Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research Paper

An arising problem in today’s world is the destruction of the ozone layer because of the emissions and harmful gases that vehicles are giving off. Forget ethanol or biodiesel. The next big thing in automotive fuel may very well be hydrogen. Automakers rapidly are closing in on making hydrogen fuel cell vehicles an everyday fact of life, with several test models set to debut over the next few years. Hydrogen fuel cells to power vehicles are desirable, experts say, because hydrogen is a renewable fuel that can be used to create electricity to run cars. A chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen produces the electric power, and when pure hydrogen is used, the only emission from the tailpipe is harmless water vapor. Many people are asking, â€Å"Why fuel cells? † The gasoline engine in a conventional car is less than 20% efficient in converting the chemical energy in gasoline into power that moves the vehicle, under normal driving conditions. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which use electric motors, are much more energy efficient and use 40-60 percent of membrane to the other side of the cell, the stream of negatively-charged electrons follows an external circuit to the cathode. You can read also Thin Film Solar Cell This flow of electrons is electricity that can be used to do work, such as power a motor. On the other side of the cell, oxygen gas, typically drawn from the outside air, flows through channels to the cathode. When the electrons return from doing work, they react with oxygen and the hydrogen protons (which have moved through the membrane) at the cathode to form water. This union is an exothermic reaction, generating heat that can be used outside the fuel cell. The future of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles depends on advances in four areas: the hydrogen source, the distribution infrastructure, the on-board fuel tank and the on-board fuel cell. Hydrogen must be made from carbon-free renewable sources before fuel-cell vehicles can make a dent in the climate problem. One idea is to make the hydrogen by splitting water using electricity from wind farms, or solar panels. Once the hydrogen is made, it must be distributed via special pipelines and tankers to an extensive network of hydrogen refueling stations, which have yet to be created yet. Once in the tank, fuel cell vehicles must store enough hydrogen to go several hundred kilometers between refueling stops. Liquid hydrogen requires insulated tanks at -253*C. so most companies have chosen to compress the hydrogen inside high-strength carbon fiber tanks. The purpose of the fuel cell is to convert hydrogen to electric power. The challenge is to make it light, cheap, robust and durable — yet powerful enough to run the engine, lights and air conditioning. Hydrogen fuel cells, while about twice as efficient as internal-combustion engines using gas, cost nearly 100 times as much per unit of power produced, critics note. And hydrogen is explosive. It ignites at a wider range of concentrations than natural gas and requires less energy to ignite, Michael D. Amiridis, chair of the chemical engineering department at the University of South Carolina, told the Web site and gas-electric hybrid cars advocate hybridcars. com. â€Å"It’s scary – you cannot see the flame,† Amiridis said. Still, automakers are pushing ahead. â€Å"What we can do from our side is to show that technology is mainly feasible, and we have many corporate projects in this area,† said BMW’s corporate communications manager Andreas Klugescheid. It’s North America Engineering and Emission Test Center in California, for example, has been testing two BMW Hydrogen 7 prototypes that run on both hydrogen and gasoline, using a dual-fuel engine and two separate fuel tanks. With the push of a button on its steering wheel, the Hydrogen 7 can run on either hydrogen or gasoline. It can go 125 miles on its hydrogen mode and 300 on its gasoline mode, thus limiting the possibility that its driver might be stranded, given that there’s only one hydrogen filling station in California, near Los Angeles. Along with the hydrogen fuel cells' high efficiency (from 40-70%), the possibility of utilizing both heat and electricity from them will make a significant contribution to reducing atmospheric emissions. For example, a fuel cell operating at 60% efficiency would emit 35-60% less CO2 at the fossil fuel stage and 80% less from hydrogen. Both GM and Honda are hoping to bypass concerns about the lack and cost of developing hydrogen filling stations by creating home hydrogen refueling devices that would allow cars to be refilled overnight in garages. Much of the push for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles is aimed at putting the public at ease through demonstration models and projects Energy sources of the future will have to be cleaner and more efficient than current sources – fuel cells fulfill these requirements. Several challenges remain before we will see wide-spread commercialization, mainly because of restrictions with size, cost, reliability and safety, but an environmentally-friendly source of power is definitely on its way.

Jones-Blair Case Anaylsis Essay

Strategic Issues and Problems: The Jones Blair Company competes in a 50-county area throughout Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Louisiana. Their major business and financial center is located in eleven county Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan areas. Jones Blair Company is a privately held corporation that produces and markets paint under the Jones-Blair brand name. A large portion of the maturing paint industry, $10 billion, is established from architectural coatings and the annual growth rate is expected to equal that of general inflation in the coming years. Dollar sales have increased at an average annual rate of 4 percent per year over the past decade. The company has been very successful in maintaining their margins even with increased research and development material and labor costs. A small number of regional paint manufacturers have competed successfully against paint manufacturer that distribute their products national. Major producers of paint for the architectural coatings segments account for 60 percent of sales in the architectural coating segments. The competition is pretty stiff when it comes to private store brands or specialty stores. Even with the growing success of Jones Blair it is not enough and in order to reach their business goals at a time when growth is nonexistent, Jones Blair must take immediate action and surge their sales team and change their sales energies. Mass merchandisers pose a serious threat to the future achieved sales levels of Jones Blair Company. Jones Blair Company is currently looking for solutions for gaining more consumers through marketing their architectural coatings and sundries in the southwestern United States. Market Segmentation The market of Jones Blair can be divided to two groups: Dallas-Fort Worth area and Non Dallas-Fort Worth. Among these two areas, there are the contractors, the DIY households and the professional painters. From reading case, I gathered that the estimated dollar volume of architectural paint and allied products sold in Jones Blair’s 50 countries service area in 2004 was $80 million (excluding contractor sales). The DFW are accounted for 60 percent or $48 million, while the remaining 40 percent or $32 million is sold in the other areas outside the DFW area. 70 percent of the DFW sales are accounted for by do-it-yourselfers while the other 30 percent is sold to professional painters. In the other areas outside of the DFW area 90 percent of sales are accounted for by do-it-yourselfers while the other 10 percent is sold to professional papers. (See Exhibit 2). This would means the percentage of the market segment is as following: DFW ($48 millions) Non-DFW ($32 millions) Professional Painters 70% ($33.6 millions) 30% ($9.6 millions) DIY households 30% ($14.4 millions1) 70% ($22.4 millions) Plan of Action The senior management team has examined the paint industry, especially the architectural paint markets, and they have yet to come to a conclusion. The president of Jones Blair, Mr. Alexander Barrett, is planning to have another meeting with his executive team where they will each present their suggestions and he has exclaimed a decision must be made. Recommendations Jones Blair executives have developed four alternatives to relieve the company’s marketing problem (which are outlined as follows): a) Cut price by 20% b) Spend additional $350,000 on corporate advertising; c) Hire one additional sales representative d) Do Nothing (Status Quo) a) Cut price by 20% Compared to other leading national brands, Jones Blair is priced relatively high. This is based on the extremely high quality and performance of the products. By cutting price, Jones Blair will be able to stay competitive in price with other the other products on the market. b) Spend an additional $350,000 on corporate advertising This money will be used to increase awareness. Most of it will be spent on television ads targeted mainly in the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) area at the do-it-yourself market. Brand image is important to consumers and television ads are a great way to get their name out. Most of this population is aware of this product and only some of this population would purchase it. c) Hire an additional sales representative Hiring an additional sales representative will allow Jones Blair to focus on new markets. These markets should be outside of the DFW area and allow for new cities and states to recognize Jones Blair. d) Do Nothing (Status Quo) Since Jones Blair has continually seen profits each year; they should maintain their current marketing objectives and do nothing. Jones Blair has done an excellent job of this in the past by watching the margins and controlling costs. By doing nothing, the company will not need to spend any additional money. e) Alternative Recommendations a.) Cut price by 20% In 2004 architectural product sales volume was $12,000,000. Jones Blair has a current net profit of $1.14 million, and to stay profitable it must maintain this amount. $12,000,000*.35= $4,200,000 If Jones Blair reduced its price by 20% the contribution margin will drop to 15%. ($12,000,000)*.15 = ($1,800,000) If the company drops the price by 20% the company will see a 33% increase in sales. ($1,800,000 * .33) =$4,200,000 ($594,000) STRENGTHS: Jones Blair will sell more products, because it will be able to compete with its competitors in price. WEAKNESSES: May not be able to sell enough in volume to cover cost of goods sold. If the price is more competitive with other companies it may not be looked at as superior quality. b.) Spend additional $350,000 on corporate advertising. The marketing department proposes a television campaign targeted at the DFW do-it-yourself market. This will cost an additional $350,000, but will significantly increase the awareness of Jones Blair products. Research has proven that brand awareness is a major factor in purchasing decisions. If Jones Blair does agree to use this method the company will need to make at least $122,500 to break even and cover the cost of this new promotion ($350,000/.35= $122,500). Most of the DFW consumers are do-it-yourselfers, so a television ad will be beneficial in this market. STRENGTHS: Consumers will become aware of Jones Blair. Do-it-yourselfer’s account for 70% of volume in the DFW area. Advertising is proven to increase awareness, and awareness is a critical factor in consumer purchasing decisions. WEAKNESSES: Almost doubling current advertising costs ($360,000+$350,000). This recommendation requires a large budget and has little guarantee of results because about 75% of the viewing au dience does not buy paint. Consumer buying process shows household buyers choose a store first, not a brand; therefore, cooperative ad is required, not brand advertising. c.) Hire an additional sales representative. Sales outside of our home territory DFW are crucial for maintaining competition in the market. A sales rep would cost the company $60,000 a year. So the company would need ($60,000/.35) about $171,428.58 of additional profits to cover this. 120 retailers are located outside of DFW. If we look at our current dollar amount needed to stay profitable $4,200,000 and divide that by stores…$4,200,000/120= $35,000 So… $171,428.58/$35,000 = about 5. So the company would require a new sales rep to acquire at least 5 new accounts a year to breakeven. STRENGTHS: New clients may bring more opportunity to the table through word of mouth. Doesn’t cost the company a significant amount of money to do. WEAKNESSES: Does not promise new clients. It’s only concentrating on most profitable market, DFW. d.) Do nothing (Status Quo) Jones Blair will not change any of their marketing strategies. STRENGTHS: Does not cost the company any extra money to maintain current objectives. Jones Blair is currently making money, why change? WEAKNESSES • Jones Blair will not always be profitable in the future; the cost of research and development will only increase. Needs to stay competitive in the market and not looking into long term vision of the company. Final recommendation Jones Blair needs to look into the future and envision the company competing with competitors. Its best bet is to focus on the consumers in its main home market, DFW. If they can gain awareness of the home market, sooner or later word will spread throughout all of their markets and business will boom. Making a $1,000,000 minimum income looks like pocket change. Right now Jones Blair can afford this and still have a $400,000 profit. Target Market The target market for Jones Blair is consumers in its main home market, DFW. Specifically the consumers in their architectural coatings and sundries arena. Marketing Mix Promotion: Jones Blair Company advertising can potentially boost their clientele bringing more awareness to the DIY segment in the southwestern area of the United States. This was essentially the objective of the executive meeting and advertising is proven to increase awareness, and awareness is a critical factor in most consumer purchasing decisions. Place: The Company distributes its product through 200 independent paint stores, lumber yards and hardware outlets. With the expanded advertisements Jones Blair can expand to their marketing scope connecting with more consumers, especially in the southwestern area of the US. Price: Almost doubling current advertising costs ($360,000+$350,000), advertising would be the best way to reach the masses in the regions that are going unnoticed. Product: Architectural coatings and sundries supplied throughout the southwestern United States.

