KEEPING WILD ANIMALS AS PETS Ecology Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

KEEPING WILD ANIMALS AS PETS Ecology - Coursework Example This has led to increasing in a number of people who own exotic animals and thus its popularity in UAE. In all ecosystems, it resides in; the tiger is at the top of the food chain. If particular species in the food chain becomes wiped out, there is an unplanned effect on other species. Thus, the loss of one major predator can cause extinction of a victim species as greater rivalry presents a danger to the species (Hinnawi et al. 1987). First, since Tiger is at the top of the food chain, it keeps in check the population of gaur, sambar, wild boar and deer. The populace of these victim species would have an increase if not for tiger to control. Jointly, these paybacks are referred to as ecosystem services. Environmental services are the vital benefits for human beings that occur from healthily working ecosystems, particularly production of water detoxification, soil genesis, and oxygen. Adverse effects on economic development and human welfare. Without the protection of tigers, ecological services like natural flood controls, clean air, clean water and other forest resources would be in danger. Tiger needs these environmental services. Ecotourism is tourism aimed at toward foreign, often endangered, natural environments, particularly to observe wildlife and sustain conservation efforts. Ecotourism will not exist in UAE since if there was a plan to create this business it would not work as tigers face extinction. If single species in the food chain becomes wiped out there is an unplanned effect on other species. The loss of a major predator can indeed cause the extinction of a victim species as superior rivalry presents a danger to the species. It will lead climate change. Wiping out tigers implies that the forests, which are at present, secluded as principal home, would be probably fall victim to unlawful logging, conversion to development and agriculture. This results in increased CO2 production and climate transformation. Keeping wildcat

Relationships between soldiers in The Thin Red Line (1998, Malick) Essay

Relationships between soldiers in The Thin Red Line (1998, Malick) - Essay Example This war movie consists of both cruelties and kindness. The first level of kindness that this takes place is with regards to the brotherly relations that are evident between the men of the company and platoon. On a second level, the relationships within the movie are related to the viewer with regards to the means by which father-son elements unfold also represent bright side of humanity. On the other side of spectrum we face tensions between people that result into conflicts in the movie. When seeking to understand these relationships within the context of the film, the following analysis will attempt to draw a level of focus upon the brother-brother, father-son, and exemplification of tensions between the men as they are exhibited by the actions that take place. As such, this particular analysis will seek to understand whether or not a familial level of relationships exist within the film, the type and definition of these familial relationships and some of the causal factors that h elp to encourage and develop these features. Firstly, with regards to the brother-brother relationships that are exhibited within the film, the viewer can see direct evidence of this to the type of behavior that is exhibited during their leave. Even though it may be assumed that the brotherly relations would most be exemplified during the combat scenes of the film, this is not necessarily the case. Rather, the dynamics of brotherly relations between the battle-weary men is most exhibited with regards to how the men spend their free time once they are on leave or before and after the combat. After weeks of stress and integrating with the deaths of their comrades within gruesome battles, the men settle into an uneasy, still stressful, rest that is only punctuated and made uniform by the level to which these men appreciate their own camaraderie and seek to make a communal sense of their current lives. The Narrator says the following about Witt’s realization of friendship:  "he feels the mysterious quality of deep, manly friendship which can exist between men who share the pain and death, the fear and sadness of combat—the happiness, too† (02:40). This of course helps to underscore the understanding of how the men involved within the film are defined by the conflict they are in. If such hardships did not exist within Guadalcanal, it is unlikely that the brotherly relationship exhibited during leave would have ever developed at all. Hardships bring people together, since they are fighting together for one cause against one evil enemy. Likewise, the father-son relationship that exists within the film is most adequately exposed by how Captain Staros interacts with the company commander. Captain Staros, a father figure for the men under his command, takes his role as guardian and protector of his men’s lives very seriously. Therefore, he takes full responsibility for all of the members of his platoon. Although his responsibility as an o fficer also includes implementing the orders of the officers above him, this primary motive to provide for the safety and wellbeing of the men under his command serves as something of a guiding precept by which Staros defines his role as captain. Staros right before the leave home has a warm and memorable talk with some members of his platoon. He says, â€Å"

Identification of Food Constituents Essay Example for Free

Identification of Food Constituents Essay Method (testing for reducing sugars) 1. Add 3cm? of whole milk, by using a pipette or syringe to the test tube. 2. Add 5cm? of Benedict’s reagent and place it in the boiling water bath for 8 minutes. Do the same for semi-skimmed milk and skimmed milk. 3. Once all 3 of the test tubes are left to cool in the air, observe the colours. It will be a good idea to set up a range of colour standards from glucose concentrations of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% so that you can relate the colours observed to these concentrations. 4. A positive result would be from green to yellow to brick-red colour. Method (testing for non-reducing sugars) 5. Make up the same solution as step 1 but this time, adding 3cm? of dilute hydrochloric acid to break the glycosidic bonds between the monosaccharides. 6. Then add 3cm? of sodium hydroxide solution to neutralise it. 7. Add 5cm? of Benedict’s reagent and place it in the water bath for 8 minutes. 8. Once it’s left to cool, it should now turn brick-red colour. 9. The concentration of a non-reducing sugar can be estimated by first adding a drop of 10% invertase (sucrase) concentrate to 2cm? of the solution to be tested and leaving for 30 minutes at room temperature. The solution is tested for the presence of a reducing sugar. This method is preferable to acid hydrolysis. Method (testing for starch) 10. On each of the three types of milk, just add a few drops of iodine which is dissolved in potassium iodide solution. 11. The sample should change from browny-orange, to a dark, blue-black colour. Method (testing for proteins) 12. Place 2cm? of the three different types of milks on each tube. 13. Then add 2cm? of Biuret reagent and you should see a purple-violet colour developing. The intensity of it is proportional to the protein content. Method (testing for fats) 14. Add 3cm? of the three different types of milk on each test tube and 3cm? of water. 15. Place 1 drop of Sudan III to each test tube and shake gently to mix. 16. Using a microscope, a slide and a cover slip, identify any emulsion of red fat droplets. 17. Alternatively, you could add a drop of each of the milk on a filter paper and see if there is a translucent stain for a positive result. Results table Solution (Milk)TestObservationsConclusion SkimmedBenedict’sLime green (lightest)A slight amount of monosaccharides or reducing sugars present Semi-skimmedBenedict’sLime green (lighter)A slight amount of monosaccharides or reducing sugars present WholeBenedict’sLime greenA slight amount of monosaccharides or reducing sugars present SkimmedInvertaseYellowish-greenHardly any monosaccharides or reducing sugars present Semi-skimmedInvertaseYellowish-greenHardly any monosaccharides or reducing sugars present WholeInvertaseYellowish-greenHardly any monosaccharides or reducing sugars present SkimmedBiuretViolet purpleProtein present. Semi-skimmedBiuretPurpleLot’s of protein present WholeBiuretLight purpleProtein present Conclusion If there were to be a fair amount of monosaccharides to be present all 3 different types of milk, then we would surely see a brick-red precipitate formed when adding the Benedict’s reagent. But according to my range of colour standards from glucose (monosaccharide) concentrations, the lime-green colour given out from each of the 3 milks shows us that it does contain a minor amount of monosaccharides (reducing sugars). Adding a drop of invertase normally should break the glycosidic bonds that are holding the disaccharides together to form monosaccharides. But my results show that it’s a yellowish-green colour instead of a brick-red colour after adding Benedict’s reagent. This shows us that there is hardly any disaccharides present which I thought there would be as lactose, a disaccharide, is mostly present in milks. But this result may have a different view on that. The fact that all 3 milks turned purple after adding Biuret reagent assures us that there is protein present. If there is protein present, that means there is starch present too because starch and proteins are polysaccharides. Evaluation It is noticeable that I haven’t done the test for starch and fats. This is simply due to the fact that I run out of time. Using a 5cm? micro syringe would be more accurate than a pipette. When a precipitate is settled, I could have used a ruler to measure it out (in mm) instead of just using my eyes. Even better, using colorimeter would have provide accurate measurements on the amount of colour present and therefore, give us an indication of how much of the food constituents were present.

