeline was commissioned. Plans are however underway in looking at the possibility of constructing a loading Jetty in Kisumu but no work or studies have been carried out so far to this effect. Mwanza port in Tanzania is partially in use, the oil exports currently utilize the existing ferries discussed above. Movement via inland waters is a low cost option due to low maintenance costs. The cost of putting up terminal facilities is relatively low compared to other modes of transport. The main disadvantage of marine transport is the inflexibility due to delivery times and environmental concerns due to oil spillage that can negatively affect the fishing industry. 2.4 Risk analysis of the market and other project risks Risk management involves using past occurrences to forecast future events. By extrapolating from the past occurrences, risk analyst can forecast the probability that a particular risk might occur or not[31]. A good understanding of the project phases is important in risk analysis and finally managing the identified risks. The Capital intensive nature of energy ventures calls for a detailed risk analysis before making the final investment decision. Risk analysis starts with risk identification followed by an assessment of the probability of occurrence of the risk and finally an evaluation of the cost estimates of each risk identified. Quantifying the risks enables the Project management team to make decisions on what measures to take to avoid the risks or mitigate and manage them. Adequate analysis of various risks was carried out at the development phase of the project. Changes cannot be fully avoided in such big projects. A good understanding of risk management principals can theref ore help the project team in managing the ever recurring changes. The benefits of risk analysis and risk management are summarized below; [32] A good clarification of project issues right from project inception to completion, A good support of decision making based on a detailed analysis, Continuous monitoring of project definition and specification, A good understanding of project risks hence finding various options of management at a relatively lower cost, The historical data can be used in future risk management procedures. There are a number of risks associated with the Kenya Uganda Petroleum Products Pipeline Project. These have been briefly discussed below based on the market studies that were carried out by the company consultants. Market Risk Analysis Market risks are risks that results from changes in the market environment. There are a number of external and internal forces at work that all firms need to address in order to remain competitive in any business environment. According to Michael Porter, there are five competitive forces in any market environment[33]. It is rare to find more than one petroleum products pipeline in the developing countries because of the capital expenditure involved. Most pipelines in the developing countries therefore enjoy natural monopoly and are hardly threatened by new entrants. From the discussion in the last section, the pipeline will offer the lowest oil products transportation tariff in comparison to the other modes of transportation in addition to the other benefits. It will therefore have a competitive advantage over the other competing modes of transportation. The customers (oil marketer) will therefore be forced â€Å"naturally† to use the pipeline in transporting their products to Uganda. The only threat left would therefore be oil products substitutes. Oil products are currently used mainly for electricity generation and in the transport sector, the largest consumer being the transport industry. The lack of a commercially viable substitute in the transportation sector leaves oil products as the only option. No market risks are therefore envisaged in the 20 year period that TEAL will operate the pipeline and the following years until the region develops any commercially viable substitute. There are however other project risks associated with the pipeline discussed in the following chapters. Other Project Risks Financing Risk Financial risks are risks associated with changes in the financial value of the portfolio. They are therefore risks that lead to reduction of the investments cash flow. Changes in the interest rates, stock market values etc are but some of the major causes of financial risks. The projects Request for Proposal specified a Debt Equity Ratio of 70:30 financing for the pipeline project. The equity contribution by all the parties is an indication of how much risk they are willing to take on the project. The initial bid by TEAL to finance the project was based on the return on investment from the CAPEX and OPEX assumed at the time of contract award. This has however changed significantly posing great risks to the investor. There have been a number of variations that have come up having significant cost impact on the CAPEX. Some of the variations that were not foreseen during project inception have negatively impacted the projects CAPEX leading to reductions in the project returns. A new fi nancial model has however been developed (discussed in the next chapter) to look at the viability of the project. The time delay in the commencement of construction works has also had an impact on the project revenues that were initially forecasted to start in 2008. Discussions are however underway between the JCC and TEAL on eliminating or sharing any loses that may accrue to the developer (TEAL) for the successful completion of the project. Technical Risk Technical risks in engineering projects are exposures to losses that occur mainly due to technological changes or design failures. In order to avoid any negative impact on the project during construction through to the operation phase due to technical failures, it is mandatory to do a thorough analysis of all the design parameters and ensure they are closely monitored and implemented during all the phases of the project. Its also important that provisions are made for any future technological changes during the design stage. Technical failures can also cause losses of revenue due to lack of operation of the facility constructed. It is therefore mandatory that stringent checks are made during design through to construction and finally during the commissioning of the facility and operation. TEAL have put in place all the necessary checks and ensured the design meet internationally accepted standards. The pipeline design was carried out by qualified consultants to TEAL and reviewed by d iscipline engineers in the project team[34]. To avoid any design incompatibility with the already existing pipeline on the Kenyan side, TEAL held several design review meetings with the KPC engineers. An agreement was signed between KPC and TEAL (Interconnection Agreement) to avoid any technical failures of the pipeline networks in the future[35]. Detailed manuals have been put in place for future maintenance and operation of the facility to further eliminate any technical risks. Political Risk Political risks are risks that occur due to changes in the political arena in a particular country. These are mainly changes in governance, policy, civil unrest etc and can have significant impacts on an investments returns. The risk increases where an investment involves two countries like in the case of Kenya Uganda Petroleum Products Pipeline Project because of the differences in governing systems and policies in socio-economic environments. The 2008 post election violence in Kenya had a significant effect on the economic activities in the whole Eastern Africa region. During this period, it was impossible to transport petroleum products to Uganda as the roads were impassable due to civil unrest causing serious impacts on Ugandas socio economic activities. Most investors always opt for taking a Political risk insurance to address this risk but the project team opted on forming a commission representing all the involved parties. The JCC was therefore formed to address political ris k issues in addition to the other tasks discussed in the report already. One of the responsibilities of JCC was therefore to address any potential difficulties that would result from political and national differences between the two countries. The JCC therefore put into place the Legal frameworks through which tendering for investors were managed. On completion of the construction works, a Joint Venture Company will take over the operations of the pipeline. The directors of the JVC will come from the two governments and TEAL. The ownership of the pipeline system is established through the Shareholders Agreement, and the Legal frameworks created by the Host Governments Agreements and the Intergovernmental Agreement[36]. It is however important to note that the two countries have a history of good relations but this should not be an indication of lack of any disagreements between the two governments in the future. The JVC will therefore be a neutral ground where all the pipeline oper ational issues will be discussed. CHAPTER 3 3. Finance Structure of the Pipeline The principal objective of any firms directors is to maximize the shareholders value by undertaking investments with positive returns. Shareholders of a firm can earn returns on their capital from taking up investment decisions themselves and investing in other ventures outside the firm but if they ge

