The Issues Associated with Road Congestion Research Proposal

The Issues Associated with Road Congestion - Research Proposal Example Road traffic congestion is a situation that is characterized by a high number of vehicles on a road that leads to low speed and longer time taken for a trip, road congestion has its negative effects on both the owners of vehicles and also to the environment, some of these negative effects include pollution, increased economic costs, stress, and time wastage and increased health hazards to the individuals. Traffic congestion increases the time used for a certain trip, this means that the vehicles will be more likely to emit more pollutant gases into the atmosphere as compared to travel where there is less traffic. Pollution includes both air and sound pollution, air pollution will degrade the environment and some of these minerals are emitted which degrades the environment include sulfur, lead and carbon dioxide. Once the environment is degraded by these gases it poses some health hazards such as acid rain which may cause damage to property and also skin cancer. Global warming is the major environmental effect that is associated with pollution, it is the current issue of concern and traffic congestion can be linked as a source of global warming. In times of traffic snarl-ups too much is wasted that could have been used to conduct other economic activities, many business opportunities are lost due to this inefficiency caused by traffic congestion, it can also be associated with causing lateness to a person who may be urgently needed somewhere, it may also hamper emergency cases such as ambulances may be unable to reach hospitals on time causing even loss of lives.

Term Paper Project Domino's Pizza marketing strategist

Project Domino's Pizza marketing strategist - Term Paper Example o the increase in demand for fast food in the market and as a result of which new and existing pizza manufacturers have been entering or expanding their operations in the markets globally. It needs to be mentioned in this regard that the aspect of globalization also influenced Domino’s Pizza owing to which the company has been making constant attempts to enter or expand their operations in the new global markets. It was found in this respect that Domino’s intended to enter the markets of Argentina with their available or innovative fast foods such as pizza and drinks among others in order to realize their expansion plans. History and Origin of Domino’s Pizza Domino’s Pizza was introduced in the year 1960 and started operating in Michigan, United States by serving fast foods and deserts among others. Gradually, after capturing the market of US, the company started to expand its business overseas along with encompassing all the states of US. Presently, the c ompany is known to be operating in 70 countries with 10000 stores. Domino’s Pizza is considered to be amongst the largest chains of pizza restaurants currently owing to its global presence. Moreover, in the year 1998, the owner of Domino’s Pizza sold 93% of the company to Bain Capital Inc and in 2004, it transformed into a public company. Domino’s introduced innovative ideas with regard to their food products as well as services for the global market in order to satisfy the customers’ demands along with expanding the business operations. A few of the innovative food items introduced by the company can be identified as new inspired pizza, Domino’s heat wave, a desert food named cinna stix, cheesy dots and classic cheese burger among others. (Domino’s Pizza, 2012). It was recently found that Domino’s Pizza intends to enter the market of Argentina in order to fulfill its expansion plans. Demographic and Geographic Factors of Argentina Argentina is a European country and is learnt to be surrounded by Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile along with Bolivia. Argentina includes 5 cities namely Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Rosario, Mendoza along with La Plata. The total population of Argentina is stated to be 37 million as per 2000 year census. The form of Argentina’s government can be ident ified as Federal Republic with Bicameral Legislative Power. The prevailing religion of Argentina is Roman Catholic and the languages spoken are Spanish along with other native tongues (Argentina Xplora, 2001). Internal and External Environmental Factors of Argentina The market trends of Argentina’s fast food sector reveals demands do exist in the market which marks and justifies the presence of certain companies such as KFC, McDonalds and others in the market. These stated companies have also been found to expand their business operations throughout the various markets of Argentina (Euromonitor, 2012). The rising demand for fast food in Argentina can be ascertained from the amount of fast food stores present in the country and also from the expansion plans of various

Duffy-Exploitation of Women Essay Example for Free

Duffy-Exploitation of Women Essay To what extent is Duffy a poet who exposes the exploitation of women and fights against their further oppression? In your response, you must include detailed critical discussion of Standing Female Nude and at least one other poem by Duffy. In response to the question above, I feel that Duffy is a poet who portrays the exploitation of women and does at times fights against their further oppression. In my view, simply by raising these controversial issues Duffy is drawing attention to the matter and consequently fighting against their further oppression. The title Standing Female Nude is in itself significant. Apart from sounding possibly slightly inappropriate, the title reveals the objectification of women and their position in society. The word Standing however, gives the reader the impression that the character does have some sort of empowerment, as it is usually referred to as who has a high reputation or a position in society. This is apparent later on in the poem. Duffy immediately presents the issue of the exploitation of women and in my view, as a result is fighting against their further oppression by making people aware of the problem. The poem starts six hours like this for a few francs. This shows the reader how dismissive the character is towards whatever she is doing. The fact that she is so dismissive suggests that she is being treated unjustly. The harsh alliteration few francs really emphasises how the character feels she is too good to be doing that particular job or that she is simply not being paid enough for her services. Either way, it reveals how Duffy highlights the exploitation of women by being mistreated and underpaid. In the third line of the first stanza, the poem reads he drains the colour from me. This could be either in a literal sense due to the fact someone is doing a painting of her or in a metaphorical sense in that the painter is actually taking part of her, possibly suggesting that her dignity is being taken away. The way that the character is being bossed by