K pax

Mental Disorders are huge impacts in people's lives. In this movie I have learned that Proto, the main character who is supposedly from a different planet called â€Å"K-Paxar†. When Proto comes to Earth, you first see him in Grand Central Station In New York City when Proto mysteriously Just appears. When the police asks him where he Is from and he explains that he is from the planet K-PAXAR, he Is arrested and sent off to Bellevue, a psychiatric hospital. When he gets to the psychiatric hospital, he meets Doctor Powell. Doctor Powell asks Proto many questions Including, do they have families and do they have wives or husbands.Proto answers that they do not have any families on K-Paxar, nor do they have wives or husbands, and If the girlfriends gets pregnant, the kids will Just be wandering around almost as If they are orphans. At the first meeting with Proto and Doctor Powell, Proto eats an apple, which he calls the apple a â€Å"Red Delicious†. When he eats the apple he chews very loud, later on In the movie he eats a banana, with the peel on and he eats It whole. Proto says that he travels faster than the speed of light. Proto tells the doctor that he Is Three-Hundred and Thirty-seven years old in human years.Proto wears dark sunglasses because he says that he is very sensitive to the light. Later on in the movie proto tells Howe, which is another patient at the psychiatric hospital, that if he can succeed three tasks that Proto will cure Howe. The first task is to find the Blue bird of happiness, when they saw a blue bird everyone in the hospital was very excited to see. After Howe saw the Blue bird, proto gave him another task which was to ***** and the last wish was to stay at the hospital. Proto says he can only bring one person back to K-PAXAR. Proto says he can only stay until July. 27 at 5:51 A.M eastern time. Throughout the movie, Doctor Powell comes attached to Proto. At a fourth of July party at doctor Powell, when proto arrives to t he party he goes straight to the dog and has a conversation with the dog. When the food came out at the party, Proto was only eating the fruit salad. One of Doctor Bowel's daughters asked proto to push her on the swing. While Proto was pushing the girl, it seemed as if he has done it before but then Doctor Powell other daughter and Nephew turned on the sprinkler which flipped a switch and he just freaked out, almost as if he had a bad experience with water.

Essay on Sports Sponsorship

The main reason for companies to invest into professional sports is because many minds of sports have a certain desirable image or the athlete / player is an idol for the people. The identification with the athletes / players is strong, they are role models for the spectators and younger generations. The Investors hope that when people see the athlete they also think of the product features and vice versa. Later If the target group goes into a shop, they see the product and remember the connection. Maybe they even buy the product.It is very important that the image of the product and the image of the athlete correspond to each other. Therefore, it is impossible in Germany that a football player would promote red lipstick. If a company needs a new or better image for itself or for a product, they often sponsor a sports club or an athlete. The German company Siemens sponsors Real Madrid because Real Madras's team Is supposed to be modern and excellent at what they do, an Image that Sie mens wishes to imply for their own company.Another reason for sports sponsorship can be the introduction of a new and still unknown product or that the company itself is still new and unknown. Therefore, the company tries to gain attention by advertising with sport events or athletes. In the sass Commodore was a pompons for the 1 . FCC Brayer Munched, because nobody knew Commodore and they gained public attention with their commitment.. But some sponsors work with little clubs to be closer to their customers. For example insurance companies are interested in the direct contact with the people.They want to sell their products. It is not important for small and regional companies to sponsor a big club. They need a little club in their area / district for success. Every company needs their own sponsor concept for success and content clients. What can be done for a sponsor at a Volleyball event.. Where and how can a sponsor show his logo or product? You have some areas for the sponsors banner, flags, flying banner etc. : o I v areas (ten Title, Press room, sponsor wall) o spectator areas (Like entry, the hall †¦. O Press areas (like the press room, the press conference†¦. ) o VII area (for the sponsors, important people †¦.. ) – It is possible to give â€Å"give sways†, papers and programs for the spectators or VISP with the sponsor logo or information. – Sometimes the sponsor have an area for information or a booth.

Is the Chinese Renminbi Undervalued Essay

Since July 2005, first time being revalued after 11 years of fixing at 8.27, Chinese Yuan has been heading towards only one direction – all the way from 8.27 to 6.27. Although Yuan is a highly regulated currency by government, Chinese officials could no longer peg the Yuan as it used to be in a closed economy because WTO had opened up doors for Chinese manufacturers in 2001 to export cheap goods and services to developed countries. With trillions of foreign capital flooding into the country, Yuan has appreciated over 30% over seven years. However, this one-way money flow cannot be sustained. Though it is not sure whether Yuan is at the absolute equilibrium, it is currently neither significantly undervalued nor overvalued. This essay is going to explain why Yuan is modestly priced with analysis in both the fundamentals and money flows. Needs for appreciation in past In theory, two open economies should have equivalent purchasing power – that is, if 10 units of foreign currency can buy something that is valued at 1 unit of domestic currency, the implied equilibrium exchange rate should also be 10(domestic as based money). Otherwise, there is an arbitrage opportunity. We call this Purchase Power Parity. In reality, despite some limitations about this theory, it explains most of the valuation problem in China. Take a look at China’s Balance of Payments over 2003-2010 and it is obvious to observe huge surplus annually in both current and capital & financial account, accumulating to a foreign reserve of $3.3 trillion. Reach equilibrium? At the government level, on one hand, it had to increase money base to maintain exchange rate against USD at a gradual appreciation pace. On the other hand, it needs to hold huge foreign assets, primarily in USD, to back up its currency from deprecation in the event of capital outflows. Amid the money inflow, Chinese central bank faced mounting pressure of inflation on local assets. The private sectors are impacted in two ways. Firstly, Chinese residents and companies feel much richer now because higher RMB increases their purchase power of foreign assets. This means more imports and capital account outflows. Secondly, inflation and appreciation means that Chinese products and services are more expensive. And this would lead to less exports. Pew Survey showed that 70% of Chinese people feel financially better off than five years ago, which among the best in the world. In the last a few years, the fact of continues Yuan appreciation, associated with stories about how China is cash rich and how Chinese investors are buying everything they can in the world, raises interesting discussion if Yuan had appreciated enough. There is also a trend that more goods are manufactured in new WTO members such as Nepal and Vietnam that have price advantage over China. Moreover, in the currency forward market, investors have priced in modest depreciation for Yuan in the next 12 months and spot market is no longer moving towards one direction. Data shows†¦ All those various observations reveal the same process that drives RMB exchange rate to an equilibrium level. Recent data also suggests that at current FX level, the rise in trade surplus and capital & finance account surplus slowed (see chart below). So does foreign reserve. What does it means? If we apply a popular formula: Capital out flow = Foreign Reserve – FDI – Trade surplus Numbers imply that 62.4 – 128.5 – 145.8 = 211.9 billions has flown out of China in the first three quarters of 2012. Although this estimation still lacks of actual evidence, the scale of growth slowing down in foreign reserve in 2012 is worth attention since it is so large that it is hard to be justified by seasonal adjustment or calculation period discrepancy. This might signal the start of reverse capital flows of Yuan, which means Yuan is no longer undervalued. Ultimately†¦ The answer to Yuan’s valuation problem is complex especially given that it is still mostly controlled by government and there are so many dynamic factors to consider. So far there are some money flows and data support the conclusion that Yuan is no longer significantly undervalued. In the long run, as expectation of Chinese government to allow a fully conversion Yuan is built on, maybe the real answer can only be found out by then.

It's Business Ethics term paper. Company report in particular Assignment

It's Business Ethics term paper. Company report in particular - Assignment Example These do not necessarily have to be the areas that the company enjoys high revenues. There is no limit as to the scope of a business’ corporate social responsibility and investment. What is of great debate is the involvement of the business in the corporate social responsibility. Shaw (2011) defines corporate social responsibility as an inbuilt, self-regulation mechanism that allows a business to monitor and ensure and it actively complies with the laws of the country, ethical standards, and the international norms. It stresses the importance of the company taking responsibility for its actions, encouraging the need for positive impact through involvement in the environment, consumers, employees of the business, communities surrounding the business, stakeholders of the company, and the public in general (Schwartz, 2011). Business ethics indicates how businesses examine the ethical problems that arise in the business environment, applying in the aspects of business conduct. Cor porate social investment is allocation of a part of a business’ budget into corporate social responsibility activities, which are not necessarily supposed to bring any revenue to the company (Arnold 2002). 2. Wal-mart Stores Company was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton. As of 2012, it is the world’s third largest public corporation, operating chains of department stores and warehouses across the globe. The company owns 8500 stores around the globe in 15 countries that are registered under 15 different names. It has over two million employees, making it the world’s biggest private employer, and it is the world’s most valuable company (Halepete et al., 2006). Although Wal-Mart has been severally accuse of paying its employees’ salaries below the wage rate, taking customers from neighbourhood stores and hurting its neighbouring communities, and its predatory pricing, in the recent past, it has undergone a major transformation and focused to commit itself on progressive policies aimed towards corporate social responsibility. Recently, as a way of showing its corporate responsibility and concern to its customers, decided to reduce unhealthy salt levels, fats and sugars in most of its packaged food. To encourage healthy living through eating and feeding, the company lowered prices on healthy products such as fruits and vegetables (Halepete et al., 2006). Concern for community does not have to take the form of capital investment or resource allocation, it can do this by the product and services it offers to the masses. Secure products that are of high quality and of correct amount indicates a company’s dedication to corporate social responsibility through care and concern for the people (Werther & Chandler, 2011). The company does not only focus on promoting healthy living among its customers, but also has concern for the environment, a plan evident from its energy minimization plan. Its environmental concern measures include ef ficient use of energy by reducing greenhouse gas emission. This, the company is not shy of spending $500 million a year to increase its fuel efficiency. The pledge by the company’s management is to decrease greenhouse gasses emission by 20% in a period of seven years. It also pledged to reduce its energy use in the stores, by 30% in the same period, cutting its solid waste emission by 25% from the U.S. stores and clubs in a span of three years. It does not only gain good

The main components Kuwaiti society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The main components Kuwaiti society - Essay Example r, increased need for labour with economic expansion and reconstruction after the Iraqi invasion drew new labour from Asia, after which immigrants made up at least a third of Kuwait’s population increase. The Bedouin is another component of Kuwaiti society, such as the Mutair, the Awazim, and the Ajman, who are well represented in the Kuwaiti assembly and cabinet (p.596). They continue to retain their tribal values despite increased urbanization and integration. Traditionally perceived as government allies, Bedouins been granted welfare benefits and citizenship, although latter developments have seen some sections become critical of government. Another component is made up of the Shiites from KSA, Bahrain, and Iran that makes up a substantial minority and whose resistance to Iraqi invasion despite religious affiliations improved their standing in Kuwaiti society (p.597). Another component, the Bidun, never attained formal citizenship documents, thus is referred to as stateless. Their fate is still not settled and attempts to gain citizenships have been repressed by the government. Merchants also play role in society and, although their political role was undermined by the discovery of oil, their economic role is still significant in financial institutions and Kuwaiti privatization efforts (p.598). Finally, Islamists are an increasingly powerful component force in Kuwaiti society, despite the manifest Sunni-Shiite religious divide. From this discussion, it is evident that the Islamist component has the biggest role to play in Kuwait’s political future. This trend was started by co-option into government to fight the nationalist threat in the assembly, as well as the increasingly prominent role of the Bedouin. It continued with the capture of 36% of representative seats in the assembly in 1999 (p.599). Despite Sunni/Shiite division on the basis of tactics and priorities, their unity in attempting to change certain aspects of Kuwait’s society means that this