How the Authors Create a Feeling of Fear and Terror in The Ostler, The

How the Authors Create a Feeling of Fear and Terror in The Ostler, The Red Room and The Superstitious Man's Story In order to answer this question I read the relevant stories, i.e. 'The Ostler' by Wilkie Collins, 'The Red Room' by H.G. Wells and 'The Superstitious Man's Story' by Thomas Hardy in great detail. I will now attempt to compare the methods the authors have utilised to create the impact mentioned above. In order to see which one has been more effective in conveying fear and terror, suspense and the extraordinary, in my opinion. Furthermore, I will endeavour to point out the similarities and differences in tense, style and prose between the stories, using quotations where appropriate. Moreover, I will discuss the roles the various characters play. These people are important, as the reader needs to identify to some extent with the narrator and his description and interpretation of his 'human props' as well as the setting they are placed in. The opening to any story is crucial, since the reader may not decide to continue with his intention to 'read all' if he/she is not sufficiently interested in the first few sentences. In 'The Superstitious Man's Story' the reader is struck immediately by an air of mystery, and somehow feels privy to a secret. This is a story steeped in 'hearsay'. The narrator (the seedman's father) painstakingly talks us through every minute detail 'putting away the irons and things, and preparing the table for his breakfast in the morning.' By placing so much emphasis on mundane issues the impact of the extraordinary is in stark contrast. It is almost as if the reader is lulled into a sense of security, ... ...e unknown is intriguing to many. Even though the three stories have a different approach they all centre of the supernatural. They are all written pre-1914 - well before the advent of technology, which has accelerated at an alarming rate. Nowadays, our culture revolves around technology and people require proof. It is essential for an author to set the scene, draw the reader in and when that is accomplished deliver the punch line. All of the authors succeed in doing this. 'The Superstitious Man's Story' is too stark, and puts the reader 'on guard' as to its content. I prefer the gradual style of the other two stories. In 'The Red Room' and 'The Ostler' the settings and the characters enhance the plot immensely. The characters are not developed enough in 'The Superstitious Man's Story', and the setting is rather boring.

Cult of Thinness

The author talks about the different ways in which the American popular culture, families, schools, peer groups, and the health and fitness industry undermine women’s self-confidence as they instill the notions that thinness is beauty and that a woman's body is more important than her mind. She makes it known that there are many different factors as to why there is such a need to be thin these days and why there are so many eating disorders in our society. She blames the media as one of the leading contributing factors as to why our society is consumed with dieting, being thin, and body image and I agree with this.I believe that the media system is corrupt and it influences most of our perceptions, especially women. For example on magazine covers, there are usually pictures of women in bikinis, or even topless showing off their skinny bodies. And in beauty commercials, its usually skinny, tall women used to advertise beauty products. This images and frames are what is branded by media and society as â€Å"looking good† or â€Å"being sexy†; as a result of this, women especially adolescents and young adults compare themselves to these models and feel inadequate.They feel like that is how they are meant to look and may end up dieting or starving themselves or even in more tragic consequences undergo surgery. A 12 year old girl stated, â€Å"When I see those twigs of people in the magazines and on TV, I say, â€Å"I’m going to go on a diet. † You almost want to get thin just so you can wear the right clothes. I watch all my junior high friends – they look like something out of a magazine†. However, the author also talks about some cultures that think that voluptuous, curvy women are a sign of prosperity and also an indicator of their ability to cook and take care of their family

Reality Shows Should Be Banned Essay

The main essence of reality shows is to put ordinary people in a social confined setting with extraordinary environment and activities with the aim of entertaining audiences with the illusion that what is going on is not scripted nor rehearsed. Most reality shows attempt to convince the audience that the participants of the show are being pushed to their physical, emotional or physiological limits in order to complete a specific task or attain a certain goal of which audience cheer on their favorite participant. With the change in times and technology most reality shows have gone over board and have forgotten the basic concept of reality shows and are now focusing more on entertainment than reality that has lead to increase in sexual exposure, humiliation and immorality. Reality shows have lost their way from original series like survivor to the new mediocre series of two celebrities living in a farm yard for a week. Reality TV has joined the ranks of day time entertainment and has lost the spark of spontaneous originality from other forms of scripted entertainment. Additionally, the most famous reality shows worldwide are big brother and Idols; these two are examples of scripted and well rehearsed reality shows. In the just concluded episode of idols a judge was dared to sing out of the blue and it so happened just by â€Å"coincidence† that the band started playing a song which the judge joined in emphatically without hesitation. The crowed cheered and applauded for the â€Å"unexpected† performance by the judge. Such reality T.V. shows give viewers and more so children false hope of a â€Å"happily ever after† reality were heroes and heroines live thus insulting the intelligence of the viewers. In the case of big brother viewers are subjected to sex as a form of entertainment. Relationships formed in the big brother house give the participant a better chance of winning the competition and increase his/her ratings thus the audience spends time and money voting for the participant so they can enjoy seeing the participants relationship grow. And due to the full disclosure nature of the show all activities are broadcasted and shown live on our T.V. sets exposing and encouraging our youths, young adults and children to sex, immorality and promiscuous behaviors. Furthermore, the common comic saying â€Å"its funny until someone gets hurt, then it’s hilarious† comes to life in most reality shows. Producers of reality shows capitalize  on the demise and misfortunes of participants. When a contestant falls down or gets hurt in anyway it is taken as a form of entertainment or comedy not knowing the humiliation and psychological trauma they instill in the participant. Examples of such shows are â€Å"show me the funny† â€Å"Real T.V.† and â€Å"Fear factor†. Show me the funny capitalizes on bloopers of home made videos which show family member having accidents such as hitting each other being bitten by a snake or having a ball hit them on their faces. Turning such perilous or even fatal accidents to o form of humor encourages children to view violence and accidents as vivacious events and not the precarious activities they are. Producers also capitalize on the eviction or the inability of a participant to complete a certain assignment. The humiliation and reaction of a participant being evicted or accepting defeat is a high point of most reality T.V. which is morally and ethically wrong. The failure of a fellow human being should be frowned upon and not celebrated. 2) Here are plenty of reality shows which are being shown on television channels world wide, in which one can see lots of aspirants taking to the stunts and heroic acts as they want to win the coveted title and they did some shots which amaze the audiances and keep them on their tender nooks, its also done to increase the rating of the channel in the tele shows. There are plenty of reality shows which are being shown on television channels world wide, in which one can see lots of aspirants taking to the stunts and heroic acts as they want to win the coveted title and they did some shots which amaze the audiences and keep them on their tender nooks, its also done to increase the rating of the channel in the tele shows. I am not sure if they are there in your part of the world, channels like Sony and Zee TV they show lot of enthusiasm in such things. The weird things they shown on the small screen are hair raising and put a lot of questions in viewers minds as to such things can be accomplished in real life or not. But the stunt mania grips the minds of innocent public and kids alike. They all want feats and also want to show off to their genre of friends and foes. In the process they might hurt themselves badly. Although there are several reports of teen-aged children being hurt in the process of macho man image building but to no avail as the generation is fast and furious, they just want their way and life to be left to them. I am not sure about consequences and impact  they could have but it is for sure, every one wants his part of fame and attention in public, for we are mortal beings and success is our ambition in life. Effect on teenagers Social cognitive theory suggests that meaningful sources of identity can be discovered by people in their teens who feel â€Å"connected† to what they’re viewing. Thus, when attempting to understand media’s role in the development of teenagers, it is crucial to be aware of the time they devote to their shows like reality television due to this strong influence[48] America’s Next Top Model is often criticized for it’s portrayal of women and poor body image. When faced with the image of a thin, beautiful, successful models, young girls may feel inferior, leading to low self-esteem and eating disorders. Likewise, Jersey Shore is denounced for it’s representation of being a single, young adult. Young people idolize the show’s cast, making them susceptible to imitate their actions, such as promiscuity, violence, and binge drinking.[citation needed]

