The Strategic Management Process of a Major Apparel and Denim Brand, Case Study

The Strategic Management Process of a Major Apparel and Denim Brand, Levi Strauss - Case Study Example In this paper, the case of â€Å"Levi Strauss- The Boss and the Yogi† as published in the Economist in the year 2014 is analyzed through the application of relevant business and corporate strategy models with the aim of identifying the current strategic position of the brand, understanding the core and contemporary strategies taken up by the company in the recent years, identifying the success of the employment of the new strategies and finally for recommending a suitable future strategic direction for the company. Levi Strauss uses the generic strategies of cost leadership and cost focus in which the company is trying to reduce the overall expense of the business by developing more efficient logistics and procurement systems in their global operations, trying to increase the profit levels by decreasing the operating costs while at the same time maintaining the product prices as per the industry standard. The company is also using the cost focus strategy to ensure that it can leverage on the customer sentiments associated with the brand and maintain the high prices of the products while at the same time remaining sufficiently competitive in the markets of operation. The intensity of competitive rivalry: The intensity of competitive rivalry is extremely high for Levi Strauss. Over the last few years, both the revenues and profits of the company have dropped by considerable extents due to the high degree of competiveness in the industry and the internal weaknesses of the company itself. Currently, the company is experiencing a declining market share in the American as well as global denim markets. The shares of the company have decreased from 7.2% to 5.3% in the period from 2004 to 2013. The threat of new entrants: The threat of new entrants is medium for Levi Strauss. This is because  there are many established big and small players in the denim market which create high entry barriers for a new player in the market. Also, this market is so intensely con centrated that there is hardly any market gap left for a new company to enter into and position itself.  

Ap Language and Composition Synthesis Essay Example for Free

Ap Language and Composition Synthesis Essay Society teaches the morally incorrect and socially unacceptable aspects of murder. George Orwell’s â€Å"Shooting and Elephant† and Foster the People’s â€Å"Pumped up Kicks† address the contrary, the instances in which society leads one to murder. Orwell’s switch from first to second person within â€Å"He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it† reveals the distance that the murderer puts between himself and his action creating a sense of personal distain; the same sense of detachment is evoked through Foster the People’s dreamily synthesized lyrics. The short clauses without conjunctions â€Å"In an instant, in too short a time, one would have thought, even for the bullet to get there† increases the pace just as the murderous act occurs intensifies the guilt suddenly felt. On the contrary, as the chorus begins in â€Å"Pumped up Kicks† the music picks up pace with a lighter music layered over the heavy down beat evokes a sense of relief that that the murder will bring after society drove the murderer insane. Both Orwell and Foster the People address varying situations in which murder must occur through their written and melodic choices. Part 2Jonathan Swift’s â€Å"A Modest Proposal† and George Orwell â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† offer a satirical view of British Imperialism. Orwell openly mocks the British control of Burma through â€Å"I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British† which ironically reveals the disapproval of the governing body even by those that it employs. Swift’s absurd suggestion â€Å"that a young healthy child well nursed at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food† casts light upon the horrible treatment the Irish receive from the British while the radical suggestion parallels the extensive poverty Ireland experienced. Likewise, the thought of â€Å"shooting an elephant† develops a ridiculous idea about allowing death; the awkwardly large size of an elephant criticizes the outrageous living conditions within Burma. Orwell describes the elephant as â€Å"He took not the slightest notice of the crowd’s approach† which symbolizes the blind eye the British turned to the people of Burma. Similarly, Swift justifies babies as being good food for landlords because â€Å"they have already devoured most of the parents† relating the wealthy to cannibals because of their lack of humanity toward the poor. However, Orwell directly develops empathy toward the natives of Burma stating â€Å"It was perfectly clear what I ought to do† relating to shooting the elephant to please the people and gain acceptance. Swift’s constant sarcasm does not pity the poor, but it criticizes the British for allowing their way of life. Orwell’s narrative and Swift’s sarcastic essay critique the British government’s inability to uphold moral laws and just treatment for all people.

Ethics Values in Health and Social Care

Ethics Values in Health and Social Care Introduction The global era is getting more competitive and dynamic. For the proper development of health and social care, learners should be acquired skilled knowledge about caring as well as the proper understanding of personal development. There are many departments in health and social care; they are delivers health care facilities in various different of organizations by seeing the idea of care that provides the rights of the patient. The care training provides the great support to the patient by providing their safety and make sure they are safe in all phases of the care organization and service. To cope up with the present business environment every persons should prove themselves as more personnel and professional. Task-1 1.1: Personal values and principles agree or conflict with the principles of support for working in health and social care. Personal values develop from situations with the external world and can change over time. Personal values developed early in life may be resistant to change. Ex: culture,  religion, and political party. Values exist, whether one recognize him or not. Life can be much easier when one acknowledges ones values – and when one make plans and decisions that honor him. Personal values influence personal character through internally. Basically, a person’s values and principles depend on his or her personal character and so on. In health and social care settings there are principles which run the practice of healthcare workers to confirm that quality care is delivered for service users. They are 5 principles in health and social care practices: Confidentiality Communications Promoting antidiscrimination practice Rights Acknowledging individuals believe and identities. 1.2: The way of personal culture and experience influence my work as a care practitioner. Personal Culture is defined as the patterns of ideas, customs and behaviors shared by particular persons. Personal Culture may contain all or a subset of the following features: Civilization, Language, Religion spiritual beliefs, Masculinity socio-economic class. To work in an area of health and social care especially as a practitioner greatly depends on personal beliefs and mind set up activities. Personal Culture and experience are influence by several ways, like: Positivity: positivity greatly influenced a personal mental behavior. If he/she positively treat toward something that will gives him a fruitful result. Helpful mentality: in every spare of life there must be needed a helpful mind. The actions and the work of practitioner haven’t any time requirement.so it’s very crucial. Smooth behavior: the behavior of practitioner should be firm and smooth. Ethically strong: The factors that are compulsory to be ethical have the great impact on the profession of practitioner. Quality of work: The practitioner should have able to qualifying for conducting the profession.it is expressed on the legal social welfare and the well-being of the society. 1.3: New development and changes to personal values can change work practices in health and social care setting. The definite needs and wants of the immediate of health and social care sector greatly depends on the positive attitude of works. The availability of actual work makes more well-organized values of working in health and social sector. The workers works mentality drives the actions of health and social sector. The worker should complete their activities which depend upon what customers prepare and search. The service which given by the provider of health and social sector certify the ability of the emerging level of the precision. As we know the development of health and social sector is greatly improving day by day. The emergence of work gets aspiration by the changes values. The personal values significantly changing with in an eye stream by the growth of the health and social sector. Task 2 2.1: SWOT analysis showing the key strengths, skills, ability and learning style relation to job role, weakness, opportunities and threats. SWOT analysis is the act of a person’s internal and external criteria. Strengths and weakness is internal phenomenon and opportunities and threats are external phenomenon. My SWOT about the regarding assignment is given below: My strengths: internal efforts which gives me more confident to dine this job: Greater work support. Building interpersonal communication network. Positive strategies taken by me. Maintain specific location and additional funding. My weakness: High costs are prime obstacle to continue my work. The obsolete data. The workforce diversity also created barriers. Insufficient record preserves system. My opportunities: My chances of work cause so many effects on externally. These are written below- Services provided by others. Faithfulness of well-wishers. Greater sources of external data. Threats to me : Service provide by competitors. The service provided by practitioner in several campaign Nervousness in facing viva 2.2: Divide a plan over a period week of personal development goals The action for the plan for a practitioner is a total of a mental work. A plan over period weeks of personal development goals are as follows: Making an weakened plan or schedule: At the beginning of the weakened personal development goals the practitioner have to make a plan or schedule that will provides the overall blue print for the personal developmental goals. Collection of relating information: For everything we want to collect some related information which must be logical and objective oriented. Identify the weakness: To find out where the lacking’s of practitioner Correct the weakness: After identifying the weakness practitioner have to correct the weakness and make a good use of it. Controls of errors: Finally the practitioner controls the errors by using effective leadership. 2.3: Monitor and revise the plan in accordance with my role as a care practitioner. A practitioner has to monitor overall plan to make his goal successes. He should through focus on the adapted plan, also follow the rules, regulation and ethics of the proposed plan. A practitioner has to be honest in his duty. As a practitioner I have to do arrange the duty of my work. The rules should be monitored as well as monitored by me. As a practitioner the following proposed plan is monitor and revise by me: I should have the great skills of presentation as a practitioner. I encourage teams to work harmoniously I prepare my daily activities as regular basis. I maintain my responsibilities in time. I am able to provide effective service properly. Positive mentality is the key aspects of my work environment. This personal behavior helps me to proper monitor and accomplishes my plan easily. 2.4: discussion of how my key skills, ability and learning style fits in with my role and evaluate the extent to which my weakness hinder my development and evaluate the role of my development plan in helping me achieve professional competency in accordance with your role as a care practitioner. The academic knowledge and skills should be easily taken by me if I were a well care practitioner. I have to take proper decision to solve my problem efficiently. The success of all care practitioner is highly depends on the working capability and the efficiency. One should be dedicated himself on service accurately. I should be authentic in case of responsibility my work. An appropriate job plan also should be taken by me. All types of barriers of work solved by me with very logically. Moreover, my positive attitude toward work helps me to gain my objectives. Therefore, I should keep in mind that I am working as a care practitioner who is the best sympathizer of the environments. Task 3 3.1: explanation with specific examples what steps a nurse would take to ensure that he/she does not cross professional boundaries. Professional boundaries are the spaces between the nurses power and the clients vulnerability. In relationships with any level of well-being and closeness, boundaries are needed to separate individuals applicably. Professional boundaries support key elements of the nurse practitioner-Patient relationship: trust, compassion, mutual respect, and empathy # Steps should be taken by a nurse Education starts at the entry into practice level in nursing programs. Continued in higher nursing education programs. Policies of sexual delinquency and boundary defilements should be updated and made part of the staffs annual education. Should be informed about their own states nurse practice act Be secret in case of sharing personal matter. Speak relevant and logical topics Should be emphasize on proper value of time References: National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) 3.2: Discussion of promoting and supporting the rights of the service user at work and evaluate the outcome. In health and social care center the service user must consume the proper rights. Proper service makes a user more delight. There has a series of rights which should provide for a service user- Privacy of the user: The privacy of the user should be ensured all time. The promoting and supporting the rights of the service user mainly depend on the proper privacy maintain of user. Needs of the user: the service provider must be identified the actual needs of the user and finally he satisfy his needs by providing greater service. Security of user: The user should be maintained his safety and security. Personal satisfaction and independence: By providing superior service the provider raise the satisfaction level of the user and independence also increases through personal choice. Value of choice: The choice of service user should be kept in mind if the service user. 3.3: The possible conflicts that may arise and critically discuss methods of conflict resolution where professional boundaries have been crossed In an organization conflict is a common matter. It may be arise for a lot of reasons. Such as- Conflict among the channel members Conflict due to work roles Conflict through one department to another department Boss with subordinates miscommunication with senior and junior employees The upper miss adjustment can resolve by the following way- Proper communication web should be established with channels member and subordinates. Discussion in problematic area Ensure the proper understanding with the employees Maintaining good relationship eth other department Cooperating Task 4 4.1: My own personal contribution to minimizing barriers to effective network I am able to produce, monitor and revise plans for personal improvement in developing the skills and abilities required of a health and social care practitioner. I have to take some special contribution to minimizing barriers to effective network. These are below- Study my Action Plans. Dedication to achieve. I just working there as a teammate. I Identify barriers from term in achieving the goal. Create our targets to ensure development in future. Make a favorable environment. Finally I assigned as myself with the every working step including proper communication and management and control as well. 4.2: Explanation of the limit of care role and its impact on my exercise of power in times of emergencies. Every human being has limitation on their working environment. I myself also faced lots of problem in care role that impact on my exercise of power in times of emergencies. The common limitations are writing down: The limit of care role Faced unfavorable work environment. Poor work routine hampered my task. Nature of the work. Lack of positive attitudes from supervisor. Defective equipment. Impact on my power in emergencies: we know that power is the sign of satisfaction. But when some limitation occurs instantly with me my power being hampered. The negative impact of regarding my power decreases are below- Suffered from mental pressure. Decreases physical fitness. Negative attitude toward workforce environment. Boringness. Negative practices of ethics. 4.3: My contribution to minimizing barriers to effective teamwork Every worker should be positive minded to perform his or her assigned works. The mentality also should be positive to conduct communication with others. But in there are a lot of barriers that hampers to do effective team work. By using my patience and efficiency I apply myself fully to bring an effective team combination. Always I try to provide my best effort in my job. By seeing this majority of my colleagues are motivated and they also devoted their all experience and knowledge to the work. My innovative ideas help all to work combined as a team. Moreover, I give enough encourage to my teammates during the job period. 4.4: Ideas to improve personal contribution to team work A positive idea can change everything as well as it can be a key for improving personal contribution to team work. My ideas are given below: Exchanging information Friendship Effective cooperation Discussion with teammates Be honest and ethical mentality Ensure of chain of command rules Conclusion The work competence and perfection of walks depends of stability of work and devotion. For actual health and social care service, there must be needed to manage, maintain, and establish that require completing total action in terms of health and social care service. The beauty of real life can be found in social and health care service. That makes an individual to develop strong personality and perfection.