Project On Library Management

Project On Library Management St. Joseph College Of Engineering and Technology (SJCET) located in eastern highlands of Tanzania, in the town of Dar es Salaam. The College operates in Brigitta Campus situated at about 23 km from Dar es Salaam-Morogoro Road at Mbezi-Luguruni Area. Built on a sprawling 30-acre hilly land, the college provides a conducive atmosphere for the pursuit of education. The focus of the college is on bringing out IT professionals, thus provides fine ambience for its training minds. The College runs two programmes, Degree and Diploma in Computer Applications that started in the year 2004, and in 2005 they opened another campus in town of Songea, southern of Tanzania. Currently, The College has been using a manual processing of library system. It has a well-stocked library providing a strong support to the Teaching-Learning process. The stack room has a total of about 32, 000 Books covering all the programmes offered. Adequate numbers of technology journals and magazines are subscribed in all the branches of study. With ample seating capacity the reading hall of the library caters to the scheduled use of the library by every class for one hour every week and to the leisure-time patronage by all the staff and students. The library working hours are between 8 am and 6pm on all working days and between 8am and 1pm on Saturday and Sunday. As time goes by, the population of students continues to increase. The librarians are not able to update the book files and student files, are unable to keep tracks of items, organize and maintain files as the result of an increased number of redundant and inaccurate information and no security measures taken. The college administration has now decided to automate manual Library System into a new Library Management System that will integrate among all of its campuses in order to eliminate redundancy and inconsistency of data. Librarians will be able to add/edit or delete details from and to the database plus maintaining security of Library System. Aim The aim of the project is to design and implement database for library management system that deals with Member registration, Item Management, Borrowing and Search for item(s) or for member(s), as well as avoiding redundancy errors and inconsistency of data by setting security measures. All records about books information and members information and other materials etc will be kept in the database. First, the library management system will allow members to register; registration includes storing basic information of members such as Member ID, Name, Address, Email, phone number, title, and registration date. then only the registered members will be allowed to borrow an item from the system and do searching for items based on author name, book title etc. Item Management is about managing all items available in library including Books, Journals and Reference materials with following properties: item number, name, author, number of copy etc. Placing reservation allows member to book an item if it is not immediately available. The item might be in another campus or a member may already have it out on loan. When the title is available, the librarian will activate the reservation and keep it aside for a member who has booked. Borrowing activity includes the following: allowing a member to borrow a book from library and be able to return a book to the library according to specific return date. When members borrow the book, database will store the book Id and member Id and this Ids will be used to search all items that have been borrowed by specific member and know total numbers of borrowed books and returned books. Objectives The main objectives of the project are: To do research on Library Systems and to establish distinct features that can be applied in developing a Library Management System. Activities: do research on manual and online Library System; get some ideas from books and journals for relevant articles. Deliverables: research report. To create a WBS for Library Management System. Activities: identify main Tasks (Activities) for the project and produce Work Breakdown Structure. Deliverables: Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) To understand technologies to be used in designing Library Management System Activities: briefly explanation of software(s) to be used, hardware(s), languages and server(s). Deliverables: requirements Analysis. To design and implement a database that will hold information for Library Management System. Activities: Analyse information collected and draw up a requirements specification for Member registration, Item Management and setting security. Deliverables: conceptual data model, relational schema, codes for database. To develop a web based application for Library Management System. Activities: the following is the platform showing how the web based application will be implemented: PHP, CSS, XHTML, Apache and MySQL are languages to be used for developing web pages, virtual platforms and server side for validation on retrieving and accessing information from database through web based application. Deliverables: web based application, screen dumps, and codes for web based application. Resources During the course of this project the resources expected to be used are: Research: Academic Articles, Text books such Database Design and Implementation, e-Commerce; these textbooks will be used to bring up different concepts that will assist in designing a Database and Web pages for a new Library Management System then linking Web pages with the database designed. Internet access: should be reliable because many materials are available online on different websites/blogs that talk about Library Management System. Software: any database web design software will be used in designing Library Management System and languages to used are: mySQL codes, PHP, etc. Application programs: mySQL server, Ms Project, Dreamweaver, etc Initial References St. Joseph College Of Engineering and Technology (SJCET) PROSPECTUS 2006-2007. Proposal: Guidelines and Samples, available at: http://sampleproposal.net/category/system-proposal/ Database Design and Implementation Coursework, Comp 1302, Due: 07-04-2010. Library Management System, available at: http://www.dotnetspider.com/projects/7-Library-Management-System.aspx New York State Library, available at: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/pos/ PROJECT MANAGEMENT Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives. It is sometimes conflated with program management. The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project goals and objectives while honouring the preconceived project constraints. [Wikipedia.org (date: 23rd Aug 2010)] Typical constraints are scope, time and budget; used to represent the concept that the various factors affecting project outcome are coupled such that a decrease along one dimension necessarily results in an increase in at least one of the dimensions. Scope includes all factors associated with the project deliverables, including quality. Budget includes all things that cost money, including resources and equipment. Time is about knowing the project schedule; how much time taken to complete the project. [Wikipedia.org (date: 23rd Aug 2010)] Processes The major processes include: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling and closing. Initiation The initiation processes determine the nature and scope of the project. If this stage is not performed well, it is unlikely that the project will be successful in meeting the business needs. The key project controls needed here are an understanding of the business environment and making sure that all necessary controls are incorporated into the project. Any deficiencies should be reported and a recommendation should be made to fix them. The initiation stage should include a plan that encompasses the following areas: Analyzing the business needs/requirements in measurable goals Reviewing of the current operations Financial analysis of the costs and benefits including a budget Stakeholder analysis, including users, and support personnel for the project Project charter including costs, tasks, deliverables, and schedule [Wikipedia.org (date: 23rd Aug 2010)] Planning and design After the initiation stage, the project is planned to an appropriate level of the detail. The main purpose is to plan time, cost and resources adequately to estimate the work needed and to effectively manage risk during project execution. As with the initiation process group, a failure to adequately plan greatly reduces the projects chances of successfully accomplishing its goals. Project planning generally consists of Determine how to plan (e.g. by level of detail or rolling wave); Developing the scope statement; Selecting the planning team; Identifying deliverables and creating the work breakdown structure; Identifying the activities needed to complete those deliverables and networking the activities in their logical sequence; Estimating the resource requirements for the activities; Estimating time and cost for activities; Developing the schedule; Developing the budget; Risk planning; Gaining formal approval to begin work; [Wikipedia.org (date: 23rd Aug 2010)] Executing Execution process involves coordinating people and resources as well as integrating and performing the activities of the project in accordance with the project management plan. The deliverables are produced as outputs from the processes performed as defined in the project management plan. [Wikipedia.org (date: 23rd Aug 2010)] Monitoring and Controlling Monitoring and controlling consists of those processes performed to observe project execution so that potential problems can be identified in a timely manner and corrective action can be taken, when necessary to control the execution of the project. The key benefit is that project performance is observed and measured regularly to identify variances from the project management plan. Monitoring and controlling includes: Measuring the ongoing project activities (where we are); Monitoring the project variable (cost, effort, scope etc) against the project management plan and the project performance baseline (where we should be) Identify corrective actions to address issues and risks properly (how can we get on track again) Influencing the factors that could circumvent integrates changes controls so only approved changes are implemented In multi-phase projects, the monitoring and controlling process also provides feedback between project phases, in order to implement corrective or preventive actions to bring the project into compliance with the project management plan. Project Maintenance is an ongoing process, and it includes: Continuing support of end users Correction of errors Updates of the software overtime [Wikipedia.org (date: 23rd Aug 2010)] Closing Closing includes the formal acceptance of the project and the ending thereof. Administrative activities include the archiving of the files and documenting lessons learned. This phase consists of: Project close: finalize all activities across all of the process groups to formally close the project or a project phase Contract closure: complete and settle each contract (including the resolution of any open items) and close each contract applicable to the project or project phase [Wikipedia.org (date: 23rd Aug 2010)] Work Breakdown Structure Work breakdown structure (WBS) is a deliverable-oriented grouping of the work involved in a project that defines the total scope of the project. Because most projects involve many people and many different deliverables, it is important to organize and divide the work into logical parts based on how the work will be performed. The WBS is a foundation document in project management because it provides the basis for planning and managing project schedules, costs, resources and changes. Gantt chart Gantt chart is a standard format of displaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding start and finish dates in a calendar format. [Schwalbe, K (2007); page 25] Gantt chart for SJCET Library Management System

Gangs and Youth Violence Essay -- Gang Essays

Recently, an increasing number of North American youth are committing violent crimes. Although the consequences of these violent crimes are easily apparent, the causes behind them are often abstract and obscure, making it difficult to pin blame on a single source. Moreover, this deviant behavior among young people can be attributed to a combination of several generalized factors. Leading contributing factors of youth violence include the media, the influence of family life, widespread abuse of drugs and alcohol, the ease of access to weapons and a lack of strong punishment that exists for juvenile offenders. If this rise in aggressive acts is to be stemmed, the causes youth violence must be determined and analyzed to determine which ones, if any can be affected by change. First, the most obvious and publicized cause explaining youth violence is the inescapable and highly influential exposure of youths to violence in the media, especially violence on television. Young people, most notably children are susceptible to learning violent ideals through their high level of exposure to North American television programming. Parents have come to rely on the use of television as a babysitting service and therefore have increased the influence of television on the fragile, easily manipulated minds of their children. On average, a typical Canadian child will watch about 22 hours of television per week (Childley 38). Over their adolescent lives, this adds up to more time spent watching television than time spent at school, playing sports or communicating with parents and friends (Childey 39). It is not the amount of television viewed that has created this problem, but rather it is the content of North American television that has spiraled out of control and that has warped the minds of countless children. The correlation between aggressive behavior and television viewing is accounted for by the violent content of modern television shows. Estimates have indicated that by the time a child reaches the age of twelve, s/he will have witnessed as many as 12, 000 violent deaths on television, and that this can lead to â€Å"heightened aggression in the short term† (Childley 38). We live in an era where Hollywood is applauded for its creativity and originality when it comes to new ways to murder characters. Consequently, it is no wonder that youth violence is up 140% in Canada sin... ...nt sentencing of juvenile offenders who have committed acts of violence can succeed in rehabilitating them if they spend little or no time in a correctional institution. It can be conclusively stated that youth violence in North America is a multi-faceted issue and its causes can be approached from several angles. The media, particularly in the form of television plays an enormous role in presenting the world to young people, albeit it is a violent world that is presented. At home violence can be learned objectively or subjectively through observing a parent’s aggressive behavior or by experiencing it first hand. In addition, North American youth place themselves at a high predisposition to violence by selling and using drugs. In a legal sense, governments in North America seem to have done little in the way of setting up obstacles to restrain youths from committing violent crimes. All of these factors are not necessarily omnipresent, but enough influence from one or a combination of them is enough to incite violent behavior in young people anywhere. The extent and severity of these problems has already stigmatized an entire generation of yout hs, not to mention others to come.