Case Study Regency Grand Hotel Essay

Introduction: The Regency Grand was Thai owned and operated. It was a profitable and successful company during it 15 year existence with very high morale within the company. Employee’s worked according to management’s instructions. Employees were not allowed to be innovated and creative. All decisions were at management level. When Regency was bought out by a US Hotel chain, the general manager decided to retire early. The American based company then appointed John Becker as general manager. John has 10 years experience with the American company. John was appointed due to his previous success integrating newly acquired hotels in the US. In most previous acquisitions, Becker took over operation with poor profitability and low morale. After he implemented changes the employees morale decline, absenteeism increased, customer complaints increased, and poor ratings in the media. 1. Culture–The US based company failed to research or invested in any culture changes that might affect employees when they acquired the Regency Hotel. 2. Change–John made sweeping changes that once worked in the past for fledging acquired hotels. Becker failed to plan and implement change. He did not involve any staff in the change process nor did he have a change agent to help oversee the change process within the newly acquired hotel. John based his decisions off what was successful in the past in American style business. He failed to consider the Regency was already successful and profitable with high employee morale. 3. Communication–John empowered employees to make minor decisions while only elevating major decisions to management. John failed to communicate expectations of what are minor decisions and what are major decisions. He also encouraged employees to be innovative and creative. * Problem Statement: There are several issues with this case, but the three main problems in this case are Culture, Change, and Communication. The American based company provided no culture training to John Becker or the staff at the Regency. John Becker had no plan for changes he implemented.  Lastly, but most important was the poor communications within the entire company. Even with the best plan; if it is not communicated properly then it will fail. * Analysis and Evaluation: During his staff meeting with management John did not communicate his expectations, nor did he ensure every manager understood the tool empowerment. Using the MARS model under roles perception, if tasks such as John expectations, standards, rules, and definitions such as the difference between major and minor issues were properly communicated then managers would not over turn employees decisions. Employees would have job satisfaction, high morale and a sense of purpose. Employee’s decisions were over turn by management led to increases in absenteeism, turnover, and customer complaints resulting in the decline of service in the media’s eye. Using the Expectancy Theory of Motivation, provide role clarity and increase reward with desired outcomes. ABC of Behavior Modification can be use to set effective goals use the Specific, Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-frames Exciting Reviewed (SMARTER) Alternative actions to improve the performance are 1- Build a manager/employee guide to communicate the standards, rules, expectations, and define what major/minor decisions are. Hire a SIGMA 6 facilitator to oversee the process. Provide comment boxes for suggestions of improvement, feedback, and open communication. In addition to employees Performance appraisals, provide a 360 scoring of managers/employees such as online surveys. 2- In addition to the first choice, open lines of communication within the organization such as the open door policy. Get the whole team involved in the decision making process through meetings gear to meeting their needs both for management and the employees. Provide employees an avenue to voice concerns (anonymous if needed), and address issues on an individual bases. * Recommendation: The best of the alternatives listed above is 2. This alternative provides open communication, training to the entire staff, and both managers/employees handbooks that outlines expectations, rules, and standards. It also provides an expert to oversee the process. This  alternative also fights for feedback both from management and employees. You must communicate the change to the entire staff, listen to the concerns, and allow for anonymous feedback. After meeting with management to explain the change, have a facilitator oversee this process. After the management team is onboard. You should involve the employees with the same concept as the management. Get the whole team involved in the development ideas for the guide. Assign certain team both management and employees with the task of creating the guides. This should be implementing immediately.

Role of the State in Canadian Immigration Policy and Settlement Essay

Role of the State in Canadian Immigration Policy and Settlement - Essay Example The first question that needs to be answered is who has access to state power and the ability to make government policy? Of course the answer in an ideal situation would be the people. Democratic principles and democracy itself is founded on the rule of the people therefore in a perfect world, the people would get to decide who immigrates to Canada or not. The people of course are a very busy bunch therefore power of the people is delegated to those who are elected to be the representatives of the people. If there has to be one person who is given the responsibility of making all the decisions of state in Canada, it has to be the Prime Minister. The Prime Minster and the ruling party give their agenda to the people before they are elected and once they are elected, their standing on immigration becomes the people’s standing. It must be noted that the ideas given by politicians rarely become government policy in exact terms since the realities of state may demand some concessions. Eventually, with the help of law makers, legal advisors, economic analysts and the bureaucracy, the wishes of the people are translated into laws and policies. In a roundabout way, the wishes of the people are the guiding force behind the rules of the state but the reality seems different. For example, nearly 20% of the total population in Canada is immigrant yet family unification is not a top priority for the immigration policies maintained by the Canadian government since only 2.5% of immigrants in 2004 were permitted entry into Canada for the purposes of family reunification (Woroby, 2005). It can be assumed that the immigrant population would like to be reunited with their family members and bring them to Canada if possible yet Canadian immigration polices are focused in another direction altogether. Since the 1960s that direction has been the economic influence of

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Operations Management - Essay Example In this regard, process charts can be used at different levels depending on the details required and the stage of analysis. In all the representations of the process charts, there are common symbols that are used. The symbols were first developed and used by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) (Institute of Management Services, 2011). The symbols are presented here below with their implications. This symbol represents an ongoing operation. It is the main step implying that a product or material is undergoing some modification This is a symbol for inspection. It signifies a check for quality of services or products in the process (Graham, 2008, p.1). This indicates the movements (transportation) of products or workers in the execution of a process (Graham, 2008, p.1). This represents storage whereby materials are received in the storage sections or issued from the storage houses (Graham, 2008, p.1). This shows a delay or temporary storage in the process. It can also re present equipment that has been put aside up to when it will be needed in the due course Process charts are significant as they indicate the actual situation at work rather than a theoretical perspective of the situation (Graham, 2008, p.4). The above symbols are used to present a process chart of the operations involved in a trip by an airplane from Gen Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport to some destination and back to the airport. The Logan international airport is the only international airport in Massachusetts and is served by over 40 international airlines (Maps of World, 2011). It involves an air trip from Logan International Airport to Amsterdam, Netherlands using KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines. The forth and back journeys take approximately 7 hours 15 minutes each without any stoppages. The activities involved in the entire process and their respective categories are presented in the chart. Time (hours) Chart Symbols Process description - N Booking of flights by the passe ngers .5 Arrival of the passengers at the Logan International Airport 1 ? Verification of the reservation by the travel attendants .5 ? Referring the passengers with incorrect information to the travel agency for verification ? Receiving and checking the baggage of the passengers ? Printing the receipts for the passengers’ baggage 1 ? Printing boarding card for all the passengers with or without a luggage ? Issuing the travel documents to the passengers .15 ? Checking the conditions of the aircraft - N Obtaining information on the weather conditions .5 ? Queuing of the passengers as they are checked-in and ushered into the aircraft in readiness for the departure - ? Departure from Logan International airport - On-board services like sales of snacks and other products or services offered by the travel agency 7.25 Air traffic control - ? Ground handling- Coordination with the attendants at the destination airport on the landing condition - ? Arrival at Amsterdam .5 ? Checking o ut of the passengers from the aircraft by the travel assistants .5 ? Verifications of the conditions of the passengers’ baggage using the baggage receipts 1 ? Verification (checking –in) of the travel documents by the travel agency at Amsterdam airport - Passenger’s departure to their different destination .5 ? Arrival of the passengers in readiness for the return journey 1 ? Verification