Ian McEwans Enduring Love Essay -- Ian McEwan Enduring Love Essays

Ian McEwan's Enduring Love Evident throughout the entire plot of ‘Enduring Love’, Ian McEwan fuses three different genres: love story, detective story and thriller. Each genre I believe has a set of expectations that captures the reader urging them to read on, for example a thriller genre would stereotypically be led by a fast, tense pace with characters easily identifiable as ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’. Different, fresh and ‘novel’ McEwan establishes his break up of typical genres as he mixes the elements of the three main genres and purposely doesn’t stick to their rigid framework that many authors swear by. It is however important to assess to what extent that McEwan successfully combines these genres and how effective his method is. During the exposition of ‘Enduring Love’, McEwan attempts to â€Å"entice the reader into making that commitment† creating an â€Å"addictive quality† which I believe he does so by incorporating several stylistic devices, flowing from one to the other throughout the entire of the first chapter. Focusing particularly on the action of the event Joe is describing, McEwan incorporates parts of the romance genre and the detective story, switching from one to the other frequently. â€Å"We set off down our path arm in arm†¦the warmth and tranquillity in her voice†, Concentrating on the ‘romance’ genre, McEwan allows the reader to feel a connection with Joe as we are made aware of his emotions for Clarissa. Exploring different themes of love, we become acquainted with Clarissa’s love of Keats poetry, â€Å"Clarissa’s interest in these hypothetical letters had something to do with our own situation† and the love for others surrounding Joe at the station â€Å"it was smiles and hugs, and in thirty-five m... ...he is telling her. â€Å"Don’t get angry with me, Joe. You didn’t see his face, and he wasn’t in the square†. To conclude, I believe that it is correct to state that â€Å"Enduring Love gracefully bridges genres†, as McEwan intervenes from one genre to another successfully without a break up in the plot. The only exception of this is, I believe is the chapter in which the ‘thriller’ genre is introduced as I believe that it is out of character for Joe to go such an extreme and this is the only part of the book that I felt I was not a part of, as McEwan failed to engage me fully with the lack of realism. It could however be argued that this was McEwan’s intention to alienate this chapter to depict the message that it is possible for anyone, however radical and intelligent to take such extreme actions under the ‘given circumstances’ and the pressures that Joe faced. Ian McEwan's Enduring Love Essay -- Ian McEwan Enduring Love Essays Ian McEwan's Enduring Love Evident throughout the entire plot of ‘Enduring Love’, Ian McEwan fuses three different genres: love story, detective story and thriller. Each genre I believe has a set of expectations that captures the reader urging them to read on, for example a thriller genre would stereotypically be led by a fast, tense pace with characters easily identifiable as ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’. Different, fresh and ‘novel’ McEwan establishes his break up of typical genres as he mixes the elements of the three main genres and purposely doesn’t stick to their rigid framework that many authors swear by. It is however important to assess to what extent that McEwan successfully combines these genres and how effective his method is. During the exposition of ‘Enduring Love’, McEwan attempts to â€Å"entice the reader into making that commitment† creating an â€Å"addictive quality† which I believe he does so by incorporating several stylistic devices, flowing from one to the other throughout the entire of the first chapter. Focusing particularly on the action of the event Joe is describing, McEwan incorporates parts of the romance genre and the detective story, switching from one to the other frequently. â€Å"We set off down our path arm in arm†¦the warmth and tranquillity in her voice†, Concentrating on the ‘romance’ genre, McEwan allows the reader to feel a connection with Joe as we are made aware of his emotions for Clarissa. Exploring different themes of love, we become acquainted with Clarissa’s love of Keats poetry, â€Å"Clarissa’s interest in these hypothetical letters had something to do with our own situation† and the love for others surrounding Joe at the station â€Å"it was smiles and hugs, and in thirty-five m... ...he is telling her. â€Å"Don’t get angry with me, Joe. You didn’t see his face, and he wasn’t in the square†. To conclude, I believe that it is correct to state that â€Å"Enduring Love gracefully bridges genres†, as McEwan intervenes from one genre to another successfully without a break up in the plot. The only exception of this is, I believe is the chapter in which the ‘thriller’ genre is introduced as I believe that it is out of character for Joe to go such an extreme and this is the only part of the book that I felt I was not a part of, as McEwan failed to engage me fully with the lack of realism. It could however be argued that this was McEwan’s intention to alienate this chapter to depict the message that it is possible for anyone, however radical and intelligent to take such extreme actions under the ‘given circumstances’ and the pressures that Joe faced.

A Mat Rempit is a Malaysian term

A Mat Rempit is a Malaysian term for â€Å"an individual who participates in illegal street racing†, usually involving underbone motorcycles (colloquially known as Kapcai) or scooters. Not all Mat Rempits are involved in street racing; some of them perform crazy stunts for fun, such as the wheelie, superman (lying flat on the seat), wikang, and scorpion (standing on the seat with one leg during a wheelie),or shuttu le katti. Mat Rempits usually travel in groups and race in bustling city centres on weekend nights.In recent times, Mat Rempits have been linked to gangsterism, gang robbery,[1][2] street fighting, assault,[3] vandalism, theft and bullying. Most motorcycles used by the Mat Rempits do not meet standard specifications, or have been modified extensively for greater speed, or just to make the exhaust noisier. Additionally, some Mat Rempits do not have valid motorcycle licenses, do not pay road taxes, and ride stolen motorcycles. [4][5] A growing number of housing estate s have also been turned into racing tracks. 6] It is estimated that there are about 200,000 Mat Rempits in Malaysia. [7] In some other countries, the term Mat Rempit is also used, but more to refer to one as a motorcycle lover or rider (Mat Motor), as opposed to an illegal motorcycle racer. Sometimes, the term â€Å"Mat Rempit† is misused to refer to any individual who rides an underbone motorcycle. Related to this is the Mat Konvoi, which claim to be the non-racing version of Mat Rempit.

6 Ways to Create a Productive Study Environment

6 Ways to Create a Productive Study Environment 6 Ways to Create a Productive Study Environment Whether you’re studying for a test or writing an assignment, working effectively depends heavily on your surroundings. As such, it’s critical that you have a good study environment. Luckily, we have six top tips for what makes the perfect place to study. All you need to do is keep the following considerations in mind†¦ 1. Location, Location, Location! Where you go to work makes a big difference to your productivity. If you’re studying at home, the key will be finding somewhere away from distractions and disturbances. If you don’t want to study at home, however, or if your party-hard housemates make working from home a little challenging, you have plenty of alternative options, including libraries and coffee shops. 2. Tidy Desk, Tidy Mind This doesn’t work for everyone (some people thrive on chaos), but generally you’ll find yourself more productive if your study environment is tidy and organized. This is partly because keeping your workspace tidy makes it easier to find books, notes or anything else you need when you need it. But it’s also because not being surrounded by piles of clutter and discarded coffee cups can make it easier to focus on the task at hand! Theres probably a desk under there somewhere. [Image: Ali West/flickr] 3. Eliminate Distractions You’re unlikely to get much done if you’re checking Twitter every thirty seconds. If this sounds familiar, you might want to install software on your computer/phone to temporarily block any websites or apps that you find distracting. The same applies to TV, friends, partners and anything else that stops you paying attention to your work: If it’s distracting, make sure it isn’t part of your study environment! 4. Background Music Many people find a bit of background music good for concentration. Instrumental music is the best option here, as songs with lyrics can become distracting. Note, however, that wearing headphones while revising has been found to make it harder to recall what you’ve read. So although you might think that wearing headphones is a good way to block out noise when studying at a coffee shop, it might also interfere with your learning! It definitely helps if you open your eyes, too. 5. Comfort is Key! Temperature, lighting and comfort all make a big difference if you’re settling in for a prolonged study session. Make sure your environment is cool, well-lit and comfortable enough that you won’t become restless after a few minutes working. Taking regular breaks is also helpful. You can also be too comfortable, though, so studying in bed is probably not a great idea. 6. Be Prepared†¦ Ultimately, the most important thing when creating a study environment is to be prepared! This means having everything you need to hand when you start, including books, notes, pens and pencils, a drink, snacks and any other study resources you find helpful to have around.