Damnation of a Canyon Essay -- Edward Abbey Nature Environment Essays

The Damnation of a Canyon   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not many people know of the used-to-be 150-mile excursion that the Glen Canyon had to offer. Not many people know how to sail a raft down a river for a week. Not many people know how to interact with nature and the animals that come with it. We seem to come from a world that is dependent on time and consumed in money. Edward Abbey is what you would call an extreme environmentalist. He talks about how it was an environmental disaster to place a dam in which to create Lake Powell, a reservoir formed on the border of Utah and Arizona. He is one of the few that have actually seen the way Glen Canyon was before they changed it into a reservoir. Today, that lake is used by over a million people, and is one of the biggest recreation hot spots in the western United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First of all, Edward Abbey admits to being a certain bias and that he is a, â€Å"butterfly chaser, googley eyed bleeding heart and wild conservative.† So, in other words he is intending this article to be read by environmental activist who will support his opinion and the action that he is trying to take. Edward Abbey worked as a seasonal park ranger for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area back in 1967, so of course he would be against any environmental action taken to change the canyon. He stated that before the damnation of the canyon that there were streams, waterfalls, plunge pools, and plenty of wildlife. Now you can only find that on a small scale and that these thing...

Characters in Animal Farm Essay

The over worked and malnourished animals over throw the humans in charge and took power; only to find that the obligation of freedom maybe more dangerous. Out of all the animals, however, one is sure to stand out. That animal is Boxer, the farm’s hardest and strongest worker. George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm, is an allegory that reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917, and then on into the Stalinist Era in the Soviet Union. Through a depiction of Boxer, George Orwell allows the reader to make a discernment of the Russian proletariat’s loyalty and hardworking skills, by presenting him as an allegiant, reputable, diligent worker. From the beginning to the end, Boxer remains a diligent worker despite the abundance of toil. After the Rebellion, â€Å"Boxer [seems] more like three horses than one; [and] there [are] days when the entire work of the farm seems to rest on his mighty shoulders.† (46) Therefore, Boxer is precisely the hardest worker on the farm for the reason that he agrees to do the majority of the labor on the farm. In comparison to Mollie and Moses, who depart from the farm without doing any work, Boxer agrees to do additional tasks. Furthermore, after Boxer’s severe depravity, â€Å"Boxer [refuses] to take even a day off work, and [makes] it a point of honor not to let it be seen that he [is] in pain.† (114) Thus, Boxer is an eager worker for the reason that he never renounces his job. On the contrary, Mollie â€Å"[is] late for work every morning and [excuses] herself by saying that she [has] overslept.† This proves that Boxer loves to work. When the going gets bad he sees working as the solution. Boxer is truly the farm’s hero because of his hard work. In addition to his resolution to work harder, Boxer demonstrates fidelity. After Snowball’s expulsion, Boxer is worried about the farm, but he is not smart enough to figure things out on his own. Rather than thinking for himself, Boxer forces himself to believe others. Boxer tries to think things  over for himself, but all he can come up with is, â€Å"If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right,† and he takes up a new personal motto: â€Å"I will work harder.† (70) For this reason, Boxer illustrates allegiance for coinciding with authority. Furthermore, when Napoleon begins executing other animals, Boxer can only say, â€Å"I would not have believed that such things could happen on our farm. It must be due to some fault in ourselves. The solution, as I see it, is to work harder.† (94) Therefore, Boxer is devoted considering that he always falls back on his personal motto: Napoleon is always right. Boxer is loyal to the farm animals and allegiance is w hat makes a worker a good worker. Throughout the most troublesome times on Animal Farm, Boxer is praised by the animals. As time goes on, the animals are much inspired by Boxer’s work ethic than by Squealer’s clever speeches. â€Å"With his tremendous muscles [Boxer] always [pulls] them through. Boxer [is] the admiration of everybody.† (46) Hence, Boxer is admired by the other animals for the reason that he is an inspiration for them. Unlike the pigs who are considered the most intelligent, it is Boxer, who commands the animals simply because of his work ethic. Moreover, during the winter, little progress is made; the animals can not feel so impelled about it as they felt before. However Boxer never loses heart, â€Å"the other animals [find] more inspiration in Boxer’s strength and his never-failing cry of ‘I will work harder!’† (85) Ultimately, Boxer is honored by the other animals as a result of the animals being propelled by Boxer. In comparison to Squealer’s adroit speeches, the other animals find more inspiration in Boxer. This clearly identifies that Boxer’s role and personality is highly respected by the animals. These are just some of the examples that prove why Boxer is am allegiant, reputable, diligent worker. These three traits are what make Boxer unique. Unfortunately, his loyalty makes him easy to manipulate. Boxer is a very important character and without him Animal Farm would not exist. Boxer is the one who gives everyone hope and a reason to work harder. For these reasons Boxer is the farm’s hero and is one of the most beloved characters in Animal Farm.