the male painter shows that the woman is not in control of the situation. Although, the man refers to her as Madame, which could be a sign of respect towards the character I feel however, that it could possibly be interpreted to be said in a sarcastic and condescending tone. This adds further weight to my view that Duffy is exposing the exploitation of women and is fighting against their further oppression by making the reader aware of situation and the problems that women face. The word hung in the fourth line suggests that the character is no more than a piece of meat. It implies that the female character will have very little benefit from her work compared to the artist and emphasises the inferiority and exploitation of the woman. The fact that the painter is given a name and the female character in the poem is not, insinuates that she is of no great importance and again highlights how the woman is exploited. In my opinion, this is another key point Duffy includes in the poem to reiterate the issue of womens exploitation. It is an attempt to fight against their further abuse by forcing people to think about the issue. In the first two stanzas all the negative points were directed towards the female character. However, in the third and fourth stanza Duffy completely turns it around and focuses on the painters downfalls. This is demonstrated in the third stanza when she refers to him as little man. This is a sign of empowerment on her behalf, as she exploits his sexual attraction towards her by belittling him, referring to his sexual attributes. This is another example of how Duffy possibly fights against womens further oppression. However, I can understand how some people may disagree with Duffy as her view could be seen as a generalised representation of men and thus could lead some people to draw the conclusion that her poem verges on being hypocritical. Nevertheless, I still feel that Duffy is simply exposing how women are exploited in an attempt to fight against their further oppression. The second poem I am going analyse is Whoever She Was. Like the title in the previous poem, the title Whoever She Was is significant in relation to the poems meaning. The past tense verb, was in the title implies that the character has no identity and suggests she is not the same person as she was before. This perhaps indicates that as the character has lost her identity possibly due to her exploitation. The female character in the poem is described as a flickering figure on a shilling screen. The word flickering gives off the impression that the character is not constant in the sense that a candle flutters. This gives the reader an image of something going on and off and thus not constant. This could also be interpreted as her moving back and forth between reality and past memories of her children. This gives the impression that she is defined by her role as a mother. Although, the exploitation of the women is shown in a different light and is perhaps, not as apparent as in Standing female Nude, Duffy is still exposing the exploitation of women. In the second line of the first stanza, the poem reads My hands, still wet, sprout wooden pegs. The reference to sprout wooden pegs is metaphorical in that it reveals the determined roles of women as mothers. It is a very stereotypical view of mothers and the fact that the woman is saying this emphasises how she herself is defined by these roles and has herself been exploited. The mothers exploitation is also made apparent to the reader when the poem describes how she smells the apples burning as I hang the washing out. By including this Duffy is perhaps trying to show us how the character is living her life through the past memories of her children. I believe this as the smell of burning apples is quite distinctive and this could bring back memories of when she used to cook for her children. This would underline how she has been defined by her role as a mother and not through her individual character. This shows that Duffy exposes the exploitation of women and highlights the attitudes towards mothers in an attempt to fight against their further oppression. The exploitation of the character is shown further when the poem narrates Mummy, say the little voices of the ghosts of children on the telephone. Mummy. The children are referred to as ghosts implying that they are no longer children. However, the mother still views them as children, perhaps because she has been identified by her role as a mother all her life and she considers this to be normal and true. Again, this reiterates Duffys purpose and meaning of the poem by presenting the exploitation of women to the reader, which as result opposes their further oppression. The quote in the second stanza the film is on a loop is possibly a metaphor to the characters life. The word loop indicates the repetitiveness of her life because of the fact she is always characterised by her role as a mother and nothing else. It suggests that the character is stuck in a continuous cycle and cannot let go of her duties and responsibilities of being a mother. This is again reflects her self-perception of only having worth and purpose as a mother. In my view, Duffy is trying to show the reader how the conventions and expectations of motherhood have influenced her personality and perception of herself. By doing this, Duffy is exposing the issue, possibly in an attempt to help people to understand how society has left the character to feel isolated. Consequently, Duffy is fighting against the injustices suffered by women. In the fourth stanza, Duffy deliberately mixes the narrative of the poem from first person to third person. This gives the reader the concept that the character in the poem does not know herself. Because of this, we also get the impression that the character does not have a definitive sense of identity. This is also the case for the character in Standing Female Nude as she also has no distinct identity because of what she has to do in order to survive. In my view, Duffy purposely gives the characters no definitive identity to emphasise how their character and personality has been taken away because of their exploitation. Therefore, Duffy is revealing the exploitation of women to draw attention to the issue, in an attempt to combat womens further oppression. To conclude, although some people may find Duffys poetry to be an unfair representation of men and to a certain extent be sexist, I feel that Duffy is simply trying to raise awareness of the exploitation of women. Therefore, I feel that Duffy is opposing womens further oppression. The two poems Standing Female Nude and Whoever She Was are generally quite dissimilar they do have certain aspects which are similar. For example, both characters do not have a real identity and although in very different circumstances, the two characters have been exploited. Once again, I believe that Duffy is simply a poet who exposes the exploitation of women in an attempt to help improve the situation for others.