Health Care Economics Essays

Health Care Economics Essays Health Care Economics Paper Health Care Economics Paper Almost all current factors influencing health care, such as, increasing medical care service demand, pharmaceutical prices, medical care organizations’ competition and medical care experts’ remuneration,   involve economics. Absence of comprehension regarding fundamental economic standards leads to erroneous decision-making by making persons develop opinions on the basis of feelings and feelings as opposed to logical economic standards (Schafermeyer, 2000). The health care structure in America to some extent represents the principles, aims, and beliefs found in free-market industrialist financial systems governed by contention. Physicians’ competition occurs locally for principal care doctors and amongst specialists on broader geographical extents. Medical doctors and associated practitioners also do compete, for instance, between optometrists and ophthalmologists as well as between psychologists and psychiatrists. Administered care arrangements depict lesser medical care service (tests and hospitals) utilization. Physician conduct is one factor affecting medical care and thus competition as well occurs in location, professional conduct plus waiting duration. The conduct of big urban plastic surgeons, for instance is significantly different compared to country pediatricians’. Therefore, demeanor is linked with health care options, costs, payments, and services. Demeanor is as well linked to state public medical care funding and physician education (Fisher, 2006). The economic law that states that a demand curve slopes downwards is probably the most fundamental of economic principles. It implies that demanded quantity decreases with increasing commodity prices. Demand curves have commodity prices on the perpendicular axes, commodity quantities on horizontal axes, and negatively inclined lines illustrating the relationship between the two entities. Other factors influence commodity demand with Income being probably the most apparent factor in general. Regarding health care, another key aspect is persons’ health condition. Reduced health Care is demanded when health conditions improve. Elevated revenue moves demand curves away from the origins for normal commodities, and reverses to the origins for inferior commodities. Improved health moves demand curves back inwards (Fisher, 2006). Reports regarding a vicious fresh influenza will lead to increased flu medication demand, thus making demand curves shift outwards. This implies that increased flu medication is needed compared to previous figures for every price. Flu medication demand also demonstrates seasonal patterns by moving outwards with the approach of fu periods. Alternatively, many health services’ demand curves sift outwards with Age. Outward demand curve movement implies that, for whatever price stage, there is increased demand following shifts as compared to demand levels at such prices prior to the movement. Demand curves shift as a   reaction to entities different from price, or, as a reaction to factors influencing demand that are not explicitly represented on a single of the graph axes. Such movement is referred to as demand change. Following price change, movement is made from a single demand curve point to a different same curve point. This implies movement happens the length of such curve, however, the curve position, in relation to axes, remains constant. Such an alteration is called demanded quantity change. Therefore, price changes leads to demanded quantity changes and changes in other factors, causing demand curve shifts, leads to demand alteration. Learning the behavior of demand when one decisive factor is altered is vital. Elasticity is a standard responsiveness measure. Commodity price demand elasticity is calculated as a proportional alteration in demanded quantity divided by the proportional price alteration that led to the demanded quantity modification. Since demanded quantity and price are always inversely proportional, own-price demand elasticity always is negative. A minus (-) 3 elasticity implies that a 1% price elevation leads to a 3% demanded quantity reduction (Greenberg, 2002). Demand is regarded as being elastic when own-price demand elasticity is bigger than 1 in total values. Alternatively, when own-price demand elasticity is smaller than 1 in complete value, such demand is regarded as being inelastic. With demand elasticity amounting to minus (-) 1, such demand curves are said to depict unit elasticity. Linear demand curves, having constant curve slopes, have elasticity changing with movement along the demand curves. With extremely low prices, demand becomes inelastic; high prices depict elastic demand. Starting with extremely reduced prices, thus large demanded quantities, and raising such prices, shifting upwards and towards the left along demand curves, demand elasticity progressively shifts from inelastic towards elastic, intersecting at the curve midpoint. Such point’ demand elasticity becomes unitary (Ferguson, 2002). Calculated commodity demand elasticity thus depends on the prices where such calculation was done. High prices lead to increased demand elasticity, although commodity nature remains constant. However, Consumer reactions to price alteration do change; increasing prices makes consumers increasingly responsive to additional alterations. Demand elasticity also influences commodity nature. General doctors’ services demand is very elastic (approximately -0.2) in America. Demand for a specific doctor’s services is much more, (approximately -3.0). The disparity arises due to the fact that for particular physician services, generally additional alternative supply sources are available, as compared to general physician services. Visit demand generally is quite inelastic, however specific physician’s visit demand is somewhat extra elastic owing to presence of different supply sources like walk-in hospitals and crisis rooms (Fisher, 2006). User charges imposed on every office-category visits have comparatively little influence on demanded quantity, however, charges imposed on office-category visits to crisis rooms have greatly bigger influence as regards minimizing demanded quantity since3 it prompts persons to adjust from looking for assistance at crisis rooms and seek such from different sources.