Qantas strategies Analysis Essay

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The report has discussesd and appliesd theoretical concepts and principles of strategic management into analyzing the environment context where to Qantas Airways Limited operates. It shows that, Qantas has a long history and sustainable development but needs to evolve in the global world. ization context, the company has to continue to participate in international activities to grab development opportunities. Besides that, the increasing competitive also challenges the corporation. In order to be successful and take competitive advantages, strategy is the key element for every enterprise including Qantas. By researching and applying strategy analysis theoretical into Qantas case study, its current strategies are outlined and reviewed and some others are suggested. It approves the roles of strategies in create competitive advantages through cost leadership, differentiation  and focusing. 1.0. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background In the globalized and integrated world economy, enterprises have spread their operations into other countries and become multinational corporations. Qantas Airways Limited is the Australia’s oldest and largest airline also takes part in international activities very early since 1935. The international operations create for the group a great opportunity to expand and grow but also challenge Qantas Airways with inherent risks and competitions in international market. In order to sustainably develop and remain the largest airways not only in Australia but also in the world, the Group should implement strategies to create comparative advantaged. 1.2 Aims – To analyse the company’s information; – To analyse the internal and external context where the corporation operating; – To analyse the resources and capacities of Qantas Airways Limited; – To analyse and discuss strategies the corporation using and recommendation to improve them. Scope Data and information are mainly collected from CQU online module, databases, academic articles, the corporation’s website and textbooks. The report is based on the operations of Qantas Airways in five recently years and focus on two recent years. 2.0. INTERNAL ANALYSIS 2.1. Qantas Airways Limited Qantas is Australia’s largest airline and the second oldest airline in the world carrying billions passengers in more than 20 countries such as Australia, Asia, North and South America, New Zealand, Africa and Europe. Qantas Group is one of the strongest brands in Australia. The Group’s main operation is the transportation of customers in two complementary airline brands – Qantas and Jetstar (low cost carrier). The Group’s broad portfolio of subsidiary businesses ranges from Qantas Freight Enterprises to Qantas Frequent Flyer. Qantas has strong network all over the world. Founding member of oneworld alliance, until now Qantas has 27 bilateral partners extending the network and offer passengers a global network. ïÆ' ¼ In 2012, Qantas carries a 44.6% shares of the Australian domestic market and 18% of all passengers travelling in and out of Australia while the respective market segments for Jetstar are 20,7% and 8%. The chart below compares the top 10 inter national airlines. Figure 1: Top 10 international airlines in Australia (Source: ANNA- Airlines Network News and Analysis, 2010)   2.2. Resources and capabilities – Tangible resources: Establisheding in 1920, Qantas Group has grown gradually and remain one of the largest and strongest in Australian airways industry. During the last 5 recently years, Qantas has steadily expanded its operations by increasing number of aircrafts, passengers, employees and destinations all over the world. Its development can be demonstrated as data below: Figure 2: Qantas’s resources from 2008-2012 (Adopted from Qantas data book 2012, see Appendix) Qantas’s total asset increased from $19.7 billion in 2008 to $21.1 billion in 2012. More than half of its assets are from property, plant and equipment which book value at $14.13m at the end of FY2012. Intangible assets values at $610,000. ïÆ' ¼ At the end of FY2012, the corporation had a cash balance of $3.4 billion, and 308 aircrafts from three main suppliers Airbus, Boeing and Bombardiers. The Group has 12 Airbus A380, 30 Airbus A330, 60 Boeing B737, 36 Boeing B747 and 46 Bombardiers.   Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Intangible resources: Qantas has a strong reputation for long history with a huge number of customers, larger segment in the Australian market. Qantas is the world’s second oldest airline and since its inception, Qantas has remained one of the largest and strongest brands in Australia. Qantas Frequent Flyer has grown steadily growth, more than 750,000 new members joining the frequent program during 2012. And increase the total member to 8.6 million. (Qantas data book 2012). Many Australians regard Qantas Airways Limited as a national icon and pride of Australia. ïÆ' ¼ Another intangible resource of Qantas is its networks with large corporations. Qantas started the Oneworld Alliance with American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines and Cathay Pacific in 1998, and with Finnair and Iberia one year later. Oneworld is an arrangement among airlines to share departure lounges, frequent flyer points and joint booking of flights for travellers to go wherever they want. (Dallas, H 2010). Qantas fre quent Flyer has partnerships with many large corporations in and outside Australia, such as Optus, Woolworths, Caltex, Safaris, etc.   2.3. Performance analysis According to Mail Business Staff 2012, Qantas Airways reported $204 million annual loss in FY2012, the first loss since 17 year period. It was impacted  from the increasing fuel prices, intense competition, industrial disputes and its struggling international division and a series of strikes that temporarily grounded its fleet. By analyzing data from the corporation’s annual report, profitability index can be calculated as shown bellowed: Figure 3: Qantas Airways ratio analysis (Adopted from Qantas data book 2012) As can be seen, the Qantas performs ineffectively in recently. Its turnover, profit and ROA, ROE have reduced considerably particularly a loss of $244 million in 2012. ïÆ' ¼ However, the group still has strong financial capability. Its debt/equity ratio slightly increased but can be acceptable and its create leverage to encourage managers improve the corporation’s performance. Qantas has quick ratio around 0.5, that help Group has ability to pay current debt. Besides that, the current ratios were less than 1 and continuously decreased. It faces the Group to risk of liquidity that means Qantas may not have enough resources to pay its debts over the next 12 months in case of liquidity. ïÆ' ¼ According to Grant, 2013 the goal of a firm is value maximization that means maximizing the shareholders’ wealth. It was measures via the share’s price and profitability. The corporation recorded an decline in share’s price and market capitalization from 2009 to 2012 a fter a bounce in 2008 to reach the highest price of $6.0 per share. The earnings per share dropped significantly and in 2012 and the shareholders received no dividend due to the loss of $244m.   The changing in Qantas’s share price is illustrated as below: Figure 4: Qantas Share price from 2008-2012 (Source: Qantas data book 2012, p.33) Researches show that, loss is result of high fuel price and changing in foreign currency exchanges as well as competition with other low cost airlines in international activities (O’Sullivan, M 2012). The researchers require Qantas implement strategies to hedge fuel cost and manage foreign exchange risks to increase its competitive advantages.   2.3. Genertic strategy and connection to the internal value chain Qantas Airways aim at maintaining its position as the leading Australian domestic carrier and one of the world’s premier sustainable long-haul airlines through two dual  airline brands, Qantas and Jetstar that endeavour at two different strategies. While Jetstar focus on low cost Airline, Qantas aims to provide safety, highest quality services and more â€Å"Ausiee† airline. It seek to deliver sustainable, long term returns to the shareholders. The Qantas Group strategic priorities are illustrated below. Figure 5: Qantas strategic priorities (Source: Qantas data book 2012, p.5) Qantas’s strategies have connection to the firm’s internal value chain. According to Grant 2013, a value chain analysis describes a sequential chain of the main activities that the firm undertakes. Michael Porter’s Value Chain has been used as a tool to analyse competitive advantages. It is divided to two parts, primary activities and support activities. First of all, primary activities include five main activities which are Inbound logistics, Operations, Outbound logistics, Marketing and sales and Customer service (Grant, 2013). Inbound logistics is a part of the ‘supply chain’ and involve distribution. Inbound logistics’ activities describe the receiving and storing of materials (Porter, 1985). Qantas has three major jet suppliers which are Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier. Each supplier has different competitive advantage with others. For example, Airbus has A380 that is larger, longer and can deliver more passengers than others while Boeing h as B787 that is lighter, smaller and faster than others. In addition, Qantas also has others suppliers who provide products related to oil, gas and food. Operations are activities to transfer inputs into the final product (Porter, 1985). The operation of Qantas group includes airports, catering, engineering, flight operations, operations planning, control and aviation services (Qantas Factfile, 2010). For example, Qantas aviation services are applied through several processes such as customers can book ticket through travel agent or booking online, check-in online, and baggage claim. Outbound logistics is the process related to collect, store and distribute the final products to customers (Porter, 1985). The general activity of airline industry is transportation goods and services from one area to others all over the world. Therefore, most of airlines implement their transactions though travel agent and online and Qantas is not an exception. By using these ways, Qantas achieves the most cost effective,  while satisfying customers. Marketing and sales are activities to provide the places which customers can buy the products (Porter, 1985). In order to advertise product, Qantas has created many media advertisements on television, radio, newspapers, posters in travel agents and billboards. Qantas announced $44 million for advertising campaign with Tourism Australia in 2010 (Qantas, annual report 2010). For example, Qantas used Boeing 747 aircraft to paint the words ‘Come play’ in Frequently Flyer program and Sponsorship Football Federation Australia (World football insider, 2010). However, Qantas is trying to use more direct marketing than blanket advertising because blanket advertising is more expensive and less targeted especially to corporations than direct marketing. Moreover, Qantas also uses global marketing strategies which are standardization, customization and global branding. Through these marketing, Qantas has implemented successful strategies to ensure its reputation for high quality good s and services. In addition, Qantas also has sales promotions in particularly periods. An example of this is Qantas launched a two – for one ticket sale, it means that a second passenger is allowed to fly for the cost of taxes and charges. Another is that Qantas first launched to issue 100,000 tickets at $49. ïÆ' ¼ Secondly, Support activities consist of Firm infrastructure, Human resources (HR) management, Technology and Procurement (Grant, 2013). Support activities can help primary activities to work more effectively. Firm infrastructure relates to structure of the industry. Qantas’s infrastructure includes functional departments such as accounting department, financial department, marketing department, customer service department or engineering department. Qantas’s HR strategy focuses to ensure a flexible, adaptable and safer workforce, improve labour unit costs and productivity, develop management and leadership capabilities as one of the largest employers in Australia, approximately 37,000 people (Qantas, 2012). Qantas’s HR concentrates on four areas: corporate, business segments, shared services, and learning and development. Each area has own responsibilities to help deliver the human resource strategy. Besides that, Qantas group is also known as the Australia’s largest aviation trainer. There are many training courses to help the Qantas employees to improve their knowledge and skills. For example, in 2011/2012, Qantas invested $65 million in training approximately 2,300 pilots (Qantas, annual report 2012). Furthermore, in the  past four years, 122 young people graduated through the Qantas program. Their training enables them to experience with various aspects of airline management and they may provide the next generation of aviation executives. ïÆ' ¼ Regarding technology development, technology has an important role in supporting Qantas business to deliver enhanced value. Technology development of Qantas focuses on main five areas which are project and program management, business system analysis, testing and quality assurance, services and relationship management, and architecture (Qantas, 2012). Qantas is also investing in new technology for customers; Qantas is the fir st airline to offer iPads as an option entertainment for passengers to access to the latest entertainment. These activities can support for main purposes to enhance the quality and create reputation for Qantas group. ïÆ' ¼ The purpose of Qantas’s procurement is maximizing the shareholders’ value from all supplier relationships (Qantas, annual report 2012). This is implemented through a chain process such as disciplined, systematic and ongoing process. All procurement activities are ensured through Qantas’ procurement policy. One of the important procurement activities is that goods and services meet specification and are transferred on time at competitive prices from stable suppliers. Others procurement activities are also applied such as financial risk, total cost basic must be reduced and supplier relationship management is focused on win-win outcome.   