Network Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Network Security - Essay Example 2007). It is the twentieth century where improved communication technologies are inventing one after another. Internet has become a powerful and interactive delivery service providing extensive activities and web services. Organisations expand their resources with the help of Internet. Websites are created, for informational purposes, advertisement, online shopping etc. In the modernized countries, Internet is utilized for business: Education purposes Online shopping (Comet, EBay, etc) Blogs (Bloggers, Word Press, etc) Social-Networking (Facebook, Myspace, etc) Information (Advertising) Even today, where every technology interrelated to Information technology involves the ‘.com’ phenomenon; Internet is relatively an evolving field, which is constantly changing. Extensive use of computing technology has aid different scale organisations to achieve targets. Information technology evolution has introduced innovations for business processes and communication. Moreover, infor mation technology has rendered a new approach for conducting business on new channels, and is proceeding further to add numerous benefits and modernization due to its global reach around the globe. However, the expandable adoptability has provided new loopholes for threats and vulnerabilities. Organizations are more apprehensive about the security of the network rather that adding functionality. Moreover, massive funds are allocated for network security along with advanced security hardware devices including Hardware Security Modules (HSM), which are deployed to secure mission critical data. However, frequent updates are required, for firmware and hardware, to keep them updated for potential threats that may disrupt data or perform any security breach. From time to time, the hackers and cyber criminals develop new threats. Even the updated security hardware is not sufficient for securing the network , because there is always a probability of a new threat, which may bypass the securi ty mechanism anytime. Moreover, hackers and cyber criminals also conduct research on security products in order to develop a threat, which may intrude and sidestep the security of these products. The main objectives of a cyber criminal includes, bank account hacking, credit card hacking to achieve money. The uprising of Information Technology has created new trends of doing business and communication. Furthermore, technology has provided a new approach of operating businesses during the past several years, and continues to provide numerous benefits as it spreads all over the world. However, with its extensive adoption, threats and vulnerabilities are also growing. Organisations spent vast funds to secure their confidential data and network environment. In addition, hardware security modules are taken into consideration for securing mission-critical data. However, these modules need frequent updates for virus definitions and new threats, which may disturb the network. Every now and t hen, new threats are designed and developed by hackers and cyber criminals. In spite of securing the networks and data centers, with the most updated and advanced security modules, there is still a probability of a new threat to break into the network. In addition, hackers and cyber criminals are exploring efficient codes day by day to advance the hacking tools, in order to breach in to classified information, banks and

Production of computers of various brands Essay

Production of computers of various brands - Essay Example Relevance to lifestyle of customer –the brands to be produced by Global Ventures Plc will be relevant to the lifestyle of various customers .there will be computers specifically designed and with can only be afforded for high class groups, middle class, low class and research purposes. Therefore various demands of the customers will be made thereby ensuring customers satisfaction. Economies of scale Unprocessed raw materials required in the production of computers are cheap and readily available from within the local markets and several foreign countries. In addition, the component parts required, major equipments, accessory equipments are less expensive and are readily available. Furthermore there is available specialized labor and efficient machinery which will reduce marginal costs when the capacity of productivity will increase. Competition Although the company does not have enough to tremendously expand production within a short time, there will be less competition for th e products that the company will produce. This is because the computer we intend to develop will have unique characters and quality of which none of our potential competitor has. Therefore because of uniqueness of our product there will be less competition even though the company will not utilize the whole market as it’s expected because the capital it has cannot allow for such quick expansion. Â  Consumable Computers have a recurring sales value and therefore they will needs to be replaced when they develop functional problems or spare parts have to be bought to replace the parts that have become non-functional. This therefore will establish a long term sales and a customer base with same products. Customers would therefore come back again and again to buy more as they use up what... From this paper it is clear that South Korea has a higher Gross Domestic Product and higher purchasing power with high potential for future economic growth that is vital to the growth and development of our company. Mass market south Korea will provide market to the computers and other accessories manufactured in bulk by our company while niche market will provide market to the products and services provided by the company which target specific market needs, as well as production quality, price range, and the demographics. In addition South Korea has a high number of government contracts and big corporate orders. This will further expand our market share for our products and also improve company sales and thereby increasing the profit accrued. Because of well developed infrastructure in South Korea, there is great ease with which our company will develop mass retail outlets and this will ensure easier accessibility to our products by customers hence increase in sale recorded. Proximi ty of ports (air and sea) in South Korea will reduce transport costs and also it will ensure easier export of the product to the market through the air and sea routes. In addition, the socio-cultural practices in South Korea have a less influence on consumers. Contractual procedures are friendly to attract investors. Since our products are at the beginning of the product lifecycle, their demand in south Korea would be less sensitive to recession because there will be no substitutes with the same qualities and usability.

Protecting the Interests of the Employees Assignment

Protecting the Interests of the Employees - Assignment Example The main aim why the WARN act was initiated to offer advance notices was to allow the employee and their families sufficient time to adjust to the prospective job termination. This also allows them to seek other employment opportunities as well acquisition of new skills that will make them more competitive in their new job prospects. There are a number of employees who are not covered by the WARN Act hence they are not subject to advance notice by their employers. Such include workers who are taking part in strike actions as well as those who are subject to labor disputes. Business partners, contract employees, and consultants who are charged with the responsibility for some period by an organization are not entitled to notification from their employers (Ford, et. al, 2000). The federal, local government and state employees are not subject to the Act as they are deemed to be protected by the government under other labor laws. Those employed on the temporary basis and those who have no direct control of the undertakings of the companies that they are working for are left out of the Warn Act. One of the factors that trigger the issuance of advance notice is the closure of a plant. An employer who is covered by the Act must issue the notice in circumstances where an employment site is to be shut down which is likely to lead to loss of employment. The only exemption to those who are to receive notice are the employees who have only worked for a period of six months in the last one year and those who work for the employer for an average of 20 hours per week. Another trigger is during mass layoffs in which an employer under the Act must issue advance notice where loss of employment is likely to take place (the United States, 1993). The general requirements for the notice include the fact that all must be made in writing but any method of delivery s acceptable. The notice has to be very specific and it must be given conditionally upon the occurrence or the non-occurrence of a given event. The WARN Act is thus a clear provision of the law that seeks to protect the interest of t he American workers. This Act has seen its application in all the states in a bid to safeguard the interest of the employees.        

Synthesis paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Synthesis - Research Paper Example For a fact, autism is a complex condition that can never be associated with a particular factor. Rather, several factors contribute to a seemingly increase in the level of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) as seen in recent decades (Neal A et al., 2000). It is also true that the confusion existing about the causes of autism in the public domain has made primary care for patients with autism very challenging. Through critical analysis, the lack of information has caused the understanding of causes and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) challenging. This is evident in the current prevalence of autism particularly in post-industrialized nations. Another confusion that has dragged the efforts into the understanding of the condition is the existing doubts about the safety of MMR triple vaccine, is due to the fact that the single antigen vaccines has never been a concern of many health professionals. One can argue that that squabble falls because many ignore the safety of the single antigen vaccines. The lack of awareness of the correlation between MMR and autism in children can be attributed to the scientific evidence that is inadequate to many health care providers and an inability to judge MMR validity. In this regard, (Sengupta et al., 2004) advices that it is important that the various health professionals take this challenge and know all they are required to regarding autism. This according to their article would not only benefit them professionally but as well help them whenever they are advising parents of their clients. In a nutshell, the article explores the background to, and implications of, the confusion that MMR triple vaccine causes the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Studying of autism on a broader perspective not only help in isolating the cause but likewise assist during diagnosis and treatment. Such a perspective is critical bearing in mind the tremendous increase in autism

