Carrefour retailer Essay

Introduction of the Case: Carrefour was the second largest retailer of consumer goods and groceries worldwide, after Wal-mart. The company pioneered the concept of hypermarket in their home Country, France, as early as 1960’s.However, towards late 1990’s; Carrefour saw a decline in their French hypermarkets owing to certain unfavorable government regulations and competition from hard discount stores. Carrefour introduced a series of strategic initiatives in an effort to revamp the ailing French hypermarkets. As a result, French hypermarkets started showing signs of recovery towards late 2004. The case discusses about the emergence and growth of hard discount stores in France. This case also provides scope for discussion of decline of Carrefour’s French hypermarkets and its revamp strategies. Pedagogical Objectives:  · The state of Hard discount stores in France  · Impact of government regulations on French retail industry  · Growth of Carrefour’s hypermarkets in France  · Revamp strategies of Carrefour hypermarkets in France. 1. How should Mr. Durant assess the opportunities in various countries around the world? Mr. Durant, the new CEO since 2005, embarked on the new strategy by offering 15 percent new products in its hypermarkets and 10 percent in its supermarkets. Moreover, he wants to employ more staff, extend the operating hours in certain hypermarkets, cutting prices, trying small stores, and pushing down decision making. Mr. Durant aims to stay only in countries where Carrefour is among the top retailers. 2. Should Carrefour adopt Wal-Mart’s strategy of â€Å"low prices everyday†? What would be the advantage or disadvantage of such a strategy? Yes Certainly they have to adopt the strategy of low pricing every day, In France, where Carrefour is well established, the company made the big mistake in its pricing policy. It probably started with the 1999 merger with Promodes, the French discount chain. Carrefour confused the French clientele by losing its low-cost image. The new strategy which they want to implement discounts and cutting prices ,trying small stores certainly will help  Carrefour to keep their competition in all over the world. 3. How could Carrefour differentiate itself from Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart is more than just the world’s largest retailer. It is an economic force, a cultural phenomenon and a lightning rod for controversy. It all started with a simple philosophy from founder Sam Walton: Offer shoppers lower prices than they get anywhere else. That basic strategy has shaped Wal-Mart’s culture and driven the company’s growth. Now that Wal-Mart is so huge, it has unprecedented power to shape labor markets globally and change the way entire industries operate. In this article, you will learn the key reasons that Wal-Mart has been able to keep its prices low — cutting-edge technology, a frugal corporate culture and a push to make suppliers sell merchandise at cheaper and cheaper prices. We’ll also take a look at the scope of Wal-Mart’s impact on the economy and the controversies surrounding Wal- Mart, as well as the future of the company. With 12 million loyalty card-holders in France, but also 7.5 million in Spain, for example, Carrefour group  stores have an excellent base from which to forge closer relationships with customers. As a multi-format  retailer, Carrefour can offer solutions addressing a wide variety of shopping habits. In 2009, the Carrefour group is enhancing its knowledge of customers, with the aim of serving them better and improving its brand image. In stores, the Carrefour brand will be conveyed in a way that is closer to the customer and more emotionally involving. By being more competitive, the brand will again become a tool for winning customers, enhancing customer loyalty and distinguishing Carrefour from the pack. In towns and villages, as convergence accelerates, the Carrefour brand will provide its best stores to more customers. In this way, Carrefour will make customers want to come, and keep coming, to its stores, regardless of the format or product offering. By focusing on retailing, Carrefour will become customers’ preferred retailer. 4. Identify cultures in selected countries that need to be considered in order to be successful? Carrefour operates in 29 countries around the world. World population is  rising, geographic distribution of populations is shifting, world population isaging rapidly, ethnic mixes in developed countries are changing rapidly, andaverage household incomes are increasing. The demographic environment presents both opportunities and threats for Carrefour. Increases in population size and household incomes help toexpand the market in which Carrefour operates. However, changes in the geographic distribution of populations, due to technological advances incommunications, may cause difficulties for Carrefour in determining profitable locations for new storefront SOCIO-CULTURAL 1.New markets had seen dramatic changes in consumer buying habits,coupled with high growth in per capita GNP, 2.suburbanization, greater participation of women in the labor force, and a large increase in theownership of cars and refrigerators. 3.The continued growth of suburban communities abroad is another major sociocultural trend. 4.Asian customers still tended to shop daily at wet markets or â€Å"mom & pop†stores. 5.Moreover, impulse buying was on the rise and replacing necessity purchasing. 6.Shopping as a form of leisure was an increasing phenomenon. CONCLUSION Carrefour has positioned itself as an international leader in the retail industry.Their strategies have proven successful for a number of reasons. First, they have beenable to successfully transfer competencies to associates and managers across the globe.Also, they have been able to adapt to local cultures and consumer tastes as necessary. Insome cases, they have even managed to change consumer tastes and buying habits. Theyhave succeeded in entering new markets aggressively and gaining a large share of eachmarket. Carrefour has even been able to restructure when legalities made it necessary.The question remains, then, what should Carrefour do in the future. Carrefour should remain in the retail industry. It should continue those practices that have provensuccessful and profitable in the past. Also, Carrefour should continue to leverage itsknowledge of international markets to continue its rapid expansion across the globe. Carrefour should, however,  be wary of threats to its opera tions, and remain vigilant I exploring new ways to improve its products and services. Carrefour has come this far based on its ability to pioneer new retail concepts and should remember that this pioneering spirit is what will carry it into the future.