The Portrayal of Otherworldly Spaces

The Portrayal of Otherworldly Spaces One of the main motivations, which prompt people to read fiction-novels and to watch movies, which contain the motifs of otherworldliness, is the fact that, while being exposed to these literary and cinematographic works, individuals are being often able to confirm the validity of their unconscious anxieties, as to what accounts for the true essence of a surrounding reality.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Portrayal of Otherworldly Spaces specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In its turn, this usually helps people to attain the sensation of an ‘existential wholesonmess’ when they come in a close touch with a number of socially suppressed truths about what may be considered the actual significance of their life-experiences. The Freudian concept of ‘uncanny’ comes in particularly handy, when it comes to discussing the significance of fictitious representations of otherworldliness, â€Å"An un canny experience occurs either when infantile complexes which have been repressed are once more revived by some impression, or when primitive beliefs which have been surmounted seem once more to be confirmed† (Freud 57). Therefore, it makes a perfect logical sense to discuss these representations as such that are being reflective of the workings of people’s unconscious psyche. In this paper, I will aim to do just that, in regards to the motifs of otherworldliness, which can be found in George Lucas’s 1977 film Star War: A New Hope and Steven King’s 1977 novel The Shining. The foremost aspect of how the unworldly reality is being depicted in Lucas’s movie is the fact that, while being exposed to it, viewers are being prompted to establish dialectical links between what they get to see on the screen and what accounts for the essence of their socialization-related experiences, in a real life. The validity of this statement can be well illustrated in re lation to the film’s scene, in which the characters of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) end up confronting aliens and mutated humans in the bar, on the planet of Tatooine (00.46.37). Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There can be few doubts as to the fact that there are strongly defined motifs of the Freudian ‘uncanny’ to this particular scene, because it relates to the White viewers’ unconscious fear of multiculturalism. After all, it does not represent much of a secret that even many open-minded Whites in Western countries, where the policy of multiculturalism had attained an official status, do not exhibit much of an enthusiasm, while being required to take an active part in the ‘celebration of diversity’. Hence, their tendency to prefer residing in a racially secluded ‘white suburbia’ , as opposed to residing amidst the representatives of racial minorities in ethnic ‘ghettos’. Therefore, while exposed to the scene, in which the alien-looking representatives of an ‘intergalactic scum’ are picking upon the characters of Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, many viewers confirm the validity of their rationally suppressed fear of venturing in places, where ethnically diverse individuals can be found in particularly large numbers. There are two mutually exclusive aspects of how people experience the ‘uncanny’ – they are being simultaneously encouraged and discouraged to rationalize their unconscious anxieties, in regards to the potential dangers of the unknown. Apparently, Steven King was well aware of it, which is why he used to say that it is being in the very nature of just about every individual to expect that even thoroughly conventional settings conceal subliminal horrors. Therefore, it does not come as a particular su rprise that King’s novel contains scenes, in which Danny’s otherworldly daydreaming becomes ‘uncanny’ to an extent that readers simply cannot help but having their attention solely focused on the plot’s unraveling – quite contrary to the fact that they do realize that what they are about to read may well scare them to death.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Portrayal of Otherworldly Spaces specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For example, there is a memorable scene in the novel when Danny is having a vision of streams of blood starting to pour down on the floor out of the elevator doors (King 161). This scene’s ‘uncanny’ appeal is being concerned with the fact that the author was able to take a certain advantage of the readers’s subliminal tendency to associate the color red with blood. Therefore, even though readers do get to experience a certain ho rror, while being exposed to this scene, on an unconscious level, they nevertheless do not perceive the concerned plot’s twist as being thoroughly unrealistic. This is because, prior to having this vision, Danny stared at the red-colored elevator doors for a long time. Yet, the prolonged staring at ominously looking red doors can never bring any good – people’s unconscious psyche never ceases being aware of it. The fact that the portrayal of otherworldly spaces in movies serves the purpose of prompting viewers to come to terms with their fear of the unknown can also be explored in regards to another scene in Lucas film, in which Luke Skywalker, Princess Lea (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) find themselves trapped in the Imperial spaceship’s garbage-compartment (01.21.43). While there, they realize that is a some kind of dangerous creature is lurking underneath the murky water. Yet, even though that a good part of the concerned action involves all three characters trying to figure out what they are being faced with, the creature never shows itself. The only part of this creature that viewers get to see is its tentacle. This, of course, results in the intensification of viewers’ fears of the unknown even further, because it is specifically the unknown types of danger, which people tend to perceive as being particularly dangerous. It appears that by exposing viewers to this particular scene, Lucas was able to strengthen the acuteness of their ‘uncanny’ experiences, which in turn increased the film’s cinematographic appeal rather dramatically – in full accordance with Freud’s outlook on the subject matter.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The same can be said about the scene in King’s novel, in which Danny realizes the fact that his nightmares of being chased by a person with an ax in his hands were bound to come to reality, â€Å"It was the place he had seen in the midst of the blizzard†¦ The place Tony had warned him against. It was here. It was here. Whatever Redrum was, it was here† (69). The clearly ‘uncanny’ undertones to Danny’s earlier mentioned realization are being thoroughly apparent, because the author made a deliberate point in emphasizing the unknown subtleties of Redrum, which in turn increased the extent of this scene emotional intensity. Apparently, King wanted readers to remain in the state of suspense, for as long as possible. This is the reason why, every time the novel’s characters come in a close touch with the emanations of otherworldliness, they can never they can never grasp the true significance of their experiences, in this respect. The manner i n which Freudian ‘uncanny’ is being explored in movies that contain strongly defined otherworldly motifs, often serves the purpose of allowing viewers to experience the sensation of Dà ©j vu. In its turn, this strengthens the extent of their commitment to perceiving the plot’s unraveling as such that does in fact relate to their own positioning in life. For example, there are a number of scenes in Lucas’s film, in which Imperial officers act in a particularly cold-blooded manner, while refusing to consider other people’s feelings. These scenes, of course, were meant to trigger in viewers the same set of emotions that they get to experience, while reflecting upon the historical legacy of Nazi Germany. Therefore, it is not a pure coincidence the Imperial officers’ uniforms resemble those that used to be worn by Nazis – especially riding breeches, as seen on the screenshot below. Apparently, the director did strive to prompt viewers to construct their attitude towards the representatives of the ‘dark side’, in regards to what accounted for the discursive significance of Imperial soldiers’ physical appearance and the qualitative essence of their psychological inclinations. In its turn, this explains the popularity of this film’s most otherworldly character – Darth Vader. Even though that, throughout the movie’s entirety, Darth Vader rarely talks, viewers nevertheless are able to get a good clue, as what kind of an individual he really is. The reason for this is quite apparent – despite the character’s otherworldly appearance, people can well recognize him as a person who represents currently suppressed (due to considerations of political correctness), but discursively legitimate masculine virtues of loyalty and cold-heartedness. Essentially the same line of reasoning can be applied, when it comes to discussing the significance of Dà ©j vu–invoking scene s in King’s novel, concerned with otherworldliness. The scene, in which the character of Jack Torrance walks in the ballroom, filled with the ghosts of people that were alive during the Great Depression, exemplifies the point. This is because, the appearance of these ghosts (or mental constructs, which existed solely within Jack’s brain) cannot be discussed outside of the fact that the era of the Great Depression has been traditionally associated with the notion of moral depravity, â€Å"A woman in gauzy harem pants and a rhinestone-sparkled brassiere, a man with a foxhead rising slyly out of his evening dress, a man in a silvery dog outfit who was tickling the nose of a woman in a sarong with the puff on the end of his long tail† (405). What it means is that, even before Jack turns into a bloodthirsty psycho, the earlier mentioned scene provided readers with an unconsciously-felt indication that this eventual development was indeed bound to occur. Apparently, w hile being prompted to construct images of fancifully dressed people drinking and laughing, readers get to experience a Dà ©j vu sensation that there is something utterly short-lived about these partying individuals. After all, on an unconscious level, we all know that the intensity of a particular sensual pleasure corresponds to the extent of this pleasure’s lengthiness in a counter-geometrical progression. Thus, the portrayal of an otherworldly space in this particular scene was meant to confirm the validity of readers’ growing suspicion that Jack was actually on the path of a mental self-destruction. Freud, Zigmund. The Uncanny, London: Penguin Books Limited, 2003. Print. King, Steven. The Shining, New York: Gallery Books, 2002. Print. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Ex. Prod. George Lucas: 20th Century Fox. 1977. DVD.