Higher Education In Promoting Cyber Entrepreneurship Commerce Essay

Higher Education In Promoting Cyber Entrepreneurship Commerce Essay 1.The Higher Education (HE) sector has become a popular feature of many areas of business and management research. Specifically, the interest of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurships associated with business development and considers what role higher education has play within these environments. 2. Education is a long continuous process in life. Students basically need to spend at least 6 years in primary school and another 4 to 6 years in secondary school before they can go for employment or continue their study in higher education. 3. In pursuing their education, most of them will be awarded with scholarships or education loan from government body or from any other financial institutions. 4. Student with clear objective will usually get through the education process. At the same time we should also realize the fact that some students will end up half way due to financial constrain, academic failure, lack of motivation, no clear objective, etc 5. Another problem faced by students, normally is job opportunity, long wait and queue to be employed. Parents seems facing dilemma whether to send their children to college without any job promising prospect, or to let them to work in order to reduce or minimize financial constrain. Hansads Reports from Malaysian Parliament shows there were great concerned among the members of the parliament regarding entrepreneurship program in Malaysian Heis is as follows: 6. Global unemployment rate is showing an increasing trend. Many factors contributed to the phenomena. This issues can be viewed from two perspective, which is global view and micro view. 7. From the global view, unemployment rate is contributed by many aspect such as collapse of the global economic system, recession, reduce in demand etc. The micro view claimed that unemployment rate contributed by external factors such as: attitudes, un ability to compete in the job market etc. 8. Reports from Bank Negara reveal that total population in Malaysia in the year 2007 were approximately 27.17 Million. Out of it, the total population for Malaysian age between 15-64 years were reported at about 17.62 M or 65% of the total population. http://www.bnm.gov.my/index.php?ch=111 9.In year 2007 there were 3.516 M student age between 17 23 years. Out of that as many as 351,585 students pursue their study in higher education and apparently 210,950 graduates enter the job market. http://www.mohe.my/web_statistic_pdf_2008_05/indicator-6-13.pdf 10.There is no specific data on numbers of unemployment. Some claim that the unemployment numbers is between 50000 to 80 000. The closes reliable data released shows that out of 17.24 M the unemployment rate were 3.5 % 60,340 http://www.bnm.gov.my/index.php?ch=111 11.Entrepreneurship is being seen as a vital source of competitiveness and the engine for economic growth and development. According to (Nabi, G., Holden. R, 2008). Entrepreneurship activities among the graduatse in Higher Education are one of the key to unlock the unemployment problem among the graduate. (European Commission, 1998) suggested that comprehensive action to encourage entrepreneurship among the graduates is increasingly being recognized by political and economy bodies as one of the keys to unlock greater comparative in employment opportunity. 12.DR.22.03.2007 Ministry of Entrepreneur organizing program scheme for unemployment graduate. Among others program outline are: Graduate Entrepreneur program Graduate Franchise Program Techno-proneur program Incubator graduate program 13. DR.01.07.2008 Some members of parliament argued, without proper program, Heis will produce low quality graduate which will cost more problem to the nation and government should encourage entrepreneurship spirit and find ways to commercialize the creativity and innovative ideas among the graduate 14. E-commerce on the other hand offers an opportunity for students at college level to become entrepreneur and start business with minimum capital without ignoring the education. This method or channel of business would offer unlimited potential. 15. With the government backup such as incentives and assistance, those who venture or start this model of e-commerce can grow fast and big, with unlimited potential customers. There is a hope and belief that if students were exposed to e-commerce they can be guided to be more organized, more focus and self finance, thus achieve financial freedom and since the e-commerce setup is virtual , when they complete their study, they can take their business on their own without associating with the prior e-commerce model 16.Many researchers suggest that Higher Institutions should place to boost up the entrepreneurial spirit. (Kirby, 2002; David, 2006) identify the universities is the place where knowledge is developed, transformed and practice. Higher Education in Malaysia 17.There has been an increasing number of Malaysia in search of tertiary education in recent years. Therefore a comprehensive higher education plan should first be prepared so that the expansion and development of higher education will be in line with the aims of the Ninth Malaysian Plan (MP9). Specifically, private universities in Malaysia need a structure their tertiary master plans by analyzing the needs and objectives of prospective academics. 18.One aspect of an ideal educational objective is that it continues to produce university graduates with a high capability of becoming valuable parts of the countrys human resources in all areas. Thus, this objectives need to be sympathetic to the current development of Malaysia, they should also be able to continue contributing to the building of Malaysia into a quality nation. 19.The Malaysian government also needs to match this ideal objective with its existing resources, and if the resources are not sufficient, efficient and intact, the objective will need to be revised; for example, by allocating appropriate personnel to appropriate responsibilities, training the individuals efficiently, taking a fresh look at the structure of higher education bodies, and revising the higher education process to continuously improve it. In the context of the advanced developing nations, Malaysia has set a good example by coping with any problems and challenges that have arisen as it expands its higher education (Hussin, 2004). At the time of independent in 1957, Malaysia had only one university. Now it has increased to 20 public universities and 18 private universities (until 2007) that also offer excellent academic services. This has reflects that for developing nations education is the main component for nation growth. 20.In general, higher education institutions can be categories into two major components the Public and Private Universities. These universities run undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and also offer diplomas and matriculations for undergraduate programmes. The public universities are universities that are fully controlled and funded directly by the federal government and public sector (Selvaratnam, 1992). There are currently twenty public universities in Malaysia, established between 1962 and 2007. All this universities offering various disciplines namely UM, USM, UKM, UTM, UPM, UUM, UNIMAS, UMS, UPSI, UiTM, USIM, UDM, UMT, UTeM, UTHM, UniMAP, UMP, UMK, UPNM, and IIUM. 21.On the other hand, private universities in Malaysia vary from the universities that are supported by government business agencies (e.g. Multimedia University of Malaysia, National Power University of Malaysia, Petroleum National University of Malaysia), to those supported by political parties in the present government alliances (e.g. University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), an education arm of the Malaysian Chinese Association, a political party). In addition, there are also some branch campuses of foreign universities here (e.g. the campuses of Monash University and the University of Nottingham). There are also numbers of local private universities own by individual owners. In brief, there are sixteen private universities at this moment, catering to a high demand for the tertiary education in Malaysia. Higher education also consists of nearly five hundred private colleges to support this demand from a rapidly developing country. Details of the private universities and years of estab lishments (see table 1.1). 