Bullying and Fun Thing Essay

Schools from all over the world should really start preventing all this bullying thats going on. I find it bad that everyone makes fun of everyone. Either if it’s cyberbullying or just bullying, it’s a problem for a lot of students. In order to prevent bullying and all of this harassment, there’s so many things that I’d think can solve this problem. One of the first things that i think could be a solution for all of this would be talking to all of their parents, have a meeting about it, because most of their parents are also bullies. For example, that mother in Missouri who was making pretend she was a guy named Josh Evans on myspace and was cyberbullying her daughters friend just because she wanted revenge on that poor little girl and then she committed suicide. This all needs to stop! Parents are supposed to be setting an example for their children but they’re really not doing that correctly. More and more kids are losing their lifes because of this. It really isn’t a fun thing to do, the only thing you’re really doing is hurting and making them feel really bad. Noone would like it if someone else would do it to you. Changing the subject, the community should be more aware of this in my opinion. I feel like they need to step up a whole lot and make them have some changes around. The police should track on the computer everything that happens with everyone now a days, and if there’s any cyberbullying going on then they should just simply arrest them. They should be more stricter about it, not just around the community but also in schools. Sometimes I feel like they’re really not doing anything about bullying. I feel like noone cares at all, especially after what happened with the young adults that commited suicided these past few years.

MGM600-0803B-02 Applied Managerial Decision-Making - Phase 2 Essay

MGM600-0803B-02 Applied Managerial Decision-Making - Phase 2 Discussion Board - Essay Example The census decennial data needs to be sorted into demographic representation as per the market trends, income group, occupation and population stratification as per gender, ethnicity and household size. US Census data and the information extracted from those data are reliable and important sources to predict trends. Analysis of database of customers is important part of market strategy which helps one to know the changing preferences of the customers in the rapidly changing times. Prices may not be very important part of the strategy with the old customers but competitive pricing helps to bring in new clients. Whenever new products are to be launched, it is important that trend in the customers’ needs and requirements are studied in advance so that appropriate strategy could be developed. The demographic segregation of data further needs to be analysed, according to the age group and income group of the target population, to best predict the trend of that particular group which are most like to prefer the new snack. Depending upon the type of snack food, the target population need to be categorized as per the income and occupation of the target population so that one can correctly predict their tendency of preferences towards food habits. Therefore, while considering the four demographic reports, I would consider four variable of the target population: education, income, transport and race. Education criteria would give us idea about the preferences of the students, income group would help us to focus on the price of the snack, transport criteria would help us to formulate flexible market strategy and race stratification would indicate the changing trend in the ethnicity and races for the food habit. Thus, these four variables would facilitate trend in the recent years that help us to gauge the preferences of food habit of the different groups of the