Report on the Analysis of Ineffective Communication in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Report on the Analysis of Ineffective Communication in the Workplace Essay This report will analyse and examine issues of interpersonal behaviour in the workplace. It will describe a scenario observed concerning communication and will include an analysis of the problems that occurred. A conclusion will be made which will lead to recommendations to prevent this situation from recurring. 2. 0 The scenario The main conflict in this scenario transpired between persons B and C (see appendix 1) on the shop floor of B Q. Person B had previously spoken rudely about person C to person D. Persons D and C are good friends, therefore person D informed C about the incident. Person C then discussed the issue with Person A who had a one-to-one meeting with person B. The outcome of the meeting was that Person B should have an informal meeting with person C to resolve the issue. However, person B avoided holding this meeting and instead chose to speak to person C on the shop floor in the presence of customers. (See appendix 2 for the transcript of the scenario). 3. 0 Transactional Analysis and Effective Communication Transactional Analysis assists when evaluating this situation as the model is a popular way of explaining the dynamics of interpersonal communication. It was developed by Eric Berne in 1949 and has two fundamental assumptions; all the events and feelings people experience are stored within them and can be replayed, and that personality is made up of three ego states that manifest themselves in gesture, tone of voice and actions. The child ego state is described as the ‘feelings state’ and involves people behaving as they did when they were a child. This includes three sub-states which are the ‘free or natural child’, the ‘little professor’ and the ‘rebellious child’. The free or natural child state focuses on genuine feelings, acting on impulse and letting others know how we feel. The little professor state is creative, questioning and experimental. As the name suggests, the rebellious child state invokes rebellion, frustration and withdrawal. The adult ego state involves behaviour that concerns thought processes and can be defined as ‘the thoughtful’ state. This state focuses on data collection, reality testing and objectiveness. The parent state is described as the ‘taught’ state and consists of two sub-states; the nurturing and the critical parent. In this state, people take responsibility and tend to behave in ways learnt from parental figures. The nurturing parent state involves caring for other people, whereas in the critical or controlling parent state people have a tendency to lay down rules and boundaries and insist on their own method of getting the job done. Exclusions of ego states occur when someone is permanently using one ego state and cuts off the others (see appendix 7). There are three types of transactions in communication; complementary, crossed and ulterior (see appendix 3). When both parties’ ego states match, this is a complementary transaction and communication can continue. Crossed transactions occur when one party addresses a different ego state to the one the other party is currently in. The communication in crossed transactions disintegrates and can result in bad feelings. Ulterior transactions involve a crossed transaction on a psychological level, however on the surface the ego states seem to match leading to people playing games with one another. Strokes are units of recognition and are given and received via the five senses. Positive strokes are life and growth encouraging, whereas negative strokes are the opposite and cause the recipient to feel dejected. Transactional analysis assumes that our characteristic ways of feeling and behaving derive from the way we feel about ourselves in relation to other people. These are referred to as the four life positions and consist of â€Å"I’m not OK, You’re OK†, â€Å"I’m not OK, You’re not OK†, â€Å"I’m OK, You’re not OK† and â€Å"I’m OK, You’re OK† (see appendix 4). Body language is another method used to communicate and can assist when deciphering an underlying message that someone is trying to purvey. According to Pivcevic, â€Å"it is commonly agreed that 80 per cent of communication is non-verbal† (Mullins, L. J, 2010, pp 235). Effective communication is achieved by attending, reflecting and following (see appendix 5). This benefits both the listener and the speaker as it aids the listener in thoroughly understanding what the speaker is saying. Attending is non-verbal communication that signifies someone is paying careful attention to the person talking. Attending includes body posture, gestures, eye contact and an environment free of distractions. Following skills require the listener to offer openers and encouragements. Openers are non-coercive invitations for the speaker to talk and include judgemental, reassuring and advice statements. Opening questions and silence can be used as they encourage and concentrate on the concerns of the speaker rather than the listener. Reflecting skills avoid both speaker and listener problems. Words are perceived differently to people and listeners can often become distracted. Reflective responses are non-judgmental and help the listener to grasp the feelings of the speaker. Guirdham’s cycle of perception and behaviour can also aid in analysing communication as perceptions can alter the way in which we behave, thus having an effect on communication (see appendix 8). 4. 0 Analysis of the scenario By applying the Transactional analysis model, it is evident that when person B approached C, she was speaking from her critical parent ego state. This state is condescending and admonishing and can cause the addressee to feel discouraged. When replying, person C speaks from her adult ego state which is objective and rational, presenting a crossed transaction as B was addressing a different ego state to that of which C is currently in (see appendix 3). Person B should have shifted to an adult ego state to ensure that the states matched, amending it to a complementary transaction. However, B replies she has no time denoting that she is speaking from her critical parent ego state and sending out negative strokes. Her abrupt and loud tone insinuates she is defensive and angry. Her body language also gives an implication of her underlying message as she is walking away from the situation with her arms crossed, suggesting she is uninterested. Person C is rational and relaxed with her body language, making constant eye contact and positioning herself closely to person B, signifying she is listening intently. C’s ego state shifts to a rebellious child state when B’s body language and attitude is perceived as rude, abrupt and unconcerned. This subliminal communication causes an argument to break out and C begins to speak vociferously. The clenching of her fists and words spoken infer this shift in ego state. A change in behaviour occurs due to C’s perceptions of B’s behaviour (see appendix 8). Person A then interrupts the conversation and speaks from a nurturing parent ego state; this is presumed as he interjects with a question, â€Å"are you okay guys? † He places a hand on person C’s shoulder, signalling a display of power over her. At this point, person B begins to fiddle with her pen, suggesting a transition out of her comfort zone and showing she is uncomfortable in the situation. By this point, person C is very distressed and is deep in a rebellious child ego state. Her body language conveys feelings of anger and frustration as she is frantically waving her arms. Person B is reluctant to apologise or be sympathetic throughout the incident, indicating her ego state has not changed. This implies that she is currently in an arrogant life position as she feels she is not in the wrong (see appendix 4). She walks away, with her arms crossed expressing hostility and disregard to the situation. Person C reverts back to an adult ego state towards the end of the conversation and realises that she needs to calm down and clear her head. She also displays anxiety as she begins to bite her lip. Person A has maintained a nurturing parent ego state throughout as he is caring and tries to control and pacify the situation. 5. 0 Conclusion In conclusion, person B has inadequate communication skills. The crossed transaction, exclusion of other ego states and current life position (see appendix 4) of person B combine together to make her appear arrogant and uninterested, leading to conflict between the two parties. Attending, following and reflecting skills (see appendix 5) should have been applied to the conversation on B’s part to ensure effective communication took place. Person B’s disregard to instructions given to her by A could be due to the age gap between the two. According to Hart (Mullins, L. J, 2010, pp 101), age gaps can lead to conflict in the workplace as there is a dispute between age and experience. 6. 0 Recommendations To avoid this situation recurring, person B should receive training on interpersonal skills (see appendix 6), attending, following and listening (see appendix 5), enabling her to understand her own behaviour, other points of view and improve communication skills. Person A should hold an informal, one-to-one meeting with B and discuss possible outcomes of the meeting, such as training. Person A should identify whether B is in a constant ‘arrogant or cosmetic’ life position as she could have been having a bad day when the argument broke out. If it is found that her constant life position is ‘I’m OK, you’re not OK’ then an attempt should be made to modify this as it has a negative effect on communication. Person A should ensure this is carried out in a conscientious manner to prevent another conflicting situation from occurring. Person A should avoid singling out B as this could demotivate her from joining work shop training, so should offer the opportunity to every employee. This informal, fun atmosphere may help to improve person B’s opinions of others and alter her current life position. Another method of altering person B’s life position is to offer counselling but should be suggested at a later date if workshops fail.

Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay

Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay Travelodge is the first budget hotel launched in 1985 in UK. It operates 380 hotels with 26,500 room in the UK. Travelodge is planning to grow 1000 more hotels by 2020. It employs above 5500 people and 87% of the booking are made online. The UK hotel market is estimated around 700,000 rooms (source: Melvyn Gold, Qualification of serviced accommodation supply in UK, December 2007) UK hotel market is segmented mainly into four categories, Brander full service which has 14% of the market share, branded budget 12% branded mid market 62% and unbranded independents 62%.the current economic environment has seen increase in drop out of unbranded independents and people prefer to book with branded budget due to network coverage, brand strength strong balance sheet and distribution. Grant Hearn, Travelodge CEO, commented: 2008 was another record year of growth for the Travelodge brand with over 19% revenue growth. Room sold increased by 9 percent to 6 million The growth of Travelodge has been incredible but company faced a few challenges and one of the major challenge company is facing is overbooking. Overbooking is one of the important revenue management tool in hotels operation management to operate effectively and enhance profitability. Revenue Management is seen as an important technique in the hotels operation and therefore to maximize their revenues, hotels are increasingly implementing Revenue Management practices (Hwang and Wen, 2009). As a consequence of implementing such systems, many companies in the service sector such as hotels systematically overbook capacity in order to maximize the revenue at one particular point in time (Wangenheim and Bayà ³n, 2007). If overbooking is not implemented correctly it can result in loss of room revenue, loss of hotel reputation, decreased customer loyalty and decrease hotels profitability. This report discusses the main characteristics of overbooking and its impact on the company in theoretical and practical prospective. Theoretical insights of overbooking One of the central concepts in Revenue Management is overbooking. The practice of overbooking can be defined as confirming more reservations than the hotels available physical capacity to provide the service. (Ivanov, 2006; Ivanov, 2007; Chiang et al 2007; McGill, van Ryzin,1999; Kamath, Bhosale, Manjrekar,2008). Hence, the objective of overbooking is to improve the expected profit and instead of selling each room once, profit can be increased by selling it several times (Birkenheuer, 2009). In fact, overbooking as an integral part of Revenue Management has received significant attention from literature. From a historical perspective, overbooking is present in the studies of Falkson (1969), Simon (1968), Vickrey (1972) and many others. The major objective of these studies was to outline a control practice for cancellations. Nowadays, overbooking has become an emerging matter in industries with perishable products. It yields considerable impacts on companies performance. In terms of the hospitality industry, the profitability of hotels is largely dependent on their utilization of capacity. Conversely, demand for rooms and extensions of stay are very unstable and are hard to predict (van Ryzin, 2005). Hoteliers are challenged by how to determine the occupation of rooms for customers who are financially unequal and meanwhile maintain a stable rate of demand given the hard to predict circumstances (Okumus, 2004). This is all possible utilizing overbooking, which enables proper allocation of resources and optimization of sales. However, maximizing the number of sold rooms per night cannot be easily accomplished. One of the most challenging tasks of the hotel operation management is to deal with the unpredictable nature of the customers, because not all booked reservations will turn into real service consumption (Lai et al, 2005). To this end overbooking may entail a company from the hospitality industry not being able to serve all its customers properly because of lower number of initially expected people that do not appear as agreed. In this respect, overbooking may have both positive and negative impact. On the one hand, it may result in refusal to provide a service, but on the other, it can also take the form of compensation for those bookers, who cannot received the value package they have agreed on and paid for (Kimes and Wagner, 2001). From their practical experience managers know that all not bookings confirmed for a particular date will be really used (Ivanov, 2006). There are several possible scenarios that can cause this. Despite of their reservations, because of different circumstances some guests cancel their stay and terminate their reservations, some does not cancel their booking but fail to show up, or other guests reduce their stay and as a result the room remains unsold and hence capacity not utilize is lost forever (Ivanov, 2006, Talluri et al, 2004; Chiang et al, 2007; Hung, 2004; Bitran; Leon, 1989). Therefore hotels adopt overbooking in order to protect against losses with no-shows and to offset the effect of cancellations and shortened stays (Hwang and Wen, 2009; Kamath et al, 2008; Selmi, 2008; Chiang et al 2007; Hung, 2004; Sulistio, Kim, and Buyya, 2008). Impacts of overbooking on hotels operation management Apart from the opportunity of the hotel to minimize the effect of reservation uncertainties there are possibilities the number of cancellations and no shows to be less then the number of overbookings, then some of the clients will not be accommodated and should be walked to other hotels (Ivanov, 2006). Thus, if a hotel decides to employ overbooking in its operations it should manages carefully not only the opportunity cost of the unsold room but also the overbooking costs for alternative hotel accommodation and transportation that the hotel has to pay in order to compensate a customer in case of overbooking (Ivanov, 2006; Hung, 2004). Besides the evident financial costs occurring in case of walking a guest having already booked, costs the lost hotels goodwill and reputation and the risks of dissatisfaction, loss of trust, loss of future customer loyalty are much more expensive for the hotel (Selmi, 2007). Overbooking policy and control According to Selmi (2007), the risk of customer refusal appears if the overbooking is no realized precisely. In this regard, Kimes (1989) emphasized on the importance of a clearly stated overbooking policy within the hotel operation management. The objective of overbooking policy and control is to find an optimal overbooking level to maximize the expected revenue and to minimize the potential risk of denied service (Chiang et al 2007). Netessine and Shumsky (2002) as cited by Ivanov (2006; 2007) proposed a basic mathematical model for calculating the optimal number of overbookings and according to his findings the optimal overbooking level is inversely related to the amount of cance llation charges applied the closer the cancellation charge to the room rate, the lower the missed benefit from the unoccupied room and the less stimuli to overbook. In case of presence of guaranteed and non-guaranteed bookings, Ivanov (2007) suggests that the optimal number of overbookings has to be set separately for each type. Alternatively, according to Hung (2004) factors that could be considered while setting overbooking limits include: probabilities of cancellation and no-show; room demand distribution over time and conditions of length of stay; stay extension probabilities influenced by the intended length of stay. Moreover Hung (2004) assumes that the proportion of cancellations depends on the customer category, intended length of stay, day of week of first stay over, and time until first stay over. Impact of overbooking on customer behavior According to Talluri et al (2004) overbooking is frequently cited in customer complaints and remains the primary source of dissatisfaction. Moreover, results of an experiment made by Wangenheim and Bayà ³n (2007) confirm that the practice of overbooking is likely to be perceived as unfair by service customers. Wangenheim and Bayà ³n (2007) analyze behavioral consequences of the fairness towards overbooking by proposing and confirming several hypotheses. According to their research the negative consequences of service failure arising from overbooking are stronger for the high status customer than for the low status customers and therefore, hoteliers have to carefully overbook its high-values classes. Additionally, Wangenheim and Bayà ³n (2007) emphasize on the importance that if a hotel ignores the log-run behavior consequences of overbooking, this may lead to negative consequences on its operations. One such negative consequence is proposed to be a customer who faces a denied service due to overbooking and still remains hotels client because of either high fixed switching barriers or current loyalty membership programs. However, in response to the service failure the customer may adjust its investment into the exchange relationship not only by decreasing the number of sales, but also by trying to take advantage of discount offers or purchasing lower level services from the hotel (Wangenheim and Bayà ³n, 2007). On the other hand, Hwang and Wen (2009) analyze the effect of the perceived fairness toward hotels overbooking and compensation practices by examining customers reactions toward hotel overbooking. Some of their most vital findings from this study are that women are more likely than men to feel that overbooking is unfair, customers perceptions to the fairness of overbooking is not affected by other customer variables including length of stay, membership status, payer source, reservation channel, and reservation time; participants perceived fairness toward the hotels overbooking and compensation policies were strongly correlated with positive word-of-mouth publicity. One of the most important results of the research shows that the perceived fairness of the participants toward the hotels compensation policy is related to their loyalty. Therefore, Hwang and Wen (2009) propose that hotels should consider designing compensations that help positively influence customers perceived fairness t oward overbooking and that encourage customers ongoing patronage and loyalty. In a conclusion, issues like determining the optimal number of excess reservations, minimizing compensation cost, and dealing with the negative effects from customers facing a denied service are considered as the most challenging areas of the practice of overbooking and every hotel striving to maximize its profitability should not underestimate them (Sulistio, Kim, and Buyya, 2008). Practical Implications of overbooking As the hospitality industry is evolving, hotel owners and hotel managers are constantly seeking to update their approaches in order to achieve optimal allocation of resources. Novelli, Schmitz and Spencer (2006) have discovered that hoteliers make every effort to employ contemporary technologies in their business. By this implication, hotel managers and owners do not only sustain competitive advantage, but also create new products and services. In view of this, it can be concluded that implementation of new technologies that create new products is a technological innovation (Evangelista, 1999). On the other hand, the implementation of innovative technologies to a service company can have a significant influence in terms of operational efficiency (Freeman and Soete, 1997). Additionally, Porter (1990) supports the latter thesis by highlighting that the performance of a company is highly dependent on new technologies. In view of technological innovations today many hotels recognize the importance of overbooking practice and thus its implementation has become generally accepted step toward hotels successful operations. The practical application of Revenue Management and Overbooking incorporates the following integral elements (Vinod, 2004): Figure 1 Revenue Management application C:UsersamadDesktopCapture.JPG Source: Vinod, B. (2004), Journal of Revenue Pricing Management Market segmentation: Segmenting customers according to their preferences and spending patterns is a must to make sure the most appropriate customers with perfectly fitted attributes are sold the proper rooms that can maximize revenues (Oliveira, 2003). Defining rate classes (inventory pooling): Involves creating groups of the existing rates that close in terms of value (Vinod, 2004). Demand forecasting: demand forecasting is essential to determine room occupancy. In the context of Revenue Management it is important as it can control occupancy using the data of length of stay. This can be achieved by possessing data on rate class demand and duration of stay (Vinod, 2004). Supply forecasting: earlier and late checkouts can also determine room occupancy, which is an element also involved in Revenue Management. Overbooking control: encompasses sales of rooms exceeding the maximum available number of rooms to offset for no shows and cancellations. However, there are some risks associated with overbooking as it may result in grievances from unsatisfied customers who have received an inappropriate room. In such cases hoteliers offer compensations and fringe benefits (Smith, 1982). According to Vinod (1992) Revenue Management can bring 20% of the total revenues. Revenue mix control and exception processing: involves planning important future dates with discretion and matching them with overbooking levels (Vinod, 2004). Performance measurement and management reporting: closely scrutinizing the Revenue Management processes is essential to track down the data quality and future planning basis. However, in order to lead a hotel into a winning direction, overbooking has to be managed and controlled very carefully. Ivanov (2006) defines the management of overbooking as a set of managerial techniques and activities connected with continuous planning, reservation and control and he outlined two main groups of activities that should be performed in the daily hotel operation. The hotel managers should on one hand, to define an optimal number of overbookings for each date and continuously to modify it according to the market changes of the hotel and the specific demand and booking patters and on the other hand, to manage carefully decisions and operational activities related with walking guests with overbookings. In this regard, Ivanov (2006) proposes that factors such as length of stay, rooms rates and client status have to be considered by hotel managers while dealing with walking a guest with confirmed reservation. Additionally, Kimes (1989) analyzes several managerial concerns essential for an effective overbooking practice and states that top management cannot assume that Revenue Management will just happen, it requires careful planning and training. Thus employees have to be i ntensively trained in order to clearly understand the aim and characteristics of overbooking. Moreover, employees who are directly dealing with overbooking decisions have to be periodically trained how to behave in possible customer conflicts and to take their own decisions in an unfamiliar situation (Ivanov, 2006). In order to be minimized the possible customer dissatisfaction in case of overbooking, it is vital for the hotel to establish service recovery programmes with standardized procedures and to make employees to be aware and follow them (Ivanov, 2006) For a profitable applied overbooking in the hospitality industry, hotels must understand not only consumers behavior but also to consider the impact of competition and the currently economic situation that imposes significant supply and demand fluctuations. As hotels compete with each other in order to attract more customers, Revenue Management decisions of one hotel inevitably influence the demand for other hotels in the same region or area. However, recent trends propose that hotels should collaborate with is competitors that result in increased number of formed alliances with each other to maximize their revenue (Chiang et al, 2007) Revenue Managements challenges in the hospitality industry As explained before, Revenue Management finds application to two significant industries: hospitality and airline. The first one, however, is much more complex in terms of industry saturation and rooms management. This creates hurdles for the optimal operation of Revenue Management techniques. I n the hotel industry Revenue Management can be applied either locally or via centralized system. The second one involves gathering data and taking decisions from a focal site for other properties. In practice only a limited number of hotels and hotel chains are able to manage centralized data processing and therefore the majority of players on the hospitality industry opt for property based Revenue Management. Recommendations for future research Despite of the acknowledged importance of overbooking as one the most effective successful Revenue Management techniques used in hotel operation and widely discussed topic in research literature, there are no current studies discussing the overbooking management of Bulgarian hotels and its impact on their operation. Therefore, future research may focus on the possible application of Revenue Management techniques to the Bulgarian hospitality industry. Future studies may also focus on the demand side of Bulgarian tourism as the country has witnessed fluctuating visitor rates during the past two decades despite the growing profits generated by the particular industry. Conclusions In order to survive in the furious competition and to generate more revenue while using the same amount of recourses it is necessary and critical to the hotels operation management to use effectively its reservation inventory and to increase its occupancy rate (Hung, 2004). Revenue Management techniques and the models of overbooking if applied appropriately would maximize the revenues of hotels (Kamath et al, 2008). However, the possibilities of customer dissatisfaction, and risk of loss of reputation because of denied service, force many hotels to avoid the practice of overbooking. Therefore, before hotel managers to deicide whether or not to implement overbooking they should first consider what Birkenheuer (2009) explained the best estimation of risk and opportunity will provide the best profit. In this study we have outlined the dynamic nature of service industries and have demonstrated the importance of Revenue Management and most notably one of its most significant aspects ove rbooking. We have narrowed the scope of this research down to the hospitality industry and have found major differences in the demand patterns towards such companies in the former industry. Some customers prefer flexible cancellation terms, while others are not much attentive to that. Hoteliers offer differential pricing to their own advantage to hedge against fluctuating demand. We have also found that substitution is one of the most effective method of managing overbooking practices, but yet a cost/benefit analysis must be performed in order to track down the real consequences. Essentially, within the current dynamic decision making situation in the hospitality industry, overbooking levels have been found to have significant revenue maximizing properties. In view of this, through this study we have discovered some of the chief management objectives that could be achieved through overbooking in the framework of Revenue Management: profit maximization; capacity allocation; maximizat ion of average revenue per customer; maximization of net present value; and minimization of customer grievances. Finally, as hospitality industry on a global scale is a mass volume-driven business, overbooking has become an emerging topic as vacant rooms do not bring any profits. However, perhaps even more significant remains the problem how to manage customer disappointment, in cases they cannot be relocated to similar hotels as a result of overbooking.