22. Table 1.1: Private Universities in Malaysia Bil University Year established 1 Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) 2000 2 University Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) 1999 3 Universiti multimedia (MMU) 1999 4 Universiti Industri Selangor 2001 5 Universiti Sains dan Teknologi Malaysia (MUST) 2000 6 Universiti Terbuka Malaysia (UNITEM) 2001 7 Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) 2002 8 International Medical University (IMU) 2001 9 Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) 2002 10 Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNITAR) 2000 11 University Terbuka Wawasan (WOU) 2005 12 University Antarabangsa Al Bukhari (AIU) 2006 13 Monash University Malaysia (MUM) 2000 14 University of Nottingham in Malaysia (UNiM) 2000 15 Curtin University of Technology Sarawak (CUTS) 2000 16 Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) 2004 17 Asia e-University (AeU) 2007 18 Al Madinah International University (MEDIU) 2007 Source: Ministry of Higher Education, 2008 (www.mohe.gov.com). 23.There were twelve private universities, two virtual universities and branch campuses of four foreign universities, as until 2007. The private universities have been vested with the right to award their own degrees at all levels, and the foreign universities award identical degree programs as at the host university. This will obviously mean that academic staff numbers must have increased. Table 1.2 shows the total number of academics staff according their qualification from the year 2001 until 2007. The data show that huge demands for academics. 24. Table 1.2: Number and Qualification of Academics in Private Universities (2001 2007) Degree/Years 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 PhD 235 767 868 1,030 1,338 1,463 1,070 Masters 2,016 3,919 4,744 5,958 5,344 6,077 6,846 Bachelor 5,108 7,231 7,030 6,753 5,887 6,601 7,754 Diploma 1,050 2,475 1,539 1,070 867 877 1,811 Total 8,409 14,392 14,181 14,811 13,436 15,018 18,081 Source: Ministry of Higher Education, 2007 (www.mohe.gov.com) 25. The programmes offered based on the field of study in private institutions of higher learning (IHls) includes social sciences programmes, science and technology programmes and technical and vocational programmes. Since establishment of the private universities ministry shows, that private IHLs offered more social science programmes rather than science and technical programmes. There are reasons for this. First, private universities have found by individuals or organizations. Therefore, they faced financial instability to offer more technical and science based programmes. Second, social science programmes required less capital, equipment, land and manpower to operate and maintenance. Finally, the demand for social science programmes is very huge due to educational policy which focuses on art stream in 1970s and 1980s. Consequent of this, more social sciences programmes becomes choices for young generation. Table 1.3 shows the details of the programmes offered by private IHLs. Table 1.3: Programmes offered based on field of study by private universities Programmes offered / Years 2004 2005 2006 2007 Social sciences programmes 716 817 850 620 Science and technology programmes 382 439 449 357 Technical and vocational programmes 166 194 189 140 Total 1,264 1,450 1,489 1,117 Source: Ministry of Higher Education, 2007 (www.mohe.gov.com) 26. The development of the higher education sector in Malaysia, consisting of public and private institutions, looks encouraging when considering the increasing number of institutions in recent years, but this does not mean that the demand for tertiary education in Malaysia is fulfilled. From the Nine Malaysian Plan (2006-2010) has focused to achieve the target of 40 per cent enrolment rate of the age group 17-23 years in 2010. 27. According to (King, 2003), there were not many research that focuses on graduate careers in a non-traditional context specifically graduate entrepreneurial careers in terms of entrepreneurial intentions and developmental experiences. More research needed in this area with the increasing numbers of students considering or pursuing entrepreneurial careers (Robertson and Wilkinson, 2006; Harding, 2007; Holden et al., 2007) and the diverse range of contexts in which graduates pursue an entrepreneurial career. 28. Secondly, there is a large body of research on entrepreneurship in general (Bridge et al., 2008; Henry et al., 2003), but much less so on graduate entrepreneurship (which as noted below has been distinguished from non-graduate entrepreneurship). 29.This is consistent with the ISBA Consortium (2004, p. 8) report conclusion that the literature is generally broad, fragmented and growing and, critically, that despite a wealth of literature from business and management and other disciplines, only a minority focus on graduate entrepreneurship (p. 10). 30.There is a continuing interest in graduate entrepreneurship intentions and attitudes thus it is important to understanding there is potentially increasing the number and sustainability of graduate start-ups. In relation to graduate start-up support, there are relatively few studies that focus on student/graduate enterprise and entrepreneurship education in varied and multiple contexts. 31.Graduate entrepreneurship (and entrepreneurship education) in a narrower perspective, also known as students/graduates who are in the process of starting up or trying to start up their own businesses and are learning skills for starting up a business 32.This is important because lessons may be learned and shared about curriculum development and the relative impact of different approaches used towards enterprise/entrepreneurship education and training Whilst accepting that there is debate around the meaning of graduate entrepreneurship (see, Nabi et al., 2006a for example), in broad terms, it can be defined as the interaction between the graduate as the product of university education and business start-up in terms of an individuals career-orientation and mindset towards self-employment 33.(European Commission, 2003; ISBA Consortium, 2004; Nabi et al., 2006a). different emphasis, definitions tend to evolve around the notion that starting up or trying to start up a business as representing an aspect of entrepreneurship (see Nabi et al., 2006a for more detailed discussion) Kirby (2004), do throw a question regarding HEs program, weather there are they trying to develop enterprising graduates or entrepreneurial graduates 34.Moreover, it is important to realize that the concept of the graduate entrepreneur is changing and evolving, and who and what constitutes a graduate entrepreneur is shifting from a skills-based agenda (looking at the tools and capabilities for start-up) to an entrepreneurial identity agenda (looking at the maturity of students/graduates, what it might be like to be a graduate entrepreneur, an understanding of themselves and the entrepreneurial lifestyle). Indeed, some of our research (Nabi et al., 2006b) and one of the papers in this special issue, by Hegarty and Jones, further addresses the notion of the graduate entrepreneur. In particular, the latter authors recommend that enterprise programmes should also focus on the aim to develop student Understanding of what entrepreneurs do, why they are important to the economy and more importantly to society. 