Prendre Conjugation in French, Translation, and Examples

Prendre Conjugation in French, Translation, and Examples The French verb prendre,  which commonly means to take,  is a frequently used and very flexible  irregular French -re verb. The good news is that  prendre can help you learn similar verbs. In this article you can find the different meanings and the most frequently used prendre conjugations: the present, present progressive, compound past, imperfect, simple future, near future indicative, the conditional, the present subjunctive, as well as the imperative and the gerund of prendre. There are other verb tenses for prendre, but they are not used as frequently. For example, the passà © simple and imperfect subjunctive are formal and most often found in writing. Prendre Is the Model for an Irregular -re Verb Subgroup There are patterns for irregular French  -re verbs, and  prendre  is in one of those groups. In fact, all verbs ending in the root word  -prendre  are conjugated the same way. These verbs drop the d in all three plural forms and take a double n in the third person plural.   This means that after you learn the conjugations for  prendre, you can apply what you learned to conjugate these other verbs: Apprendre   to learnComprendre  Ã‚  to understandEntreprendre  Ã‚  to undertakeMà ©prendre  Ã‚  to mistakeReprendre  Ã‚  to retake, take againSurprendre  Ã‚  to surprise The Many Meanings of Prendre The verb  prendre  usually means to take, both literally and figuratively. Il ma pris par le bras.  Ã‚  He took me by the arm.Tu peux prendre le livre.  Ã‚  You can take the book.Je vais prendre une photo.  Ã‚  Im going to take a picture.Prenez votre temps. Take your time. Prendre  is such a flexible verb that it can change meanings based on the context. The following is a list of some of the uses of prendre, although there are many more. Prendre  can mean to come over or to strike: La colà ¨re ma pris.   I was overcome with anger.Quest-ce qui te prend  ?  (informal)   Whats come over you? Whats the matter with you? Prendre may also mean to catch in instances such as: Je lai pris tricher.   I caught him cheating. There are times when prendre  will take on the meaning of to take in, to dupe, or to fool: On ne my prendra plus !   They wont fool me again! You may also use prendre when you want to say to handle or to deal with: Il y a plusieurs moyens de prendre le problà ¨me.   There are several ways to deal with the problem. One of your options for saying to set is a form of  prendre: Le ciment na pas encore pris. The cement hasnt set yet.   When you want to say to do well, to catch on, or to be successful you can also turn to  prendre: Ce livre va prendre.   This book is going to be a great success. Sometimes, prendre  can even mean to catch or to start: Jespà ¨re que le bois va prendre.   I hope the wood catches on fire. Finally, prendre  can also mean to pick up or to fetch, especially when used with another verb: Passe me prendre midi.   Come pick me up at noon.Peux-tu me prendre demain  ? Can you pick me up tomorrow? Using Se Prendre The  pronominal  se prendre  has several meanings as well. To consider oneself:  Il se prend pour un expert.   He thinks hes an expert.To get caught, trapped:  Ma manche sest prise dans la porte.   My sleeve got caught in the door. You may also use  sen prendre , which means  to blame, to challenge, or to attack: Tu ne peux ten prendre qu toi-mà ªme.   You only have yourself to blame.Il sen est pris son chien.   He took it out on his dog. Similarly, the construction  sy prendre   means to do something about it: Il faut sy prendre.   We have to do something about it. We have to take care of it. Expressions With Prendre There are many  idiomatic expressions  using the French verb  prendre.  Among the most common are these which you can use to practice your  prendre  conjugations. Prendre sa retraite   to retirePrendre une dà ©cision   to make a decisionPrendre  un pot  (informal) to have a drinkQuest-ce qui ta pris  ?   Whats gotten into you?Être pris   to be tied up, busy Present Indicative Je prends Je prends le petit dà ©jeuner 7 heures du matin. I have breakfast at 7 in the morning. Tu prends Tu prends le train pour aller travailler. You take the train to go to work. Il/Elle/On prend Elle prend un verre de vin la fin de la journà ©e. She has a glass of wine at the end of the day. Nous prenons Nous prenons beaucoup de photos pendant le voyage. We take many photos during the trip. Vous prenez Vous prenez le livre de la bibliothà ¨que. You take the book from the library. Ils/Elles prennent Ils prennent des notes en classe. They take notes in class. Present Progressive Indicative The present progressive in French is formed with the present tense conjugation of the verb à ªtre (to be) en train de the infinitive verb (prendre). Je suis en train de prendre Je suis en train de prendre le petit dà ©jeuner 7 heures du matin. I am having breakfast at 7 in the morning. Tu es en train de prendre Tu es en train de prendre le train pour aller travailler. You are taking the train to go to work. Il/Elle/On est en train de prendre Elle est en train de prendre un verre de vin la fin de la journà ©e. She is having a glass of wine at the end of the day. Nous sommes en train de prendre Nous sommes en train de prendre beaucoup de photos pendant le voyage. We are taking many photos during the trip. Vous à ªtes en train de prendre Vous à ªtes en train de prendre le livre de la bibliothà ¨que. You are taking the book from the library. Ils/Elles sont en train de prendre Ils sont en train de prendre des notes en classe. They are taking notes in class. Compound Past Indicative The  passà © composà ©Ã‚  is translated to English as the simple past. It is formed using the auxiliary verb  avoir  and the past participle  pris.  For example, we took is  nous avons pris. Je ai pris J'ai pris le petit dà ©jeuner 7 heures du matin. I had breakfast at 7 in the morning. Tu as pris Tu as pris le train pour aller travailler. You took the train to go to work. Il/Elle/On a pris Elle a pris un verre de vin la fin de la journà ©e. She had a glass of wine at the end of the day. Nous avons pris Nous avons pris beaucoup de photos pendant le voyage. We took many photos during the trip. Vous avez pris Vous avez pris le livre de la bibliothà ¨que. You took the book from the library. Ils/Elles ont pris Ils ont pris des notes en classe. They took notes in class. Imperfect Indicative The imperfect tense is used to talk about ongoing events or repeated actions in the past. It can be translated to English as was taking or used to take. Je prenais Je prenais le petit dà ©jeuner 7 heures du matin. I used to eat breakfast at 7 in the morning. Tu prenais Tu prenais le train pour aller travailler. You used to take the train to go to work. Il/Elle/On prenait Elle prenait un verre de vin la fin de la journà ©e. She used to have a glass of wine at the end of the day. Nous prenions Nous prenions beaucoup de photos pendant le voyage. We used to take many photos during the trip. Vous preniez Vous preniez le livre de la bibliothà ¨que. You used to take the book from the library. Ils/Elles prenaient Ils prenaient des notes en classe. They used to take notes in class. Simple Future Indicative Je prendrai Je prendrai le petit dà ©jeuner 7 heures du matin. I will eat breakfast at 7 in the morning. Tu prendras Tu prendras le train pour aller travailler. You will take the train to go to work. Il/Elle/On prendra Elle prendra un verre de vin la fin de la journà ©e. She will have a glass of wine at the end of the day. Nous prendrons Nous prendrons beaucoup de photos pendant le voyage. We will take many photos during the trip. Vous prendrez Vous prendrez le livre de la bibliothà ¨que. You will take the book from the library. Ils/Elles prendront Ils prendront des notes en classe. They will take notes in class. Near Future Indicative The near future is translated to English as going to verb. In French it is formed with the present tense conjugation of the verb aller (to go) the infinitive (prendre). Je vais prendre Je vais prendre le petit dà ©jeuner 7 heures du matin. I am going to eat breakfast at 7 in the morning. Tu vas prendre Tu vas prendre le train pour aller travailler. You are going to take the train to go to work. Il/Elle/On va prendre Elle va prendre un verre de vin la fin de la journà ©e. She is going to have a glass of wine at the end of the day. Nous allons prendre Nous allons prendre beaucoup de photos pendant le voyage. We are going to take many photos during the trip. Vous allez prendre Vous allez prendre le livre de la bibliothà ¨que. You are going to take the book from the library. Ils/Elles vont prendre Ils vont prendre des notes en classe. They are going to take notes in class. Conditional The conditional is used to talk about hypothetical or possible events. It can be used to form if clauses or to express a polite request. Je prendrais Je prendrais le petit dà ©jeuner 7 heures du matin si j'avais le temps. I would eat breakfast at 7 in the morning if I had the time. Tu prendrais Tu prendrais le train pour aller travailler si c'à ©tait moins coà »teux. You would take the train to go to work if it were less expensive. Il/Elle/On prendrait Elle prendrait un verre de vin la fin de la journà ©e si elle n'à ©tait trop fatiguà ©e. She would have a glass of wine at the end of the day if she were not too tired. Nous prendrions Nous prendrions beaucoup de photos pendant le voyage si nous avions une bonne camà ©ra. We would take many photos during the trip if we had a good camera. Vous prendriez Vous prendriez le livre de la bibliothà ¨que si vous le vouliez. You would take the book from the library if you wanted it. Ils/Elles prendraient Ils prendraient des notes en classe s'ils pouvaient. They would take notes in class if they could. Present Subjunctive You will use the subjunctive whenever the action of taking is uncertain. Que je prenne Marie propose que je prenne le petit dà ©jeuner 7 heures du matin. Marie proposes that I eat breakfast at 7 in the morning. Que tu prennes Jacques suggà ¨re que tu prennes le train pour aller travailler. Jacques suggests that you take the train to go to work. Qu'il/elle/on prenne Anne conseille qu'elle prenne un verre de vin la fin de la journà ©e. Anne advises that shehave a glass of wine at the end of the day. Que nous prenions Notre mà ¨re exige que nous prenions beaucoup de photos pendant le voyage. Our mother demands that we take many photos during the trip. Que vous preniez Laurent prà ©fà ¨re que vous preniez le livre de la bibliothà ¨que. Laurent prefers that you take the book from the library. Qu'ils/elles prennent Le professeur souhaite qu'ils prennent des notes en classe. The professor wishes that they take notes in class. Imperative When using  prendre  in the  imperative  to express a command, you do not need to state the subject pronoun. For instance, use  prends  rather than  tu prends. To form the negative commands, simply place ne...pas around the positive command. Positive commands Tu prends ! Prends le train pour aller travailler ! Take the train to go to work! Nous prenons! Prenons beaucoup de photos pendant le voyage ! Let's take many photos during the trip! Vous preniez! Preniez le livre de la bibliothà ¨que ! Take the book from the library! Negative commands Tu ne prends pas ! Ne prends pas le train pour aller travailler ! Don't take the train to go to work! Nous ne prenons pas! Ne prenons pas beaucoup de photos pendant le voyage ! Let's not take many photos during the trip! Vous ne preniez pas! Ne preniez pas le livre de la bibliothà ¨que ! Don't take the book from the library! Present Participle/Gerund The  present participle  in French has several different uses. One of them is to form the gerund (usually preceded by the preposition en), which is often used to talk about simultaneous actions. Present participle/gerund ofPrendre prenant Je t'ai vu en prenant mon petit dà ©jeuner. I saw you while I was eating my breakfast.