Impact of Planning and Development on Property Values

Impact of Planning and Development on Property Values The first chapter has discussed the issue regarding this particular study in terms of the objectives, scope of study, and significance of study, methodology of study and chapter outline. In this second chapter, the discussion will be mainly on the theoretical aspect of the planning and development in this study. The explanation by literature review will be given in this chapter is as continuity to achieve the objective. The purpose of literature review is to establish the microeconomic factor affecting residential property values. Furthermore, this chapter is also going to discuss the planning and the market, planning system in Malaysia and zoning definition .Apart from that, this chapter will also look at the relationship between microeconomic factor and residential property value and the impact of planning and development towards residential property values. The chapter start with discuss planning and the market and what is the factor affecting residential property value and underline theoretical on property value. The theories to achieve the second objective of this study which is identify factor affecting residential property value based on planning and development. Conclusion of the finding will be given at the end of this chapter. 2.2 Planning and The Market According Peter Cowan (1973), planning is defined as making plans, strategies, interpretation, according to which planning covers almost every aspect of human affairs. Alternatively, Neutze (1987) suggests that planning of land use helps to reduce the level of improbability about the form and level of development that will be suitable and allowable. It raises the supply of residential and to reduce the price of land for development. The main objective of planning is to allocate land uses to meet the economic and social needs of people. Referring to Lean and Goodall (1966), planning and development are subject to change in use of pattern and consequently in value. Social and economic changes will effect on property such as land and building values. Basically the pattern of land use is a signal of competition for sites between various uses functioning through the forces of demand and supply. In an attempt to compete for space at the choice location, some uses are displaced for other potential uses that willing to pay higher prices. In the same element, owners of property will choose location will that offer the greatest advantage on price. Subsequent to Mayer and Somerville (1999) established a structural model describing the relationship between planning regulation and residential market supply. They considered two types of planning regulations, namely impose explicit financial costs on builders such as development or impact fees and those that delay or lengthen the development process. The model shows that in the absence of input prices for land, housing starts are properly specified as a function of changes in the level of house prices, and not as a direct function of the level itself. According Li and Brown (1980) tested the impacts of three types of neighbourhood factors such as aesthetic attributes, pollution levels and proximity on housing values. Li and Brown (1980) findings suggested that housing prices rose due to accessibility but fell due to problems such as congestion, pollution or unsightliness. Based on Monk Whitehead (1996), planning bring impact on the property market by restraining the location and type of house thus increasing property price. 2.3 Planning system in Malaysia Planning activities mainly fall into three broad categories such as forward planning, which mainly involve the preparation and updating of regional strategies, county structure plans, and local plans. According to Bramley, Barlett, and Lambert (1995), development control which involves local planning authorities responding to applications for the right to undertake specific developments from land owners or developers implementation, which involves direct industrial, commercial or housing development by or involving public authorities. As mentioned by Dale and Mclaughlin (1999), there are two basic approaches to regulating how land is developed and used. This can be by way of legislation applying to all properties uniformly, or by way of a permit system in which a property owner must make application at the time of a proposed development. According to Sukuran and Ho (2008), town planning system is principally a system of preventive control of various land uses patterns where upon the controlling authority would not allow any approval for development activity if adverse impact on surrounding environment were visualize. Town and country planning has been called urban and regional planning, land use planning, and city planning or physical plan in different countries. Town planning is therefore not mere layout plans of residential, industrial commercial or recreational activities, but a combination of components and elements which help to make the complete living, working and play environment which determines the quality of life its residents. Above are town planning concepts and principles which have taken into consideration by a planner in the preparation for planning submission for property development in general and specifically in Malaysia. Malaysian town planning system consists of development plans and development control procedures that include consistent matters for planning considerations (Lee et al., 1990 and Bruton, 2007). The development plans under Malaysias Town and Country Planning Act,1976 consists of a Structure Plan prepared at state level and Local plans prepare at local levels The structure plan consists of written statement formulation a States Policy and general proposals for the development use of land in the State. The Structure Plan suggests direction and approaches on how area in the States could be developed in an appropriate and sustainable manner. According to Tiesdel and Allmendinger (2005), have been carried out which provide empirical evidence of the effects of land-use planning on housing development in Malaysia. Empirical evidence of the effects are demand and supply activity, risk and confidence, financial and information. However, those observed evidences did not sufficiently identify the causes of town planning effects. It is necessary identified the causes of these effects so as to enable town planners and decision makers to make the right choice to avoid undesired outcomes. Planning is regarded as a mechanism for the government to exercise its control on the urban development process. There are theories which advocate that land use regulations such as zoning and growth controls may affect property market by constraining supply and increasing demand. 2.4 Zoning Definition Zoning is well known as a key instrument in planning regulation which is environmental regulation in its broadest sense. It establishes the tone of neighbourhood and raises average property values. Zoning is changed from agriculture to another class this can mean a higher property value and more value for your investment. If the class is changed to argriculture then the property value may drop, causing you to lose money on your investment. Even planning systems without specific zoning regulations have contained elements of zoning such as government description and restrictions of rights over land within certain spatial limits (Willhelm, 1962 and Hagman, 1973). In general, zoning has a dual character such as assigning exclusive property rights and as a planning instrument which attenuates private property rights over the most valuable uses of land. Zoning as a non-contractual obligation imposed by town planners was legally introduced into Malaysia by the Town Planning Act 1976. Zoning regulations not only determine the type of use, they also regulate land and structure characteristics such as lot size, set back and building height (Pogdzinski and Sass, 1991). It is important for residential, commercial, agriculture or even industrial area such as manufacturing factory and raw material processing company to have well connected and convenient infrastructure. This will ease transporting of goods, communication or even travelling. 2.2.1 Types of Zoning Zoning seeks to protect public health, safety and welfare by regulating the use of land and controlling the type, size and height of buildings.ÂÂ   Some goals of early zoning codes were to prevent overcrowding and limit incompatible uses. Referring to Raymond (2000), the zoning helps the development areas to have less environmental complaints and higher economic values. According to Ed. Shirelle Phelps and Gale Cengage (2003) there are four different types of zoning districts. The types included in an area will depend on the complexity of the townships or countys development problem. 2.2.1.1 Residential Zoning Residential zoning may be established in several categories depending on the type of development already established or anticipated. Factors that must be considered are density of population , existing and proposed streets and utilities, variety of housing types and variety of housing price groupings. Residential zoning can include single family residences, suburban homestead, or any number of other designation which cover homes, apartments, condominiums mosque, community center and parks. 2.2.1.2 Commercial Zoning Commercial zoning usually has several categories include office buildings, shopping centers, nightclubs, hotels, certain warehouses, some apartment complexes as well as vacant land that has the potential for development into these types of buildings. The availability of parking may affect the type of commercial zoning that is permitted. 2.2.1.3 Industrial Zoning Like commercial zoning, industrial zoning can be specific to the type of business. Environmental factors including noise concerns usually are issues in determining into which industrial level a business falls. Manufacturing plants and many storage facilities have industrial zoning. Certain business such as airports may warrant their own designation. Industrial zoning is often dependent upon the amount of lot coverage which is the land area covered by all buildings on a lot and building height. Industrial zone include manufacturing factory such as light, medium and heavy factories 2.2.1.4 Agricultural Zoning Agricultural zoning is generally used by communities that are concerned about maintaining the economic viability of their agricultural industry. Agricultural zoning typically limits the density of development and restricts non-farm uses of the land. In many agricultural zoning ordinances, the density is controlled by setting a large minimum lot size for a residential structure. Densities may vary depending upon the type of agricultural operation. Agricultural zoning can protect farming communities from becoming fragmented by residential development Mayer and Somerville (1999), they concluded the land-use regulation such as zoning and growth control has significant effects on both of the new development and responsive of local supply to price shock. This showing there will be a price different depending on types of zoning. 2.3 Factors affecting Residential Property Value Property value is dependent upon many characteristics associated with that property such as physical characteristics of property such as location of the site in relation to employment centres and other recreational facilities. In addition the social and economic characteristics of neighbourhood, including the presence of such amenities as view, parks, schools and community services affect value. Rosen (1974) explains that a property includes lots of factors and these are totally show in property prices. Buyers and sellers consider these factors separately before making decision for the purchase and of the property. In order to understand the weighting for the different factors, hedonic modelling was used to explain how each factors made up the prices of the residential market. According to Malpezzi (2003), the method of hedonic modelling can used as calculation in expenditures on housing. Hedonic can be measurable on prices and quantities so as to make possible judgement and predictions of properties between identical and different residential in different areas. Sibel (2008) noted the results of the hedonic model reveal that water system, pool, type of house, number of rooms, house size, locational characteristic and type of the building are the most significant variables that affect the property prices. In order to assess the impact of the planning system on the property market, Hui and Ho (2003) shows the model which investigate the effect of the land-use planning system on house prices in Hong Kong. The model first determines the demand and supply equations to establish the market at equilibrium level. Based on the research, the model analysed planning system variables such as usable floor area (UFA), land supply (LS), residential gross floor area under planning applications (GA), residential zones (RZ) and green belt or open space (GB) and approval rate of planning applications (AR) relationship to house prices (HP). Using stepwise regression for a three-year period the result that the significance of approval rate of the planning applications supports the view that development control maintain the structure of housing supply in a way which may change the equilibrium price of housing. Tables 1 show parts of the literatures that identified attributes influencing property value. Researchers Determinant Joslin, 2005 Location, Age Size Kauko, 2003 Location, Shopping Centers, Highway , Parks, Metro Neighbourhood characteristics Paz,2003 GDP, Level of income, Migration, Construction Activity, Economics Activity Purchasing Power Wong, Hui Seabrooke, 2003 Interest Rate Case Shiller, 2003 Number of Employment Han,Yu, Malone-Lee, Basuki, 2002 Land Area, Parks CBD McCluskey,Deddis,Lamont Borst,2000 Location Blackey,1999 Change in tax policy, Age composition of the population Rate of household formation Meen Andrew, 1998 Income, real interest rates, Nominal interest rates, General level of prices, Household wealth, Demographic Variables, Tax structure Financial liberalization Cheshire Sheppard, 1998 Location, Level of income, Population, Transport, Policy Neighbourhood characteristics Lenk, Worzala Silva, 1997 Number of bathrooms, Number of bedrooms, Age of house, Lot size Basement area, Total area of house, Number of fire place Number of car garages Table 1 : Main Factors Influencing Property Value Source : Ge and Du, 2007 Few factors can affect residential property values such as infrastructure facilities, locational factors, physical factors, legislative factors and demographic factors. 2.3.1 Infrastructure Facilities Viable and good infrastructure will be the basic foundation for development of housing projects. Infrastructure facilities include basic public amenities including transportation which will ensure timely delivery of service and goods. Main amenities such as electricity, telephone and water will affect the residential property value. (Rosman,1988). Comprehensive infrastructure will ensure the value of the property. Lacking this public facility could be construed as a sign of planning deficiency or even planning blight. The model presented in Antunes et al. (2009) assumes that the infrastructure network does not change during the whole planning period. Yet, the topology of the transportation network may have a strong influence on the location decisions. A study of the influence of transport on house prices was examined by So et al. (1997) noted that the major risk of using hedonic price regression is the presence of the multicollinearity between housing attributes and the resulting insecurity of estimates. 2.3.2 Location Factors The factor of location is very important in the determination of property values. Location is very unique as two adjacent sites may command different values depending on underlying factors of accessibility, physical terrain, size and configuration etc. Turner (1990) that the three most significant influences on property value are location, location and location. Royal LePage (2003) emphasises strongly on location and type of mortgage debt financing as principal factors affecting the market value of listed property. Location has a major influence in terms of proximity to centres of interest, traffic congestion, crime levels, level of cleanliness or scenic beauty of the environment, infrastructure services and social amenities, security and planning laws. On the other hand, the type of mortgage can affect the property value either up or down depending on the amount, terms and conditions applicable, rates of interests and method of repayment. Location theory stated that property value decrease when the location is situated far away from town center. Whereas, property which are located within town center are high in demand and the property value will increased. Nelson (1958) emphasis about higher property value exists in good locations. Town center areas activities such as economy, social and property market. According to Khan (1977) stated that land situated near town center have stiff competition usage. The further the location form town centers, the value of property will decrease due to low demand. (Zulkifli. 1995) Kryvobokov (2007) modelled the property market of the most important location attributes influencing values in well-developed foreign real estate markets and use this list in Ukraine. Using experimental evidence of developed property markets, the meta-analysis is applied to extract location attributes and weigh their importance. Results suggest that it is possible to substantiate location attributes, which influence market value for different real estate types. Location factors influences on neighbourhood and access appear to be dominating location. 2.3.2.1 Surrounding Areas and neighbourhood Development According to Babcoak (1932) and Tan (1997), the future of residential property depends on the development planning in the area located. Surrounding areas developments are interconnected especially in economic activities namely Neighbourhood areas. For example, residential property which includes commercial industries will have added advantages especially in the property value. Surrounding development refer to the activities within the neighbourhood areas which could give positive effects or negative effects to a particular property. For example, residential houses located nearby industrial areas will be affected by pollution, noises, congestion and heavy traffic. The value of the residential houses will be lower due to the lack of interest of buyers when such situation occurs. (Zulkifli, 1995). Rosiers et al., (2000) noted that neighbourhood and access factors influences between both series as to achieve most select model design with minimum information loss. Its aim is to explain property prices on the basis of physical and neighbourhood related characteristics. Using hedonic model on property information are located using geodetic co-ordinates, which are integrated into MapInfo GIS. Variety of data such as schools, universities, colleges, shopping centres, remote sensing images, street grids, road, highway networks and power lines are located using relevant system. Results shows that model have greatly improved with location and access factor influence in property values. It suggests that the factor analysis used is highly efficient at sorting access and neighbourhood attributes. The method provides useful approaching the housing market. 2.3.3 Physical Factor Physical factors refer to the physical characteristics of a property. A physical characteristic is different in residential property with other property types. Differences in physical characteristics of the residential property itself may cause differences in value. 2.3.3.1 Building Features In terms of size and number of rooms were perceived as the most significant factors influencing the value of residential property. Next to these is the aesthetic appeal include design, finishes, etc. It was surprising to note that these aspects were accorded high priority over running and maintenance costs and the age of building or obsolescence. This could be as a result of the reported poor maintenance culture of most developing countries (ADB, 2005). Physical elements of property differ from physical elements of another property. Such difference could result towards the value of the property. Physical elements cover land size, floor area, location and type of property. ( Hamid, 2005) Referring to Creedy and Wall (1979) stated that size of lots or buildings could influence the value of property. The size of lots or buildings has positive impacts on the value of property. The bigger floor area of residential houses the higher the value. In norm, bungalow lots or houses are higher in value compared to teres houses due to bigger land and floor areas. 2.3.3.2 Age and Condition of Repair Changes in taste and fashion in new design houses tend to reduce the value of older houses. Besides, the condition of repair must be considered as the cost of putting the property into a satisfactory state of repair now and the cost of maintenance cost in future. Therefore, age and the condition of repair are proved to be negatively related to property value. All else being equal, older houses have experienced greater depreciation (Radriguez et al., 1994; Raymond and Peter, 2000). 2.3.4 Demographic Factors Demographic factors are primary derives of the real estate market. Demographic factors include population growth and income levels. 2.3.4.1 Population Growth Refer to Tse and Webb (1999) the growth of urban population through migration and urbanisation. Increase of population whether locally or migration of others will increase the economics of an area. Such situation will increase the residential property value when the demands exceed supply especially in goods and services which will encourage investors to participate actively in an area. Increase of population in an area will result in the demand for land. When there is an increase of population in an area, the economic activities will increase in tandem with the demand (De Wang, 1999). Increased economic activities will result in the demand for residential property market. Current usage of land will be converted into intensive land usage. The changes of intensive land usage will increase the economic activities to be productive and resulted in the property market value to rise due to the increase of population. 2.3.4.2 Income Levels According to (Gallimore, Fletcher and Carter, 1996) households which have the same tastes and income tend to live within the same area. Therefore the size of households, income, age, education levels and the availability and cost of mortage , financing have to be included in affecting the types of housing and the values. High-income residents will seek out a part of city that may offer leisure facilities, parks, amenities and the most convenient form of transportation and infrastructure. This also expose that the proximate and relevant influences on the property are related to the same influences operating on other properties in the neighbourhood. Spatial segregation refers to the residential separation of sub-groups within a wider population which could be associated primarily with racial groups, ethnicity, religious beliefs or income status (Johnston et al., 1983). 2.3.5 Legislation Factors Value of properties is determine by the importance of properties itself. A person would be subject on buying properties mainly is because subject is aware of the importance of properties to self. The right of property owner to be guarenteed with the enforcement of law. However these rights are controlled by the provisions of the law. This will indirectly or indirectly affect the price of property. Among the legal provisions that affect the property values are restrictions interest and tenure of land. 2.3.5.1 Restriction Interest Restriction interest is bind on right upon the importance which contained in the ownership document. Restriction interest is introduced by state government. There are two types of interest towards ownership right, bumiputra and non-bumiputra. Bumiputra mean person who owned Malaysia citizenship and included in group of original in Malaysia and Malay race. Restriction interest bring meaning where lot from bumiputra only can be exchanged towards another indigenous and not to other. Properties without this restriction can be freely exchange to others. Bumiputera lot suffer less affect from property value comparing to property with no restriction interest. 2.3.5.2 Tenure of Land Tenure of land had been distributed into two categories such as Freehold and Leasehold. Duration for each category are 99 years , 66 years and 20 years. Tenure of land showed that it is importance and owner rights in the property. There are two types of tenure such as Freehold and Leasehold. Freehold means the owner can have their property for whole lifetime. Besides that, leasehold is given limited years to the owner to own the property. Freehold tenure has a higher of value in property. (Norhaya, Dzullkarnian, Ibrahim et.al, 2010). Referring to Kestens et al. (2006) introduce household-level data into hedonic models in order to measure the heterogeneity of implicit prices the previous tenure status of the buyers. 2.4 Conclusion Based on discussion that have been made, clearly shows that there are many factors that affect residential property values in general can be divided as infrastructure facilities, locational factors, physical factors, legislative factors and demographic factors. Each factor contributed to their forming value in the property. Therefore, the research will focus on impacts of planning and development in residential property value. Overseas literature considers that planning also has a significant impact on housing market by affecting locations, neighbourhood, environmental and population growth. Based on discussion that have been made, clearly shows that there are many factors that affect residential property values in general can be divided as infrastructure facilities, locational factors, physical factors, legislative factors and demographic factors. Each factor contributed to their forming value in the property. How do these factors really contribute to Senai development? In order to go international at a fast phase, infrastructure is a must. Therefore, a huge reserve area in Senai is place under infrastructure; ease of excess from factory to the world is the main concern of government. Although named as transit town, but most of the area is not yet under development until federal government decided to expand its potential. With the amount of land and strategic location at south, it can be our second industrial doorway to other country other than Penang. This will evenly distribute industries among north and south of Malaysia. Modern design with end edge technology is the concept for the coming SHTP (Senai High Tech Park), this will be one of the physical attraction for investor.