2.3 Entrepreneurial Graduates Graduate students playing a crucial role in patterning the future of our nation. Quality student will positively contribute in ensuring the continuous sustainable growth in all aspect nation development. Not only on the economy, but also in minimizing the social problems. Current scenario shows, many social problems occurred, indirectly reflected by the quality of our graduate students. High rise of unemployed graduate, increased numbers on mental illness cases caused by social problem such as drugs trafficking, crime, etc. Student should be guided continuously and motivated. Only by motivation student will perform better in what ever there are involved. Students will do better and improved in their performance if there are crystal clear on what there are doing and what end result there are expecting. Moreover, it is important to realize that the concept of the graduate entrepreneur is changing and evolving, and who and what constitutes a graduate entrepreneur is shifting from a skills-based agenda (looking at the tools and capabilities for start-up) to an entrepreneurial identity agenda (looking at the maturity of students/graduates, what it might be like to be a graduate entrepreneur, an understanding of themselves and the entrepreneurial lifestyle). (Thomas W. Z,1994) define entrepreneur as person who creates a new business in the face of risk and uncertainty for the purpose of achieving profit and growth by identifying opportunity and assembling the necessary resources to capitalization. There is also endless discussion around types of entrepreneurship. Reynolds et al., (2004) distinguish between opportunity entrepreneurship and necessity entrepreneurship. In this article, I would like to table for discussion on another type of entrepreneur, which is cyber entrepreneurship. According to Carrier et al., (2004) Information technology is changing the world in more prominent than any other technology in the history of mankind. European Commission, (1997) had identifies there are two types of firm using IT technology in business. First is the firm with physical presence traditional company using Internet as a new distribution channel or also said as logical extension of their traditional business. Second the dotcoms, internet startups business. With the evolvement of Internet technology and cyber world, it is very crucial for Government policy makers and HEs management to seriously considering this medium to transforming graduate into self employment. 2.5 Cyber entrepreneur There are very little research done which promoting the term cyber entrepreneurs. There were some studies which referring the technology base entrepreneur with various term such as: IT Techno-entrepreneur were derived from the word technology entrepreneur, will be interchangeably used with the word entrepreneur in order to relate that techno-entrepreneurship are the subset of entrepreneurship. (Christian S., 2009) defined cyber-entrepreneur as an individual who creates a firm that is essentially founded upon e-commerce, and whose main activities are based on the exploiting networks, using internet, intranets and extranets. Cyber entrepreneurship is still in it emergent phase and there is more to know about the phenomena and the element in venture creation process (Carrier et al., 2004; Jiwa, Lavelle. Rose, 2004; martin Wright, 2005) We can conclude the terms cyber-entrepreneurship or cyber-entrepreneur can be referred to any start-up business or any attempt to exploit the information technology for business purposes and intended to gain profit in return. Those persons who set out to be IT entrepreneurs are often seen as special, brave, strong, or else well connected to sources of start-up income beyond those that could reasonably expect to obtain. Technology entrepreneurship, the act and process of creating new, technology-intensive start-ups, is a subject of increasing importance in many parts of the world. Entrepreneurship in parts of South East Asia especially Malaysia has recently undergone rapid revitalization. (Reina et al., 2008) stressed virtual or cyber based business in general have not yet reach the required level of maturity that would leave a lasting impact on the way company conduct electronic base business. Meanwhile the term Information Technology Techno-entrepreneur arose from within Malaysian culture to describe an individual whose entrepreneurial endeavors focus on to Information Technology oriented enterprise. Ministry of Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development (MEDC) reported in 2007 annual report, reported to adjust and strengthened it direction from increasing number of entrepreneur of entrepreneurs, to focusing on developing quality techno entrepreneurs who are at par with the international entrepreneur. 2.6 Opportunity for HEs graduate to venture into entrepreneurship Turn ball et al, (2001) find out after sitting on the entrepreneur course, students attitudes towards entrepreneurship moved from negative to neutral. And lane, 2002 suggested mentoring activity is effective in changing perception towards entrepreneur. Comprehensive study done by (National Higher Education Research Institute [IPPTN], Feb 2003) on the unemployed graduate outlined the list of suggestion to improve the unemployment graduate. The final reports which were produced in Bahasa Malaysia outlined: Expose student in HEs in self employment potential. Provide entrepreneurship infrastructure in HEs Appoint entrepreneur Counselor Provide entrepreneur fund Develop an entrepreneur curriculum Skills training for graduating students Support and involvement by HEs 2.7 How HEs can initiate a cyber entrepreneurship activities Government and policy makers as well as HEs administrators should look for possibilities on imposing cyber entrepreneurship activities to those are interested. Followed are some possible approaches can be adapt by HEs in initiating and inspiring the cyber entrepreneurship activities in Malaysian education institution. In order to create interest and increase awareness, classroom education method is not the only approaches can be used. HEs can also used the alternative methodology to promote entrepreneurship. (Alperstedt and Henrique, (2006) introduced a Business Plan Competition as a alternative teaching methodology to promote entrepreneurship. The competition was coherent with its proposal of developing the entrepreneur interest into the participant. The study carried out, does not explore the implementation possibilities the business plan or creating their own enterprise after word. This writing would like to proposed some amended entrepreneur start up model which originally proposed by (Martyn. R. and Amanda. C, 2003), together with the methodology proposed by (Alperstedt and Henrique,(2006). During the plan period, enrolment in tertiary education institutions of all levels is expected to increase to 1, 326, and 340 in 2010 with 32.3 per cent at first degree and 35.8 per cent at diploma. To cater for the projected demand for tertiary education, the public universities not capable to fulfils. Therefore the present of the private universities play an important role in fulfilling the demand and nation growth.

Alpine Skiing :: essays research papers

Alpine skiing derives its name from the mountain range, The Alps in Europe, where the sport developed in the late 1800’s as a means of moving down snow-covered slopes. Skiing spread to other parts of the world and is now done primarily at ski resorts on specially cut trails. The most common lift in North America is the chairlift, which is a series of seats suspended from a motor-driven cable that pulls the seats up the mountain. Various surface lifts which pull skiers up the hill while they remain standing on skis include rope-tows, T-bars, and J-bars. Many larger areas have enclosed aerial lifts, such as gondolas or trams, which allow skiers to take off their skis and ride up the mountain inside specially designed cars suspended from cables. In Europe, cog railways and funiculars (cable railways) are also used to carry skiers up a slope.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Almost all ski resorts have equipment to make snow artificially when there is not enough natural snow to support the sport. Snowmaking equipment combines air and water with special additives and then sprays the mixture at very high pressure onto the slopes. Grooming machines smooth out the slopes and ensure that the snow has a uniform consistency.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The components of fitness include mostly cardiovascular and a lot of muscular strength in the legs, particularly in the thighs and quads. Because skiing involves riding the chairlift to the top of the mountain after each run, a cool-down is not necessary because you get a consistent break the entire workout. A warm-up, however, could include swinging your legs to stretch out your leg muscles. A workout of skiing could last anywhere from a few hours, to an entire day depending on your stamina and ability. To progress to greater abilities in skiing, one would not want to stay on the â€Å"bunny slope† every day, but instead progress to harder and perhaps steeper trails.