See the topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

See the topic - Assignment Example She finds it difficult to find her identity in gender as she had female instincts with a male body. She narrates her family’s history and the beginning of her gene mutation that was aimed at transforming her DNA in order to fully exist in the female gender. In order to solve her gender confusion problem, she introduces her body to unique genetic make-up. On realizing Dr. Luce’s plan, Calliope runs away and changes her identity to Cal who is a boy. Cal relocates to San Francisco where he finds a job in a club that eventually gets raided by the police and he ends up being arrested for being an underage worker. Cal’s family comes to collect him in jail so as to attend his grandfather’s burial. This is where he finds out that his grandparents were siblings which resulted to his genital crisis but promises the grandmother to keep the secret till after her grandmother’s death. People with improper genetalia structure experience difficulties in the labour market as a result of their transsexual in gender. Many of these people are born with a gender type different from their mental perception of themselves (Nanda 114). They tend to change their gender to suit their mental comfort at a later stage in life. This forces them to change their original identity to suit their ultimate gender type. They are forced to change their names in all their legal documents which is a long process thus affecting their potential in the labour market as the transformation process (Agustà ­n 167). Slaughter uses the phrase ‘having it all’ in reference to Calliope’s gender confusion. The phrase summarizes the life of Calliope in both the male and female gender forms. This is portrayed in the first chapter of the novel Middle sex when Calliope begins her life story by saying, â€Å"I was born twice, first as a girl in 1960 and then again as a teenage boy† (Eugenides 3). Calliope Stephanides had improper genes which made her

New York Times Article Review SEE below instructiuon Essay

New York Times Article Review SEE below instructiuon - Essay Example In case the price tag is approved by Washington, the carbon content of fuel will become as important as the fuel cost and may even define the fuel cost. The result of this policy will be the competitive capacity of alternative energies, such as wind, sunlight, uranium, corn stalks and trash or natural gas. It would also be possible to start using the so called â€Å"carbon-negative† fuels, taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. The Congress should introduce a special tax or a cap-of-trade system for industries producing fuels. The estimations show that at $50 per metric ton the cost of a kilowatt-hour produced by coal will go from about 5.7 cents to 10 cents. When carbon dioxide costs $25 a ton, wind power will become competitive. Solar power is very expensive now, but the cap-of-trade system making coal fuel equal or even higher in price, solar power gets â€Å"a much larger chance to be relevant†. The carbon calculus concerns not only electricity but also ethanol, called â€Å"closet carbon†. There are possibilities to reduce greenhouse-emissions producing ethanol from trash through a newly-elaborated thermochemical method, proposed by Range Fuels of Denver. Nowadays we use corn ethanol, made using natural gas and coals, containing carbon, and sugar-cane ethanol, resulting in 10% as much CO2. Another approach, being tested in Arizona, is to fertilize algae with carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere. Scientists even propose carbon-negative products, such as synthesis gas made from biomass, with resulting carbon dioxide being captured chemically. New approaches are sought for in architecture. Today building sites are evaluated for solar orientation and prevailing winds, the possibility to use the existing mass of hillsides and the ambient temperature of the dirt, etc. Carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced in the process of produce of various goods for mass consum ption. The problem is that the new technologies

Priority List Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Priority List - Essay Example In the list, Air force Plant 85 appears as number 1 with site identity number by EPA being OH1170090004, Allied Chemical & Ironton Coke appears as number 2 with site identity number by EPA being OH043730217 and Bowers Landfill listed as number 8 with site identity number by EPA being OHD980509616 (EPA, 2012; EPA, 2011; EPA, 2013). Hazardous chemicals listed in the inventory and associated with Allied Chemicals & Ironton Coke include benzene, ammonia, cyanide, naphthalene and Polynuclear Aromatics Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phenolics (EPA, 2011). The ground water within the site contains all the listed chemicals, which are dangerous to human health. In the inventory list, Air Force Plant 85 characterizes with chemicals that include chlorinated solvents, trichloroethylene, PCBs and hydrocarbons. The site also suffers from contamination with dangerous metals like mercury, chromium and cadmium (EPA, 2012). The groundwater under the site has contaminations of the metals and chemicals, and unhealthy for human consumption. The inventory also features Bowels Landfill site as contaminated with contaminants such as barium, manganese, pesticides, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), phthalates, lead, polychlorinated biphyenyls (PCBs) and arsenics, which have also infiltrated into the groundwater and making the water unsafe for human consumption (EPA, 2013). The chemicals and metallic substances within the sites infiltrate underground, contaminate and make the underground water unsafe for human consumption. Buying home within the sites can be the least decision considering that residing in the areas is tantamount to deliberate risking of one’s health and life especially if the areas rely on groundwater as primary source of water. However, if municipal authorities connect piped water into the areas surrounding the sites, then one can