Free sample - Technical report on the Trolley Jack. translation missing

Technical report on the Trolley Jack. Technical report on the Trolley Jack1.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction In this report, several aspects of trolley jack shall be discussed. These include a description the product or what it is, how it works, health and safety issues surrounding the machine and its components. The report shall also include the design criteria, methods of manufacture and product comparison. In this comparison, the product shall be considered with reference to other similar products and also its cost against the quality and functionality of the product. Towards the end of the report, a review of the whole report shall be done and general observations made. At the end, references from which information was researched shall be outlined. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Product Description According to Corneilse, Marr, Mogotsi and van der Hee (2007), a trolley jack is a portable piece of equipment that can be used to raise one side of a vehicle for instance when one wishes to change a vehicle tyre. It has been found out that an average trolley jack can lift a mass of up to slightly more than 2 tons. A single stroke of a trolley jack raises a load to for about 4 inches which is sufficient for trolleying. This trolley type can lift up a load for a maximum of 15.5 inches. It is thus appropriate for robust jobs yet it is relatively affordable. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Trolley Jack design and manufacture As the name suggests, the jack has properties of a trolley in that it can be pushed along courtesy of its wheel and two castors. The body of this device is made of steel (heavy-duty). The reason for the use of this metal is because of its tensile strength: It does not twist or bend easily. So as to calculate the cost of manufacture of trolley jacks, quantity is a key consideration. This is because the larger the quantity is produced, the lower the average cost of manufacture (Tooley, Tooley Dingle, 2004, p. 34). Therefore the average cost of manufacture is the total cost divided by quantity manufactured. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Components of the Product As earlier stated, some of the parts of the device are the saddle and the release pedal. Other parts include a wheel, two castors, the lifting arm, control handle and the main body. The wheel and two castors are essential for its movement while the lifting arm is useful for making strokes. The main body covers the mechanical system that raises loads. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How it works The Automotive repair and maintenance: Level 2 stipulated that a trolley jack uses a hydraulic system to raise a vehicle. To do so, a saddle is placed under the vehicle in the correct position. According to Keeting, Sutton and Abrahams (2008), the next step should be to block the wheel so that it does not roll. The vehicle should be on the handbrake. Thereafter, a control handle is used for raising the vehicle after which it is worked on. However, after lifting for some height, the user should check whether the jack is still in its position. Safety stands or axle stands should then be fixed for safety purposes. Later, a release pedal is used to lower the vehicle. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Comparison with other products’ quality, cost and functionality In view of most technical experts, all what is considered in jacks is how high or low the device can lift for example a car. Therefore, a good jack should provide a maximum lift for to a vehicle so as to have maximum space for work. Another aspect on the functionality of the product is how fact it can work that is the number of pumps needed to reach the highest level. Additionally, functionality is based on the maximum weight the device can lift. Bearing in mind that there are many aspects which could be considered in rating jacks in general, when the above were considered in one of the investigations, the following types were rated to be the best in this order: Clarke CTJ3000QL, JCB70003 and Kamasa GE4841. An average Trolley Jack produced by KarKare costs about 45 Sterling Pounds. According to Tooley, Tooley and Dingle (2004), the company produces about 12,000 units of trolley jack. Another type of Jack called Ellis Jack or Cam-type jack at most 6*6-inch timbers placed side by side and joined by steel champs. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Health and Safety Issues when Using the Trolley Jack In their Fundamentals of technical rescue, the International Association of Fire Chiefs and National Fire Protection Association (2009) cautioned that when a technician is carrying loads on a jack, they should ensure that the load does not shift. This is because uneven distribution of weight can make the device to tip over and fall thus endangering the health safety of the user. In addition, whenever one is using a trolley jack, they should ensure that it is placed on a flat surface. The surface must also be hard so that it does not give way when a heavy load is being lifted. Therefore if the surface is soft, it is important that the user places a hard board or a steel plate under the jack for an even distribution of weight. It is also important to note that with regard to vehicles, a trolley jack should only be used to lift the vehicle but not to hold it place. One must use jack stands whenever working beneath the vehicle to avoid being crushed incase the device loses grip. When jac king a vehicle, one should block its wheels so that it does not roll. A tire should never be changed on a highway. 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conclusion and general observations This technical report was meant to describe some aspects of the trolley jack. This was successfully done through an initial outline of the way themes were to be tackled. Thereafter, the description of the device was done followed by its design and manufacture, its parts, how it works and some of the safety and health issues associated with its use. Later, the device was compared with other similar devices in terms of its cost, quality and functionality. It was clear that the product is relatively affordable and can do heavy jobs. Although the trolley jack is generally efficient, it was observed that the hydraulic models are usually slower particularly when being lowered. It is thus satisfactory that heavy jacks should be used with heavy vehicles such as Lorries and buses in which speed is not of great importance. References Corneilse, M., Marr, S., Mogotsi, S. Van der Heever, A. S. J. (2007). Automotive repair and maintenance: Level 2. Pearson South Africa. International Association of Fire Chiefs   National Fire Protection Association (2009). Fundamentals of technical rescue. Jones Bartlett Learning. Keeting, L. Sutton, P. Abrahams, A. (2008). Automotive repair and maintenance. Pearson South Africa. Tooley, M. H., Tooley, M. Dingle, L. (2004). Higher national engineering. 2nd ed. Burlington, MA: Elsevier.

Romanesque Architecture Essays - Church Architecture, Basilica, Nave

Romanesque Architecture Essays - Church Architecture, Basilica, Nave Romanesque Architecture THE BASILICA AND BASILICAN CHURCHES A great deal of conjecture has been expended on the question as to the genesis of the Roman basilica. For present purposes it may be sufficient to observe that the addition of aisles to the nave was so manifest a convenience that it might not improbably have been thought of, even had models not been at hand in the civic buildings of the Empire. The most suitable example that can be chosen as typical of the Roman basilica of the age of Constantine is the church of S. Maria Maggiore. And this, not merely because, in spite of certain modern alterations, it has kept in the main its original features, but also because it departs, to a lesser extent than any other extant example, from the classical ideal. The lateral colonnade is immediately surmounted by a horizontal entablature, with architrave, frieze, and cornice all complete. The monolithic columns, with their capitals, are, moreover, homogenous, and have been cut for their position, instead of being like those of so many early Christian churches, the more or less incongruous and heterogeneous spoils of older and non-Christian edifices. Of this church, in its original form, no one however decidedly his tastes may incline to some more highly developed system or style of architecture will call in question the stately and majestic beauty. The general effect is that of a vast perspective of lines of noble columns, carrying the eye forward to the altar, which, with its civory or canopy, forms so conspicuous an object, standing, framed, as it mere, within the arch of the terminal apse, which forms its immediate and appropriate background. S. Maria Maggiore is considerably smaller than were any of the other three chief basilicas of Rome (St Peter's, St. Paul's, and the Lateran). Each of these, in addition to a nave of greater length and breadth, was furnished (as may still be seen in the restored St Paul's) with a double aisle. This, however, was an advantage which was not unattended with a serious drawback from a purely esthetic point of view. For a great space of blank wall intervening between the top of the lateral colonnade and the clerestory windows was of necessity required in order to give support to the penthouse roof of the double aisle. And it is curious, to say the least, that it should not have occurred to the builders of those three basilicas to utilize a portion of the space thus enclosed, and at the same time to lighten the burden of the wall above the colonnade, by constructing a gallery above the inner aisle. It is true, of course, that such a gallery is found in the church of S. Agnese, where the low-level of the floor relatively to the surface of the ground outside may have suggested this method of construction; but whereas, in the East, the provision of a gallery (used as a gynaeceum) was usual from very early times, it never became otherwise than exceptional in the West. Taking East and West together, we find among early and medieval basilican churches examples of all the combinations that are possible in the arrangement of aisles and galleries. They are the single aisle without gallery, which is, of course, the commonest type of all; the double aisle without gallery, as in the three great Roman basilicas; the single aisle with gallery, as in S. Agnese; the double aisle with single gallery, as in St. Demetrius at Thessalonica; and finally, as a crowning example, though of a later period, the double aisle surmounted by a double gallery, as in the Duomo at Pisa. These, however, are modifications in the general design of the building. Others, not less important, though they are less obviously striking, concern the details of the construction. Of these the first was the substitution of the arch for the horizontal entablature, and the second that of the pillar of masonry for the monolithic column. The former change, which had already come into operation in the first basilica of St. Paul without the Walls, was so obviously in the nature of an improvement in point of stability that it is no matter for surprise that it should have been almost. universally adopted. Colonnaded and arcaded basilicas, as we may call them, for the most part older than the eleventh century, are to be found in the most widely distant regions, from Syria to Spain, and from Sicily to Saxony; and the lack of examples in Southern France is probably due