The Scarlet Letter Essay examples -- essays research papers

Hester Prynne: The Ultimate Feminist Heroine   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s American classic The Scarlet Letter the main character Hester Prynne is portrayed as the preeminent feminist heroine through the portraiture of her crime and punishment. In this novel, a Puritanical society in New England condemns Hester Prynne to wear a highly embossed depiction of the letter â€Å"A† on her breast as punishment for an act of adultery. How Hester handles the consequences of her castigation is what brings about the heroic feministic qualities of the main character. Three aspects that corroborate Hester Prynne’s qualities are: 1. Admitting her sin openly to fellow man and God, 2. Putting up with the taunting and social exile of her punishment, and 3. Aspiring above her torment to give love to her daughter Pearl and Pearl’s father, Reverend Dimmesdale.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hester Prynne openly admits her sin to fellow man and God. From the first few pages of the book, we are confronted with the fact that Hester has mothered a child without being legally betrothed in marriage. When the townspeople notice that Hester has broken one of God’s laws, she is forced to stand in the middle of the town square upon a scaffold for a period of three hours, all for the purpose of public humiliation. Since adultery is one of the highest crimes that a mortal can commit in a Puritanical society, a tribunal quickly forms to decide that fate of the young malefactor. All the while, it could have been possible for Hester to abandon the baby to save herself from public torment and possibly the penalty of death. Nonetheless, Hester faces up to the reality of her acts and takes direct responsibility for them. To go even further, she does not even reveal the father of her illegitimate child for fear that he may suffer a fate worse than her own, which would most certainly be death. At the end of the period of time that she had to serve upon the scaffold, a crowd decides her punishment which was to wear the depiction of â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† on her breast.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hester Prynne must put up with the taunting and social exile of her punishment from the second after she was condemned. The townspeople would consider her as an untouchable heathen who only only aired negative, evil energy. Children would be afraid of both Hester and Pearl as they c... ... At the beginning of the novel when Hester is standing on the scaffolding, she does not reveal the secret that Dimmesdale desperately wants her to keep; the secret of his wrongful fathering of Pearl. Hester puts herself through much more stress than she needs to by not revealing this secret over a seven long years, but her love for Dimmesdale is the only strong evidence that keeps her from revealing it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It has been thoroughly justified that in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is portrayed as the ultimate feminist heroine through the delineation of her crime and punishment. How Hester handles the consequences of her chastisement is what brings about the heroic feministic qualities of Hester as the main character. The viewpoints that corroborate Hester Prynne’s qualities are: 1. Admitting her sin openly to fellow man and God, 2. Putting up with the taunting and extreme social exile of her punishment, and 3. Aspiring above her torment to give love, care and support to her daughter Pearl and Pearl’s illegitimate father, Reverend Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne is the absolute epitome of a feminist heroine in all of American literature.

Human factors in aviation accidents Essay

As a result of researches that recognized the existence of human factors in error management, the aviation industry also began to take initiatives to reformat aviation organisations. The aviation industry shifted to a more open culture that valued communication and at the same time recognized that human error will always be present but through time and more advanced studies can be reduced further (Sexton, Thomas & Helmreich, 2000). Almost all aspects have been looked into. Selection and training processes were raised to a different level. While technical skills were highly valued before, they have been found to be inadequate in dealing with safety concerns. Selection of aircrew now includes processes that determine their ability to learn from errors and to become team players. There also has been a new approach for training – not only the pilots, but the entire crew is trained. There are also a mounting number of interventions that are being tested for their effectivity to modify behavioral patterns that could injure a system’s safety. Because crew resource management (CRM) failure is implicated in most aircraft accidents, CRM training programs, which began as a part of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA] program in 1979, began to be widely received by aviation organisations. Now on its 5th generation, CRM trainings for the crew have been conducted by major airlines and even the navy. The CRM training program encompasses many aspects of aviation safety such as situation awareness, task management and communication (Thomas, 2004). The 5th generation CRM programs can be viewed as a tool to effectively manage errors. CRM combats errors in three ways: obviously, the first one is the avoidance of error; the second Human Factors in Aviation Accidents 10 one is the â€Å"suppression† of the error before it happens; and third, the mitigation of the effects of the errors should it not be avoided (Helmreich, Merritt & Wilhelm, 1999). The focus of the 5th generation CRM is the normalization of errors – whether due to active or latent failures – and the development of strategies to manage these errors (Helmreich, Merritt & Wilhelm, 1999). Although CRM programs focus on human errors and its effects on aviation safety, it is never entirely a behavioral training. After all, if you recall, a â€Å"productive system† is an interaction of human and technological factors. Therefore, CRM is not to be taken as a stand-alone program. It is meant to be incorporated to technical trainings where the crew has to be adept in the operation of modern aviation technology and at the same time has to learn non-technical skills such as effective communication, coordination and teamwork. Despite the fact that intervention programs like the CRM has been introduced and conducted for crews in major and regional airlines for the two decades, the percentage of CRM failures in aviation accidents remained relatively flat (Wiegmann & Shappell, 2001). Although initial results of CRM programs have been found to be encouraging such that positive results were seen almost immediately after the conduction of the program, it was soon obvious that such results were short-lived (Taneja, 2002). What could have happened that prevented such interventions to perform as expected? Helmreich & Merritt (2000) offers an explanation – at least for CRM. First, not everybody responds to CRM training. Some may have become less accepting of CRM after the training. Although attitudes do not necessarily define behavior, it has been a well-known maxim that those who reject a concept are more likely not to follow the principles that it imparts. (Helmreich, Merritt & Wilhelm, 1999). Human Factors in Aviation Accidents 11 Culture – national, professional and organisational – is also a significant factor that determines the level of acceptance for a CRM concept (Helmreich & Merritt, 2000). When CRM was introduced to other national cultures, it soon became evident that