The impact of Chinese Communist Party leaders' legitimacy to rule on Essay

The impact of Chinese Communist Party leaders' legitimacy to rule on Chinese Security and foreign policy decision making - Essay Example During his regime, the initiatives he undertook include land reform, the collectivization of agriculture, and the spread of medical services; this leader of the revolution remained alert to what he saw to be new forms of oppression and sensitive to the interests of the oppressed in the era that the country had major reforms. In 1958 he advocated a self-reliant Great Leap Forward campaign in rural development and the failure of the Leap led Mao to turn many responsibilities over to other leaders as well as to withdraw from active decision making and make it include majority opinions. During the early 1960s, Mao continued his restless challenge of what he perceived as new forms of domination where in foreign policy he led China's divorce from the Soviet Union. Domestically, he became increasingly wary of his subordinates' approach to development, fearing that it was fostering deep social and political inequalities; when Liu, Deng, and others seemed to be ignoring his call to remember c lass struggles Mao in 1966 initiated the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, exploiting discontent among some students and others. The Cultural Revolution was successful in eliminating many who opposed his policies but led to serious disorder, forcing Mao to call in the military to restore order in the late 1960s, the result of which was not favorable to the country at large. For decades, Zhou Enlai (1898-1976) was one of the most prominent and respected leader of the communist movement who reached out to otherwise hostile political forces; he played an important role in securing Chiang Kaishek's release during the Xian (Sian) Incident of December 1936 and he headed the CCP liaison team to oppose Japanese imperialism and similarly, Zhou represented the CCP in negotiations with the Nationalists during the mediation effort of U.S. General George Marshall. The history of the country talks of another of the first generation Chinese Communist Party leaders Deng Xiaoping, who held prom inent positions in the government in the 1950s and 1960s, but was eliminated from office, imprisoned during the years of the Cultural Revolution, 1966-76 and his family persecuted. His goal in 1976 was to set China back on the course of economic development that had been badly interrupted during the final years of Mao's leadership as his rallying cry became the Four Modernization articulated by Zhou Enlai in 1975, which entailed the development of industry, agriculture, defense as well as science and technology. Chinese Foreign Policies in the Global Order China has placed particular emphasis on the development of good-neighborly relations and partnership with border countries in order to prevent external threats from exacerbating internal frictions and as well has emphasized non-military aspects of its comprehensive national power. It has developed approaches such as setting aside areas of disagreement with neighboring states, focusing on confidence-building measures to promote tie s; and engaging in economic integration and multilateral cooperation to address shared concerns, (Bergsten,

Search and seizures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Search and seizures - Essay Example Constitution are meant to protect the citizens from any act that may infringe on their privacy and therefore every person is protected from any form of unreasonable search or seizure by the state or its federal agencies at the time of enforcement of the law. However, the Fourth amendment also allows searches and seizures in some instances especially when it is considered reasonable and for the interest of the public. This means that law enforcement agencies may at times put aside a person’s concern about his privacy or that of his property and conduct a search or a seizure without a warrant. For this to be qualified, it must be proven that the agency has a probable cause to have a strong conviction that they may find from you may point to the commission of a crime or that certain circumstances have justified that a search or a seizure should be conducted without a warrant. Mapp vs Ohio (1961) The facts of this case are that the police stormed into Ms Mapp’s house believ ing that a bombing suspect was hiding in there despite her protests. The police carried a piece of paper to her that they claimed to have been a warrant of search when she demanded that a search warrant be presented to her before the search is carried out. It later turned out that the paper the police waved to her was not a search warrant neither was the bombing suspect hiding in the house. However, the police found sexually explicit books and photographs in her home and she was later convicted for possession of obscene items under the Ohio state law. She appealed her conviction on the basis of the First Amendment but the court quashed the conviction on the basis that she could not be convicted on the basis of items obtained without a search warrant as it violated her right as enshrined in the Fourth amendment of the United States constitution. The court based its ruling on the exclusionary rule that forms an important part of the Fourth Amendment that prohibits any state from depri ving any person the right to life, liberty or property without following the due process of the law (Stocks, 73). Katz vs United States, 389 U.S.347 (1967) This case affirmed that wiretapping of conversations in public payphones without a warrant grossly violated the protections against unreasonable search and seizure as enshrined in the Fourth Amendment. The petitioner Katz was charged in a court of law for being engaged in gambling through state telephone lines that was deemed to be illegal by the authorities. State enforcement agencies used warrantless wiretaps to listen and track his conversations on matters that touched on the illegal gambling transactions. Through an almost unanimous vote of 7-1, the U.S Supreme Court held that the placing of a warrantless wiretap on public payphones is a violation of the rights that citizens enjoy under the Fourth Amendment (Stephens and Richard, 335). There was a test on the constitutionality of private conversations done in public places th at has been applied by numerous courts thereafter. These include whether the person under charge has exhibited an expectation of want of privacy and that the larger public as that which is reasonable can recognize the expectation. Chimel vs California (1969) The question that the court was faced with in this case is what constitutes an unreasonable search as compared with the rights enshrined in the Fourth Amendment of the United States. This was an evaluation of those instances that a police officer may conduct what can be