Gene technology Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gene technology - Lab Report Example The plasmid is 3.5 kb in size (Fig.5). It has two ECoRI restriction sites, hence should break any recombinant DNA into two fragments, i.e. ~3.5 kb and the inserted DNA. In our experiment – There are three fragments of DNA which shows that the inserted PCR product must have one ECoRI site. The ECoRI site in the PCR product is placed almost in the middle breaking it into two fragments, viz. 600 bp and 800 bp (Fig. 6). Interpretation - It appears that the insert has two restriction sites for NCoI (Fig 7). But position of the sites would result in a DNA fragment smaller than 1.5 kb (the total size of the insert), the size discrepancy is difficult to explain. Interpretation – This result is totally unexpected! The bands corresponding to both the restriction enzymes, i.e. at 1.0 kb, 2.5 kb, 3.0 kb are there but in addition there are three other intermediate size DNA fragments. The bands appear to be intermediates produced due to impartial digestion of the recombinant by the two restriction enzymes. Reason – Concentration of the enzymes was less, time of incubation is less than optimum or incubation conditions were inadequate. Sufficient time should be given for the restriction enzymes to act on all the sites. ii. NcoI digestion (Lane 4) – the restriction sites appear to be different than mine (Fig 4a). The NcoI sites appear to be closer in the 16S rDNA extracted by this student and give rise to a DNA fragment of 600 bp. Janda M. and Abbott S.L. (2007). 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing for Bacterial Identification in the Diagnostic Laboratory: Pluses, Perils, and Pitfalls. J. Clin Microbiol. 2007 September; 45(9): 2761–2764. Khare N., Sharma D., Somashekar U., Prakash A., Prakash S., Mendki M.J. and Anvikar A. (2008). Detection of bacterial DNA in cholesterol gall stones. The Internet Journal of Surgery 16 (2). Available from