3.0. EXTERNAL AND INDUSTRYIAL ANALYSIS 3.1. Macro economy Qantas as a part in the global airline industry has continued to benefit from globalization where growth trade and tourism increase demands for travelling. According to the World Tourism Organization, throughout 2011, international tourist arrivals went up by 4.4% to 980 million, from 939m in 2010. The context also creates corporative opportunities for Qantas. For example, in early 2011, Qantas acquired Network Aviation, a West Australian charter airline that contributed around $19 million in revenue and other income (Marketline 2012). However, globalizations with the participation of many airline industries also threat Qantas in provide good service at reasonable price. Besides that, the increasing and unpredicted fuel price and foreign currency exposure also challenges the Group when participate in  international operation. 3.2. Five forces analysis Porter’s Five Forces is a most widely used framework in practice to determine intensity of competition and the level of profitability for companies (Grant 2013). Porter (2008) stated that five forces shape the structure of industries and launch the basement for competition and profitability within industry. These include threats of new entrants and substitutes, bargaining power of substitutes and buyers, and rivalry among existing competitors. According to Dobbs (2012), five forces assessments of threats and opportunities are powerful responses of managers to challenging environment where they must to compete with rivals and increase profits. The first important element is threat of substitutes. Substitute products/services perform a similar function as an industry product by a different means and at times at a cheaper price. This makes the competitions become more violent for all. It corresponds to industry profitability suffers. Therefore, companies have to reinvest themselv es such as their services, product and event low price and restructure their organizations in order to survive in challenging environment. They have estimated what threats coming from substitutes whose product are similar to that of a company/brand that is established within the industry and give some strategies for themselves. The aviation business now tries to boost up diverse options and promotions trip with low price to persuade the customers. Under pressure of substitutes like Virgin, Delta, Tiger Airlines, especially coaches or trains, Qantas have to plan some strategies not only in Airline industry but Transportation industry The second of five forces is threats of new entrants. When new entrants have launched in an industry, the proportion of industrial profits has changed. They bring new capacity and desire to share a market with the others, and simultaneously put pressures on old rivals about prices, qualities of services and goods, cost and rate of necessary investment. When threats are high, managers must implement a number of methods into the marketing mix in order to deter new entrants. According to Grant (2013), there are some principal sources of barriers to entry: Capital requirements, economies of scale, absolute cost advantages, and product differentiations, access to channels of distribution, governmental and legal barriers, and retaliation. The effectiveness of barriers to entry depends on the resources  and capabilities that potential entrants possess. The new entrants, Virgin Airlines or Tiger Airline, become competitors to Qantas with new full service airline and cheap tickets. In order to compete, Qantas is focused on business market which does not have a strong market competitor. The group also try to control the budget airlines through introducing of Jet Star (Reference for business, 2006). In addition, although Emirates airline is a international competitor, Qantas has corporation with Emirates to enhancing their shared network across the Tasman. This hit the competition in Australia and New Zealand (Cornwell 2013). The third is rivalry among existing competitors. According to Grant (2013), in some industries companies compete aggressively, sometimes the prices are under the value of output and leading definitely loss incurred. In the others, they focus on the innovation, advertising and non price dimensions. The intensity of competition of companies base on some factors: concentration, diversity of competitors, product differentiation, excess capacity and exit barriers, cost condition. Simultaneously Qantas operates Jetstart to compete the other companies by cheap tickets, Qantas also cooperate with Woolworths in Frequent Flyer program to maintain loyal customer (Qantas FactFiles, 2010) . The next is bargaining power of suppliers: suppliers are also described as the market of inputs: ability of suppliers to put the buyers under pressure. There are two factor effected on aviation industry including aircraft manufactures and fuel supplier. According to Qantas annual report, 2009, Suppliers of Qan tas are Boeing, Airbus, and Bombardier. They have strong power to deal with Qantas because they determine cost and delivery times and can be potential to turn into competitors. Lastly, bargaining power of buyers: Customers are described as the market of outputs and put the firm under pressure of low prices and quality of services. Therefore, Qantas have to cooperate with the other airline such as Emirates, Vietnam airline to rival the others. Qantas also has to impulse its sale with quality product and cheap price in several channels such as travel agency and website to deal with others. What is your conclusion from the 5 Forces Analysis? 4.0. STRATEGY TO CREATE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE In the competitive environment, enterprises have to create competitive advantages or they will be died. Grant (2013) says that a firm can achieve a higher rate of profit over a rival in two ways: supplying an identical product or service at a lower cost, or providing a unique product or service that is differentiated with others in order to persuade customer pay a price premium that exceeds the additional cost of the differentiation. 4.1. Cost leadership In order to take advantages in cost, the corporation has to structure and effectively exploit resources, apply some drivers of cost advantages such as economics of scale, product design, technology and inputs cost (Grant 2013). Figure 6: Qantas’s expenditure in 2011-2012 ïÆ' ¼ (Source: Qantas data book 2012, p.18) As can be seen, there are three main parts from Qantas’s expenditure in both 2011 and 2012. They are fuel cost, labour cost and aircraft operating aviation. Figure 7: Fuel cost of Qantas ïÆ' ¼ (Source: Qantas Data Book 2012, p.19) Fuel cost is the highest expense of Qantas, accounting for more than 25% of total expenses. In 2012, the fuel makes a new record at 27% of total costs at $4.22 billion in compare with $593million in 2011. ïÆ' ¼ The Group uses several strategies to reduce the influence of fuel prices. They are hedging; passing fuel surcharges to tickets; shortening the jet fuel supply chain fuel conservation; investment in new fuel-economic aircraft; improvement managing air traffic and enhanced technology in flying techniques and navigation approach. (Qantas data book 2012). Aircraft operating variable spent $3 billion in costs in FY2012. It includes route navigation charges, landing fees are charged by the relevant airport company or authority, maintenance cost and passenger expenses (in-flight consumables and amenities, entertainment). Therefore†¦.? Moving to cost leadership strategy can be applied by Jetstar that focus on low cost airline to gain market share in difference target customer th an with the main brand. Due to nowadays, there are many low cost airways emerge worldwide. Thus, the firms that can offer the cheaper price will be gain the customers. Jetstar want to  reach the lower price than others fare airlines so the company designs to adapt another strategy such as partnership strategy to deal with the main competitors. In current years, almost aviations industries have considered about how to the firms getting the customer faster than competitors. Also, Jetstar recognizes about low price with fast sale so the firm tries to create new promotion to attract and gain the customers quickly than another firm. The firm can take advantages in cost by increasing passenger load factor (promotion), reduce fuel cost, in-flight consumption and entertainment of customers. 4.2. Differentiation According to Grant (2013), differentiation is not just about the product, it embraces the whole relationship between the supplier and customer. Differentiation can be categorised into two types as tangible differentiation and intangible differentiation. 4.2.1. Tangible differentiation: Complementary service: According to Qantas FactFiles (2010), Qantas has provided In-flight entertainment with full-option in all Qantas international flights such as A380, B747 and A330 aircrafts. Simultaneously, Qantas Club lounges with full of necessary facilities are provided to the Qantas’s members at more than 130 lounges worldwide. As Group route network, the Qantas Group have operated numerous flights to cover 173 destinations in 42 countries together with partner airways. According to Qantas annual report (2009), Qantas provides premier price with full service option to serve the customers. For example, Qantas creates unique experiences to Qantas’ members like bringing Chef Heston Blumenthal to meet food and wine (QANTAS 2012). As the result, customers can feel superior when perceive the product or service. This strategy offers unique can enhance value of the product to the customers. The other point is that Qantas designs multi-brand model such as Qantas, Frequ ent flyers, and Jetstar which give customers the experience they desire. Specifically, Qantas provides the clear choice for business and premium leisure travellers. Frequent flyer builds the world’s best loyalty business while Jetstar brings the clear choice for price sensitive travellers (QANTAS 2011). Grant (2013) states a low-price; no-frills offering is associated with a unique brand image. Hub airports:  Qantas has developed Airport terminal consolidation project. This reduces in minimum connection times, underpins Sydney as Qantas’ main hub, and supports the international network alliance strategy, long term price and infrastructure surety. This strategy also increases product differentiation and seamless end-to-end customer experience (QANTAS 2011). 4.2.2. Intangible differentiation: Safety is always the first priority of Qantas aviation firm. Qantas is the leader of safety aviation industry (QANTAS 2008). Qantas is rigorously subjected to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) and Operational Safety Audit Certification, which is an internationally recognised safety audit program, once every two years. Moreover, Qantas is regularly scrutinised additional external audits by around 75 external organisations. This capability combined with constant prudence and proactive prevention is fundamental to Qantas maintaining its leading safety record and reputation. 5.0. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION In conclusion, â€Å"strategy is win† (Grant 2013). Enterprises with efficiency strategies and successful implementation will generate advantages in the competitive environment. By applying several strategic analysis methods in analysing the internal and external context of Qantas Airlines Limited, the report has indentified the group’s strategies. Base on the analysis, some strategies has been recommended for the corporation to create competitive advantages by two strategies, cost leadership and differentiation: Expeditionary Marketing: Travel agent can be an important channel to distribute the product and service. Therefore, the Qantas should conduct a plan to consolidate its business activities with the travel agents and sometime the firm has to create a monopoly with those travel agents to decrease competitors. The corporation should also offer promotion to reduce free seat in flight. Unique Service Style: The price of ticket that should included the price of baggag e may set up little bit expensive than others low cost airlines without luggage price. It can be attract the customers; especially, women. Due to almost women need space for their clothes and cosmetic that is often liquid may be banned to carry in a passenger area. Fuel hedging: Qantas should continue research for new technology and invest  in low-fuel consume aircrafts. Charging fuel surcharges to passengers is better than fuel hedging. Foreign exchange risk hedging: Continue hedging foreign currency to reduce risk by using other derivative financial instruments such as option or forward contracts. Labour cost: Qantas can expand to other countries where labour willing to work for lower payment than in Australia, meanwhile reduces intermediates or agencies, directly or online sell tickets to customers. 6.0. REFERENCES Airlines network news and Analysis, 2012, ‘Australian international traffic growing strongly but Qantas is losing market share; US and Indonesia see biggest gains’, viewed 15nd August 2013, http://www.anna.aero/2010/04/20/australian-international-traffic-growing-strongly. Allayannis, G, Weston, G 2001, ‘The Use of Foreign Currency Derivatives and Firm Market Value’, The Review of Financial Studies, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 243-276. Cornwell, A 2013, Emirates and Qantas to hit competition in Australia and New Zealand, viewed 15th August 2013, http://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/emirates-and-qantas-to-hit-competition-in-australia-and-new-zealand-1.1221392. Dallas, H 2010, ‘Qantas in the global airline industry’, Strategic management: competitiveness and globalisation (4th Asia-Pacific ed), pp. 434-440. Dennis, A 2012, ‘Is Qantas the dying kangaroo?’, Herald Sun, viewed 15rd August 2013, http://www.heraldsun.com.au/travel/australia/is-qan tas-the-dying-kangaroo/story-e6frfhbf-1226392614457 Dobbs M E, 2012, Dobbs, Michael E, 2012, Porter’s Five Forces in Practice: Templates for Firm and Case Analysis, Competition Forum 2012, Vol. 10 Issue 1, p22. Grant, R.M 2013, Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 8th edn, John Wiley & Sons, NewYork. Fickling, D&Wang, J 2012, ‘Qantas, China Eastern Plan Cheap Flights for Asia Middle’, Bloomberg, viewed 15rd August, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-25/qantas-plans-hong-kong-budget-airline-with-china-eastern.html International Air Transport Association 2013, ‘High cost environment to continue’, Financial Forecast, viewed 15rd August 2013, http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/Documents/economics/industry-outlook-financial-forecast-march-2013.pdf Mail Business Staff 2012, ‘Qantas posts â‚ ¬204m loss as its fuel bill hits â‚ ¬3.6bn’, Daily Mail, p.46. Marketline 2012, ‘Qantas