Topic of Interest Related to Business Law Essay

Topic of Interest Related to Business Law - Essay Example An agreement, which creates or has the intention to create a legal obligation, is a contract (Bays., 1920). Capacity to enter into a contract is the legal capability to enter into a contract. This means that an adult who is of sound mind can enter into a contract. Minors, mentally incapable persons and those who are drunk do not have the capacity to enter into a contract. Law says that when people enter into a contract then they should have the ability to know and understand the terms of a contract (Beatty, & Samuelson, 2006). Offer and acceptance according to law is meeting of the minds or 'concurrence of wills' or 'ad idem'. Normally for a contract to be effective must have an offer and an acceptance of that offer. The vital characteristics of a contract are that a person makes an offer with another accepting it. Offer and acceptance need not be always expressed orally or in writing, it can be implied also. The term of a contract if not expressed in words is an implied contract. If obligations are only forced on one party by virtue of acceptance to perform then such contracts are known as unilateral contracts. This was enunciated in the case of Carlill v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co. (McKendrick, 2005) Consideration is the vital idea in the law of contracts and is necessary, in the majority cases, for a contract to be enforceable. ... 4. Consideration Consideration is the vital idea in the law of contracts and is necessary, in the majority cases, for a contract to be enforceable. Consideration is the price, which one has to pay for the promise of another. Consideration can be in the form of money, property, the doing of an act, or even refraining from doing an act and a promise. It means that if one accords to do something he was not otherwise legally compelled to do, then it means that he has given consideration. For instance, "Jack agrees to sell his car to Jill for $100. Jill's payment of $100 (or her promise to do so) is the consideration for Jack's promise to give Jill the car" (William Theophilus, 1912). Classification of Contracts For the sake of analysis, contracts can be classified in many different ways. The most general classifications of contracts are; "express" and "implied" contracts; "void" and "voidable" contracts; and "enforceable" and "unenforceable" contracts. Express and Implied Contracts If the terms of a contract are stated clearly, then such contracts are known as Express contracts. Express contracts may be written or oral. For instance when a valid offer is acknowledged, then it means that an express contract has been created. Implied contracts are generally referred to as "implied in fact." If the specifics of the transaction is not directly negotiated but are make know by the behavior of the parties then such contracts are implied. For example making an appointment with a repairman to have a broken washing machine fixed is an implied contract (http://law.jrank.org/pages/12504/ Contract-Law.html#ixzz0Uy1JwCUw accessed on October 25, 2009). The expression "implied in fact" is used to differentiate implicit arrangement from an

Marketing Managerment Project Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing Managerment Project - Research Paper Example The case cites an example of Kellogg’s in Asia-Pacific region especially in India. This case is a classic example of concerted marketing efforts going haywire to produce reverse results. When a multinational giant organization such as Kellogg’s launches into an unknown region and area it needs to do the homework and establishes itself. The case highlights on the turnaround strategies used by the company to control the damage and survive. Today Kellogg’s is a household name in most Indian families and also the most preferred breakfast cereal, irrespective of that Kellogg’s needs to be alert in the volatile market. In an upcoming and third world market the options available are many for the consumers as the competition keeps offering one product after the other, which eventually widens the choice for the average consumer. Hence to not only to survive, but also sustain profitably, Kellogg’s has to innovate and in product as well marketing strategies. T his paper also suggests a few such strategies with its implications and challenges. No organization can capture a market and be complacent, because capturing a market may be a onetime effort but retaining the market with profitability requires new challenges to be taken and met with competence, effort and good marketing. Kellogg’s – The Indian Story We all love breakfast cereals and the crackling sound they make early morning. They give us an idea about how fresh and beautiful each day is going to be after a healthy breakfast. We are now going to look into a healthy breakfast story of none other than the breakfast giant Kellogg’s in India. Kellogg’s so far in western market has always maintained its upper hand. It was introduced in the Indian market in the year 2005 and was an absolute flophouse. From there on the company looked into various perspectives to make the product a success and has continued to grow in the market steadily. Today even if it has n ot captured the so called breakfast market share it has managed to survive and even run profitably and smoothly in India. We are going to study the turnaround of Kellogg’s in India in this assignment. Kellogg’s started its way in 1906 and today is the leader of corn flakes and breakfast cereals. Its worldwide expansion program goes as back as 1914. Kellogg’s expanded in England and Australia. By the year 1958 Kellogg’s settled in America making it the most popular breakfast frosty cereals and corn flakes. Over the years Kellogg’s has acquired Worthington Foods, Kashi Company and Keebler Foods. They also have a marketing tie up with Disney. Today Kellogg’s is manufactured in 17 countries and marketed over 180 countries worldwide. It has multiple products such as corn flakes, nutrition bars, ice cream cones, pies, and waffles etc. Today it is a company with billions of dollars of turnover world over. With this strength, history and backing Kel logg’s launched with many trumpets in Indian market. It started with its basic product - cornflakes. SWOT Analysis of Kellogg’s: Strengths: 1. Kellogg’s is a multi-billion dollar company having presence worldwide. 2. The product quality that is offered is uniform across the markets world over. 3. It has an excellent brand name and enjoys a healthy brand image. 4. Through various acquisitions it has acquired a range of products starting from breakfast cereals to nutrition bars and diet cereals. 5. Its primary strength lies in baking and innovative products it keeps coming

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Business Law - Essay Example The primary concern of the questioner is whether his concern can be referred to the court. The other two concerns are: 1. Position of the concerned court with respect to end-of service gratuity for the previous period of the visa. 2. Salary difference of the actual received and mentioned in the labour contract. Response: Al Shaiba clarified about the right of questioner that he has full right to get compensation based on his actual employment duration which is three years. Regarding the salary difference, Labour Law calculates the compensation based on the current salary drawn by the employee. Therefore, both the concerns addressed clarify that the employee shall get his case referred under the concern court through the Ministry of Labour. Query#2: Gratuity Calculation The questioner worked in a company under unlimited contract for one year before tendering his resignation. Questioner has two queries: 1. The end of service gratuity was calculated on the basis of 21 days salary. 2. If the questioner is legally entitled for a return ticket to his home country as the contract was signed in the home country. Response: Al Shaiba gave the reference of Article No 137 of the Federal Labour Law No.8 of 1980. This article clarifies the doubt of the respondent. The article states, "Where a worker under an indefinite term contract abandons his work at his own initiative after a con ­tinuous service of not less than one year and not more than three years, he shall be entitled to one-third of the severance pay provided for in the preceding article. Such a worker shall be entitled to two thirds of the said severance pay if his continuous service exceeds three years up to five years and to the full severance pay if it exceeds five years". The second doubt is clarified that the employee is entitled to get the return tickets to home provided he returns back to home country and does not work with a new employer. Query 3: Arbitrary Dismissal This is a case of dismissal of an emp loyee who was working for his company from more than two years. The nature of the contract was for unlimited period. The employee received dismissal due to his absence from work for five consecutive days without excuse, 6th day he was present at work but again 7th and 8th day he went absent. The dismissal was justified under pursuant of the Article n. 120 (Labour Law) and employee was explained that he was not entitled to end-to service gratuity even after producing medical report for the absence period. The queries were: 1. Questioner wanted to know the Article 120 in detail. 2. Questioner wanted to clarify what should he do if the dismissal is not in conformity of the Article no.120 of the Labour Law 3. If there is no conformity; could he get reinstated by his company under legal obligation of Ministry of Labour/Competent court? Answer: The article No.120 of the Federal Labour Law No.8 of 1980 is as follows: "An employer may dismiss a work ­er without notice if and only if the w orker: 1. Assumes a false identity or na ­tionality or submits forged certificates or documents; 2. Is engaged on probation and is dismissed during or at the end of the probationary period; 3. Commits a fault resulting in sub ­stantial material loss to the employ ­er, provided that the latter notifies the labour department of the inci ­dent within 48 hours of his becoming aware of its occurrence; 4. Disobeys instructions on

Cultural Awareness, Understanding, and Acceptance Essay - 2

Cultural Awareness, Understanding, and Acceptance - Essay Example Culture Birukou et al. defines culture as a series of behavior and traditions that specific factions of people in societal setting have developed and these traits passed through generations (Birukou, et al, 2009). This behavioral adaptation defines the society to the environment and gives them an identity that would be known for generations. Birukou et al. further states that the adaptations and behaviors that the individuals depict are not necessarily relayed via a genetic procedure but picked as the traditions dictate the nature of the desired qualities. There are several cultural traits in a community and each one of them unique. Through developing new behaviors, individuals in a setting find it comfortable to entertain daily life challenges prompting these factors to be adopted for a longer period of time (Willcoxson and Millett, 2000). Culture gives individuals a chance to belong to a specific group making them stand out from the rest through the way that they carry out differen t tasks (Luna and Gupta, 2001). In an educational setting, the integration of individual from the staff to the students represents the community that the institution is placed. There exist numerous cultural traits within one community. Multicultural education Multiculturalism is attributed to a situation where a society or an institution recognizes the presence of variable cultural groups promoting their contribution to its development. This entity encourages sharing of the different cultural affiliations identifying individuals from their unique backgrounds. Multicultural education shares the same policy and fights to present equal representation of the various cultural locales in its curriculum. The system of education realizes the need to shape individuals to represent the society better in all disciplines eradicating any form of favoritism and social injustice (Gorski, 2010). Gorski further explains that through implementing a curriculum to atone for the trait that the various i ndividuals in the school setting depict equally , discrimination and ignorance towards the diversities is greatly eliminated (Gorski, 2010). There is a constant admission of various individuals regularly into an education system and through constant revision of the curriculum and school’s policy; an environment that is more comfortable to its members is created. The education system acknowledges the need to build a stronger community that would encourage equality and limit oppression; this necessitates the desire to provide a level of comfort within its curriculum in implementing policies (Gay, 2004). Through stressing on equality measures, cultural bias problem is solved because the curriculum is constantly reviewed to accommodate the needs of various cultures and any form of oppression punished according to a set law. Schools with a more flexible curriculum and a strong set of rules against discrimination progress better in the societal setting. They become increasingly acc ommodating and individuals prefer admission within them as compared to rigid institutions. There is a demeaned system of creativity and contribution in an educational arrangement that does not characterize an equivalent opportunity to its members. Learners contribute actively in a system that unravels different cultural behaviors in its setting. There is a form of cultural