certain CRM concepts can either be readily accepted or rejected depending on the national culture. Cultures such as China and many Latin American countries that stress the importance of absolute power and authority of their leaders will necessarily be less receptive to the idea of subordinates questioning the decisions of their leaders, than cultures that are less hierarchical (Hofstede, 1980 as cited by Helmreich, Merrit & Wilhelm, 1999). While CRM programs encourage subordinates to be more assertive in questioning their leaders, junior crew members in these cultures are quite disinclined to do this because of fear of showing disrespect. These same cultures are also collectivists who stress interdependenc and the necessity to work together for a common goal. In contrast, American and European cultures, which are highly individualistic, give more value to independence and more priority to individual goals. The value of teamwork and the need for coordination will most likely be readily accepted in the former than in the latter. There are also High Uncertainty Avoidance cultures like Greece, Korea and many Latin American countries that prefer CRM concepts already specifying required behaviors. Cultures that are low in Uncertainty Avoidance tend to be more flexible when it comes to behaviors but have difficulty adhering to standard operating procedures. Furthermore, this kind of culture, along with non-collectivist cultures are more questioning with regards to the usage of automation while High Uncertainty Avoidance and collectivist cultures accept the idea of automation usually without, or relatively less, questions. Intervention programs such as CRM should therefore not be patterned after a single national culture. From the discussion it can be seen above that autocratic cultures can also Human Factors in Aviation Accidents 12 value teamwork and interdependence than non-autocratic cultures (Helmreich, in press). Cultures exhibiting difficulty of adherence to SOPs may be more innovative when dealing with novel situations not covered by procedures. In contrast, cultures who stress strict adherence to rules may find it difficult to be more flexible in new situations. Although CRM programs require behavior modification, certain beliefs ingrained into a culture are quite difficult to modify. If CRM has to attain widespread global use, it has to design programs that are congruent to national culture and yet still enhances safety. Error management should therefore be embraced as a culture in itself. Focusing on threat and error management as goals, training programs should not aim for a total reversal of norms and beliefs but rather for a drawing out of positive behaviors without directly confronting national culture. Many professions, including aviation, have strong cultures and develop their own norms and values (Helmreich, in press). Each culture encompasses both positive and negative aspects. Aircrew for example has a high level of motivation and a strong sense of professional pride. The negative component, which is seen to be universal, is the inability to admit vulnerability to stressors. Majority of pilots in almost all national cultures agree that their decision-making abilities are not hampered by personal problems and that it is as good in emergency situations as in normal situations. Furthermore, most of these pilots have indicated that they do not make errors even while under stress. This â€Å"macho† culture, when left uncorrected, can lead to risk taking, failure to coordinate with other crew members and error. Indeed, one focus of the 5th generation CRM program is to help pilots acknowledge that human error does occur and they are more vulnerable to it if they continue to deny the existence and effect of stressors. As stated earlier, the organisational culture determines the principle of the organisation towards safety. One reason why CRM does not deliver results when it should is Human Factors in Aviation Accidents 13 the organisational context on which the program was delivered (Helmreich & Merritt, 2000). Organisations may have a highly evolved safety culture and possesses a positive outlook on safety. Such organisations will most likely benefit from CRM and other intervention strategies. Others react only to safety threats once they are looming while some organisations give perfunctory attention to safety issues without really embracing a safety culture that works towards a highly effective accident prevention program. The current process of investigating errors during accidents also contributes to the apparently limited success of intervention strategies. Most accident reporting systems are primarily technological and have been designed with little regard to human factors. Such systems are on their way to being perfected in terms of identifying mechanical failures but in itself is also a bit of a failure when it comes to assessment of human errors (Wiegmann & Shappell, 2001). An examination of an accident investigation process may help drive down the point. When an accident due to mechanical failure happens, investigators examine objective and quantifiable information such as that obtained from the flight data recorder. The data is processed and the probable causes of the accident are recorded so that safety recommendations can be identified. After the investigation, the data obtained is entered into a database which can be periodically accessed to provide feedback to investigators. The information in the database can also be used by funding organizations to determine which researches to fund. As a result, intervention strategies are further developed to prevent mechanical failure from happening or mitigate consequences once they do happen (Helmreich & Merritt, 2000). Either way, the number of accidents due to mechanical failures has been greatly reduced. Human Factors in Aviation Accidents 14 In contrast, investigations of accidents due to human errors produce results that are not tangible and are difficult to quantify. And because the studies of human factors came later than studies of mechanical failures, investigative techniques used in human error analysis are less refined than those used to assess engineering and design concerns. When these techniques are used to analyze accident data, the results are rarely very useful and safety issues cannot be readily addressed. Therefore any intervention strategy designed using this data is not assured of success. Taneja (2002) echoes this concern stating that human errors have been implicated in 70-80% of aircraft accidents demonstrating the very limited success of current intervention strategies and also proposes a solution: a holistic approach to intervention strategies. To date, most researches on human factors in aviation have focused on specific aspects of aircraft accident prevention. Sarter and Alexander (2000) have observed that current researches on human error focus mainly on three key aspects: the development of error classification schemes, the design of error-tolerant systems, and error prevention through improved design and additional training (as cited by Taneja, 2002). Because accident prevention is such a wide field of study, it is very possible that certain aspects have been missed out or overlooked. Error framework also abound as almost every human factor researcher comes up with his own error framework. With so many intervention strategies proposed by researchers and some even practiced in the industry, there have been inadequate attempts to integrate these strategies into a holistic solution. A holistic approach to intervention strategies involve looking at all the possible links to an aircraft accident in order to come up with an intervention that best fits an organisation. Basing on all the links, an