Psychology: Human Memory Essay

The article addresses the problems of interference as related to implicit memory. The study reveals the inconsistencies of the previous studies in the area of explicit and implicit memory, and the impact of interference on the memory performance. The authors of the article analyze the three major studies conducted in previous years. Lustig & Hasher (2001) refer to interference as â€Å"a primary source of forgetting and a major focus of memory research†. Previous research has proved that implicit memory is immune to interference, but there is no evidence whether earlier studies have referred to proactive or retroactive interference. The results of the previous research have determined the different patterns of interaction between explicit memory, implicit memory, and interference mechanisms. This difference was later used to suggest that explicit and implicit memory tasks measure different forms of memory and act within different systems of the brain. Despite the clear evidence that implicit memory is immune to interference, Lustig & Hasher (2001) suggest that this evidence is impaired by using wrong methods of research: the authors emphasize the importance of differentiating between target and nontarget memory responses. Lustig & Hasher (2001) have designed a new study, â€Å"in which each fragment presented at test could be completed only by one previously presented target word†. The authors have utilized the three-group study design: in the interference group, the nontarget items were similar to the correct completions; for the control group, nontarget items were unrelated to the test fragments; the third group was used as a baseline and received only test fragments. The control and interference group participants viewed a list of words divided into the two groups of target and nontarget items. The list was followed by a set of exercises to be completed by both groups (word-fragment test). Lustig & Hasher (2001) used planned comparisons to analyze the results of the fragment-completion test. â€Å"The critical question was whether orthographically similar nontargets impaired implicit memory for the target words† (Lustig & Hasher, 2001). Although the control and interference groups have displayed better achievements in fragment-test as compared to the baseline group, the successes of the interference group members were negatively impacted by their exposure to the list of nontarget words. Thus, implicit memory was impacted by interference mechanisms. The authors have analyzed the proportion of incorrect answers as impacted by the group exposure to nontarget words. The results have shown an increasingly great number of intrusions of the non-target words in the interference group as compared to the control and baseline groups.   The results of the study, combined with the previous research results, have led to the conclusion that explicit memory cannot be the only critical factor in determining the presence of interference. On the contrary, the combination of the explicit and implicit memory responses determine the exact patterns of interference and their impact on human memory. Lustig and Hasher (2001) clearly demonstrate that implicit memory is not immune to interference. In addition, the researchers create a new vision of the critical boundary condition for interference, which â€Å"is similarity between critical and nontarget items, not deliberate retrieval† (Lustig & Hasher, 2001). Discussion questions 1. How is the interference phenomenon discussed in earlier studies? 2. Is there any unilateral evidence that implicit memory is immune to interference? 3. Why is the similarity between target and nontarget items potentially important for the investigation of interference and its impact on implicit memory mechanisms? 4. How has the use of fragment-completion test been beneficial for the discovery of interference impact on implicit memory? 5. In the light of the current research results, how can we define a critical boundary condition for interference?

Looking for loans

The problem with borrowing money from a rich uncle for starting a business is that 1) the funds can be stopped at any time; 2) your uncle ordinarily can not provide the practical advice necessary for growing the business; and 3) your relationship with your uncle might be ruined if the business goes under. Two alternate methods of looking for loans are as follows: SBA loans and venture capitalists SBA administers three separate, but equally important loan programs. SBA sets the guidelines for the loans while SBA’s partners (Lenders, Community Development Organizations, and Microlending Institutions) make the loans to small businesses. SBA backs those loans with a guaranty that will eliminate some of the risk to the lending partners. (www.sba.gov) The advantages of a SBA loan is that often it is usually easier to get a SBA loan as opposed to   a traditional bank loan and the SBA itself is an invaluable resource of information and classes about starting a small business. Venture capital is money made available for investment in innovative enterprises or research, especially in high technology, in which both the risk of loss and the potential for profit may be considerable.   Venture capitalist finance startups in exchange for a share of stock once the company goes public.   Normally, financing is done in rounds.   For example, a company is given 12 million dollars and, once that money is exhausted, it applies for another round of financing. Venture capital is mostly limited to high tech companies and is hard to obtain.   Only one in a thousand prospects presented before a venture capitalist actually gets funded.   Also, it takes time and money to make presentations to venture capitalists. Most venture capitalists are located in large metropolitan areas, such as Silicon Valley; hence, if you have a business located outside a large metropolitan area, you should factor in the travel time involved in contacting venture capitalists into your decision to use venture capital as a source of funding.   Also depending solely on venture capital for funding is risky because financing rounds are not guaranteed.   Your company may have to suddenly close down if you find that you have exhausted your round of financing without turning a profit. â€Å"SBA Financing Basics† (n.d.).   Retrieved from http://www.sba.gov/financing/basics/basics.html References â€Å"

The Great Gatsby Chapter Analysis Essay Example

The Great Gatsby Chapter Analysis Essay Example The Great Gatsby Chapter Analysis Paper The Great Gatsby Chapter Analysis Paper Essay Topic: The Great Gatsby Nick observes several drunken women at Gatsby lawn, gossiping about the mysterious identity and unusual rumors of Gatsby. Gatsby invites Nick forever lunch and they go on a ride to the city in Gatsby white Rolls Royce. On their way to the city, Gatsby tells Nick about his past. Gatsby describes himself as a son of wealthy parents from the Midwest town of San Francisco, who graduated from Oxford, been a reputable jewel collector in Europe and war hero. Gatsby shows Nick his war medal to prove his claims. He informs Nick to expect a story about his tragedy which he will tell him about later this afternoon. As they drive, Gatsby does not pay attention to the speed limit and an officer pulls them over. Gatsby shows the officer a small white card from the commissioner. The officer apologizes and lets them go. During lunch, they meet Gatsby business partner Meyer Wolfishly. Wolfishly describes Gatsby to Nick as a man Of fine breeding (p. 46 1 993 edition) who would never so much as look at a friends wife? (p. 47 1993 edition). Gatsby informs Nick of Wolfishly identity and that hes the man responsible for the fixing of the 1919 World Series. Nick becomes concerned that Gatsby is involved in crime business. As they leave the restaurant, Nick sees Tom Buchanan and introduces him to Gatsby. Gatsby becomes embarrassed and leaves without even saying goodbye. Later on, Nick meets Jordan at the Plaza Hotel. She tells Nick the amazing thing that Gatsby had told her previously. There is a flashback into Gatsby past: as a young man, Gatsby had a passionate romance with Daisy Fay, who is now Daisy Buchanan. During the war, Gatsby met Daisy at his stay in Louisville and they fell in love. Daisys family prevented her from marrying Gatsby and one year later she married a wealthy man from Chicago, Tom Buchanan, who gave her a string of pearls worth $350 000 and 3 month honeymoon to the Southern Seas. When they arrive at the Central Park, Jordan finishes the story. She tells that Gatsby)dos love to Daisy is unbreakable and he bought his giant mansion in West Egg just to be across the bay from her. Gatsby believes that he could buy back the love of Daisy with money. Nick realizes that the mimes Gatsby gazed at the green light across the docks, was due to his passionate love to Daisy. Jordan tells Nick, that Gatsby requested him to invite Daisy to his house for tea. Gatsby will suddenly arrive, so she could see him, even though he fears that she doesnt want to. Analysis Thesis Statement: Through the use of flashbacks Fitzgerald unfolds the mysterious identity of Jay Gatsby. At first the author portrays Gatsby as an untrustworthy, suspicious man, who is involved in criminal activity of bootlegging. However after Cordons story of Gatsby past, there is a major heft in his identity and his true character is revealed. Nick realizes that Gatsby has accumulated this wealth and all his possessions to win the love of Daisy. Chapter 4 opens up with a portrayal of The Roaring Twenties and its dynamic lifestyle. Nicks description of Gatsby guests shows the different roles and classes of the society, during 1922. Nick outlines how they are all just using Gatsby for his hospitality and wealth. The author achieves this theme through Nicks list the guests who attended the parties: Chester Backers and the Leeches, and a man named Bunsen (p. 1 993 edition) and the fact that none of the guests knew anything about the host. They arrived at Gatsby mansion with the intention to enjoy their time, consume alcohol and display their wealth, thereby portraying the main concept of the fast paced life of the Roaring Twenties. At the beginning of the chapter, the author foreshadows Gatsby s connection to the criminal world by the chatter of the young ladies at the party. The rumors about Gatsby that are overheard from the m: He is a bootlegger One time he killed a man who had found that he was a nephew o Von Hindering (p. 9 1 993 edition), cause the reader to be suspicious of Gatsby character and provide an indication that he is not a clean person. The rumors reveal a minor element Of Gatsby identity and the immoral way he gained his wealth, giving a sign to the reader of what to expect further in the chapter. Another portrayal of the Roaring Twenties appears when Gatsby pays no attention to the speed limit and an officer pulls him over. Gatsby shows the white card he had received from the commissioner, due to a favor he had previously done for him. The officer apologizes, Know you next time Mr.. Gatsby. Excuse me! (p. 44 1993 edition) and lets him go. Gatsby action of simply waving a small white card to escape the consequences of breaking a law shows that he is a superstar. Gatsby acts above the law and the police, displaying himself as the New Money of the Roaring Twenties and that there are no boundaries to his actions. When Meyer Wolfishly is introduced in the chapter; Nicks awareness of the criminal side to Gatsby s character increases. Throughout the conversation Nick suspects that the rumors he had revisions heard from the young ladies hes a bootlegger One time he killed a man ) (p. 9 1993 edition) are true and that Gatsby is involved in organized crime. In the chapter, Wolfishly serves as symbol to represent the Criminal Element. The way that Fitzgerald describes the visual characteristics of Wolfishly A small, flat nosed Jew raised his large head and regarded me with two fine growths of hair which luxuriated in either nostril. After a moment I discovered his tiny eyes in th e half-darkness (p. 44-45 1993 edition), generates a stereotype of the Jewish nation. During the 1 sass, Jews were hardwired for their greed, wealth and physical attributes of a miniature body build a large nose. Fitzgerald applies the stereotype to describe Wolfishly as a symbol for Crime and Corruption. Meyer Wolfishly describes the success in wealth as an outcome of fine breeding (p. 46 1 993 edition). This is the Old Money way of thinking, where the fundamentals to achieving The American Dream of wealth lie in the genes of the person. After the meeting with Wolfishly, Nick realizes that the source to Gatsby high income is his involvement in bootlegging activities. Gatsby is the New Money lass of The Roaring Twenties, who has recently acquired his fortune of wealth, instead of inheriting it. Throughout the mid-section of the chapter Fitzgerald begins to unfold the mysteries of Jay Gatsby past, revealing his true identity and creating a major shift of Gatsby character. At the beginning of the chapter the author characterizes Gatsby as enigmatic, suspicious and not fully trustworthy person. The information Gatsby gives about his past seems highly over exaggerated and inconceivable; l am the son of wealthy people in the Middle West -all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years. (p. 42 1993 edition). Gatsby portrays himself as a son of wealthy parents, war hero, jewel collector and a graduate of oxford. Later on, Cordons story about Gatsby past radically changes Nicks perception of Gatsby character. Through the use of flash backs, Jordan depicts Gatsby as a romantic person who is fighting to achieve his love. Jordan reveals his lower class background, what influenced Daisys parents to oppos e the marriage; but Gatsby is a man who is prepared to go beyond the boundaries to reach his goal. Through Cordons flashbacks of Gatsby, Fitzgerald presents a romantic click, where Gatsby is the Romeo of The Roaring Twenties: a perfect lover, brave and handsome, and war hero. The end of Chapter 4 reveals the true objective to Gatsby accomplishment of his wealth. Gatsby desire to reach the mysterious green light and Daisy across the bay is unstoppable. The green light acts as a symbol to several themes, among them is Daisy herself, Gatsby fearless romantic optimism and Gatsby s view of the American Dream.