Frado in Harriet E. Wilsons, Our Nig Essay examples -- Harriet E. Wil

Frado in Harriet E. Wilson's, Our Nig In Harriet E. Wilson’s only known work, Our Nig; Or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black, I read about a young black girl who grows up as an indentured servant to a large Bellmont family. In the readings I read, the young girl has three names: Alfrado, Frado and Nig. In this essay, I’ll refer to her as Frado. Although Our Nig is an actual fictitious novel, our literature book only gives us three chapters. Each of these small chapters tells us a great story. In Chapter IV â€Å"A Friend for Nig†, we learn what Bellmont family members are Frado’s friends and what member despises her. Our readings didn’t start from the beginning of the novel, we didn’t get a proper introduction to the characters. Instead, you have to catch on as you read. Mrs. Bellmont is married to Mr. John Bellmont. They have four children: James, Jack, Jane, and Mary. Aunt Abby is Mr. Bellmont’s sister, but Mrs. Bellmont calls her Nab. Finally, the family dog is Fido. Confused? Well, I hope I got it right. Fido, the dog we know is a friend to Frado. He may not say anyt...

Hercules Essay -- essays research papers fc

What Is A Myth? A myth is a purely fictional story that has been passed on for generations, usually involving supernatural persons, actions or events. Hercules (also called Herakles), is one of the strongest and most celebrated mythical heroes. These myths were made up thousands of years ago and have acquired more details as they have been passed down. The story of Hercules is one of a man who was so strong and courageous, whose deeds were so mighty, and who so endured all the hardships that were given to him, that when he died, Hercules was brought up to Mount Olympus to live with the gods. Hercules was both the most famous hero of ancient times and the most beloved. More stories were told about him than any other hero. He was worshipped in many temples all over Greece and Rome. Birth of a Hero The legacy of Hercules began when Zeus, the chief god, fell in love with a mortal woman named Alcmene. When Alcmene’s husband, Amphitryon, was away, Zeus made her pregnant. This made the goddess Hera so angry that she tried to prevent the baby from being born. When Alcmene gave birth to the baby, she named him Herakles (Romans pronounced it "Hercules"). The name Herakles means "glorious gift of Hera". This made Hera even angrier. When Hercules was an infant, Hera sent two serpents to destroy him in his cradle. However, Hercules strangled them, one in each hand, before they could bite him. When Hercules grew up and had become a great warrior, he married a young woman named Megara. They had two children together and lived very happily. However, things didn’t turn out as they do in the movie. One day, Hera sent a fit of madness to Hercules that put him into so great a rage, that he murdered his wife and both children. When Hercules regained his senses and realized what he had done, he asked the god Apollo to rid him of his sins. Apollo commanded that Hercules do certain tasks as punishment for his wrongs, so that evil might be cleansed from his spirit. Apollo was a god of prophecy and the Greeks believed that Apollo knew what would happen in the future, and that he could advise people how to act. Hercules hurried to the temple where Apollo gave such advice. It was in the town o... ...ra that Hercules had suffered enough, and Hera agreed. Athena was sent to retrieve Hercules from the pyre and to bring him back to Mount Olympus on her chariot. There, Hercules was to spend his life, as a god. Bibliography 1. Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia (1996) for Windows 95 2. Webster’s Concise Encyclopedia for Windows 3.1 or 95 3. www.perseus.tufts.edu Table Of Contents 1. What Is A Myth? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2. Birth Of A Hero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3. The 12 Labors Of Hercules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8 4. The Death Of Hercules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 5. Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Hercules Essay -- essays research papers fc What Is A Myth? A myth is a purely fictional story that has been passed on for generations, usually involving supernatural persons, actions or events. Hercules (also called Herakles), is one of the strongest and most celebrated mythical heroes. These myths were made up thousands of years ago and have acquired more details as they have been passed down. The story of Hercules is one of a man who was so strong and courageous, whose deeds were so mighty, and who so endured all the hardships that were given to him, that when he died, Hercules was brought up to Mount Olympus to live with the gods. Hercules was both the most famous hero of ancient times and the most beloved. More stories were told about him than any other hero. He was worshipped in many temples all over Greece and Rome. Birth of a Hero The legacy of Hercules began when Zeus, the chief god, fell in love with a mortal woman named Alcmene. When Alcmene’s husband, Amphitryon, was away, Zeus made her pregnant. This made the goddess Hera so angry that she tried to prevent the baby from being born. When Alcmene gave birth to the baby, she named him Herakles (Romans pronounced it "Hercules"). The name Herakles means "glorious gift of Hera". This made Hera even angrier. When Hercules was an infant, Hera sent two serpents to destroy him in his cradle. However, Hercules strangled them, one in each hand, before they could bite him. When Hercules grew up and had become a great warrior, he married a young woman named Megara. They had two children together and lived very happily. However, things didn’t turn out as they do in the movie. One day, Hera sent a fit of madness to Hercules that put him into so great a rage, that he murdered his wife and both children. When Hercules regained his senses and realized what he had done, he asked the god Apollo to rid him of his sins. Apollo commanded that Hercules do certain tasks as punishment for his wrongs, so that evil might be cleansed from his spirit. Apollo was a god of prophecy and the Greeks believed that Apollo knew what would happen in the future, and that he could advise people how to act. Hercules hurried to the temple where Apollo gave such advice. It was in the town o... ...ra that Hercules had suffered enough, and Hera agreed. Athena was sent to retrieve Hercules from the pyre and to bring him back to Mount Olympus on her chariot. There, Hercules was to spend his life, as a god. Bibliography 1. Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia (1996) for Windows 95 2. Webster’s Concise Encyclopedia for Windows 3.1 or 95 3. www.perseus.tufts.edu Table Of Contents 1. What Is A Myth? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2. Birth Of A Hero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3. The 12 Labors Of Hercules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8 4. The Death Of Hercules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 5. Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Liberty Bell