Criminal Justice Career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal Justice Career - Essay Example Also to be included in the paper are the following: (1) a listing of at least 3 professional associations that could support in this profession. For each association listed, provide the mission of the organization, a profile of the association’s members, membership dues, and association publications; (2) based on the state of VIRGINIA, defining one’s jurisdiction, find any related legal codes associated with the chosen profession. Provide a link to that site with a paragraph description of the types of laws contained there. Finally, (3) list any other information sources that are critical in one’s profession. For each source listed, provide a link to that source, a description of the information found there, and how that information would be used in the chosen profession. Criminal Justice Career Career Profession Chosen From among the 50 careers listed within criminal justice and law enforcement careers (Criminal Justice Profiles, 2011), an interesting and challenging option I have chosen is to become an agent for Homeland Security, the department whose primarily aim is to â€Å"to secure the nation from the many threats we face† (Dept. of Homeland Security, 2011, par. 1). As explicitly indicated in their official website, â€Å"as a Homeland Security employee, you will help secure our borders, airports, seaports and waterways; research and develop the latest security technologies; respond to natural disasters or terrorists assaults; and analyze intelligence reports† (DHS: Career Opportunities, 2011,par. 1). ... 8). This career path is equally challenging and rewarding as deemed of eminent relevance to the public and to the environment. Article from Database In an article entitled FEMA Committed to Finding Temporary Housing for Storm Survivors dated June 1, 2011, the employees under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are enjoined to help survivors of the recent storms that affected a considerable number of communities and families in Missouri, to find temporary shelter (FEMA, 2011, 1). The career chosen manifests active response and commitment to uplift the conditions of people who have been beset by various hazards, including natural disasters. The article emphasized â€Å"FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards† (FEMA, 2011, 1). List of Three Professional Associations Americ an Correctional Association (ACA) is â€Å"a multi-disciplinary organization of professionals representing all facets of corrections and criminal justice† (General Resources, n.d., par. 1). Its official website indicates that â€Å"membership is open to corrections professionals, students, retired persons, interested citizens, organizations/institutions and corporations. There are many benefits to becoming a member of ACA including a one-year subscription to our Corrections Today magazine and On the Line newsletter, a 20% discount on selected publications and correspondence courses, ACA directories and discounted rates on our Winter Conference and Summer Congress of Correction (ACA: Membership, n.d., par. 1). National Criminal Justice

North and South Korea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

North and South Korea - Essay Example About 57 years ago, North Korea together with her allies and US along with her allies mutually declared a cease fire. North Korea misunderstands South Korea thinking that she wants to exercise power on North Korea. In the recent years, enmity between North and South Korea has started to flare up because of killing. On 25 July, 2010, while military drills were taking place in the demilitarized zone of Korea which makes the interface between North and South Korea, it was quite unexpected of North Korea to start firing the troops in South Korea across the border. It was only after two rounds of fire were completed by the soldiers in North Korea that the South Korean soldiers began to counter-shoot. This was an overt expression of disrespect and humility made by North Korea towards South Korea. North Korea is supported by China whereas South Korea is supported by the US. China and US happen to be the two strongest countries of the world. Through interfering in the politics of Korea, US a nd China are actually availing the opportunity to express their strengths against each other. The tension may rise to the extent of causing the Third World War to break out.

Industry Analysis on Coach Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Industry Analysis on Coach - Assignment Example It is now recognized as a leading luxury goods producer in America with the brand image affordable luxury. The company’s current product line consists of Coach Handbags, Accessories, Wearables, Footwear, Jewelry, Sunwear, Travel Bags, Watches and Fragrance (Coach). Market Size Currently Coach Inc. is recognized as a large, profitable and growing American manufacturer of accessories and gifts for men and women. It owns approximately a 30% market share of the accessories and gifts manufacturing industry in the world. Coach Inc. has a significant influence on the accessories and gifts manufacturing industry in America. Net income and gross profit of the company amounted 353 million and 1.09 billion dollars respectively as at the end quarter of 2012 (Wikiinvest). Moreover, Coach Inc. employed approximately 18,000 people on a full and part time basis as of June 30, 2012 (Coach). Market Growth Rate Coach sales marked a sharp drop during January 2013. The company’s sales dropp ed by 2% in markets located in North America. North America is considered the largest market location of Coach Inc. It is listed as one of the largest companies in the S&P 500 stock market index. In January 2013, Coach Inc. was the largest declining company in the S&P 500 list. The company also failed to achieve the sales targets set for the same month (Cheng). Nevertheless, the company management is optimistic about the future sales because the yearly performance in 2012 recorded positive growth. During 2012, the price of the company shares rose by 20.9%; net sales increased by 14.5% to $4.76 billion, direct-to-consumer sales rose by 16.1% to $4.23 billion, comparable sales in Coach’s North American stores increased by 6.6%. Moreover, Coach opened 9 new retail stores and 26 new factory stores and brought the total number of retail and factory stores to 354 and 169, respectively, in North America. Another 10 factory stores were also expanded. Coach China opened 30 stores in n ew locations, bringing the total number of locations to 96. Coach Japan opened 11 new locations, bringing the total number of locations to 180 towards the end of 2012. Thus at this stage, it is impossible to determine whether the Coach Inc. market is declining or growing (Cheng). Score of Competitive Rivalry The company’s products are sold in over 20 countries in the world including North America, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan, and Singapore. Coach products are directly sold to the customers via company-operated stores in these countries. Direct-to-consumer is the prominent marketing strategy of Coach Inc. The company is also engaged in indirect marketing, i.e., sales to wholesale customers, distributors, licensed firms and web based marketing. For Coach Inc., the world is the market. Thus, the opportunity for obtaining the benefits of economies of scale is a major advantage for Coach Inc. However, it also faces issues relating to trading across borders such as loss in fair value, earnings or cash flows arising from adverse changes in interest rates or foreign currency exchange rates. The company’s policy focuses on reinvesting the profits earned abroad in the same country. Furthermore, Coach Inc.’ Annual Report 2012 reveals that the company uses the following distinguished marketing strategies to remain its annual sales revenues: (1) Distinctive Brand: Coach offers distinctive, easily

Analysis of Organizational Change Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analysis of Organizational Change - Term Paper Example Change is, therefore, often considered as a reaction to external threats in volatile environments or as a proactive attempt to grab wider opportunities (Thompson, 1993, p. 697).   Theoretical aspects of Change and Change Management According to the management perspectives, change is a process. For a business that proposes to introduce and implement a change, it is an opportunity as well as a challenge, because the management may have to face varieties of obstacles like resistance to change but the outcome will be more or less profitable to the company. Change is a powerful tool and strategy that can be used as a managerial technique to achieve organizational goals in more effective ways. Change management is a systematic process that encompasses and incorporates different managerial functions such as planning, direction, coordination, supervising, organizing and controlling. As Palmer, Dunford and Akin, (2009, p. 24) argued, change doesn’t occur as an automatic process, but rather it involves strategic activities, people, process, techniques and many other managerial functions too. Strategic change has been defined as an informed and participative process that results in newer ways of doing business that leading the organization to its main goal, ultimate success (Jacobs, 1997, p. 22). Strategic change is a managerial process in which the present state of strategic approach gets altered to another state in order to make the organization able to compete with rivals and their differentiated functions. This would enable the organization to obtains greater adaptability and viability in the organizational environments. Strategic change may be of different kinds such as down-sizing, reengineering, outsourcing, redesigning and realigning the product, product differentiation, product development etc. As Dobson et al (2004, p. 122) denoted, an organization can be said to be excellent if it is able to change through continuous innovating, gearing quick actions a nd conducting regular experimentations. Change management is simply the process of helping a person, group or organization change. As it is a management process, it comprises various managerial functions like planning the change, coordinating among the change activities, directing, supervising and controlling them as well. Change management is an ongoing process of aligning an organization with its marketplace and doing it more responsively and with greater effectiveness than how competitors do (Rothwell, Sullivan and McLean, 2005, p. 17). The change management process thus includes a set of concepts, principles, techniques, strategies, and tools that are applied  to human aspects in order to execute change within the organizational setting.   Change management has also been viewed as a multi-disciplinary activity that the people or team responsible for executing the change are expected of possessing certain skills, supports, experiences, and knowledge.

No Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

No - Essay Example Understanding the time value of money is of utmost importance to investing. Time value of money is a series of concepts that allows you to compare different options: Is it better to receive $40,000 today or $50,000 one year from today? If you understand the concept of discounted values, you can easily perform a calculation and come up with the right decision. The DDM model is based on the basic valuation technique and discounting principle. It combines the time value of money and future discounted cash flows considering time preference and rationality of the investors. This method indicates to you that if you buy at $60, the $3 annual dividend will ensure you receive a 5% return on your investment. If Stock ABC is trading below $60 right now, its a buy. If its trading above $60, we should wait for the price to come down. Considering, if Stock XYZ has the probability to grow its dividend? This isnt an unreasonable assumption at all. As long as a company can grow its margins, it should be able to grow its dividend. Lets assume we think Company ABC can grow its dividend by 2% every year. To calculate the dividend at year 1, all we need to do is multiply the current dividend ($3) by the dividend growth rate (2%): D1 = $3* (1 + 0.02) = $3.06. Now we can plug it into the formula with the rest of our assumptions:- The P/E ratio is the rock star of valuation ratios and gets most of the attention. The P/E ratio is popular because it’s easy to understand. Imagine a stock price is $30 a share, and the company earned $1.50 a share. That means investors are paying a price that’s 20 times higher than the company’s earnings. If the price of earnings, or P/E, is high, it means that the earnings are very valuable to other people, usually because they expect the company to grow

Evil in St.Augustine's Confessions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Evil in St.Augustine's Confessions - Essay Example He proposed many interesting arguments. This theme was important for Augustine as he was very sinful until realized the essence of God and religion. His theory is very valuable as it serves as the basis for Christian knowledge. However, as every theory, the ideas of Augustine is not fully accepted and actively criticized. The presence of good and evil in the world is obvious, but what are the relations between them? Many experts emphasize the conflict between good and evil. The main statement of St. Augustine is that evil is simply the absence of good. This presumption has a long history. It is a well known fact that St. Augustine was initially a Manichean and became Christian only after he realized the drawbacks of Persian Dualism religion- Manichaeism. The main idea of this religion lies in the belief in two gods, who represent good and evil. In this religion we can see the struggle between the light and darkness. St. Augustine scrutinized Christianity and rejected Manichaeism. He claimed that in this world there could be only one god, a good one. God and the world that he created are the main aspects of the philosophy of Augustine and the relations between them deserve special attention. Augustine argued that the world is the creation of God, God does not depend on the world and the world is fully dependent on God. Creating human soul, God initially incorporated in it the striving for happiness as the main goal in a man’s life. That is why a man must use all the abilities of his soul to achieve the happiness. Happiness itself consists in the maximum cognition of God and in this case the human reason becomes the main basis for belief. That is why belief is the foundation and the initial point for cognition. Cognition without the belief is sinful. The supreme form of cognition is divine inspiration given by God to humans, who have strong belief. This