A formal business letter to the Chief Executive of Arsenal FC Essay

A formal business letter to the Chief Executive of Arsenal FC - Essay Example The major external environment forces include; Based on the PESTEL model, Economy is one of the external forces that influence business practices of Arsenal. Change in the UK economy may present both the positive and the negative results to Arsenalii. Therefore, business activities and strategies used by the club should acknowledge the influence of UK economy in the club’s business activities. Growth in economy may present various opportunities to the club. On the other hand, decline in economic growth during instances of recession affects the club’s business objectives in a negative manner. Favorable economic environment is strength to the club. Arsenal generates a substantial amount of income from match ticket sales. In 2011, the audit company, Deloitte, ascertained that the club earned  £93.1 million from ticket sales. With respect to the underlying external factor, ticket purchases depend on the prevailing economic environment. Recession results in low ticket sales. On the other hand, a boom in economy increases ticket sales; hence a subsequent increase in ticket revenue. In addition, economy affects the club’s commercial activities. Sale of property and other merchandise depends on the state of UK economy. Since the club owns property, which includes houses, recession results in poor sales of property. On the other hand, improvement of economy makes fans to buy more merchandise and homes. Finally, the UK economic environment influences player value whereby growth in economy results in a subsequent increase in player value. Consequently, the club may not be in a position to sustain quality players due to exorbitant wagesiii. Technology is another external force that influence business practices of Arsenal. In the contemporary business platform, technology plays a significant role in communication. In this regard, Arsenal adopts modern technological tools in conducting some of the business

The place that we grow up in shapes our personality and our life Essay

The place that we grow up in shapes our personality and our life forever. Did you grow up in a rural town, in a crowded city, in - Essay Example I attended elementary school in this town, went for my first nature trail here, learned how to ride a bicycle and most importantly learned how to live with other people by interacting with the people of Flagstaff town. All my childhood memories are based on this beautiful town. The beautiful sceneries of Flagstaff and its caring community have influenced my persona and shaped my personality. The people of Flagstaff are warm and very friendly even to strangers. As I was growing up in Flagstaff, many of the people I interacted with believed that one should treat others the same way he or she would want to be treated. Their actions are filled with kindness and they conduct themselves with humility. The people of Flagstaff imparted these qualities on me when I was a child and I have lived to practice deeds that emulate them even when other people try to take advantage of my nature. My parents, who are Flagstaff natives, have treated other people respectfully and they have instilled the s ame on me by being a great example, thus demonstrating the manner in which I should conduct myself when interacting with other people. Flagstaff is considered one of the safest towns in Arizona as the criminal activities are isolated. The people of Flagstaff are very close and this aspect has helped them foster peace with one another. Every individual enjoys a close relationship with the people from the surrounding area, therefore, making perpetration of a crime, a difficult task. Some people from our neighborhood often joked that the little criminal activities present, were perpetrated by non-Flagstaff residents as they believed that the community did not host any criminals. Growing up in this community, one was taught to ask but never to obtain anything without the owner’s consent. My neighbor, an elderly woman, usually left her backdoor open so that the cool breeze could cool her house during the summer and no one took a piece her delicious pies without asking her for it. This is a tradition of the people of Flagstaff and assimilating it has led me to become an honest person who loves to interact with the people that I live with. Other people are able to trust me because I am able to foster honesty with them. Flagstaff is well-known for its scenic beauty, the mountainous outdoors, the nature trails and the ponderosa pine forests that make it an amenable place to camp. I fell in love with nature when I was still a kid and my father used to take my siblings and me for camping, mountaineering and mountain biking in the adjacent parks. Flagstaff is surrounded by various parks like Buffalo Park, Thorne Park and Wheeler Park, which provide great camping sites for the camping enthusiasts (Tripadvisor). It always turned out to be a great experience whenever my father took us camping as we were able to watch the different kinds of birds and animals during the day, and watch the constellations of stars at night. Camping in these areas of Flagstaff revealed tha t I had a passion for nature. Whether it was the beautiful green scenery filled with cold fresh air or it was the sandy, dry desert climate, it brought a feeling of calmness as I strolled peacefully across the environs of Flagstaff. The beautiful scenery of Flagstaff that is characterized by a pollution free environment inspired me to appreciate the environment for the many advantages associated with it. The natural beauty surrounding Flagstaff is phenomenal and the amazing places a person can

Answer these questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer these questions - Essay Example Indeed he not only wanted to impose Nazism on Germans, but he wanted to impose on all Europeans and perhaps even on everyone in the world. He believed everything he did was right and everyone should agree with him. 27. Hitler believed that all Jews were different than Germans. He wanted Germans to fit into the Aryan ideal and to be blue-eyed and blonde-haired. He desired a people that did not look at all Semitic. To Hitler, Jews could be detected by their appearance. This was another example of his anti-Semitism which led to the Holocaust. 3. Hitler definitely thought that young people should indoctrinated early on. He wanted all German students to worship him and agree with everything he said. That is why he created the Hitler Youth. Truth was whatever he said it was. 12. Hitler was a war leader because he chose to start wars everywhere in Europe. He was deluded if he thought that other people were starting wars against him. His surprise attack on the Soviet Union is a good example of this. Every time he made an agreement with someone he broke it. He was a war leader by choice. 21. In the warped way that he looked at the world, Hitler probably believed he was humane. He thought it was nice to kill people because he was doing it for a larger reason—the betterment of humankind. He had probably convinced himself that he was humane and good while at the same time committing evil acts. He was certainly