Sound of the Freedom- The Liberty Bell Figure 1 Liberty Bell Forever Stamp Figure 1 Liberty Bell Forever Stamp Meaning can be found even in the most mundane of objects. For instance, consider the USA First Class stamp. On its upper left corner, the number 2008 shows that this stamp was produced in year 2008. The right side of the stamp says â€Å"USA FIRST-CLASSS FOREVER†, meaning that this postage stamp is valid for First-Class postage in the United States no matter when it is used.There is an extraordinary metal bell is in the middle of the stamp – the Liberty Bell, a venerable historic relic that I am going to analyze in the rest of this research paper. The bell was first known by the world as a metal musical instrument in ancient China. Tuned bells in that age were created and played to be performed only for imperial families and noblemen, as a symbol of power and status. Later on, bells became widely used in different religions. For example, bells played an importa nt role in the Eastern world of Buddhism and Hinduism as temple bells.In western world, bells were commonly used as church bells or town bells for gathering people together. In 1752, the Quaker William Penn, legislator and founder of the Pennsylvania colony in 1682, had decided and commissioned the bell to be cast in London, and brought to North America to hang in the State House of the colony of Pennsylvania. â€Å"They had ordered very precisely that these prophetic words from the Old Testament be cast on the bell: ‘Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof. ’ † Obviously, the Liberty Bell represents the important value of liberty and freedom in Pennsylvania colony.Charlene Mires, the associate professor of history of Villanova University, thinks adults viewed the Liberty Bell as an object lesson – â€Å"a means for securing the nation’s future, children could experience it as enormous fun. But the lesson was not j ust the bell was more than an inanimate object. † There are many famous and great bells around the world: for instance, the Mingun Bell in north of Mandalay, Burma, the Largest ringing bell in the world; Tsar Kolokol III Bell, located in Moscow; the Big Ben in London and so on. Even though the Liberty Bell wasn’t the largest, eaviest, or most beautiful bell among these famous bells around the world, perhaps no other bell in the world has ever played a greater historic role than this cracked liberty bell. 2. The Liberty Bell as a symbol of the Declaration of Independence. The Liberty Bell is one of the most significant symbols throughout American history. Even through it is now one of the world’s great icons of freedom, the Liberty Bell wasn’t always so symbolic. At the beginning, the bell was only used to call the Pennsylvania assembly to meetings, just like a normal town bell.Many people think the story of the liberty bell started with it ringing to annou nce the Declaration of Independence on Fourth of July; however, the truth is, the bell did not ring until the eighth of July, the day when they called Philadelphians together for the first public reading of Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon. The Declaration of Independence was an announcement that the thirteen American Colonies were at war with Great Britain as independent states and no longer a part of British Empire.The Declaration states, â€Å"When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Natures God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. † I have found that there is much knowledge to be learned from the Declaration of Independence.It taught me think that all men are created equal, and all men have the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that was given by God. The Declaration of Independence shows that American people have suffered too much from the British Empire, and the American people do not want slavery, but liberty. It is for that reason that they rang the Liberty Bell on July 4th 1776. Many people may have noticed that the huge crack on the Liberty Bell. Because of it, this two-thousand-pound mass of unstable metal nearly ended up being garbage.There are various storys about how the bell was cracked. For instance, an eighty-six-year-old man told the New-York Times in 1911 that he cracked the bell in 1835 – he would have been 10 years old at that time! Among the numerous versions of the tales of the cracking bell, the most reputable and famous account is that the bell cracked when Philadelphia’s city government rung the bell on Washington’s Birthday in 1843. Luckily, instead of being forg otten and abandoned by the world because the loss of its voice, the liberty bell gradually became a priceless and great national treasure. . Liberty Bell travels around the United States between 1885-1915. After the Liberty Bell was no longer used as working bell, especially in the years after the Civil War, it started its patriotic trips that involved itself in many obscure events in American history. It traveled by rail car around the United States, and was also placed on exhibit at numerous World’s Fairs. From 1885 to 1915, the Liberty Bell traveled by rail on seven separate trips to eight different World’s Fair exhibitions, visiting nearly 400 cities and towns on those trips from coast to coast.Here are some of the major cities and events that the Liberty Bell has traveled to. Year| Major Events and Places| 1885| To New Orleans for the World’s Industrial and Exposition. | 1893| To Chicago for the World/s Columbian Exposition. | 1895| To Atlanta for the Cotto n States and International Exposition. | 1902| To Charleston for the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition| 1903| To Boston for the Bunker Hill Monument anniversary. | 1905| To St. Louis for the Louisiana Purchase International Exposition| 1915| To San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. Are you wondering how large the influence of the Liberty Bell is? This was how New York Times reported the New-Orleans Exposition before Liberty Bell went to New-Orleans on December 17, 1884: â€Å"This has been a day of nerveless reaction after the great strain of opening day, there were but very few visitors to the grounds, not a thousand. † Everything was changed after the Liberty Bell came to the New-Orleans Exposition. January 26th, 1885, was a great day for the New-Orleans World’s Industrial and Cotton Exposition, and for New Orleans citizens.Because â€Å"extensive preparations had been made for the reception of the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia,† the New York Times proudly announced their venerable guest on Jan 27, 1885. Large numbers of citizens of New Orleans and Philadelphia met the Liberty Bell train at that point, surging forward to touch and kiss the bell. Salutes were fired, whistles blown, and flags were displayed on the exhibit with patriotic music. After the Liberty Bell was installed, it attracted visitors’ attention for nearly five months, achieving an iconic status.Figure [ 2 ] The Liberty Bell is placed on a truck in Philadelphia to be transported to the train. Figure [ 2 ] The Liberty Bell is placed on a truck in Philadelphia to be transported to the train. On the last of its seven trips, the Liberty Bell was moved to the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, 1915, when the world had just been set afire by World War I. Nevertheless, the horrible World War I did not affect the enthusiasm of Californian people wanting to see the Liberty Bell.In fact, when the organizers of Panama-Pacific Internatio nal Exposition asked Philadelphia city officials to send the Liberty Bell to the Exposition, the city officials denied the request because they were afraid the big crack on the Bell would get larger during its travels and eventually the Bell would fall apart. However, the Philadelphians changed their mind after two hundred thousand Californian schoolchildren signed petitions begging Philadelphia to send the bell. A journalist in San Diego said that â€Å"there is not a single person in any state of the union who does not feel a personal interest in the bell. After the Panama-Pacific International Exposition ended at December 4th 1915, the exposition officials returned the bell and wrote, â€Å"You will be pleased to know that while the Liberty Bell was here in San Francisco, eight million people came to see it! † Even nowadays, several millions people visit the Independence Hall each year, pondering the meaning of the Liberty Bell. Figure 3 Route from home to San Francisco ( right end is Philadelphia, San Francisco at the left end)Even though some people think that other symbols such as the American flag, the Statue of Liberty, and the Uncle Sam draw more attention than Liberty Bell, the Liberty Bell still played a huge important role in the construction of American nationalism. During this travel to world’s fairs and exhibitions, â€Å"the Liberty Bell joined the array of American symbols that excited patriotic enthusiasm during this period in United States history, a time marked by regional reconciliation, high immigration, economic transition, and imperial expansion. â€Å"In its travels, the Liberty Bell did not lose its identity as a historic relic. Actually, the Liberty Bell became something more. † Instead of Philadelphians and other visitors going to Independence Hall in Philadelphia to experience the Liberty Bell, other Americans can also see the Bell at the center of lively hometown festivities. The trips of the Liberty Bell gav e wide public attention to each city and town where the liberty train stopped, so civilians were well prepared to welcome their historic guest.People brought their children from miles away to see the Liberty Bell, to hear its patriotic tunes, to reach out and touch it, and to stage ceremonies in the hopes that their children would long remember its national glory. Because of these travels, Americans beyond Philadelphia had a chance to enhance the relic’s reputation. Postage stamps are not just small pieces of paper. Their pictures are not chosen randomly, they are chosen to present certain thoughts or feelings that a nation wants to project to people. I believe there are reasons USPS (United States Postal Service) made this Forever Liberty Bell stamp. The Liberty Bell is an icon that resonates for freedom and independence for all of America, and those are exactly the qualities we want people to associate with the Forever stamp,† said Michael Plunkett, Acting Vice Presid ent of Pricing and Classification for the U. S. Postal Service. The Liberty Bell is definitely a national treasure, something that American people would be truly proud of and remember forever by the people and history. Who said nothing lasts forever? The Forever Liberty Bell stamp and the Liberty Bell do. Reference:Charlene Mires (2002), Independence Hall in American Memory Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. P148,155, PP151-152, P181. Gary B. Nash (2010), The Liberty Bell, Yale University press. PP. 11, 12, 34-35 John O’Brien, (2007), Our Liberty Bell, Henry Jonas Magaziner, P. 25 Lyoyd de Vries , In Stamps, The Liberty Bell is Forever; (February 11, 2009). CBSNEWS John Ficher, The Liberty Bell’s Journey – Humble Beginnings. Philadelphia About. com Espie Estrella, Famous Bells of the World, About. com The Liberty Bell At New –Orleans. (1885, January 27). New York Times (1857-1922), P. 2New-Orleans Exposition: A Rainy and Quite Day—Phil adelphia To Send The Liberty Bell. (1884, December 18). New York Times(1858-1922), P. 1 Figure 1: August 22, 2008, National Postal Museum http://arago. si. edu/index. asp? con=2&cmd=1&id=218791&img=1&pg=1 Figure 2: 1915. Independence Hall Association http://www. ushistory. org/libertybell/essay/stop04. htm Figure 3:1915, Independence Hall Association http://www. ushistory. org/libertybell/essay/stop03. htm ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Gary B. Nash (2010), The Liberty Bell, Yale University press. P. 11 [ 2 ].Gary B. Nash P. 11 [ 3 ]. Charlene Mires (2002), Independence Hall in American Memory Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. P. 155 [ 4 ]. Espie Estrella, Famous Bells of the World, About. com [ 5 ]. John Ficher, The Liberty Bell’s Journey – Humble Beginnings. Philadelphia About. com [ 6 ]. Charlene Mires P. 148 [ 7 ]. Harcourt, Brace( 1922), The Declaration o f Independence, Carl Lotus Becker press. P. 6 [ 8 ]. Thomas Jefferson(1776), United States Declaration of Independence. [ 9 ]. Gary B. Nash . PP 33-34 [ 10 ]. Charlene Mires PP. 151-152 [ 11 ]. Charlene Mires PP. 151-152 [ 12 ].New-Orleans Exposition: A Rainy and Quite Day—Philadelphia To Send The Liberty Bell. (1884, December 18). New York Times(1858-1922), P. 1 [ 13 ]. The Liberty Bell At New –Orleans. (1885, January 27). New York Times (1857-1922), P. 2 [ 14 ]. John O’Brien, (2007), Our Liberty Bell, Henry Jonas Magaziner, P. 25 [ 15 ]. Gary B. Nash P. 12 [ 16 ]. John O’Brien P. 25 [ 17 ]. Charlene Mires (2002), Independence Hall in American Memory Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. P148. [ 18 ]. Charlene P. 181 [ 19 ]. Lyoyd de Vries, , In Stamps, The Liberty Bell is Forever; (February 11, 2009). CBSNEWS Liberty