buy custom Sweatshops essay

buy custom Sweatshops essay Sweatshops have been with us for generations. Majority of the sweatshops` workers are from the Third World countries. Sweatshops refer to employment places where workers are exposed to inhumane working conditions in terms of long working hours, low wages and mistreatment by employers, child labor and lack of work unions to protect the workers` rights. The sweating system originated through forwarding of jobs to smaller firms by big garment industries and manufacturers, especially in London, England and New York City, the United States of America. Sweatshops were associated with poor immigrants who left their own countries in search of green pastures in the big cities. As a result, immigrant workers were employed. These workers worked for long hours in harsh conditions, such as overcrowding, risk of fire breakouts and infestation of rats, whereas they were paid very poorly for their sacrifice.Over the years, there has been a global concern of the welfare of workers working in the swea tshops. The textile and the clothing industries are most associated with sweatshops.Sweatshops developed as a result of many factors. Firstly, most people who work in the sweatshops are immigrants from Third World countries. These immigrants consider such opportunities of work as golden opportunities to earn a living in order to survive in Western nations. In fact, in most cases back in their home country they have the exactly same working conditions as those they are exposed to in the sweatshops and, therefore, they do not see anything wrong with them. In addition, since some of the immigrants are illegal in a country, employers exploit them by forcing them to work long hours with low pay, instead of reporting them to the relevant authorities for deportation. Consequently, the law does not allow employers to employ illegal immigrants, according to provision of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). So, when they employ illegal immigrants, some of the sweatshops do n ot have the capacity to handle the increase of workers; as a result, employers are forced to reorganize their facilities in such a manner so as to accommodate them and still maintain their profit margin. In doing so, they are forced to cut down on production costs, such as wages, which results to a decline in all workers` living standards. Some workers decide to take more than one job to meet their needs or work longer hours than usual.Consequently, their jobs are not secure, as long as there is someone else in line waiting and willing to be employed to do the same job at a lower wage and longer hours. The government, on the other hand, has not been very supportive since they expect the employers to regulate themselves in the management of the sweatshops in order to create more employment for the members of the society. Moreover, the workers trade unions are not very effective in negotiating for higher and reasonable pay for their members nor do they protect their rights in work pla ces. Actually in some cases, employers fire anyone found to be involved in any form of workers union.For example, it has been noted that the Disney is among the top of the worst operating sweatshops (Kirch, 1997). They were found violating the minimum wages law especially in the Haiti Disney, as reported by the National Labor Committee (NLC). In addition, accusations against them included sexual harassment of women and dismissal of pregnant women in order to avoid giving them maternity benefits, and firing of workers who tried to speak out about the poor work conditions they were subjected to. Another illustration shows that in Nepal, Pakistan, India, Morocco and other countries of the third world children, aged 5 to 14 years, are exposed to work. In fact, in some cases they are hidden behind the doors for years to tie knots of rugs, purchased by America and other Western countries. The situation is also similar in Pakistan, where children aged 6-14 years are used in stitching handm ade soccer balls. The stitches are so small that they cause their fingers to be stunted and underdeveloped in the long run. The worst part of it is that they are only paid $0.30 per one ball stitched and yet the same ball is sold for $30 in America. Moreover, these balls are sold by worldwide known shops, such as Reebok, Nike, Adidas and many others.Anti- Sweatshops organizations have been formed in various nations. According to Echikson (1999), European companies groups have come together and formulated a code of conduct for the labor situation and they demand their own subcontractors adhere to them. Although some employers are resistant, especially in wage increases, the code has greatly improved working conditions in the region. Also clean clothes campaigns have been conducted by religious groups, human right activists and labor unions across Europe, and in some places branches of organizing and mobilizing campaigns against sweatshops have been opened (Echikson, 1999).In America adequate exposure of unfair treatment has been done by journalists, called Muckrakers, and politicians who have campaigned for change of laws in favor of workers in sweatshops. In Australia and the United Kingdom anti- sweatshop campaigns, held by the National Anti Sweating League, led to the formulation of Trade Boards Act 1909. Moreover, a group known as the international Ladies Garments Workers Union was also formed to make the working conditions of the sweatshop workers better. In this countries safety regulations and laws governing labor were drafted. However, some argue that sweat shops make commodities more available and affordable to average consumers since production costs are kept law. Subsequently, it provides employment especially to the illiterate and less educated who otherwise will not have sources of income or would have been forced to immoral behavior such as prostitution in order to earn a living. In addition, others say that sweatshops benefit countries with big economies, contributing to their GDP and reducing their balance of payments deficit. This is because, most goods /products are exported and others are consumed locally.Even though sweatshops pay less than the expected standards in the US, UK and other western nations, the wages are much better than those that the immigrants would earn in their original countries. Actually, the same immigrants working in the sweatshops could be paid better than some of the workers, working in the third World countries (Budd Slaughter 2000). According the World Bank report, in most third World countries a large percentage of people live on less than $ 1 and $ 2 per day.Moreover, at a personal level when one compares what she or he is earning in a sweatshop with other available alternatives, one may decide to go for a sweatshop job if it better paid. Therefore, they can serve the interest of a sweatshop worker better when the payment is higher than the payment of the next best alternative.Actually, th e majority of economists believe that sweatshops are of benefit to the third world workers because they provide investment and employment opportunities for them (Bhagwata). Their views are based upon the demand and supply effects of a market, allowing it to balance itself to the equilibrium level, creating a win - win situation where both the employer and the worker win (Williams 2004).On the other hand, the economists who believe that sweatshops should be abolished argue that the demand curves are negatively sloped must be very illiterate (Miller, 2003).In most third world countries the average number of working hours usually exceeds 50 hours per week, which is considered the international average weekly working hours. In countries like Haiti, Nicaragua, Honduras and Dominican Republic, the working hours are at an average of 70 hours per week, which is almost the same number of hours per week in sweatshops.In the example of children making rugs (Kirsh, 1997), efforts are being made to set them free and enroll them in education and rehabilitation programs. In the process of eradicating sweatshops, an organization known as Co-op America has conducted research and found out that sweatshops can actually be eliminated. Their main idea is to provide the information to the public in order to assist them differentiate products from sweatshops and those from quality shops (Kirsh, 1997). This can be done through labeling brands. They also aim at exposing companies that exploit workers to the public. This will affect the taste and attitude of consumers towards specific products and as the result will put them out of the market. For instance, as the result of a research, they have ranked Blue Jeans Company as the best company that provides excellent working conditions for their employees, while rugs has worst practices regarding employees` management.To conquer sweatshops and eradicate them we must work as a team. There are several things we can do as nations and communi ties. First and foremost, we must acknowledge that sweatshops are real and they are unacceptable since they exploit other people unfairly. Then, we must communicate with those within our reach to let them know about the disadvantages of sweatshops. We must demand to know the welfare of workers in the places we purchase goods from. And if they are mistreated the situation must change through campaigning and mobilization. If nothing is done, bring awareness about the sweatshops to the entire communities, universities, churches and nations. In doing so, we will discourage purchase of goods manufactured in these factories, industries and companies and we will let them know why we do not buy their commodities.Establishment of strict labor laws and sound trade unions that protect the welfare of workers and children will greatly contribute to the reduction of sweatshops. Any employer found not abiding the laws should be punished accordingly. Also, third world nations should stop acting lik e victims of slavery and desperation. We should endeavor to live and work in own countries so that we can develop our own economies. Preferring to live as immigrants and working as sweatshop workers should be discouraged at all costs.According to Kirsh (1997), creation of awareness by the Co- op America Organizations has caused the consumers to pressurize the International soccer`s governing body to sign a code of conduct that they will not use children in soccer balls` production. As a result, there is a strategic plan to build factories to produce soccer balls by Reebok and Nike in places like Pakistan and only adults are to be employed. Moreover, rehabilitation programs are also instituted to develop the academic skills of children. This will cater for the children, especially those previously employed in production of soccer balls. In addition to the above, Co-op America has suggested various measures to assist consumers in selection of products for purchase. They advise e that the consumers choose a particular product which they often buy, and stick to it. They should also ensure that they buy the products from a fair trade organization or a green business company. The other thing they advice is to raise awareness.If possible, consumers should be bold enough to question retail stores whether there is any exploitation of workers of whatever kind in production of their products. Consequently, they could send coupon or questionnaires to manufacturer companies and request them to be filled by both employees and employers (Kirsh, 1997).As a result, awareness will be created to both the local and international community.Companies who sell products resulting from sweatshops will run great losses and close down if they do not stop sweatshops.As the sweatshops will be reduced, better working conditions and protection will be accorded to workers. This is because, trade unions will be empowered and many employers will seek to abide to the law. On the other hand, une mployment levels may increase for immigrants who are not educated or do not have skills that match job descriptions in the foreign nations. Therefore, the governments should establish centers to train and equip them for the job market and also to provide basic needs for them until they are employed and able to vend for themselves. Preferring to live and work in the country of origin will lead to greater heights of development; hence, employment opportunities will also increase and, therefore, immigration to western countries will reduce.As a conclusion, the sweatshops have been with us for many years. Eradicating them completely may take some time. A majority of sweatshop workers come from the third world countries. This is mainly caused by the demand of cheap labor in order to meet market demand. As a result, the companies end up employing immigrants who are desperate to earn a living and survive since they are not educated enough to do well paid jobs. Governments are not aggressiv e in fighting the problem, since some feel that it contributes to low unemployment rate. However, several anti sweatshops groups have raised up to express their displeasure in operation of sweat shops. The measures, such as mobilizing both the local and international communities and creating awareness about highly infringed human rights of those immigrants, were taken. This has led to closure of some companies and establishment of labor laws to protect the welfare of workers and to stop child labor in sweatshops.The bodies involved in this exercise include ECPAT, National Anti Sweating League and the international Ladies Garments Workers Union; they and many worker unions have been established to protect the workers` rights. Other companies have resulted to construct their own factories to get rid of the problem, for example, Nike and Reebok constructing factories in Pakistan to produce soccer balls and to build rehabilitation centers for children abused before.Even though it has b een argued that sweatshops pay workers more than local firms in the third world countries, they cannot be accepted. This is because in comparison with output products, the wages are low and also the working conditions are practically inhuman. Research conducted by organizations such as Co-op America shows that we can live and produce effectively and efficiently without sweatshops.Finally, in my opinion, sweatshops should be banned completely in both the local and international communities. This is because sweatshops degrade humanity. Every human being has a right to proper treatment, especially in working places, no matter whether he or she is an immigrant or not Buy custom Sweatshops essay