Constitutional purpose and other uses of U.S. Census Essay Example for Free

Constitutional purpose and other uses of U.S. Census Essay Political power and the respective share of every state of the federal money are simply the Constitutional purposes of Census in the United States (Cole, 2009). These are the underlying reasons why for every ten years, the government mails the citizens with Census forms to fill out with their personal information of circumstances. Under an original objective which is just to have a correct or exact count and record of the American population, the U. S. census now signifies its importance in determining the number of congressional districts. Beyond the Congressional purposes of the Census, it is its practical uses to people’s daily living that ultimately signify its value to the nation. In terms of re-appointment of the members of House of Representatives, Cole further explains that it is under the Constitution that census affects or determines the respective circumstances of each state. Census particularly manifests which states gain or lose Congressional seats. Simply put, Cole states that â€Å"the census determines how many House of Representative Members you will have representing your district in Washington D. C. † (Cole, 2009, p. 1). This is where Census’ Congressional purpose of political power is shown. This is because if the population of one state decreased based from the last census, one or more Representative member is removed from a specified state. On the same token that a particular state reflected relevant increase during the last census, then additional member represents the said state. Hence, the population of one state, as what the Census reflects, establishes if such area requires of being redrawn after showing an increase or loss in the area’s population (Cole, 2009). Aside from the said Congressional purposes of the U. S. Census, there are at least five practical ways to use such gathering of information. Of the five primary objectives of the census, its three most important uses include the following. First is to count the country’s population including the number of American households. The second important use of the census is it is a way to collect data and to create information in order for both the federal government and the states to come up with rational budget. Another use of the census is its power to create information which serves various social entities such as the branches of economy, education, research, business and other significant components of the nation (â€Å"Uses of Census Data,† n. d. ). While a bigger part of the information provided by the public to the census is eventually kept secret for the next 72 years, the valuable pieces of information are used. This condition holds true especially during instances in the daily lives of the people. For instance, census is very important to the general public in terms of using the collected data in a number of fields or disciplines that are significant to people. In fact, census is applied to personal experience of an individual. Just like in my case, census proved to be valuable in three aspects. One, I used the information given by the census when I decided that there is a need to change the place of my resident. Census also made me decide what field of learning to choose depending on the state of employment and the value of wage per occupation in a particular location. I likewise was able to make use of census when I looked for a place that became the best suitable area where I opened my business few years back. References Central Bureau of Statistics. (n. d. ). Uses of Census Data. Retrieved July 24, 2009, from http://www. cbs. gov. il/w/censusshtml/UN-SSI41795192. shtml Cole, L. (2009). Census Records and the Constitution. Retrieved July 24, 2009, from http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/1905082/census_records_and_the_constitution_pg2. html? cat=37

Role of Press in Society Essay Example for Free

Role of Press in Society Essay Many kings and emperors ruled Delhi over the years and, therefore, it abounds in monuments. People come from far and wide to see them. They have an educational value. Once when we had our Dussehra holidays, we went to see places of historical importance with our teacher. We hired a bus. First we went to the Qutab. It is now a building of five storeys. Two of its upper storeys had been brought down. It was built by Qutab-ud-Din, the first slave king of India. We admired the architectural beauty of the building. We went up to the highest storey and watched the people below. They looked like dwarfs. We also saw the iron pillar standing nearby. It is known as King Chandras pillar. It is more than two-thousand-year-old. Next we went to see the carvings of Hindu gods and goddesses on stone slabs. We were really surprised to see the wooden slabs changing into tone. From the Qutab we went to Tughlaqabad. Here an old city of Delhi, founded by Tughlaq Kings, was once situated. Now it lies in ruins. Then we proceeded to Hauz Khas which was the residence of kings. We relaxed for sometime on the green lawns. We had our lunch here and refreshed ourselves with tea. Next we went to Humayuns Tomb where Emperor Humayun lies buried. We appreciated the Mughal art and architecture. There are graves of the Mughals nearby. Our next place of visit was Kotla Feroze Shah. Feroze Shah Bahadurs tomb and a mosque are built in it. This place is known for the Ashoka pillar, which was brought from Meerut. Next we saw the ruins of Old Fort. It was started by Humayun but was completed by Sher Shah Suri. In the end we went to the Red Fort. It is a fine building of majestic grandeur. There we saw Diwan-i-Khas. It shows the architectural taste of the great Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan. The glory of the ancient ages is writ large on its face. We visited the museum inside the fort. Many things of historical value are displayed here. We learnt a lot from the visit and eagerly desired to have another educational tour of Delhi.