Bell Sound of the Freedom- The Liberty Bell Figure 1 Liberty Bell Forever Stamp Figure 1 Liberty Bell Forever Stamp Meaning can be found even in the most mundane of objects. For instance, consider the USA First Class stamp. On its upper left corner, the number 2008 shows that this stamp was produced in year 2008. The right side of the stamp says â€Å"USA FIRST-CLASSS FOREVER†, meaning that this postage stamp is valid for First-Class postage in the United States no matter when it is used.There is an extraordinary metal bell is in the middle of the stamp – the Liberty Bell, a venerable historic relic that I am going to analyze in the rest of this research paper. The bell was first known by the world as a metal musical instrument in ancient China. Tuned bells in that age were created and played to be performed only for imperial families and noblemen, as a symbol of power and status. Later on, bells became widely used in different religions. For example, bells played an importa nt role in the Eastern world of Buddhism and Hinduism as temple bells.In western world, bells were commonly used as church bells or town bells for gathering people together. In 1752, the Quaker William Penn, legislator and founder of the Pennsylvania colony in 1682, had decided and commissioned the bell to be cast in London, and brought to North America to hang in the State House of the colony of Pennsylvania. â€Å"They had ordered very precisely that these prophetic words from the Old Testament be cast on the bell: ‘Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof. ’ † Obviously, the Liberty Bell represents the important value of liberty and freedom in Pennsylvania colony.Charlene Mires, the associate professor of history of Villanova University, thinks adults viewed the Liberty Bell as an object lesson – â€Å"a means for securing the nation’s future, children could experience it as enormous fun. But the lesson was not j ust the bell was more than an inanimate object. † There are many famous and great bells around the world: for instance, the Mingun Bell in north of Mandalay, Burma, the Largest ringing bell in the world; Tsar Kolokol III Bell, located in Moscow; the Big Ben in London and so on. Even though the Liberty Bell wasn’t the largest, eaviest, or most beautiful bell among these famous bells around the world, perhaps no other bell in the world has ever played a greater historic role than this cracked liberty bell. 2. The Liberty Bell as a symbol of the Declaration of Independence. The Liberty Bell is one of the most significant symbols throughout American history. Even through it is now one of the world’s great icons of freedom, the Liberty Bell wasn’t always so symbolic. At the beginning, the bell was only used to call the Pennsylvania assembly to meetings, just like a normal town bell.Many people think the story of the liberty bell started with it ringing to annou nce the Declaration of Independence on Fourth of July; however, the truth is, the bell did not ring until the eighth of July, the day when they called Philadelphians together for the first public reading of Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon. The Declaration of Independence was an announcement that the thirteen American Colonies were at war with Great Britain as independent states and no longer a part of British Empire.The Declaration states, â€Å"When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Natures God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. † I have found that there is much knowledge to be learned from the Declaration of Independence.It taught me think that all men are created equal, and all men have the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that was given by God. The Declaration of Independence shows that American people have suffered too much from the British Empire, and the American people do not want slavery, but liberty. It is for that reason that they rang the Liberty Bell on July 4th 1776. Many people may have noticed that the huge crack on the Liberty Bell. Because of it, this two-thousand-pound mass of unstable metal nearly ended up being garbage.There are various storys about how the bell was cracked. For instance, an eighty-six-year-old man told the New-York Times in 1911 that he cracked the bell in 1835 – he would have been 10 years old at that time! Among the numerous versions of the tales of the cracking bell, the most reputable and famous account is that the bell cracked when Philadelphia’s city government rung the bell on Washington’s Birthday in 1843. Luckily, instead of being forg otten and abandoned by the world because the loss of its voice, the liberty bell gradually became a priceless and great national treasure. . Liberty Bell travels around the United States between 1885-1915. After the Liberty Bell was no longer used as working bell, especially in the years after the Civil War, it started its patriotic trips that involved itself in many obscure events in American history. It traveled by rail car around the United States, and was also placed on exhibit at numerous World’s Fairs. From 1885 to 1915, the Liberty Bell traveled by rail on seven separate trips to eight different World’s Fair exhibitions, visiting nearly 400 cities and towns on those trips from coast to coast.Here are some of the major cities and events that the Liberty Bell has traveled to. Year| Major Events and Places| 1885| To New Orleans for the World’s Industrial and Exposition. | 1893| To Chicago for the World/s Columbian Exposition. | 1895| To Atlanta for the Cotto n States and International Exposition. | 1902| To Charleston for the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition| 1903| To Boston for the Bunker Hill Monument anniversary. | 1905| To St. Louis for the Louisiana Purchase International Exposition| 1915| To San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. Are you wondering how large the influence of the Liberty Bell is? This was how New York Times reported the New-Orleans Exposition before Liberty Bell went to New-Orleans on December 17, 1884: â€Å"This has been a day of nerveless reaction after the great strain of opening day, there were but very few visitors to the grounds, not a thousand. † Everything was changed after the Liberty Bell came to the New-Orleans Exposition. January 26th, 1885, was a great day for the New-Orleans World’s Industrial and Cotton Exposition, and for New Orleans citizens.Because â€Å"extensive preparations had been made for the reception of the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia,† the New York Times proudly announced their venerable guest on Jan 27, 1885. Large numbers of citizens of New Orleans and Philadelphia met the Liberty Bell train at that point, surging forward to touch and kiss the bell. Salutes were fired, whistles blown, and flags were displayed on the exhibit with patriotic music. After the Liberty Bell was installed, it attracted visitors’ attention for nearly five months, achieving an iconic status.Figure [ 2 ] The Liberty Bell is placed on a truck in Philadelphia to be transported to the train. Figure [ 2 ] The Liberty Bell is placed on a truck in Philadelphia to be transported to the train. On the last of its seven trips, the Liberty Bell was moved to the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, 1915, when the world had just been set afire by World War I. Nevertheless, the horrible World War I did not affect the enthusiasm of Californian people wanting to see the Liberty Bell.In fact, when the organizers of Panama-Pacific Internatio nal Exposition asked Philadelphia city officials to send the Liberty Bell to the Exposition, the city officials denied the request because they were afraid the big crack on the Bell would get larger during its travels and eventually the Bell would fall apart. However, the Philadelphians changed their mind after two hundred thousand Californian schoolchildren signed petitions begging Philadelphia to send the bell. A journalist in San Diego said that â€Å"there is not a single person in any state of the union who does not feel a personal interest in the bell. After the Panama-Pacific International Exposition ended at December 4th 1915, the exposition officials returned the bell and wrote, â€Å"You will be pleased to know that while the Liberty Bell was here in San Francisco, eight million people came to see it! † Even nowadays, several millions people visit the Independence Hall each year, pondering the meaning of the Liberty Bell. Figure 3 Route from home to San Francisco ( right end is Philadelphia, San Francisco at the left end)Even though some people think that other symbols such as the American flag, the Statue of Liberty, and the Uncle Sam draw more attention than Liberty Bell, the Liberty Bell still played a huge important role in the construction of American nationalism. During this travel to world’s fairs and exhibitions, â€Å"the Liberty Bell joined the array of American symbols that excited patriotic enthusiasm during this period in United States history, a time marked by regional reconciliation, high immigration, economic transition, and imperial expansion. â€Å"In its travels, the Liberty Bell did not lose its identity as a historic relic. Actually, the Liberty Bell became something more. † Instead of Philadelphians and other visitors going to Independence Hall in Philadelphia to experience the Liberty Bell, other Americans can also see the Bell at the center of lively hometown festivities. The trips of the Liberty Bell gav e wide public attention to each city and town where the liberty train stopped, so civilians were well prepared to welcome their historic guest.People brought their children from miles away to see the Liberty Bell, to hear its patriotic tunes, to reach out and touch it, and to stage ceremonies in the hopes that their children would long remember its national glory. Because of these travels, Americans beyond Philadelphia had a chance to enhance the relic’s reputation. Postage stamps are not just small pieces of paper. Their pictures are not chosen randomly, they are chosen to present certain thoughts or feelings that a nation wants to project to people. I believe there are reasons USPS (United States Postal Service) made this Forever Liberty Bell stamp. The Liberty Bell is an icon that resonates for freedom and independence for all of America, and those are exactly the qualities we want people to associate with the Forever stamp,† said Michael Plunkett, Acting Vice Presid ent of Pricing and Classification for the U. S. Postal Service. The Liberty Bell is definitely a national treasure, something that American people would be truly proud of and remember forever by the people and history. Who said nothing lasts forever? The Forever Liberty Bell stamp and the Liberty Bell do. Reference:Charlene Mires (2002), Independence Hall in American Memory Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. P148,155, PP151-152, P181. Gary B. Nash (2010), The Liberty Bell, Yale University press. PP. 11, 12, 34-35 John O’Brien, (2007), Our Liberty Bell, Henry Jonas Magaziner, P. 25 Lyoyd de Vries , In Stamps, The Liberty Bell is Forever; (February 11, 2009). CBSNEWS John Ficher, The Liberty Bell’s Journey – Humble Beginnings. Philadelphia About. com Espie Estrella, Famous Bells of the World, About. com The Liberty Bell At New –Orleans. (1885, January 27). New York Times (1857-1922), P. 2New-Orleans Exposition: A Rainy and Quite Day—Phil adelphia To Send The Liberty Bell. (1884, December 18). New York Times(1858-1922), P. 1 Figure 1: August 22, 2008, National Postal Museum http://arago. si. edu/index. asp? con=2&cmd=1&id=218791&img=1&pg=1 Figure 2: 1915. Independence Hall Association http://www. ushistory. org/libertybell/essay/stop04. htm Figure 3:1915, Independence Hall Association http://www. ushistory. org/libertybell/essay/stop03. htm ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Gary B. Nash (2010), The Liberty Bell, Yale University press. P. 11 [ 2 ].Gary B. Nash P. 11 [ 3 ]. Charlene Mires (2002), Independence Hall in American Memory Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. P. 155 [ 4 ]. Espie Estrella, Famous Bells of the World, About. com [ 5 ]. John Ficher, The Liberty Bell’s Journey – Humble Beginnings. Philadelphia About. com [ 6 ]. Charlene Mires P. 148 [ 7 ]. Harcourt, Brace( 1922), The Declaration o f Independence, Carl Lotus Becker press. P. 6 [ 8 ]. Thomas Jefferson(1776), United States Declaration of Independence. [ 9 ]. Gary B. Nash . PP 33-34 [ 10 ]. Charlene Mires PP. 151-152 [ 11 ]. Charlene Mires PP. 151-152 [ 12 ].New-Orleans Exposition: A Rainy and Quite Day—Philadelphia To Send The Liberty Bell. (1884, December 18). New York Times(1858-1922), P. 1 [ 13 ]. The Liberty Bell At New –Orleans. (1885, January 27). New York Times (1857-1922), P. 2 [ 14 ]. John O’Brien, (2007), Our Liberty Bell, Henry Jonas Magaziner, P. 25 [ 15 ]. Gary B. Nash P. 12 [ 16 ]. John O’Brien P. 25 [ 17 ]. Charlene Mires (2002), Independence Hall in American Memory Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. P148. [ 18 ]. Charlene P. 181 [ 19 ]. Lyoyd de Vries, , In Stamps, The Liberty Bell is Forever; (February 11, 2009). CBSNEWS