Climate change and its effect on animals in the chesapeake bay Essay

Climate change and its effect on animals in the chesapeake bay - Essay Example Drastic weather patterns have led to rising of sea level causing submergence of wetlands in the estuary. This affects the wetland organisms that are not used to submerged ecosystems. The unpredictable weather patterns are likely to destabilize wetland habitat leading to extinction of some animal species. High variations in salinity as a result of increased rainfall, long periods of draught and unpredictable storm is also a factor that is likely to contribute to degradation of the ecosystem and extinction of animal species (Abel, 26). Increased precipitation as a result of climate change has led to high sediment deposits in the bay, which bring in high quantities of nitrogen and phosphorous that are the limiting nutrients for the growth of algae and other aquatic organisms. Further more, overland flow from neighboring farms and towns leads to deposition of chemical contaminants in the water that leads to the death of aquatic organisms. High sedimentation has raised the water bed leading increased submergence of the land surrounding the bay (Cerco et al. 632). Climate change has also led to temperature fluctuations and increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere creating conditions that are necessary for the growth of dinoflagellates, which are algae that are harmful to zooplankton and fish. Some of the fish feed directly on the algae while others ingest the harmful algae through feeding on the zooplankton that are higher on the food chain. Moreover, temperature fluctuations increase the possibility of hypoxia. This is a situation whereby dissolved oxygen levels fall below the minimum that is necessary to support animal life. Increased temperatures in the bay have favored warm water species thereby making it hard for the cold water species to survive (Boesch et al. 112). Increased temperatures in the bay water have led to the decline of eelgrass which is a significant hideout of blue crabs in their post larval and molting

Online vs. Traditional Education Essay Example for Free

Online vs. Traditional Education Essay Have you ever had the opportunity to take online classes? Have you even heard of online classes? If you haven’t, you are missing out on a great opportunity. Online education is rapidly becoming a popular alternative to traditional education. It is offering more flexibility for students and providing individuals with better opportunities for postsecondary education. Even though traditional education has been the only form of education for hundreds of years, online education offers a new and improved style of learning. When people think of education, they think of a classroom filled with desks, paper, books, and other students. After all, this is how humans have been taught for generations. This is an example of traditional education. Traditional education is when students attend a school and are taught in a formal classroom setting. There is an instructor that teaches the class by giving demonstrations or by lecturing. It allows the students to have face-to-face interaction with the instructor or their fellow students. Traditional education has never been very flexible. There are scheduled times for class and working around that schedule can prove to be difficult. Often times, life events can conflict with the class schedule. This can cause students to miss class and fall behind in their work. While traditional education is not very flexible, online education is. Online education is the use of technology to share educational information and to teach students. It often only requires a computer and an Internet connection. The classroom setting of an online education can be anywhere. You can work from the comfort of your own home or while you are at the library. As long as you have access to a computer with Internet, you can go to school. In many situations, you can also complete the school work on your own time. That way if something comes up at the last minute, you still have the ability to complete your school work without losing points. It also allows students to continue to work at their job while taking classes. This is a very nice convenience to have, especially for individuals who have a family or have a job to work around. Online education can also be much cheaper than traditional education. It is not uncommon for tuition at online schools to be lower than that of a traditional school, although this is certainly not true of all online programs. In addition, costs associated with things like commuting, classroom supplies, and housing are not relevant in an online learning environment. Some programs may not require students to purchase textbooks or provide the material online. Usually, students can download all of their materials needed for class, such as assignments or textbooks, straight from their online classroom. The lower costs of an online education are a key factor for its rising popularity. Another large factor to consider when choosing a form of education is the availability of resources. Most traditional schools have a vast amount of resources. They often have at least one library, science labs, computer labs, and other resources that make the learning experience easier. The only problem is that some of these resources have limited access. They are only open during certain hours and may even be closed some days. This reduces a student’s flexibility and may affect their ability to complete work on time. Online education, on the other hand, offers resources that are available 24/7. The resources are all online, so there is no need to have a closing time or open hours. They are at the students’ fingertips and only require the click of a button. They may even offer more resources than you would find at a traditional school. Resources such as a free plagiarism checker or a grammar review are usually not available to students in a traditional classroom setting. These resources can give online students the upper hand in education and will allow them to perform at a higher level. The biggest difference between traditional and online education is the method of communication. In traditional education, everything is face-to-face. The students interact with the teacher directly and the discussion occurs only in the classroom. This face-to-face interaction allows the students to build social skills and form relationships with other classmates. The only downfall there is with this method is that once the class is over, it can be difficult to contact the instructor if a question or problem would arise. In online education, communication is much different. Students can be thousands of miles apart and live in different time zones. Therefore there cannot be any face-to-face interaction. Instead, online education relies on instant messaging through a forum. It is very similar to a chat room. This is where the majority of the communication takes place. Students can communicate with the instructor and with each other by posting messages and waiting for a reply. This makes it very easy to get a hold of other people, no matter the time of day. The downfall with this method is that sometimes it can take a while before you receive a reply. However, online courses require a certain amount of participation so the question will be addressed before too long. Many people question the amount of work that online students do. Some even say that online colleges should not be as credible as traditional universities. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Online education shares many of the same requirements expected by traditional schools. Online students write research papers, have to create projects, and take finals just like any other student. In fact, many online schools have traditional campuses and have the same requirements for both campus and online students. It does not matter which form of education an individual chooses. They will be required to do the same amount of work in order to attain their degree. For years I thought traditional education was the only way to go. I was a firm believer in the traditional ways and never thought that you could get the same education by sitting on a computer. Now that I have experience in both forms of education, I can see why so many people are switching to online programs. The flexibility of online classes and the vast amount of resources make it more user friendly than ever before. The popularity of online education is on the rise and will continue to increase as more people switch from the traditional ways.

Student Retention Essay Example for Free

Student Retention Essay Imagine that you are a second grade teacher. Your principal suggests that one of your students who performed poorly this year repeat second grade next year. Given what you know about the research on retention, how would you respond? I would ask the principal to reconsider his decision and to examine the student’s situation more carefully to make an informed decision. First I would present the scientific results on retention students. According to the scientific study, retention has negative effects on students rather than positive. It’s a misconception that many think retention will solve for the poor performance because they are learning the same material all over again. If the student is having poor academic skills, he will continue to have poor academic skill if it’s not being addressed appropriately. Retention will not address the cause of the student’s poor performance. On the contrary, when students are kept back, they are more likely to exhibit reactance displaying social and mental health problems, such as negative attitudes toward teachers and school, misbehavior, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and so forth. Also scientific research show retained students are 40 to 50 more likely than nonretained students to drop out of school. Moreover, low achieving children who are promoted learn at least as much, if not more, the following year, have a stronger self-concept, and are better adjusted emotionally than similar children who are retained. Second, I would present my suggestions and recommendations as to what to do with the student. I believe it’s more important to find ways to provide the learning supports the students need when they are not doing well at school. We need to figure out the root cause of the student’s poor performance in school and then address it accordingly. Was it due to inappropriate forms of instruction or would it be due to outside stresses. If it’s due to inappropriate instruction, we can find ways to adapt to the student’s learning style and then instruct accordingly. If more support is needed we can also provide one on one help after school as well. If it’s due to family stress, we will schedule a meeting with the student’s parents and address it at the meeting. At last, I would also convey to his third grade teacher about his situation and what he needs to work on in order to catch up with his peers. If the root cause is not addressed properly, retain the student for one more year might show some temporarily academic improvement, but the student is most likely to lag behind again in subsequent years. I suggest we look deeper into the student’s situation and provide the necessary support needed to do well in the class. Thirdly, I would like to schedule a meeting with the student’s parents and make sure the parent is aware of the current situation. We will inform the student’s parents of his poor academic performance and offer them the options we have to help the student. At last we will ask for the parents’ inputs and thoughts on the situation. I believe working as a team, the school, teacher, and parents will produce the best result. At the end I would sincerely ask the principal to allow sometime to rethink the situation to come up with a solution that is best for the student in the long term.