The History Of The Augmented Reality In Education

The History Of The Augmented Reality In Education What is Augmented Reality? Augmented reality is a computer system which has the ability to combine the real world and computer generated data. With this system, virtual objects are blended into real footage in real time. Thus, we can imagine the high potential that this technology might have if applied in the field of education. In augmented reality, the computer works as a mirror. With a camera and a black and white printed marker, we transmit to the computer the angle and coordinates about an object. Thus real elements are mixed with virtual elements in real time, and in the same way as in a mirror, the image appears inverted on the screen, which makes orientation a very complicated task. Virtual models can be animated and multiplied. With this technology we are able to create and combine animated sequences in order to control a virtual object and share the interaction with others. In the field of education, we can use this technology to create interactive 3-D books that respond to changes in the angle of observation. From the beginning, the advertising companies were the first to use this system using interactive web based augmented reality applications. Because of its potential, augmented reality will be widely applied in fields such as architecture, surgery, simulations, geology and ecology among others. How it Works? The basic process of creation in augmented reality is to create virtual models that will be stored in a database. After this, the model will be retrieved from the mentioned database, rendered and registered into the scene. Sometimes, this process implies serious difficulties in many area applications. The virtual content must be stored on the database and also published as printed material, containing an index to our database. This communication to the database increases the complexity of the virtual model as final work. To avoid these difficulties, is necessary to fully encode our virtual content in a bar code, which is not understandable to a human without using a specific augmented reality system. When captured by an AR system, the virtual models are then extracted from the incoming image. Embedding > Acquisition > Extraction > Registration > Rendering The virtual model is created and printed. This printed representation is then acquired by the augmented reality device. After, the virtual models are extracted from the acquired image. Finally, the virtual models are registered onto the scene and after rendered. Besides adding virtual objects into the real world, AR must be able to remove them. Desirable systems would be those that incorporate sound to broaden the augmented experience. These systems should integrate headsets equipped with microphones to capture incoming sound from the environment, thus having the ability to hide real environmental sounds by generating a masking signal. Characteristics of Augmented Reality Haptic Technology The main goal of AR is the interactivity between the user and virtual objects. HT it is the system that allows the user to have tactile experiences within immersive environments. With this system the user interacts with the virtual environment through an augmented system. To bring realism to these interactions, the system must allow the user to feel the touch of surfaces, textures and the weight and size of virtual objects. With haptic devices, mass can be assigned to virtual elements so that the weight and other qualities of the object can be felt in the fingers. This system requires complex computing devices endowed with great power. Furthermore, the system must recognize the three-dimensional location of fiducial points in the real scene. Position-Based Augmented Reality For correct compensation between the virtual and real image, the system must represent both images in the same frame of reference by using sensitive calibration and measurement systems to determine the different coordinate frames in the AR system. This system measures the position and orientation of the camera with respect to the coordinate system of the real world. These two parameters determine the world-to-camera transform, C. We can quantify the parameters of camera-to-image, P, by calibrating the video camera. Finally, the third parameter, O, is computed by measuring the position and orientation of the virtual object in the real world, being rendered and combined with the live video. Computer Vision for Augmented Reality Augmented Reality uses computer vision methods to improve performance. Thus, the system eliminates calibration errors by processing of the live video data. Other systems invert the camera projection to obtain an approximation of the viewer pose. Recently, a mixed method uses the fiducial tracking, which is combined with a magnetic position tracking system that determines the parameters of the cameras in the scene. Currently, the problems of camera calibration are solved by registering the virtual objects over the live video. Animation If we want an AR system to be credible, it must have the ability to animate the virtual elements within the scene. Thus, we can distinguish between objects moving by themselves and those whose movements are produced by the user. These interactions are represented in the object-to-world transform by a multiplication with a translation matrix. Portability Since the user can walk through large spaces, Augmented Reality should pay special attention to the portability of it systems, far from controlled environments, allowing users to walk outdoor with comfort. This