Analysis of Organizational Change Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analysis of Organizational Change - Term Paper Example Change is, therefore, often considered as a reaction to external threats in volatile environments or as a proactive attempt to grab wider opportunities (Thompson, 1993, p. 697).   Theoretical aspects of Change and Change Management According to the management perspectives, change is a process. For a business that proposes to introduce and implement a change, it is an opportunity as well as a challenge, because the management may have to face varieties of obstacles like resistance to change but the outcome will be more or less profitable to the company. Change is a powerful tool and strategy that can be used as a managerial technique to achieve organizational goals in more effective ways. Change management is a systematic process that encompasses and incorporates different managerial functions such as planning, direction, coordination, supervising, organizing and controlling. As Palmer, Dunford and Akin, (2009, p. 24) argued, change doesn’t occur as an automatic process, but rather it involves strategic activities, people, process, techniques and many other managerial functions too. Strategic change has been defined as an informed and participative process that results in newer ways of doing business that leading the organization to its main goal, ultimate success (Jacobs, 1997, p. 22). Strategic change is a managerial process in which the present state of strategic approach gets altered to another state in order to make the organization able to compete with rivals and their differentiated functions. This would enable the organization to obtains greater adaptability and viability in the organizational environments. Strategic change may be of different kinds such as down-sizing, reengineering, outsourcing, redesigning and realigning the product, product differentiation, product development etc. As Dobson et al (2004, p. 122) denoted, an organization can be said to be excellent if it is able to change through continuous innovating, gearing quick actions a nd conducting regular experimentations. Change management is simply the process of helping a person, group or organization change. As it is a management process, it comprises various managerial functions like planning the change, coordinating among the change activities, directing, supervising and controlling them as well. Change management is an ongoing process of aligning an organization with its marketplace and doing it more responsively and with greater effectiveness than how competitors do (Rothwell, Sullivan and McLean, 2005, p. 17). The change management process thus includes a set of concepts, principles, techniques, strategies, and tools that are applied  to human aspects in order to execute change within the organizational setting.   Change management has also been viewed as a multi-disciplinary activity that the people or team responsible for executing the change are expected of possessing certain skills, supports, experiences, and knowledge.

Evil in St.Augustine's Confessions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Evil in St.Augustine's Confessions - Essay Example He proposed many interesting arguments. This theme was important for Augustine as he was very sinful until realized the essence of God and religion. His theory is very valuable as it serves as the basis for Christian knowledge. However, as every theory, the ideas of Augustine is not fully accepted and actively criticized. The presence of good and evil in the world is obvious, but what are the relations between them? Many experts emphasize the conflict between good and evil. The main statement of St. Augustine is that evil is simply the absence of good. This presumption has a long history. It is a well known fact that St. Augustine was initially a Manichean and became Christian only after he realized the drawbacks of Persian Dualism religion- Manichaeism. The main idea of this religion lies in the belief in two gods, who represent good and evil. In this religion we can see the struggle between the light and darkness. St. Augustine scrutinized Christianity and rejected Manichaeism. He claimed that in this world there could be only one god, a good one. God and the world that he created are the main aspects of the philosophy of Augustine and the relations between them deserve special attention. Augustine argued that the world is the creation of God, God does not depend on the world and the world is fully dependent on God. Creating human soul, God initially incorporated in it the striving for happiness as the main goal in a man’s life. That is why a man must use all the abilities of his soul to achieve the happiness. Happiness itself consists in the maximum cognition of God and in this case the human reason becomes the main basis for belief. That is why belief is the foundation and the initial point for cognition. Cognition without the belief is sinful. The supreme form of cognition is divine inspiration given by God to humans, who have strong belief. This

Sound and Purely Physiological Activity Essay Example for Free

Sound and Purely Physiological Activity Essay How do hearing and listening differ? Hearing differs from listening in that hearing is a purely physiological activity, while listening also involves the psychological processing of sounds. †¢ When we hear what is being said, those words are transferred from our ears to our brain and then we often nod in agreement or disagreement or do nothing at all. Hearing is passive, only involves our ears and involves little to no passion. We simply take in what has been said and then go on from there. In addition, hearing is often emotionless, involuntary and shows little feeling for another. Basically, hearing is the way we understand the meaning of sound, the vibrations that come from it. Hearing is also having the ability to perceive and interpret sound. It is a special kind of sensation that delivers to us, what is being said, no matter where or who is giving off the sound. To clarify, hearing is a bodily element of listening and happens when sounds waves approach our ears at a certain loudness and frequency. †¢ Listening is the absorption of the meanings of words and sentences by the brain. Listening leads to the understanding of facts and ideas. But listening takes attention, or sticking to the task at hand in spite of distractions. It requires concentration, which is the focusing of your thoughts upon one particular problem. A person who incorporates listening with concentration is actively listening. # 3/ What are three major elements that complicate listening? Give customer service related examples of each. The three elements that complicate listening: †¢ the internal elements within the listener’s mind, †¢ environmental elements surrounding the communication, †¢ interactional elements that arise especially from listener self-centeredness and self-protection.

Organizational Culture and Societal Culture

Organizational Culture and Societal Culture Many questions have been raised as whether there is a relationship between the organizational culture, societal culture and the leadership styles in an organization. All of the above factors are very important as far as the running and success of any given organization is concerned especially in terms of fulfilling its goals and objectives as well as being effective and efficient in the achievements. The leadership styles used by a certain organization represent part of the culture of that organization and then the culture of the society influences the culture of the organization as well as the leadership styles that the organization should use. For example for any organization to have a culture of using any charismatic, participation, situational, transactional, transformational, the quiet or servant style of leadership, then the societal culture must be put into consideration (Chandler, 1992). Background of the study In order for any manager to maintain a smooth and a good organizational culture, he or she should adopt some very important organizational cultural practices. The cultural practices that any organization will adopt must provide a strong link between the employees and the management as well as the leadership styles, organizational culture and the societal culture (Finlay, 2000). This means that they have to be structured in such a way that they provide great motivation and courage to the employees for improving their working skills and productivity to satisfy the needs of the customers. In addition, the cultural practices also must infuse some aspects of the organization like values, experiences attitudes, and beliefs. This is because these organizational cultural practices are the instrument that every organization uses to cause motivation among all of its workers and employees (Geert Gert, 2005). These cultural practices comprises of beliefs and ideas of which each member of that o rganization must comply with to achieve the objectives and the goals of that particular organization. This then means that the cultural practices must be made in such a way that they are acceptable to all the members of the organization whether in the management or employee level (Hannagan, 2005). Research problem Due to changes in the technologies as well as the rate at which the people all over the world are embracing innovations, there is a great need for any given organization to align its organizational culture and leadership styles to be able to fit in the societal culture, which is in actual sense changing on daily basis (Hill Jones, 2007). Research questions What is the association between the organizational culture, societal culture and the leadership styles in an organization? How does the leadership style affect the relationship between the societal culture and the organizational culture? How does the societal culture influence the leadership styles used in an organization and the organizational culture and the leadership styles in an organization? How does the organizational culture influence the leadership styles used in an organization? Research goals and objectives To find out the association between the organizational cultures, societal culture and the leadership styles in an organization. To find out the leadership style affects the relationship between the societal culture and the organizational culture. To find out the societal culture influence the leadership styles used in an organization, the organizational culture, and the leadership styles in an organization. To find out the organizational culture influence the leadership styles used in an organization. Research hypotheses There is no significant relationship between the organizational culture societal culture and the leadership styles in an organization Significance of the study the study will be very significant in the following ways The employees will be able to understand what is required of them as far as the culture of the organization is concerned. The managements main objective is to ensure an organization succeeds in meeting its mission, objectives and goals and so the study will show the performance of an organization in comparison to other organizations. The shareholder who are supporting the organization will be aware of the risks they are being exposed to as well as the effectiveness of the organization The customers or the clientele will be able to determine the reliability of the organizations service as far as meeting their needs is concerned The evaluators will be able how the level of efficiency, effectiveness and compliance with the law requirements. CHAPTER II 2.1 Literature review ÂÂ  One of the most important aspects that should be considered in implementing organizational theory is the issue of behavior patterns in the organization (Hisrich, 2000). This is the reason as to why most of the organization organizes for seminars and workshops for their employees so that they can be informed about the organizational cultural practices the organization implements; this is a great advantage because it enables the workers to change their behavior accordingly to be in line with the organizational goals and objectives (James, 2007). This also enables their behavior to add much credibility to their work as well as increase ethical value of the organization hence adding its popularity hence giving it a platform for competition. It should be noted that any theory that an organization opts to implement, must be thoroughly scrutinized by the professions before critical decision about its creation is made (Paauwe, 2009). This is to ensure that it works for the bettermen t of that particular organization. A better strategic vision is therefore very important to ensure that all the cultural changes that are made are geared towards the wellbeing of that organization. Another importance of organizational cultural practices is that it brings understanding between the employers and the employees. As a result, it then leads to development of loyalty and trust within the organization (Peter, 2007). If for example in a particular organization the team leader in a department does not cope well with the rest of the employees, then it means that there is need to investigate and find out the root cause of the problem. By doing this, the organization will be ensuring that the cultural practices that have been set do not just benefit the organization but also are taking care of the welfare of the employees (Salder Craig, 2003). There are many cultural practices that are used by the organizations to achieve the above benefits and especially the issue of creating a good relationship between the employer and the employee. The relationship between leadership styles and the organizational culture and societal culture Organizational culture refers to the norms, shared values, and expectations that determine the governing of a certain organization. It actually describes the manner in which people interacts as well as approach the work. Societal culture defines the norms, expectations, and shared values of a society or a group of people living in a particular place governing them. For any given organization to run well, there organizational culture, societal culture and the leadership style must be in harmony. There are seven leadership styles used that can be used in the running of an organization and each of them depends on the organizational culture and the societal culture of where the organization is set. Servant leadership refers to the leader ship in which the responsibility of the followers is in the leader. The leader serves the juniors for helping them achieve their goals (Woodward, 1998). This helps them to grow as individuals, be transformed, trust the leaders and helps in team building. The quiet leadership style is in such a way that the success of the organization is based on the thoughts as well as actions rather than the egocentric nature of the leaders (Thompson Martin, 2005). They are not bully leader but are very charismatic in the accomplishment of their roles. The transformational kind of leadership involves the leaders who put all of their passion as well as energy in all that they are doing. They are very vision oriented and convert their employees to potential contributors to the organization and they transform the organization. The transactional leadership style is the one that the leaders ensure the employees are motivated by the rewards as well as they make it clear what the employees must do to get the reward. The leadership is based on the contingency theory (Thad, 1992). Situational leadership is the one that leader makes decisions depending on the prevailing situations like the capacity of followership and the motivation. This is also affected by the behavior of the leaders since the leaders perceptions about themselves as well as other factors as if stress determines the success of this leadership style (Terence, 1984). Participative leadership is the one a leader involves the other people in the process of decision making like the peers, and subordinates. It helps the managers to consult, be empowered, and engage in joining decision-making and exercise democracy. Finally, the charismatic leadership uses w wide range of ways to deal with management. It is very similar to transformational (Thompson, 1997). CHAPTER III Methodology This section involves the real planning of the study. This is whereby all the methods of data collection are identifies, the design of the research is also determined, the sample size is calculated, and the population under study is defined, methods of data analysis are also given and finally the study limitations and ethical considerations are given (Welman Kruger, 2000). The main aim of the research or its priority is to develop a detailed discussion that will provide conditions that are favorable to the research process and results in efficient and effective research design or strategy. The aim of research methodology is coming up with the appropriate research process accompanied by the appropriate tools and procedures that will ensure that the entire process is successful (Welman Kruger, 2000). Some of the factors that this chapter will discuss are the research sample, the target population, research methodology, research design statistical test, and data collection. The sample s that have been used were selected from different organizations. (Welman Kruger, 2000) Research design The study is a cross sectional descriptive study. This is because it involves a lot of observation and it does not involve any control sample (Welman Kruger, 2000). It involves a section of the population since not everyone in the organization, customers or employees shall be used as a study sample. It will also measure the current and the past situation. It will enable the study accomplish the specific objectives. Population The population under study includes employees, managers and customers associated with different organizations both males and females. Sampling The sample of the research shall be obtained through a random selection. This is whereby, managers, employees and regular customers for different organizations shall be picked by names in a random manner (Yin, 1994). This means that the research shall involve people of all ages and demographic attributes. This is to avoid biasness through using people of the same attributes. The formulae for finding the sample size is as follows when using the 95% ss = Z 2 * (p) * (1-p) c 2 Where: Z = Z value (e.g. 1.96 for 95% confidence level) p = percentage picking a choice, expressed as decimal (20%) used for sample size needed) c = confidence interval, expressed as decimal (e.g., .05 = ÂÂ ±4) In the case of the research, p is 20% or 0.2. , Therefore, the sample size shall be 50 people. Methods of data collection Data shall be collected using two main methods. There shall be administration of the questionnaires (Yin, 1994). This is whereby the some set up questions shall be given to the managers, customers, and employees under study to fill up. Then also, an interview shall be carried out mainly to them. Finally, data shall also be retrieved from the secondary sources like the internet and books. Methods of data analysis Data shall be analyzed using a statistical tool known as Microsoft Excel. Then the results shall be presented using a range of presentation tools specifically the charts and graphs (Yin, 1994). Scope and limitations There are number of limitations that are likely to affect the study. One of the main predicted limitations includes the issue of time. This is because much time is needed for the data collection, filling in of the questionnaires, the process of interviewing as well as reviewing some secondary data storage as well as for me to move around to collect information (Sekaran, 1992). Another predicted form of limitation is finances. This is due to the expenses to be incurred in travelling and purchasing some materials for the research. It may be hard obtaining particular data that is secondary in nature. Ethical considerations A number of ethical considerations shall be taken to ensure that the study will be legally carried (Sekaran, 1992). First and fore most consent shall be sort from the organizations, which the research will be carried. This is whereby; the management shall be presented a letter to seek permission to carry out the research. Another very important precaution is to get consent from the individual people on which research shall be carried. They shall be clearly informed about the research, the benefits, and their responsibility. Finally, before, any information is retrieved from either any institution or the government then permission shall be sort.