Culture Shock Of Studying Abroad Cultural Studies Essay

Culture Shock Of Studying Abroad Cultural Studies Essay In the globalising world, more and more people go to abroad for work and study. Culture shock has been widely present in intercultural communication. Where there is cultural communication, there is culture shock. It can be illustrated by a simple case. A Chinese girl, who is a college student, experienced long-term acculturation when she came here at first. One day, she went to the bank to ask for the statement. When she arrived there, the officer told her that the statement must be posted, and she could not get it right away. She explained that it was urgently needed for visa, but the officer still insisted on his decision, which made her upset and frustrated. As opposed to it, in China, one can get a bank statement at any time. People will experience the impact of cultural differences in varying degrees from an ethnic region to a completely different one, especially to go to work, study and live abroad. The set of symbols, customs, behaviour patterns, social relations will be replaced by another set they are not familiar, which may bring about psychological anxiety, emotional instability, and even depression. In severe cases, it can result in a variety of psychological and physical diseases, worse, even mental problems or suicide. This is culture shock exactly. Culture shock has been an important source of interpersonal stress and conflict for those who are in a multicultural society. Generally speaking, culture shock is a phenomenon of cultural loss and mental imbalance, and it also can be seen as a process of the evolution of mental state in unfamiliar cultural settings. People experience varying degrees of culture shock. There are many factors affecting culture shock and the individual reactions, including previous experience with other cultures and cross-cultural adaptation, the degree of difference in ones own and the host culture, the degree of preparation, social support networks, and individual psychological characteristics. (Furnham Bochner, 1986) Nowadays, international students are playing an increasingly significant role in different countries, especially in western countries. They spend much money and time for higher education. After finishing the study, they usually go back home or stay to get a good job. Only if they overcome cultural shock can they continue learning and have the opportunity to carry out their dream. Otherwise, it will be a giant waste of time and money. Doubtlessly, these students have become vital for the study of culture shock. This essay is to address the definition, characteristics, phases, and causes of culture shock, and explore how it can affect foreign students through a collection of relevant examples. Literature Review In recent years, there is a growing literature in the area of culture shock, and many contributions to the mental health issues aroused by culture shock faced by foreign students (Thomas Althen, 1989). A number of scholars have discussed the definition of culture shock. Oberg (1960) popularised it to refer to the anxiety that results from losing all of our familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse. Adler (1975) suggested that culture shock is primarily a set of emotional reactions to the loss of perceptual reinforcements from ones own culture, to the new cultural stimuli which have little or no meaning, and to the misunderstanding of new and diverse experience. Barna (1976) extended the concept to include physiological aspects. Bennett (1977) viewed it as a subcategory of transition experiences. Regarding the symptoms of culture shock, although individual reactions differ from case to case, various scholars (e.g., Oberg, 1960; Adler, 1975) suggested some common symptoms, such as: feelings of impotence and withdrawal; fear of being cheated or injured; excessive concern on health; being homesick; and a state of nervous irritability. Moreover, Taft (1977) summarised a range of definitions and argued that culture shock is a feeling of impotence from the inability to cope with the environment, because of being unfamiliar with cognitive aspects and role-playing skills. He identified six different aspects of culture shock: 1. Tension due to the ongoing necessary psychological adjustment. 2. A sense of loss of friends, status, occupation and property. 3. Being not accepted by and/or accepting members of the new culture. 4. Confusion in role, role expectations, values, feelings and self-identity. 5. Surprise, anxiety, even disgust and anger after perceiving cultural differences. 6. Feeling of helplessness due to not being able to deal with the new circumstance. In terms of mental health issues, the widespread use of the two major concerns, namely, depression (e.g., David, 1971; Hojat, 1982) and anxiety (e.g., Lin Masuda, Tazuma, 1982) has been documented. Some studies have paid attention to helplessness (Arredondo-Dowd, 1981), social withdrawal, loneliness, and homesickness (Church, 1982; Cort King, 1979). Causes of Culture Shock When one enters an unfamiliar environment, why will he encounter culture shock? There are various explanations in the psychological studies. A traditional one is to link it to grief of the loss of friends or relatives, ascribing culture shock to the loss of certain things. People feel grieved due to the loss of close friends and family, while those in a different cultural context may be subjected to culture shock for losing a familiar frame of reference in an intercultural encounter, such as status, values, friends, and customs. (Bennett, 1977) A number of new theories have been proposed which elaborate it from different aspects. Different Values Value is a kind of social consciousness, and it can identify what kind of behavior, survival patterns and interaction guidelines will be adopted by individuals, groups or societies. There is neither any kind of values superior than others, nor that inferior. Any of them is unique. For example, comparing the Chinese and American cultures, it clearly can be seen that the American value individualism while the Chinese emphasise collectivism. American people emphasise individual rights, whereas Chinese people value their obligations to society. In intercultural communication, one from a different culture must respect values of the host culture to ensure the smoothness of communications. If people act as the opposite, culture shock will occur inevitably. Take some Muslim students for example. When living in America, there are many students from Muslim countries, especially females, who usually continue to wear traditional clothing; therefore they are actively resisting participating in th e American popular culture. This has been in the way of acculturation, which may isolate them from the environment and bring about anxiety or frustration. Ethnocentrism People tend to criticise the practices of another culture from the perspective of their own cultural values and beliefs. Ethnocentrism, constituted by ethno and centrism, refers to a cultural bias that leads people to judge another cultures habits and practices as right or wrong, good or bad (Samover Porter, 2000). This tendency will result in vanity of ones own cultures superiority, and contempt of outsiders, thereby influencing the adaption process. To illustrate, several cases will be presented. Chinese regard western food such as sandwich and hamburger as junk food. Americans are shocked that Chinese eat nearly all kinds of animals. Chinese think Hindus bathing in the river Ganges is unsanitary. Islamic counties are criticised for supposedly subordinating women. Western countries think Chinese forced-feeding education has no benefit for students. Ethnocentrism sometimes can produce positive social effects, including a very strong social status, which may enhance individual self-esteem, sense of loyalty and group survival consciousness, but also reduce internal contradictions. However, ethnocentric attitudes will cause negative social effects, which prevents people from learning new knowledge from other cultures and broaden new vision. In addition, to safeguard the status of national superiority, competition, fear, anger and hatred may increase, which leads to a variety of destructive conflicts. Ethnocentrism and culture is symbiotic, and each of us grows up in a certain culture, thus it is impossible to completely get rid of ethnocentrism. When students enter an unfamiliar cultural context, it is easy to judge the target culture as good or bad, right or wrong from the standpoint of their own cultural values. With the bias judgment, one cannot break the barriers to achieve intercultural understanding; therefore, culture shock occurs, which causes psychological and physiological stress and tension in communication contact. Preconceptions and Stereotypes The presence of preconceptions and stereotypes is a stumbling block to cultural contact. For instance, U.S. students try to keep distance to a noisy group from Middle East since the stereotype that the Arabs are inflammable. If one has regarded Japanese as inscrutable before his or her Japanese guests coming, he or she will probably see their behaviors (e.g., the constant smile) as much (Barna, 1994). Stereotypes help to reduce the threat of the unknown by making the world predictable (Becker, 1962). Stereotypes lead to overgeneralisation, and affect intercultural communication directly, because the predictions to the behaviours of the other party are based on their fixed views rather than whether they are accurate or fit the circumstances. Stereotypes are psychologically necessary to release our helplessness so as to interact with people in different situations. Stereotypes make people pay attention to what fit their initial impressions, and ignore the left. It prevents people from communicating with those from the distinct cultural backgrounds. As a psychological reason for culture shock, stereotypes are detrimental to the process of communication and have been an obstacle to intercultural interactions. Language Differences Language difference is a stumbling block in the adaption process. Vocabulary, syntax, idioms, slang, dialects, and so on all cause difficulty, but the person struggling with a different language is at least aware of being in trouble. (Barna, 1994) A big language problem is that users cling to one meaning of a word in the target language, without considering the specific context. Various meanings are so difficulty that they are often waved aside. Conceit and complacency will stop a search for understanding. Yes and no are classic examples. How to answer the question, Dont you know him? When a foreign student first hears it, he may answer yes, which means he does not know him. However, if he wants to express the meaning that he does know him, he has to answer no. There are some other problems, including the different styles of using target language. These differences may lead to wrong interpretations of tone and intent. Language skills are linked with adaptation effectiveness (DeVerthe lyi, 1995). Foreign students in the USA who cannot speak English well may be isolated socially, which will affect their academic achievement. For instance, one can order a cup of tea at a cafà ©; however, he or she may not discuss academic issues such as linguistics very well. Despite that he or she holds the idea, it cannot be presented by language. As mentioned above, language issue will result in academic and intercultural failures and further lead to high stress and depression which are the exact symptoms of culture shock. Avoiding Unfamiliar People and Things When students come to a new environment, they usually would like to assume similarities instead of differences between the host culture and their own culture, which can bring themselves a sense of intimacy and familiarity. Some other students prefer to stay with those from the same country and share experiences within the small circle. They avoid and resist people and things they are not familiar. Due to the avoidance, they cannot understand the new cultural identity, and even mistake their cultural norms as universal ones that everyone can accept. Once they find acts strange (different from them) they expect, confusion, disappointment, and even rejection will be produced. This phenomenon is widely present in communities of Chinese students. These students are together for everyday, and they cook, eat, go shopping, study, travel and chat with each other; moreover, they share joy and sorrow, and intentionally keep away from communicating with people from target culture. Generally, the y live in the small world created by themselves, and set up an obstruction in intercultural contact. With time going on, they become less brave to break up the barrier and reach an impasse of cultural contact. Level of Knowledge How should I greet when I first meet them, shaking hands or bowing? What should we talk about for initial meetings? Should I be more enthusiastic or control my facial expressions when talking with them? There is a long list of cultural norms needed to be learned by overseas students before or during a sojourn. Ones level of cultural knowledge may contribute to the acculturation (Begley, 2000). For example, overseas students studying in Britain should be aware of the different educational system and better ways to succeed in learning. Google claimed to withdraw the investment in China for it did not recognise the complicated realities of the country and finally failed in China. From these examples, we can understand that being aware of little general and specific cultural knowledge can cause communicative problems that may lead to culture shock.