organisation must assess in what area their weaknesses lie and determine if these need intervention. The intervention strategy to be used in a certain Human Factors in Aviation Accidents 15 organisation will therefore be customized according the weak links in the organisation’s system. The two links that are directly related to aviation accidents are the aircraft and the aircrew. Although accidents due to mechanical failures have been greatly reduced to advancement in technology, there needs to be constant assessment of the aircraft in general and the human factors affecting the man-machine interface in particular (Taneja, 2002). Intervention strategies that can be applied to aircrew can be divided into two broad categories: selection and training. Ever since the knowledge that human factors contribute to aviation accidents, the selection process have been amended such that the pilots are not chosen based on technical skill alone but more so on their ability to coordinate with fellow aircrew, recognize their own errors and be willing to work with others to deal with these errors. Once chosen, the pilot’s training will have a great impact on his proficiency and possibly, on his ability to avoid accidents. Possible interventions on these two main links can have a major influence on the number of accidents encountered by the organisation. The process of accident investigation, although a secondary link, should also be looked into in for possible intervention strategies. To date there is no benchmark as to the training and expertise a safety investigator must have. In order for a standardised level of investigation to be achieved, there needs to be a minimum with regards to the exposure an investigator must have. The investigative tools that the safety investigator uses could also be subject to an intervention. As discussed earlier, investigation techniques for human errors are inadequate at present and needs further researches in order the reach the level of refinement of evaluative techniques for mechanical failures. The kinds of human errors as discussed by Wiegmann and Shappell (2001) while developing HFACS, are also links that could be used to come up with more effective Human Factors in Aviation Accidents 16 intervention strategies. Furthermore, autopsy results during aircraft accidents, although unable to prevent future accidents, can be used to design intervention strategies that will make an aircraft accident more survivable. Upon carefully assessing the links just mentioned and determining the areas that need intervention, it is recognized that the success of any strategy ultimately depends on the Organisational Safety Culture (Taneja, 2002). Toft (1989) defined an organisation’s safety culture as â€Å"the set of norms, beliefs, attitudes and roles, social and technical practices that minimizes the exposure of the managers, employees and the general public to conditions considered dangerous or injurious† (as cited by Taneja, 2002). Discussed in brief earlier, the way an organisation handles errors and error management strategies depend on its safety culture. A safety conscious organisation will not treat an accident as just another unavoidable circumstance but rather will focus its efforts in preventing future accidents from happening. A careful investigation that searches for the possible factors leading to the occurrence of the accident will be performed. Ideally, an organisation with a highly effective safety culture will aim to plug the hole in the Swiss cheese model before another opportunity for a catastrophe will be created (Reason, 1990 as cited by Taneja, 2002). Even organisations that have a sound safety culture however can still be plagued by errors caused by human limitations such as fatigue, severe workloads, inadequate training, poorly-maintained equipment and errors caused by the air traffic control which would consequently affect the aircrew and the organisation. Even if the organisation has tried to remove every conceivable active and latent failure, chance errors can still take place (Heimrich & Merritt, 2000). But every organisation is bound to have a loophole. Thus, constant monitoring of all aspects in the organisation , whether directly related to safety or not, is essential. Human Factors in Aviation Accidents 17 Because errors can arise from a variety of sources, any single intervention strategy, such as the CRM must not be taken as a panacea for eliminating error. CRM is only a tool that organisations use to perform error management. All intervention strategies have its limitation – the effects it will have on an organisation depends on the national culture, the strengths and weaknesses of the professional culture, and the organisational safety culture. Furthermore, the way the people at the frontline perceive the intervention strategy will affect the outcome of such a strategy. In summary, the study of human factors affecting aircraft accidents has fostered an abundance of researches in this field. With the conception of CRM almost three decades ago, numerous error frameworks and intervention strategies have been proposed and used. Unfortunately, such a plethora of studies have not created a significant reduction on human error-related aircraft accidents. Presumably because it is still a relatively young field, the researches need more focus and the intervention strategies need more refinement. Intervention strategies have to address differences in national, professional and organisational culture. It is also important that intervention strategies be customized to a certain organisation to ensure a greater amount of success. With the continuous development and improvement of researches in this field, there will bound to be a breakthrough in time, and the success that has long been sought will finally be at hand. Human Factors in Aviation 18. References Helmreich, R. L. (in press). Culture, threat and error: Assessing system safety. In Safety in Aviation: The Management Commitment: Proceedings of a Conference. London: Royal Aeronautical Society.Retrieved October 2, 2007 from http://homepage. psy. utexas. edu/HomePage/Group/HelmreichLAB/Publications/pubfiles/Pub257. pdf. Helmreich, R. L. & Merritt, A. C. (2000). Safety and error management. The role of Crew Resource Management. In B. J. Hayward and A. R. Lowe (Eds. ), Aviation Resource Management. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. 107-119. Helmreich, R. L. Merritt, A. C. & Wilhelm, J. A. (1999). The evolution of Crew Resource Management training in commercial aviation. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 9(1):19-32. Reason, J. (2000). Human error: Models and management. BMJ, 320(7237): 768-770. Sexton, J. , Thomas, E. J. & Helmreich, R. L. (2000). Error, stress and teamwork in medicine and aviation: cross sectional surveys. BMJ, 320:745-749. Taneja, N. (2002). Human factors in aircraft accidents: A holistic approach to intervention strategies. Retrieved October 1, 2007 from www. humanfactors. uiuc. edu/Reports&PapersPDFs/humfac02/tanejahf02. pdf. Thomas, M. J. W. (2004). Error management training: Defining best practice. ATSB Aviation Safety Research Grant Scheme Project 2004/0050. Retrieved October 1, 2007 from www. atsb. gov. au/publications/2004/pdf/error_management_training_best_practice. pdf. Wiegmann, D. A. & Shappell, S. A. (2003). A human error approach to aviation accident analysis. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Human Factors in Aviation Accidents 19 Wiegmann, D. A. & Shappell, S. A. (2001 February). A human error analysis of commercial aviation accidents using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System [HFACS]. Office of Aviation Medicine. Retrieved October 2, 2007 from www. hf. faa. gov/docs/508/docs/cami/0103. pdf.