Eulogy for Father :: Eulogies Eulogy

Eulogy for Father We are gathered here to give Dr. Jerome, my dad, a last formal farewell. We celebrate his life with the theme of "Choose Life". For throughout his life, dad consistently chose life. He has the God given virtue of seeing the possibility of life. In many circumstances when many are blind, he sees possibilities for more abundant life. His vision is so clear that it drives him to action. And he is a man of action. He always tells me that his actions are calculated risks. Only after his death have I come to understand what he means by calculated risk. I believe he weighs the possibilities for more abundant life against the personal risks that his actions might incur. For him, the possibilities for life always out-weigh the risks of personal loss or rejection. His vision gives him the desire and courage to act. When he saw the possibility of a greater life in relationship with another, he married my mother, Theresa, in 1938. His vision was correct and resulted in a fruitful life-long relationship that brought forth 5 children. When he discovered that I suffered from asthma, he chose a better live for me by becoming a pediatrician. The result was not only a better life for me but also for his many patients. In 1947, he saw the possibilities for life in the West. So he came over to study in St. Louis. His father, my grandfather, was blind to the possibilities and refused to send him here. But his mother, my grandmother, sold some of her jewelry to pay for his stay here. In 1949, when the Communists are moving to take over the country, he saw the risks to our lives and come back to get us out. For him the risk of Communism was greater than the uncertainties of immigration. We left one week after the Communists captured Shanghai, with expired passports, and on the only ship to visit Shanghai that year. If dad was only one day late, our lives would have been radically different. When he saw that teenagers needed a special kind of medical care, he left his practice here in order to study at Harvard's adolescent unit. He was the first doctor in St. Louis to practice adolescent medicine. He also authored a book on the subject. Later in life, with considerable personal sacrifice, he chose to fight for the life of the unborn, for medical ethics that protected the aged and infirm, for an end to capital punishment, and for other related causes.

Liability in Homebuilt Aircraft :: Essays Papers

Liability in Homebuilt Aircraft Homebuilt aircraft are considered to be the fastest growing segment of aviation during the last two decades. Naturally with the increase in these aircraft will also come an increase in accidents. Accidents like the 1997 Long E-Z crash that killed John Denver have raised questions about who is legally liable: the kit manufacturer, amateur builder, or pilot? (Kolczynski, 1) Homebuilt aircraft liability litigation is expected to develop into a booming new industry in the coming future. During the 1970s and 80s production of single engine factory built aircraft has virtually come to a halt. With many product liability lawsuits, which led to large verdicts against the manufacturers of the single engine aircraft, manufacturers slowly dropped out the single engine aircraft business. With no more single engine aircraft being built used single engine aircraft have dramatically increased in price. These events have led to an increase in homebuilt aircraft that cost a fraction of the price of a previously owned Cessna, Beechcraft, or Piper. Another boost to homebuilt aircraft has been the FAA. In the role of promoting air commerce, the FAA has supported regulations and advisory circulars that encourage the development of homebuilt aircraft; for example Advisory Circular 20.27d. (Kolczynski, 2) According to this anybody can buy plans and parts and obtain a special airworthiness certificate to operate the aircraft in the experimental category if the amateur builder doe s more than 50% of the fabrication or assembly, and does solely for his own education or recreation. (Kolczynski, 2) Homebuilt aircraft are built a few different ways. Some of these aircraft are built from scratch using plans from a designer. Others are purchased in kits consisting of plans, pre-fabricated parts, and some raw materials. Once a builder acquirers a kit he/she is required to do the majority of the fabrication and assembly of the kit. During the assembly the homebuilder needs to have the aircraft inspected by a FAA approved inspector. (Kolczynski, 4) A construction log needs to be maintained with photographic documentation of the building process. After the aircraft is completed, it is required to have the marking â€Å"Experimental† on the fuselage. (Kolczynski, 4) Next, the homebuilder must submit a FAA form 8130.7 along with the progress log to the FAA for a post-construction inspection of the new aircraft. After the inspection, a special airworthiness certificate is issued with operating limitations that the airplane may be flown only within a limited geographical te st area for a certain number of hours.