Roundup Essay -- Monsanto’s Soya Bean

"If you read Wall Street’s reports, they don’t talk of soya bean as originating in China. They don’t talk of soya bean as soya bean. They talk of Monsanto soya. Monsanto soya is protected by a patent. It has a patent number. It is therefore treated as a creation of Monsanto, a product of Monsanto’s intelligence and innovation." – Vandana Shiva (Barsamian, 1997) Introduction Monsanto is a Saint Louis Chemical manufacturer that is a major player in the weed killing business. Monsanto has quite a portentous past. They developed and produced the notorious defoliant "Agent Orange" used in the Vietnam War, they invented the controversial recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), and they were the inventors and world’s main producer of polychlorinated biphenols (PCB’s) which are now banned but still linger in our soil and water (Arax, 1997). Presently, Monsanto is commonly known for its potent herbicide named Roundup. As the biggest-selling weed killer in the world, Roundup accounts for 17 percent of Monsanto’s total annual sales of $9 billion (Arax, 1997). The main ingredient of Roundup is glyphosate. Glyphosate is the eighth most commonly used herbicide in U.S. agriculture and the second most commonly used herbicide in nonagricultural settings (Cox, 1995). It’s estimated annual use according to the U.S. EPA is between 15 and 20 million pounds in agriculture and between 4 and 6 million pounds elsewhere (Arax, 1997). Monsanto claims that Roundup breaks down quickly in the soil, so that little or no toxic byproduct accumulates in plant or animal tissue - a viewpoint often disputed. Monsanto’s patent on Roundup will expire in two years, and when this happens, countless chemical companies will undoubtedly jump into the mark... ...Susan Benson, and Rachel Burstein. "A Growing Concern." Mother Jones January / February 1997: 37-43. Barsamian, David. "We Can’t Afford To Have a Sacred Car Rather Than a Sacred Cow." The Progressive September 1997: 36-39. Bruno, Kenny. "Say It Ain’t Soy, Monsanto." Multinational Monitor January / February 1997: 27-30. Cox, C. "Glyphosate, Part 1: Toxicology." Journal of Pesticide Reform Fall 1995 Vol. 15, No 3. Cox, C. "Glyphosate, Part 2: Human Exposure and Ecological Effects." Journal of Pesticide Reform Winter 1995 Vol. 15, No 4. "Perils Amid Promises of Genetically Engineered Foods" by Dr. Mea Ho. Biology Department, Open University, U.K. November 1996. WWW.GREENPEACE.ORG/~GENENG/INDEX.HTML "Why Consumers and Farmers Should Avoid Monsanto’s Genetically Engineered Soybeans" – A Greenpeace Report. WWW.GREENPEACE.ORG/~GENENG/INDEX.HTML

How the Red Scare Created a Hollywood Blacklist Essay -- essays resear

In the 1930s and 1940s many Hollywood writers, actors, producers, and directors were suspected for communist affiliations. During this time, communism was a popular political movement in the United States, especially among young liberals. There was a growing fear of communism invading American society. By the end of World War Two an event known as the Red Scare resulted in communism become increasingly feared and hated by many in the United States. The Hollywood blacklist caused the Hollywood industry a lot of harm in its business and reputation. The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) was created in 1938. They were focused on investigating and putting an end to Communists and Communist supporters in the American Society. Their first major attack was on the Hollywood film industry. Communists in the Hollywood industry were said to be placing subversive messages into films. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and others like Senator Joseph McCarthy pestered communists and supporters of the Communist party. McCarthy conducted â€Å"witch hunts† in effort to seek out and eliminate suspected Communists. Congressional hearings were in effect, not hearings, but trials for crimes that were not really crimes, with congressmen serving as prosecutor, judge, and jury. Unable to deprive a person of their life and liberty, they deprived him of his livelihood. If the person refused to give the names of other Communists, he or she would automatically be considered guilty. Witnesses of the trials were immediately classified as either friendly or unfriendly. Friendly witnesses answered questions concerning themselves and others. They were then cleared from the blacklist and allowed to go back to work in Holly... ...to obtain work in the American film and television industry for many years. Some of those blacklisted continued to write Hollywood films, using false names. This allowed movies such as The Bridge on the River Kwai to be completed. Several screenwriters moved to other countries, where they were able to find work in film. Most estimates indicate that the blacklist involved approximately three hundred and twenty-five employees in film and related industries. However nearly expert believes there were over five hundred victims of the Hollywood blacklist. It wasn’t until 1961, when a director named Otto Preminger announced he was hiring a writer named Trumbo who was on the blacklist to write a move that things began to slowly change. In 1997, a group named the Writers Guild of America voted to change the writing credits of 23 films made during the blacklist period. How the Red Scare Created a Hollywood Blacklist Essay -- essays resear In the 1930s and 1940s many Hollywood writers, actors, producers, and directors were suspected for communist affiliations. During this time, communism was a popular political movement in the United States, especially among young liberals. There was a growing fear of communism invading American society. By the end of World War Two an event known as the Red Scare resulted in communism become increasingly feared and hated by many in the United States. The Hollywood blacklist caused the Hollywood industry a lot of harm in its business and reputation. The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) was created in 1938. They were focused on investigating and putting an end to Communists and Communist supporters in the American Society. Their first major attack was on the Hollywood film industry. Communists in the Hollywood industry were said to be placing subversive messages into films. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and others like Senator Joseph McCarthy pestered communists and supporters of the Communist party. McCarthy conducted â€Å"witch hunts† in effort to seek out and eliminate suspected Communists. Congressional hearings were in effect, not hearings, but trials for crimes that were not really crimes, with congressmen serving as prosecutor, judge, and jury. Unable to deprive a person of their life and liberty, they deprived him of his livelihood. If the person refused to give the names of other Communists, he or she would automatically be considered guilty. Witnesses of the trials were immediately classified as either friendly or unfriendly. Friendly witnesses answered questions concerning themselves and others. They were then cleared from the blacklist and allowed to go back to work in Holly... ...to obtain work in the American film and television industry for many years. Some of those blacklisted continued to write Hollywood films, using false names. This allowed movies such as The Bridge on the River Kwai to be completed. Several screenwriters moved to other countries, where they were able to find work in film. Most estimates indicate that the blacklist involved approximately three hundred and twenty-five employees in film and related industries. However nearly expert believes there were over five hundred victims of the Hollywood blacklist. It wasn’t until 1961, when a director named Otto Preminger announced he was hiring a writer named Trumbo who was on the blacklist to write a move that things began to slowly change. In 1997, a group named the Writers Guild of America voted to change the writing credits of 23 films made during the blacklist period.

Causes of the Behavior of Transgenic Mice :: essays research papers

Selectively manipulating genes can lead to a greater understanding of molecular and cellular brain functions and behaviors. However these specific gene mutations may trigger compensatory changes that mask a phenotype or adds to it. Therefore it might be difficult to determine the specific effect of a mutation on behavior. This is especially true since a mutation may be affected by the environment or a specific genetic background. Because of this it is important to find the best way to understand and interpret behavioral data. The Morris Swimming task is a task where the animals are encouraged to find a platform in a water tank. Through careful examination it was found that there where several behavioral trends. One of them is called thigmotaxis and it refers to the mice swimming near the wall without even trying to find the platform. This has to be overcome in order to achieve the goal. If it is not overcome then the stage where the animal learns the location of the platform cannot be reached. A generalized interpretation of the mutant animal’s behavior might lead us to believe that it cannot achieve its task because of learning and memory impairment however it can be observed that the reason for its failure might be its inability to overcome its initial behavior. To verify that this is the cause of the animal’s behavior there is a technique called PCA. This technique allows researchers t o correlate specific measures of the animal’s movements with various factors such as thigmotaxis to understand the specific causes of the behavior and how the mutation affects the animals. It has been found that 50% of the source of variation of the animal’s behavior is the inability to overcome thigmotaxis and is not related to its inability to perform learning tasks. To understand the specific effects of the mutation on animals one must also be careful to eliminate genetic background and environment as affecting performance. A Meta analysis of the data for the water task has shown that both environmental and genetic effect produce sufficient variation to account for the range of almost all behavioral measures. It is hard to determine the effects of the mutation alone without it being confused with effects from other sources. It is helpful to test inbred animals where heterozygous animals are mated to produce wild-type and homozygous offspring.

Shanholtzer Iehr

The fact that a patient has experienced recent weight loss, fatigue, and joss of appetite would be included in which part of the review of systems (ROSS)? A. Musculoskeletal B. Gastrointestinal C. Neurological D. Constitutional Answer: D. Constitutional Topic: The Review of Systems (ROSS) Feedback: Vital signs, general health, and weight changes are all part of the constitutional findings in the ROSS. Blooms: Understand 29. Of the following, which is not an element of the history of present illness (HIP)? A. Duration B. Severity C. Quantity D. Quality Answer: C. Annuity Feedback: A physical exam includes objective findings of the care provider hill the HIP includes the signs or symptoms that a patient communicates to the provider, such as the duration, severity, and quality of pain. Blooms: Understand CA. PEEP: V. C. 6 SASHIMI I. A. I; l. A. 2; I. B. I 34. Kelly is being seen by her physician today, and he is asking her if she's had any increase in or unusual headaches since her last visit, whether she has any blurred vision, and whether she has seen her eye doctor in the past year. The answers to these and other questions are documented in what part of the health record?Answer: Review of Systems (ROSS) Feedback: Patients either fill out a form which asks for current symptoms, or the care provider verbally asks the patient about signs and symptoms for each body system, to complete a comprehensive review of systems (ROSS). Blooms: Understand ABBES: 4. A CHIME: I. A. I; IA. 2; I. B. I; I. B. 3 Estimated Time: 1-2 minutes 35. How a patient is feeling, any current complaints or concerns, weight loss or gain, appetite, sleep patterns or difficulties, and a recap of vital signs. This information is documented in the general part of the ROSS, and is also known s what?Answer: constitutional (or general) Learning outcome: 05. 03 Feedback: The elements listed in the question are part of the constitutional (or general) portion of the ROSS. Blooms: Understand CHIME: I. A. I; IA. 2; LB. 1; I. B. 3 CHART NOTE Date of service: September 5, 2013 Patti Wolfe is a 49-year-old patient of Dry. Mamba's. Ms. Wolfe arrives today complaining of a productive cough, heaviness in her chest, chanciness, and a fever of 102. She started one week ago with symptoms of a cold – runny eyes, nasal congestion, cough, and some wheezing.The cough was non-productive. She has taken over the counter (ETC) medications, but has not seen much improvement, and in fact her cough has become worse. Ms. Wolfe has a history of gastrointestinal reflux disease (GIRD). She has had no recent weight loss or gain, she has been feeling well, though a little fatigued over the past week; she has no frequency or urgency of urination, does not have any blurred or double vision, and has had no night sweats. Dry. Mamba conducts a physical exam (PEP) with the following findings: Head: Morphophonemic. Eyes:Equal and reactive to light. Ears: Clear. Nose: congestion noted. Throat: Clear. Lungs: Ar les and rancho are noted on auscultation. Dry. Mamba writes an order for a chest x-ray which will be done as an outpatient at the local hospital. She instructs Ms. Wolfe to drink plenty of fluids, take Ethylene or ibuprofen for her chanciness and fever, and to use a cool mist humidifier at night. Dry. Mamba diagnoses the patient with Cough, ruling out pneumonia. 43. In the chart note above, what information is considered to be part of the review of systems (ROSS)?Answer: She has had no recent weight loss or gain, she has been feeling well, though a little fatigued over the past week, she has no frequency or urgency of urination, does not have any blurred or double vision, and has had no night sweats. Learning Outcome: 05. 03 Feedback: She has had no recent weight loss or gain, she has been feeling well, though a little fatigued over the past week, she has no frequency or urgency of urination, does not have any blurred or double vision, and has had no night sweats. Blooms: Apply Diff iculty: 2 Medium Estimated Time: 3-5 minutes