3D Printing in the world Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

3D Printing in the world - Research Paper Example This technique is a modern technique which differs in many ways from the machine techniques that were traditionally used. The traditional methods relied on the methods involving removal of materials such as cutting. This is why they were known as subtractive processes whereas 3D printing is known as additive process. The 3D printing uses the digital technology and these printers were initially manufactured by China. These printers came in the late 1980’s and ever since then they have been increasingly used all over the world. In the beginning of the 21st century, as the digital technology became more popular and advanced, the growth in the sales of the 3D printers was greatly observed. The sales of these printers increased in various parts of the world where they were used for new and innovative purposes. Gradually, as the sales and the demand grew, the costs of these printers fell immensely since they were first manufactured. Some of the purposes for which these machines were used were in industrial uses, architecture, jewelry, aerospace, engineering, medical, education, information systems and many others (Griffith, 2012). 3D printing is the technology to create materials and objects using a sequential layers technique. The materials which are produced by using the layering process can be anywhere in the product life cycle. However, the subtractive methods of manufacturing objects can be used as traditional methods in manufacturing. 3D printing was invented by Charles W. Hull (Chuck). In the mid 1980’s when it was invented, it used a stereolithography technique. This technique used a UV laser which was shined in the vat of an ultraviolet-sensitive photopolymer, and then it traced the object so that it was created on the surface. The polymer would solidify wherever it was touched by the beam, and that beam would print the particular object layer by layer as per the instructions fed in the CAD/CAM file through which it is working. CAD file is comp uter-aided design and CAM is computer-aided manufacturing. Chuck also founded a company which was called 3D Systems. The company made stereolithography machines which expensive machines of over $100,000 used in commercial techniques. 3D Systems is still operating today and now it sells the 3D printers of advanced technology. There is a variety of printers that are manufactured using different advanced technologies ranging from entry-level kits to the advanced commercial systems. The company also provides on-demand services manufacturing parts for business users. Many businesses and industries use the 3D printers and they need the machines to be up to date and maintained. There are many benefits of 3D printing which is why it is immensely used in the world today. Many designers use the 3D printing techniques to rapidly design the concepts and turn them into 3D models or rapid prototyping. It also allows for the rapid design changes which enables the designers to carry out their work rapidly and smoothly using the up to date technologies. The manufacturers are also allowed to produce the products rapidly on demand rather than on large run, which also increases the management of the sufficient amount of inventory and reduces the warehouse space. 3D printing techniques can help the people living in remote locations to fabricate the objects that would be inaccessible to them otherwise. 3D printing must be a onetime cost because once the designers and businesses have bought the machinery for 3D printing; they can save a lot of material and money which is used in subtractive techniques of manufacturing. The material in this technique is drilled, cut and shaved off; hence raw material can be wasted. 3D printing is

Network Monitoring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Network Monitoring - Essay Example This essay is based on the primal reasons for government to regulate and examine information gathered or communicated by individuals either within the country or without. In line with the thesis statement, this essay is essentially centred at providing information/evidence as to why the government should be solely in charge of networks that keep the various communications within a country. To form a valid argument, we will examine the United Kingdom's pursuit to control information. The United Kingdom government has always been faced with the need to secure information within the country mainly to help ensure that no threat is forthcoming at least not through the communication networks. This has been a debate for a long time and has seen the two main parties in the Kingdom draw various opinions. While the labour party wanted the formation of a single database for storing individual communications, the conservatives wanted a monitoring system which would ensure information is filtered; only that information which poses a threat to the people is stored. This they said was due to two facts; one, the government would infringe on the privacy of individuals something that had been done in the past but which they wanted a departure from. Of concern however is not how the politicians fought for the balance between security and privacy but the main point I want to draw is that they all agreed on the need to monitor information; notably, for the sole reason of security. In the same way, the United Kingdom government through its home secretary found the need to monitor information. The following part thus gathers the various parts of concern for these individuals and examines the information handled within and without the government quarters to help cement the need to monitor information. PART TWO-Government and Networks Government and Information Understanding the above discussed network components will help in the discussion of the government's need to secure networks for the purpose of security promotion and maintenance; especially, with the growing threats of terrorism, fraud cases and other major scandals. (Barret et al 2006) These have caught the government either unprepared or have overwhelmed government forces due to the extent and level of the technology used. This necessities that the government prepares fully for such occurrences or situations and since it is usually not possible to harness the entire human knowledge and make use of the same in developing government networks, it is then important for it to ensure that the information and methods used by these outside developers is monitored or regulated. Notice that the use of outside developers means those that are not part of the government. The other point of concern is that the corporate as well as the entire private sector has embarked in developing powerful technological equipments which enable the coding and encoding of data transported to allies of these companies or entities. If this is not monitored, then the security of the nation is likely to be in jeopardy as this information if not traced or decrypted, may contain matters likely to affect the well being of the society. Thus in conclusion, the government is definitely the one to control the amount of data that flows within the networks as it is the

3D Printing in the world Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

3D Printing in the world - Research Paper Example This technique is a modern technique which differs in many ways from the machine techniques that were traditionally used. The traditional methods relied on the methods involving removal of materials such as cutting. This is why they were known as subtractive processes whereas 3D printing is known as additive process. The 3D printing uses the digital technology and these printers were initially manufactured by China. These printers came in the late 1980’s and ever since then they have been increasingly used all over the world. In the beginning of the 21st century, as the digital technology became more popular and advanced, the growth in the sales of the 3D printers was greatly observed. The sales of these printers increased in various parts of the world where they were used for new and innovative purposes. Gradually, as the sales and the demand grew, the costs of these printers fell immensely since they were first manufactured. Some of the purposes for which these machines were used were in industrial uses, architecture, jewelry, aerospace, engineering, medical, education, information systems and many others (Griffith, 2012). 3D printing is the technology to create materials and objects using a sequential layers technique. The materials which are produced by using the layering process can be anywhere in the product life cycle. However, the subtractive methods of manufacturing objects can be used as traditional methods in manufacturing. 3D printing was invented by Charles W. Hull (Chuck). In the mid 1980’s when it was invented, it used a stereolithography technique. This technique used a UV laser which was shined in the vat of an ultraviolet-sensitive photopolymer, and then it traced the object so that it was created on the surface. The polymer would solidify wherever it was touched by the beam, and that beam would print the particular object layer by layer as per the instructions fed in the CAD/CAM file through which it is working. CAD file is comp uter-aided design and CAM is computer-aided manufacturing. Chuck also founded a company which was called 3D Systems. The company made stereolithography machines which expensive machines of over $100,000 used in commercial techniques. 3D Systems is still operating today and now it sells the 3D printers of advanced technology. There is a variety of printers that are manufactured using different advanced technologies ranging from entry-level kits to the advanced commercial systems. The company also provides on-demand services manufacturing parts for business users. Many businesses and industries use the 3D printers and they need the machines to be up to date and maintained. There are many benefits of 3D printing which is why it is immensely used in the world today. Many designers use the 3D printing techniques to rapidly design the concepts and turn them into 3D models or rapid prototyping. It also allows for the rapid design changes which enables the designers to carry out their work rapidly and smoothly using the up to date technologies. The manufacturers are also allowed to produce the products rapidly on demand rather than on large run, which also increases the management of the sufficient amount of inventory and reduces the warehouse space. 3D printing techniques can help the people living in remote locations to fabricate the objects that would be inaccessible to them otherwise. 3D printing must be a onetime cost because once the designers and businesses have bought the machinery for 3D printing; they can save a lot of material and money which is used in subtractive techniques of manufacturing. The material in this technique is drilled, cut and shaved off; hence raw material can be wasted. 3D printing is