Terms About Courts and the Judicial System

Terms About Courts and the Judicial System Terms About Courts and the Judicial System Terms About Courts and the Judicial System By Mark Nichol As with any government sector, the US judicial system is ruled by specific nomenclature that distinguishes one type of court from another, as well as other points of style: The US Supreme Court US can be spelled out, but there’s no need to do so should be designated as such, with the initials for â€Å"United States,† to distinguish it from state supreme courts even if only the federal court is mentioned. In subsequent references, it can be identified simply as â€Å"the Supreme Court† or even â€Å"the Court.† (Though court is usually lowercased in generic usage, the word is often capitalized in reference to the highest court in the land.) Although a state Supreme Court is generally so designated in local media, in publications with more widespread circulation â€Å"the California Supreme Court† (or â€Å"California’s state Supreme Court†), for example, is preferred. Not all equivalent judicial bodies, however, are so designated; variations include â€Å"Court of Appeals,† â€Å"District Court,† â€Å"Circuit Court,† â€Å"Superior Court,† and Court of Common Pleas.† Regional appellate courts are informally called, for instance, â€Å"the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,† but it’s better to use the formal title in this case, â€Å"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.† Formal names of district courts follow this form: â€Å"U.S. District Court for the Central District of California†; their subunits are divisions whose varying names are capitalized, as in â€Å"Eastern Division.† Names of court cases are italicized, and versus is abbreviated with a v followed by a period: Brown v. Board of Education. The judicial system is also known by the terms judiciary and, seldom, judicature. The function of the judicial branch of government is to interpret and apply law, as well as ensure equal justice under the law; the legislative system makes laws, and the executive branch enforces them. The head of the U.S. Supreme Court is designated the chief justice; this job title is capitalized before that person’s name, but a generic identification, even after the person’s name, is â€Å"chief justice of the United States.† All other members of the Court are called associate justices; this title is also initial-capped before a name. A judge is identified by that job title, as in â€Å"Judge John Doe,† but remember that when a job title is preceded by a qualifying term, the job title becomes part of a description and is no longer capitalized: â€Å"retired judge John Doe,† â€Å"appellate court judge Mary Smith.† And how do you write the form of direct address of a judge? â€Å"Thank you, Your Honor,† equivalent to usage for other civil titles â€Å"One more question, Mr. President†; â€Å"Please have a seat, Senator.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a Sentence5 Brainstorming Strategies for WritersPunctuation Is Powerful

A Guide to Solstices and Equinoxes

A Guide to Solstices and Equinoxes Solstices and equinoxes are interesting terms that show up each year on our calendars. They are related to astronomy and the motions of our planet. Most people think of them as the start of a season. Thats true as far as a date on a calendar is concerned, but they dont necessarily predict climate or weather. The terms solstice and equinox are related to specific positions of the Suns in the sky throughout the year. Of course, the Sun doesnt move through our sky. But, it appears to move because Earth is turning on its axis, like a merry-go-round. People on a merry-go-round see people appear to move around them, but its really the ride thats moving. Its the same with Earth. As the planet spins around, people see the Sun appear to rise in the east and set in the west.  The Moon, planets,  and stars all appear to do the same thing, for the same reason.   Precessional movement of Earths pole. Earth turns on its axis once a day (shown by the white arrows). The axis is indicated by the red lines coming out the top and bottom poles. The white line is the imaginary line the pole traces out as Earth wobbles on its axis. NASA Earth Observatory adaptation How Are Solstices and Equinoxes Determined? Watch the sunrise and sunset each day (and remember never to look directly AT our hot, bright Sun), and notice its rise and set points change throughout the year. Notice also that the Suns position in the sky at noon is farther north at some times of year and more southerly at other times. The sunrise, sunset, and zenith points slide slowly to the north from December 21-22 to June 20-21 each year. Then, they appear to pause before starting the slow daily slide toward the south, from June 20-21st (the northernmost point) to December 21-22 (the southernmost point). Those stopping points are called the solstices (from the Latin  sol,  which means sun, and sistere,  which means stand still). These terms stem back to a time when early observers had no knowledge of Earths motions in space but did notice that the Sun appeared to stand still at its northernmost and southernmost points, before resuming its apparent motion south and north (respectively). Solstices Summer solstice is the longest day of the year for each hemisphere. For northern hemisphere observers, the June solstice (the 20th or 21st), marks the beginning of summer. In the southern hemisphere, thats the shortest day of the year and marks the beginning of winter. Six months later, on December 21st or 22nd, winter begins with the shortest day of the year for northern hemisphere people. Its the start of summer and the longest day of the year for people south of the equator. This is why such solstices are now called the December and June solstices, rather than winter or summer solstices. It recognizes that the seasons for each hemisphere correspond to north or south location.   The Greek astronomer Hipparchus was the first to discover and chart the equinoxes. Getty Images   Equinoxes Equinoxes are also connected to this slow change of apparent solar position. The term equinox comes from two Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night). The Sun rises and sets exactly due east and due west on the equinoxes, and day and night are of equal length. In the northern hemisphere, the March equinox marks the first day of spring, while its the first day of autumn in the southern hemisphere. The September equinox is the first day of fall in the north and the first day of spring in the south.   So, the solstices and equinoxes are important calendar points that come to us from the apparent position of the Sun in our sky. They are also intimately connected to the seasons but are not the sole reason why we have seasons. The reasons for the seasons  are linked to Earths tilt and its position as it orbits the Sun.   Observing the Solstices and Equinoxes Charting the moments of solstice and equinox is a year-long observation project. Take a moment each day to observe the sky; notice sunrise or sunset and mark where those occur along your horizon. After a few weeks, its very easy to note a  very distinct shift of the positions north or south. Check out the appearance points of sunrise and sunset against the printed calendar and see how close they come to matching. Its a great long-term science activity for anyone to do, and has been the subject of more than a few science fair projects!   While the original ideas about solstices and equinoxes hark back to a time in human history when sky observers had no way of knowing about our planets motions in space, they still mark important dates that give people clues about the change of seasons. Today, ancient astronomical markers such as Stonehenge remind us that people have been looking to the sky, and measuring its motions, since the dawn of human history.