Elements of Stress

Stress is a state of tension created when a person responds to the demands and pressures that come from changes in daily life. Because of this, stress consists of many elements: its causes, effects, and ways in which to cope with it. Therefore, stress has significant impact on people. Stress isn†t a condition that just came out of the blue, like everything else in life; it was caused by something. There are four major causes of stress, each of which have their own distinct characteristics and individuality. Physical appearance and general well being is one of the four major causes that everyone has experienced at one time or another. For the most part, adolescents and older women experience more physical stress related causes than others do. This is because of extreme hormonal changes such as, puberty, menopause, etc. Puberty in adolescents also causes increasing concerns about weight and perfection in beauty. (Whittlesey, pp. 19) A model is one person who exhibits a lot of stress because of the need to strive to be thin and beautiful. This is not to say that different age groups don†t also experience this. The second major cause is social situations and interpersonal relationships. For the most part, this category applies to everyone. Peer groups are one of, if not the most, frequent stressors around. These groups influence opinions, judgements, and other pressures to an individual. Therefore causing an increasing level of unwanted stress. Peer pressuring one another to do drugs is a prime example of peer groups in relationship to stress. Sexual relationships are another stress causing agent. Sexual relations cause tensions and sexual frustration, which can cause stress. In younger adults, these stressors can be greater because of frequent question about sex and other s prying into the personal sexual matters. For instance the gossip of whom slept with who and so on. is because of added tensions and frustration. An uneven balance between the two partners increases stress. School is another major cause of stress. (Mendelson, pp. 29-37) This is another stress that everyone will eventually have if they have not already experienced it. As for school, competition, usually within grades, is a major concern. Competition brings a person down from their original state of being. Students can get so infatuated with academic competition that they result in the slipping of grades. With older students, SAT†s, ACT†s and other college entrance exams can usually cause stress levels to rise. (McCoy, pp. 104-107) The greatest stressing agent in the school environment is from that of the teacher. (Joy, pp. 84) Teachers create undue place frustration, aggression, and confusion on their students. Some teachers have no compassion for their students work load and schedules. Most students have notably full schedules, whether it is schoolwork, sports or other extracurricular activities. These feelings are not the only things that teacher create. The responsibilities and expectations the teachers put on their students add to the amounts of stress from school. No wonder school is one of the major stressors in a person†s life. The last stress factor is family relationships. The most prevalent form of stress in the home is that created by divorce or remarriage. Although this form is newer, it involves a great deal of the population. In the Untied States, â€Å"45% of all children during 1983 and 1984 have experienced the divorce of their parents and will spend some of their growing-up years in a single-parent home. † (Joseph Alper pp. ) Pain, suffering and tension are feelings brought on by the separation or remarriage of one†s parents. Divorce is not the only type of family stress; death or serious illness of a family member can contribute to the formation of stress. Responsibilities at home also can create stress. The daily hassles of chores and responsibilities all add up to stress. Stress therefore can be found in many of our daily activities and problems. Sir Isaac Newton was correct in saying the statement, â€Å"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction,† because it applies to everything, especially stress. Stress, as an action, creates two common types of reactions. The first effects are emotional effects. Anxiety if the most well known of the emotional effects of stress. â€Å"The feelings of uneasiness or apprehensiveness experienced by anticipation of a threatening situation† is known anxiety. (Mendelson, pp. 43) Butterflies before taking a major test or nerves when one is flying on an airplane for the first time are two principal examples of anxiety. Depression is another well-known emotional effect of stress. Low self-esteem or something-tragic happening in someone†s life can construct depression. Not only does stress cause that, but it also creates mental illnesses. These can range from mental confusion to serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and possibly even suicide. Emotional effects are not the only stress-related effects. As referred to in the preceding paragraph, the second type of effects of stress is physical. In recent studies it was stated the â€Å"two-thirds of all visits to a physician are from stress related illness. † (About Stress Less: Stress Facts, pp. 1) The most frequent illness seen is that of a headache. Headaches can because by many things, but stress is at the top of the list. One illness is not as frequently seen as the daily headache, is insomnia. Hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, is another good example of a stress-related disease. About 5 out of every 10 Americans suffer from stress-related hypertension. In relation to hypertension is Coronary Heart Disease. This illness is another one that is quite familiar with the American public. Not only are there stress-related diseases, but there also stress aggravated diseases. Diabetes is one of these diseases. Another stress aggravated diseases is psoriasis. This disease seems to â€Å"flare† when a person aggravated or â€Å"stressed out†. One more major stress aggravated disease is alcoholism. Some if not all of these physical effects can lead to dismal fate. â€Å"More than half of all US deaths between the ages 1 and 65 result from stress-related lifestyles. † (About Stress Less: Stress Facts, pp. 1) â€Å"42. 6% of adults 18= years old experienced adverse health effects from stress. † (About Stress Less: Stress Facts, pp. 1) Stress can be a cause or an effect, but anything of either nature needs to be coped with. Just like the effects, there are two different types of ways to cope with stress. Healthy stress management is one of two ways to deal with stress. The art of breathing is a good start when discussing stress management, because it helps to control anxiety. Singing is one immense type of breathing technique. Music ties right in with singing. Not only are both relaxing, but you can practice both without even relaxing it. Mediation is also another peaceful, relaxing why to cope with stress. An example of this is yoga. Just like mediation, exercise is also excellent for stress reduction. You can burn the fat, and relieve daily tension all at once. Along with exercise is a healthy diet. The right foods can improve your physical, mental, and emotional state of well being all at one time. The most important way to cope with stress is having friends. Friends are there to make you laugh and cheer you up (more ways to cope). If you need to talk about a problem, they are always there. And you can tell them anything. There are many healthy ways to cope with stress, which are not all listed above. Therefore there is a variety for each individual to choose from. Stress can be coped with in many was both positive and negative. The second way to cope with stress is unhealthy stress management. Overeating is one of these ways to deal with stress. If one chooses overeating as their outlet they will probably generate more stress for themselves because of low self-esteem or obesity. Unsatisfying sexual relationships with many lovers is another way to cope with stress. This choice can lead to low-esteem, possible STDs, and maybe even unwanted pregnancy. The most popular unhealthy stress management is drug use. Not only illegal, such as smoking and drinking, but also legal use, like tranquilizers. Choosing drug use can lead to drug abuse and other harsh consequences. So, there are both unhealthy, as well as healthy outlets to cope with stress.

Chapter Research

Nowadays, we all have problems when It comes to buying. Because we exceed In buying In the markets, we sometimes buy expensive dishwashing liquid. It nice that we use this sometimes, but sometimes we run out of money because of this. We also feel rough after we wash the dishes. The zamias dishwashing liquid can be a one- step solution for this problem. Because of the high oxalic acid content, the extract is considered as anti-bacterial, astringent, ant scorbutic, firebug, and stomach. B.What are the properties that make this product effective as an alternative dishwashing liquid? Why do we need to find the properties of zamias? And how are we going to find them? These are the questions that will challenge the researchers while they are conducting this study. Surely, conducting a research Is harder than It sounds and it will be harder to conduct a research that includes finding properties that will make a simple object into an alternative product.The researchers assume that this study will be successful and prove that zamias extract can be an alternative material for dishwashing liquid. The properties that we will find In kamala will make a strong reason for this study to be 100% successful. At this point, the researchers can already see that this study Is a guaranteed success. Zamias extract has already been used in many ways such as an alternative eye dropper, medicine for sore throat and also a prevention from getting diabetes.Now, the researchers will make a new use of zamias extract and that is as an alternative dishwashing liquid. Unlike any other products bought from the store that is expensive and may brought harmful effects for the user, this product will not only be cheap and affordable for the people, but also will bring beneficial effects for the user Instead of the harmful effects. The researcher's selection for this material Is a good choice because It has helped In many studies and may be a help for more In the future. 1.Zamias – is a small , sour and Juicy fruit found in zamias bearing trees in the garden and sometimes in the neighborhood and parks. 2. Astringent – is a material able or tending to shrink body tissues. 3. Ann-bacterial – prevents the build-up/accumulation of bacteria in a specific object/ location. 4. Eye Dropper – is a substance used to relieve itchiness, irritation and pain in the eyes. 5. Sore Throat – is the redness, sensitivity and painfulness in the throat. 6. Diabetes – is a disease in which too little insulin is produced and the body cannot SE sugar and starch in a normal way. F.This study is set only to give the properties of zamias extract, its purpose and other information's concerning this study. This study may have respondents but may not give exact number of respondents. Instead, the researchers will give the number of respondents by using percentage (Out of the respondents we surveyed, 75% agree that†¦ ) in the presentation. Lastly, the main focus of this study is to identify the properties of zamias that will help in this study, how many respondents will agree tit this study, and to give all the information necessary about this study. The researchers are going to conduct this research by finding the enough information they need to make this research more of a complete topic. That's why the researchers are going to study more about the properties of zamias that may be a great help into contributing to their study. Another reason why are the researchers studying this because it is not only a benefit for themselves but a benefit for the people if this study may turn out to be successful.