Heat Load

PROPOSAL NO PROJECT REF. FLOWRATE m? /h Bharath Babu DATA SHEET 19389 rev. 1 pos. 4 DATE: FOs FAHU-1-FINAL REVISED 7758 MODEL ITEM NO. PRINTED 3/17/2013 23MK0608 89230608 3/17/2013 MEKAR is participating in the EUROVENT CERTIFICATION Programme for Air Handling Units. 23MK range is certified under the number 09. 04. 418 and presented on www. eurovent-certification. com. Eurovent – Air handling units – Energy efficiency class A Section [m2] 1. 1625 Velocity [m/s] 1. 85 Type: With Recirculation 100[%] external winter design temperature  °C -25 GENERAL FEATURES Supply flowrate [m3/h] 7758 17. 5 400 3 50 Not available [l/s] 2155 Face velocity [m/s] 2. 51 2490 1370 1200 452. 58 1 RH RH 8000 global 69 [dB(A)] 87. 9 38 [dB(A)] 77. 9 33 [dB(A)] 74. 0 Feed Installed el. power [kW] : Tension [V] : Phase: Cycles [Hz] : Switchboard: Dimensions and mass Length [mm] Width [mm] Height [mm] Mass (no fluids) [kg] N ° sections [frames] Inspection side Header side 250 500 1000 81 88 82 73 80 69 73 75 67 Sound power Sound power at supply Outlet Sound power at supply Inlet Sound power outside panels Hz] [dB] [dB] [dB] 63 81 74 75 125 81 76 73 2000 78 62 62 4000 76 53 45  · CASING Type: Thermal break: Panel thickness [mm]: Outer skin: Inner skin: Insulation: Framework Roof: Handles: Drainable floor floor with checkered plate Baseframe Conduit for wiring Acoustic insulation: (M) [Hz] [dB] Frame with panels Std 60 Galvanised prepainted 0. 6 [mm] Galvanised 0. 6 [mm] Polyurethane 45 [kg]/m? anodized aluminium Not available nylon Not available Not available Galvanised Not available 63 6 125 8 250 8 500 13 Classification according to EN1886 Mech. trength: Leakage -/Leakage +: Filter by-pass Transmittance: Thermal bridges: Doors with sightglas Technical room: Light: D1 (M) L2/L2 (M) F9 (M) T2 (M) TB3 (M) No Not available Not available 1000 15 2000 16 4000 31 8000 36  · S001 FILTER SECTION 1 2 872306070608 80650000-1006 RIGID BAG FILTER SECTION WITH SIDE WITHDRAWAL WIT H PREFILTER 23MK0608 SYNTHETIC CORRUGATED FILTER THK 48 CL. G3 592 X 592 Viale Caduti sul Lavoro, 25 – 37063 Isola della Scala (VR) – Italy Tel. +39 045 6630536 – Fax +39 045 6630513 – www. mekar. it – [email  protected] it config23 V10. 9 8. 3 E6 M Sheet 1/5 PROPOSAL NO PROJECT REF.FLOWRATE m? /h Bharath Babu DATA SHEET 19389 rev. 1 pos. 4 DATE: FOs FAHU-1-FINAL REVISED 7758 MODEL ITEM NO. PRINTED 3/17/2013 23MK0608 89230608 3/17/2013 2 2 2 80650000-1007 80654025-0000 80654025-0001 SYNTHETIC CORRUGATED FILTER THK 48 CL. G3 290 X 592 RIGID BAG FILTER THK 290 CL. F7 592 X 592 RIGID BAG FILTER THK 290 CL. F7 290 X 592 Sinthetic 48 G3 lateral 36 93 150 1 63 3 125 2 250 4 500 4 Filter type Thickness/Length [mm] EN class Extraction Initial pressure drop [Pa] Average pressure drop [Pa] Final pressure drop [Pa] Filter kit 1000 6 2000 8 4000 11 8000 16 rigid bags 290 F7 lateral 58 129 200 1Pre-filter type Thickness/Length [mm] EN class Extraction Initial pressure drop [Pa] Average pressure drop [Pa] Final pressure drop [Pa] Prefilter kit Acoustic brakedown [Hz] [dB]  · S002 WATER COOLING COIL SECTION 1 1 2 1 1 872307040608 88Y271020060204330 80480000-0002 872321010308 822336006776 COIL SECTION COOLING LENGTH 480 MM 23MK0608 WATER COIL 23MK0608 P312_CUAL_TUBE THK 0. 35SP. AL 0. 12_27T_1020L_6R_20C_ _3PA_1 1/2†³RH_ENCLOSURES 40 RUBBER RING 3 MM THK INNER DIAMETER 1 1/2†³ DRAIN PAN EMBEDDED FOR COIL 1 RAILS L03 W08 MOD TIE BAR FOR DRAIN PAN RAILS 250L P312 CU 0. 5 12 staggered smooth Al 0. 115 3 corrugated 1020 27 6 20 1 1/2†³ 60 Peraluman 1†³ Power [kW] Sens. pow. [kW] AIR SIDE [m/s] Flowrate [m3/h] / [kg/h] Inlet temperature [ °C] Relative humidity Inlet [%] Outlet temperature [ °C] Relative humidity Outlet [%] Pressure drop [Pa] TUBE SIDE Flowrate [dm3/h] / [kg/h] Inlet temperature [ °C] Outlet temperature [ °C] Pressure drop [kPa] Fluid Internal volume [l] 500 3 1000 5 2000 6 4000 8 8000 11 94. 5 64. 2 2. 47 7758 / 9309. 6 46. 1 28 22 82 120 9142 / 9137 5. 5 14. 4 26 water 24. 5 Type Tube material/thickness [mm] Tube O. D. mm] Tube pattern Tube inner surface Fin material/thickness [mm] Fin pitch [mm] Fin type Length [mm] [n °] Tubes [n °] Rows [n °] Circuits Header†s diameter [â€Å"] Weight [kg] Drain pan material Drain Acoustic brakedown [Hz] [dB] 63 3 125 2 250 3  · S003 ELECTRIC BATTERY SECTION 1 1 872307010608 806206080001 COIL SECTION HEATING LENGTH 320 MM 23MK0608 ELECTRIC BATTERY 23MK0608 13. 5 KW 3 ST 9 EL 400 V 3 PH 50 HZ Power [kW] FE FE corrugated 1000 9 21. 1 AIR SIDE [m/s] Flowrate [m3/h] / [kg/h] Inlet temperature [ °C] Relative humidity Inlet [%] Outlet temperature [ °C] Relative humidity Inlet [%] [% 13. 5 2. 51 7758 / 9309. 22 82 27. 8 58 Type Tube material/thickness [mm] Fin material/thickness [mm] Fin type Length [mm] [n °] Elements Weight [kg] Viale Caduti sul Lavoro, 25 – 37063 Isola della Scala (VR) – Italy Tel. +39 045 6 630536 – Fax +39 045 6630513 – www. mekar. it – [email  protected] it config23 V10. 9 8. 3 E6 M Sheet 2/5 PROPOSAL NO PROJECT REF. FLOWRATE m? /h Bharath Babu DATA SHEET 19389 rev. 1 pos. 4 DATE: FOs FAHU-1-FINAL REVISED 7758 MODEL ITEM NO. PRINTED 3/17/2013 23MK0608 89230608 3/17/2013 Pressure drop [Pa] Feed Tension [V] Phase [n °] Steps Acoustic brakedown [Hz] [dB] 63 1 125 1 250 1 500 1 1000 2 2000 2 4000 4 8000 4 3 400 3 3  · S004 SUPPLY FAN SECTION 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 4 872305020608 80505012-0006 80560025-0032 80562025-0010 80530000-0012 80560025-0014 80562025-0009 80564000-0001 80566000-0041 80150030-0002 FAN SECTION 90 ° SIZE2 23MK0608 FAN RDH 355 E2 PULLEY FIXED PITCH 2 SPA 112-1610 BUSH 1610 DIAMETER 30 ELECTRIC MOTOR IP55 CL F 3 PH 4 KW 2 POLES 230-400V [V]50 [HZ] PULLEY FIXED PITCH 2 SPA 90-1610 BUSH 1610 DIAMETER 28 MOTOR SLIDE 90/132 V-BELT SPA 1482 RUBBER ANTIVIBRATING SUPPORT 45SH D30X25 M8 7758 500 0 355 855 66 921 88 250 81 [m3/h] [Pa] [Pa ] [Pa] [Pa] [Pa] [Pa] [dB(A)] 500 88Flowrate External static pressure Additional pressure drop Internal pressure drop Total static pressure Velocity pressure Total pressure Sound power spectrum [Hz] [dB] 63 81 125 81 1000 82 2000 78 4000 76 8000 69 Fan [n °] Model Blades Twin Absorbed power [kW] Rotation speed [rpm] Efficiency [%] Outlet velocity [m/s] 1 RDH 355 E2 Backward No 2. 67 2347 74 10. 5 Motor n °] Model Poles Protection/Insulation class Absorbed power at mains [kW] Nominal power [kW] Rotation speed [rpm] Motor vs Fan pwr oversize [%] Nominal current [A] Starting current [A] Tension [V] Phase Cycles [Hz] Bimetal protection/Antispark Efficiency class Motor pulley Motor taperlock Operating Frequency [Hz] 1 C112 2 IP55/F 3. 42 4 2880 49. 8 7. 7 57. 8 230-400V 3 50 No/No IE1 ex eff2 SPA90 1610-28 40. 75 Fan pulley Fan taperlock Belts Efficiency [%] SPA112 1610-30 2 x SPA 1482 91  ·  · ACCESSORIES 1 872326001001 872328000011 MICROSWITCH AT FAN SECTION DOOR (SUPPLY) PACKI NG: HOOVES IN WOOD Viale Caduti sul Lavoro, 25 – 37063 Isola della Scala (VR) – Italy Tel. +39 045 6630536 – Fax +39 045 6630513 – www. mekar. it – [email  protected] it config23 V10. 9 8. 3 E6 M Sheet 3/5 PROPOSAL NO PROJECT REF. FLOWRATE m? /h Bharath Babu DATA SHEET 19389 rev. 1 pos. 4 DATE: FOs FAHU-1-FINAL REVISED 7758 MODEL ITEM NO. PRINTED 3/17/2013 23MK0608 89230608 3/17/2013  · SPARE PARTS  · ORDINARY MAINTENANCE Q. ty 2 2 2 2 2 Code 80650000-1006 80650000-1007 80654025-0000 80654025-0001 80566000-0041Description SYNTHETIC CORRUGATED FILTER THK 48 CL. G3 592 X 592 SYNTHETIC CORRUGATED FILTER THK 48 CL. G3 290 X 592 RIGID BAG FILTER THK 290 CL. F7 592 X 592 RIGID BAG FILTER THK 290 CL. F7 290 X 592 V-BELT SPA 1482  · EXTRAORDINARY MAINTENANCE Q. ty 1 1 Code 80505012-0006 80530000-0012 Description FAN RDH 355 E2 ELECTRIC MOTOR IP55 CL F 3 PH 4 KW 2 POLES 230-400V [V]50 [HZ] Note: the indicated amounts are those present on the air han dling unit Viale Caduti sul Lavoro, 25 – 37063 Isola della Scala (VR) – Italy Tel. +39 045 6630536 – Fax +39 045 6630513 – www. ekar. it – [email  protected] it config23 V10. 9 8. 3 E6 M Sheet 4/5 PROPOSAL NO PROJECT REF. FLOWRATE m? /h Bharath Babu DXF DRAWING 19389 rev. 1 pos. 4 DATE: FOs FAHU-1-FINAL REVISED 7758 MODEL ITEM NO. PRINTED 3/17/2013 23MK0608 89230608 3/17/2013 LEGENDA : A: mm B: mm C: mm 515 453 458 D: mm 453 E: mm 1370 F: mm 2490 G: mm 1050 H: mm 150 (452Kg) Viale Caduti sul Lavoro, 25 – 37063 Isola della Scala (VR) – Italy Tel. +39 045 6630536 – Fax +39 045 6630513 – www. mekar. it – [email  protected] it config23 V10. 9 8. 3 E6 M Sheet 5/5