Key Problems and Issues Facing Hong Kong

Contemporary Tourism Issues Topic: TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – KEY PROBLEMS AND ISSUES FACING HONG KONG Introduction Unquestionably, Hong Kong is a blessed land where possesses prosperity and most of the elements of being a world class cosmopolitan which has successfully attracted visitors over years, especially from the mainland by emphasising our world-class shopping, dining and other urban attractions (Lam, H. , 2004).Despite the flourishing scene of the tourism industry, the volatile tourist markets and growing competition from Southeast Asian countries and neighbouring destinations have posed new challenges to Hong Kong’s tourism industry. In order to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as a preferable Asian tourist destination, in recent years, Hong Kong government has started paying more attentions to sustainable tourism due to the rising environmental consciousness worldwide and tourists’ growing interests in the new forms of tourism, namely Eco-tour ism and Cultural Tourism.Projects and campaigns, such as the development of Hong Kong Wetland Park, the launch of â€Å"Cultural Kaleidoscope† and â€Å"Nature Kaleidoscope† experience programmes, and publishing tour guidebooks- â€Å"Discover Hong Kong Nature† and â€Å"Discover Hong Kong by Rail† were introduced to promote green tourism and cultural tourism (GovHK, 2009). These promotion schemes have been launched with the aim to sustain the tourism industry by diversifying the tourism products to cater to the changing and diverse needs of inbound tourist market.Despite the development is on track of continued growth which has aroused tourists’ interests to look at â€Å"the other sides† of Hong Kong, many issues are needed to take into consideration due to the complex nature of sustainable tourism and the large number of stakeholders involved in. There is criticism from public that throughout these schemes, little attention has been paid to develop the tourism as a whole and a truly sustainable one since the schemes are still carried out in a loose manner without a thorough policy. The most significant issues are environmental ustainability and cultural sustainability due to the most recent focus of government on these issues and their importance to the sustainable development. Environmental Sustainability Country parks and nature reserves make up 40 percent of Hong Kong's total land area of some 1,100 square kilometres (Ling, 2007). Regarding the relative ample resources and the initial success of Wetland Parks, Hong Kong government recognized the green potential in Hong Kong tourism and has aggressively proposed numbers of Green initiatives recently, such as the Lantau North Country Park and Marine Park, Geoparks as well as cycle tracks and mountain bike trails.However, regarding these proposed projects, inadequate concerns have been given to the carrying capacity of these natural resources as well as the cost of construction. It is found that the conservational practices are not carried out in a strict manner as a case in Kam Tin Wetland and Hoi Ha Wan marine reserve, which are two well-known ecological attractions in Hong Kong, were reported in suffering wastage problems (Cheung, 2006).Another typical example is a member of Advisory Council on the Environment opposed to the proposal of Lantau North Country Park concerning the development of transport linkage of Tung Chung Road would damage the ecology of the areas. It aroused conservationists’ concern that government’s overemphasis on bringing in the tourist dollars will keep tourist agencies and residents focused on generating large-scale projects but putting little concern on making low-impact sustainable tourism (Crets, 2006).From the projects being carried out or proposed, it shows government’s interests on large scale investment but not much effort and support given to the details, such as the carrying capacity of the ecological resources. It implies government emphasized on the profit making and lacked of a whole-heartedly attitudes towards sustainable tourism. There is no doubt that green tourism has a large potential to become one of the major tourism sectors in Hong Kong with its educational and sustainable meaning as well as the economic benefits resulted from the rising awareness of this market.However, sustainability should not put mainly on the economic side since sustainability of tourist attractions, i. e. , the ecological sites and the heritage, is the core value of sustainable tourism. Although the government claimed that it has been keen on â€Å"promoting green tourism in Northeast New Territories and outlying islands having regard to the principles of nature conservation and sustainable development. (GovHK, 2009), it is doubtful that, regarding its policy on green tourism, whether Hong Kong government has a clear and accurate vision for mass tourism that will incorporate the natural environment. Tourism should be regarded as a tool for ecological and heritage preservation but not the other way round, otherwise there is no true meaning of sustainable tourism. Apparently, there is still much room for improvement regarding the policy as more concern and control should be placed over the environmental sustainability so as not to override the economic sustainability on the environmental sustainability.The success of green tourism is largely dependent on effectiveness of government on planning and management to minimize the impact to environment and the effective distribution of ecological resources. One of the measures suggested to the government is to have strict control on the environmental conservations instead of focusing on constructing more attractions and promoting the markets. The carrying capacity of the green attractions should be carefully studied and controlled by imposing strict regulations on the visitor numbers and their behaviours.Besides, du e to the rising demand, eco-guides’ demand is stretching, thus setting legal standards for eco-guides as well as providing training for nurturing the expertise are in urgent needs to cope with the stretched demand as well as to educate the appropriate behaviours in the ecologist attractions (Chong, 2007). Cultural Sustainability Due to the diversification in Hong Kong’s culture which is positioned as East-meet-West, Hong Kong has been recently facing the demands of constructing an identity reflected in choices about what heritage to conserve and how to present it (Henderson, 2002).With the current trend of globalization and mass movement of people, issues of cultural identity and cultural preservation continue to be explored. Recently, Hong Kong has been keen on developing attractions to enhance Hong Kong’s cultural image, one of the fine examples is the proposed cultural venues, the West Kowloon Cultural District. Besides building new cultural venues, preservin g and promoting Hong Kong’s tangible and intangible heritage are accounted as other measures to showcase Hong Kong’s mixed culture.Examples like preservation and development of the former Marine Police Headquarters in Tsim Sha Tsui into a tourism facility by the private sector, â€Å"1881 Heritage†, and HKTB’s promotion of traditional Chinese customs and festivals such as the Tin Hau Festival parade in Yuen Long and Cha Kwo Ling, Tam Kung Festival in Shaukeiwan, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival and the Birthday of Lord Buddha celebrations at Po Lin Monastery. Despite these efforts, several problems are found regarding Hong Kong’s culture and heritage sustainability policy.It is found that Hong Kong has been relatively slow in developing its potential heritage sites into tourist attractions, as seen in the controversy over the fate of Tiger Balm Garden and the Central Police Station. According to Chu and Uebegang (2002), the sluggish and passive respons e of government reflects the lack of political will due to a lack of understanding of the principles of heritage and its potential. The Government believes heritage conservation should be driven by tourism and economics and not treated in the same way as other social and education services.Even with the setting up of Heritage Tourism Task Force which is established in 1998, there have been very few recommendations proposed by the task force. Some critics have blamed on its lack of leadership and lack of influence in the government bureaucracy (Chu and Uebegang, 2002). Other problems implied in the policy of government are lack of a broad-based, long-term conservation policy, lack of a clear priorities and inadequate co-ordination of government departments involved in present heritage conservation practice.Besides, in most cultural heritage development, public involvement in decision-making is absent. Regarding these problem, it is essential for government to change its attitude and strike for a more holistic vision and policy towards the cultural heritage conservation. It is due to the challenge faced by Hong Kong that it has long promoted its culture as an exciting fusion of East-meet-West and traditional-meet-contemporary, which may cause it falling in a danger of overemphasizing on international style attractions and a loss of actual distinctiveness.Development may follow a common path to create uniform of tourism features which convey similar image to the tourists. Therefore, the cultural and heritage conservations are essential in the tourism development as it helps to maintain a unique sense of place and difference as intrinsic merit to secure its competitive advantages and reposition the image besides an international metropolitan with the colonial history. Apart from these problems of fragmented policy and vision, the management issue of the cultural heritage has been another concern by the conservationist and researchers.Since the cultural and heritag e tourism requires a cautious approach with sensitivity, research, and community involvement due to its core value is to convey the value to and engage present generations without betraying the spirit of the previous generations’ experiences. It is important and beneficial to involve the participation of those people and groups who are most closely related to the significance of the heritage area. Without this, it is difficult to achieve substantive conservation. In Hong Kong, there is lack of cooperation with and involvement of the locals or the significant cultural group.It is, therefore, suggested to involve the local community at the planning and operation level which can enhance the sustainability of the projects as well as prevent the problem of being too commercialized which affecting the authenticity and integrity of the heritage. Referring to the need of involvement of local community, certain level of empowerment is essential which can be regarded as community based tourism. It broadly described as â€Å"responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people. It requires tourism activities to be primarily developed and operated by members of the local community and that revenues from tourism remain within the local community. Respect for local culture, heritage and traditions is imperative. CBT teaches the visitor to behave responsibly and respectfully towards nature and native culture, and offers activities that give the visitor an understanding and appreciation of the area without degrading it. Most importantly of all, it can reserve the sustainable resources and reduce the impacts to the community daily life at the minimum level.Conclusion Tourism is most ideally suited to adopt sustainability as a guiding philosophy in sustainable developmemnt (McKercher, 2003). However, mismanaging sustainable tourism will turn it into a curse as it will damage the ecological and heritage attraction s in more direct ways. According to McKercher (2003), sustainable tourism is built around four pillars of tourism, namely economic sustainability, ecological sustainability, cultural sustainability and local sustainability, all these four elements must be addressed if we are to achieve sustainable tourism.It is found that recently Hong Kong government is striking for sustainable tourism, however, there is a lack of broad view and holistic policy to support the efforts. Unregulated short-term initiatives which serve the narrow interests of powerful forces in the industry may jeopardize the sustainability and longer-term tourism potential of many communities upon which majority interests are based (Brohman, 1996). It is therefore important for government to be aware of the future planning must be holistic, strategic and long-term.Laws, procedures and systems for planning, preservation, development and management should be adjusted or created to ensure that the development of the proje ct is undertaken in ways that are consistent with the principles of sustainability. Besides, all these should be applied to a culture of caring for the environment, therefore the concepts of preservation and sustainable development should be fostered and encouraged within the government and the community so as to ensure the true and holistic meaning of sustainable tourism.