History of Matches Essay

A match is a small stick of wood or strip of cardboard with a solidified mixture of flammable chemicals deposited on one end. When that end is struck on a rough surface, the friction generates enough heat to ignite the chemicals and produce a small flame. Some matches, called strike-anywhere matches, may be ignited by striking them on any rough surface. Other matches, called safety matches, will ignite only when they are struck on a special rough surface containing certain chemicals. History The first known use of matches was in 577 during the siege of a town in northern China. Women in the town used sticks coated with a mixture of chemicals to start fires for cooking and heating, thus allowing them to conserve their limited fuel by putting the fires out between uses. The details of this technique were subsequently lost to history. It was not until 1826 that John Walker of England invented the first friction matches. Walker’s matches were ignited by drawing the heads through a folded piece of paper coated with ground glass. He began selling them in 1827, but they were difficult to light and were not a success. In 1831, Charles Sauria of France developed a match that used white phosphorus. These matches were strike-anywhere matches and were much easier to ignite. Unfortunately, they were too easy to ignite and caused many unintentional fires. White phosphorus also proved to be highly toxic. Workers in match plants who inhaled white phosphorus fumes often suffered f rom a horrible degeneration of the jawbones known as â€Å"phossy jaw.† Despite this health hazard, white phosphorus continued to be used in strike-anywhere matches until the early 1900s, when government action in the United States and Europe forced manufacturers to switch to a nontoxic chemical. In 1844 Gustaf Pasch of Sweden proposed placing some of the match’s combustion ingredients on a separate striking surface, rather than incorporating them all into the match head, as an extra precaution against accidental ignition. This idea—coupled with the discovery of less-reactive, nontoxic red phosphorus—led J. E. Lundstrom of Sweden to introduce safety matches in 1855. Although safety matches posed less of a hazard, many people still preferred the convenience of strike-anywhere matches, and both types continue to be used today. The first matchbook matches were patented in the United States by Joshua Pussey in 1892. The Diamond Match Company purchased the rights to this patent in  1894. At first, these new matches were not well accepted, but when a brewing company bought 10 million matchbooks to advertise their product, sales soared. Early match manufacturing was mainly a manual operation. Mechanization slowly took over portions of the operation until the first automatic match machine was patented by Ebenezer Beecher in 1888. Modern match manufacturing is a highly automated process using continuous-operation machines that can produce as many as 10 million matches in an eight-hour shift with only a few people to monitor the operation. Raw Materials Woods used to make matchsticks must be porous enough to absorb various chemicals, and rigid enough to withstand the bending forces encountered when the match is struck. They should also be straight-grained and easy to work, so that they may be readily cut into sticks. White pine and aspen are two common woods used for this purpose. Once the matchsticks are formed, they are soaked in ammonium phosphate, which is a fire retardant. This prevents the stick from smoldering after the match has gone out. During manufacture, the striking ends of the matchsticks are dipped in hot paraffin wax. This provides a small amount of fuel to transfer the flame from the burning chemicals on the tip to the matchstick itself. Once the paraffin burns off, the ammonium phosphate in the matchstick prevents any further combustion. The heads of strike-anywhere matches are composed of two parts, the tip and the base. The tip contains a mixture of phosphorus sesquisulfide and potassium chlorate. Phosphorus sesquisulfide is a highly reactive, non-toxic chemical used in place of white phosphorus. It is easily ignited by the heat of friction against a rough surface. The potassium chlorate supplies the oxygen needed for combustion. The tip also contains powdered glass and other inert filler material to increase the friction and control the burning rate. Animal glue is used to bind the chemicals together, and a small amount of zinc oxide may be added to the tip to give it a whitish color. The base contains many of the same materials as the tip, but has a smaller amount of phosphorus sesquisulfide. It also contains sulfur, rosin, and a small amount of paraffin wax to sustain combustion. A water-soluble dye may be added to give the base a color such as red or blue. The heads of safety matches are composed of a single part. They contain antimony trisulfide, potassium chlorate, sulfur, powdered glass, inert fillers, and animal glue. They may  also include a water-soluble dye. Antim ony trisulfide cannot be ignited by the heat of friction, even in the presence of an oxidizing agent like potassium chlorate, and it requires another source of ignition to start the combustion. That source of ignition comes from the striking surface, which is deposited on the side of the matchbox or on the back cover of the matchbook. The striking surface contains red phosphorus, powdered glass, and an adhesive such as gum arabic or urea formaldehyde. When a safety match is rubbed against the striking surface, the friction generates enough heat to convert a trace of the red phosphorus into white phosphorus. This immediately reacts with the potassium chlorate in the match head to produce enough heat to ignite the antimony trisulfide and start the combustion. Match boxes and match books are made from cardboard. The finned strips of cardboard used to make the matches in match books are called a comb. The Manufacturing Process Matches are manufactured in several stages. In the case of wooden-stick matches, the matchsticks are first cut, prepared, and moved to a storage area. When the matchsticks are needed, they are inserted into holes in a long perforated belt. The belt carries them through the rest of the process, where they are dipped into several chemical tanks, dried, and packaged in boxes. Cardboard-stick matches used in match books are processed in a similar manner. Here is a typical sequence of operations for manufacturing wooden-stick matches: Cutting the matchsticks 1 Logs of white pine or aspen are clamped in a debarking machine and slowly rotated while spinning blades cut away the outer bark of the tree. 2 The stripped logs are then cut into short lengths about 1.6 ft (0.5 m) long. Each length is placed in a peeler and rotated while a sharp, flat blade peels a long, thin sheet of wood from the outer surface of the log. This sheet is about 0.1 in (2.5 mm) thick and is called a veneer. The peeling blade moves inward toward the core of the rotating log until only a small, round post is left. This post is discarded and may be used for fuel or reduced to wood chips for use in making paper or chipboard. Stripped logs are placed in a peeler, which cuts a sheet about 0.1 in (2.5 mm) thick, called veneer, from the log. The veneer proceeds to the chopper, which cuts it into small sticks. The sticks are soaked in a dilute solution of ammonium phosphate and dried, removing splinters and crystallized solution. The matches are dumped into a feed hopper, which lines them up. A perforated conveyor belt holds them upside down while they are dipped in a series of three tanks. The matches are dried for 50-60 minutes before they are packaged. 3 The sheets of veneer are stacked and fed into a chopper. The chopper has many sharp blades that cut down through the stack to produce as many as 1,000 matchsticks in a single stroke. Treating the matchsticks 4 The cut matchsticks are dumped into a large vat filled with a dilute solution of ammonium phosphate. 5 After they have soaked for several minutes, the matchsticks are removed from the vat and placed in a large, rotating drum, like a clothes dryer. The tumbling action inside the drum dries the sticks and acts to polish and clean them of any splinters or crystallized chemical. 6 The dried sticks are then dumped into a hopper and blown through a metal duct to the storage area. In some operations the sticks are blown directly into the matchmaking facility rather than going to storage. Forming the match heads 7 The sticks are blown from the storage area to a conveyor belt that transfers them to be inserted into holes on a long, continuous, perforated steel belt. The sticks are dumped into several v-shaped feed hoppers that line them up with the holes in the perforated belt. Plungers push the matchsticks into the holes across the width of the slowly moving belt. A typical belt may have 50-100 holes spaced across its width. Any sticks that do not seat firmly into the holes fall to a catch area beneath the belt and are transferred back to the feed hoppers. 8 The perforated belt holds the matchsticks upside down and immerses the lower portion of the sticks in a bath of hot paraffin wax. After they emerge from the wax, the sticks are allowed to dry. 9 Further down the line, the matchsticks are positioned over a tray filled with a liquid solution of the match head chemicals. The tray is then momentarily raised to immerse the ends of the sticks in the solution. Several thousand sticks are coated at the same time. This cycle  repeats itself when the next batch of sticks is in position. If the matches are the strike-anywhere kind, the sticks move on to another tray filled with a solution of the tip chemicals, and the match ends are immersed in that tray, only this time not quite as deeply. This gives strike-anywhere matches their characteristic two-toned appearance. 10 After the match heads are coated, the matches must be dried very slowly or they will not light properly. The belt loops up and down several times as the matches dry for 50-60 minutes. Packaging the matches 11 The cardboard inner and outer portions of the match boxes are cut, printed, folded, and glued together in a separate area. If the box is to contain safety matches, the chemicals for the striking strip are mixed with an adhesive and are automatically applied to the outer portion of the box. 12 When the matches are dry, the belt moves them to the packaging area, where a multi-toothed wheel pushes the finished matches out of the holes in the belt. The matches fall into hoppers, which measure the proper amount of matches for each box. The matches are dumped from the hoppers into the inner portions of the cardboard match boxes, which are moving along a conveyor belt located below the hoppers. Ten or more boxes may be filled at the same time. 13 The outer portions of the match boxes move along another conveyor belt running parallel to the first belt. Both conveyors stop momentarily, and the filled inner portions are pushed into the outer portions. This cycle of filling the inner portion s and pushing them into the outer portions is repeated at a rate of about once per second. 14 The filled match boxes are moved by conveyor belt to a machine, which groups them and places them in a corrugated cardboard box for shipping. Quality Control The chemicals for each portion of the match head are weighed and measured exactly to avoid any variation in the match composition that might affect performance. Operators constantly monitor the operation and visually inspect the product at all stages of manufacture. In addition to visual inspection and other normal quality control procedures, match production requires strict attention to safety. Considering that there may be more than one million matches attached to the perforated belt at any time means that the working environment must be kept free of all sources of accidental ignition. The Future The use of matches in the United States has steadily declined in the last few decades. This decline is the result of several factors: the availability of inexpensive, disposable lighters; the decrease in the use of tobacco products by the general public; and the development of automatic lighting devices for gas-fired stoves. Of the matches that are sold, book matches far outsell wooden stick matches because of their advertising value. Worldwide, matches will continue to be in demand for the foreseeable future, although their production will probably follow the demand and migrate to other countries. Where to Learn More Books Bennett, H., ed. The Chemical Formulary, Vol. XV. Chemical Publishing Company, Inc., 1970. Periodicals Bean, M.C. â€Å"History of the Match,† Antiques and Collecting Hobbies. September, 1992, pp. 42-44. — Chris Cavette