is accomplished by making the scene generator, the head-mounted display and the tracking system capable of being autonomous. What are the Differences between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality? While AR enriches the user ´s view of the world by creating interactive virtual objects and introducing them in our real world, VR systems immerse us in a virtual world that completely replaces the real world outside. Natural environments contain important information that can not be simulated by computer. To augment the information from the real world, it is better to integrate the virtual elements within the natural environment, so that the users feels fully immersed. To achieve this goal we need a system that incorporates these elements in the most efficient way. This system will need to continually send stimuli to the user to perceive that sense of immersion. In addition, changes made by the user shall be correctly interpreted by the system, in this way the virtual elements will be incorporated with their changes in the real environment. Any inconsistency between the real an virtual parts will result in a disconnection between virtual elements and their position in the real world. Virtual environments require real-time response to display a high level of realism, which implies the need for high power AR systems to introduce the user in a perfect immersive experience. This system must correctly analyze the user ´s movements to determine how they will affect the scene. Comparison Against Virtual Environments Augmented Reality requires three basic subsystems compared to Virtual Reality: Scene generator: Since the virtual environment completely replaces real world, it will need higher technical requirements than those of Augmented Reality. On the other hand, AR doesn ´t need to realistically reproduce the virtual items to be perceived integrated into the scene. Display device: While VE uses colour systems in all its applications, with AR is sufficient to use monochrome screens, thus consuming fewer resources and energy. Tracking and sensing: In this field, Augmented Reality is more stringent in its requirements that those for virtual environment systems. Mixed Systems: Augmented Simulation AUGSIM is the combination of Augmented Reality and Seamless Simulation. This combination augments the real world with computer entities and actions, thus be used in virtual training and gaming. Thus, through AR we can experience virtual sounds and images in our real world. What graphical systems does Augmented Reality use? The standard HMD provides the user total immersion in the virtual environment. To achieve this isolation, the system must use video cameras to obtain an accurate view of the physical world Some AR researchers work with two types of Head-mounted displays to increase the sense of immersion inside the scene. These two systems are the following. Optical See-Trough HMD In Augmented Reality, Head-Mounted Displays show an improved world in front of the user ´s eyes. These portable computers with an integrated video camera, detect real world situations, allowing the user to perceive the real world together with specific information generated by the computer. OST eliminates the channel that captures images of the real scene. Thus, the merging of virtual and real world is carried out optically in front of the viewer, with a similar system to Head-Up display. Video See-Through Augmented Reality Display This system has the same configuration as the monitor-based display and requires a system to merge the real and virtual video channels into a single image. The video camera provide the user ´s view of the real world. After, graphic images are combined with the video by the scene generator, merging the real world with the virtual objects. Finally, the result is sent to the monitor. This convergence is achieved through a system known as video keying. While the first channel is called the key, the other is the background. The video composition can be done through: Chroma-keying. The background of the images is set to a special colour, which none virtual objects use. After this, the combining set replaces colour areas, inserting the corresponding parts from video of the real world. At last, virtual objects are superimposed over the real world. Depth Information. This method combine the real and virtual images by pixel-by-pixel depth analysis. Advantages and Dissadvantages of Optical and Video Approaches Both systems have advantages and disadvantages. Since both work with video cameras to capture images of the real world, there may be errors of timing during the merging operation. With the optical see-through system, is not possible to compensate for delay errors. These errors must be compensated by correctly timing of the other parts of the system. In both monitor-based and video-see through systems, the video camera is capturing images from real world. Access to these images can be and advantage if the system analyzes the video data. After this, the system will extract tracking information through position sensors on the HMD. Simplicity: In addition to optical blending is cheaper and easier than video blending, it must not deal with video streams where images from the virtual and real world are separated. Both images must be perfectly synchronized to avoid errors of temporal distortion. Resolution: Video blending has a very limited resolution of both real and virtual images. Optical see-through has a higher resolution in its screen, making the viewer ´s image of the real scene not reduced. Safety: While a lack of energy makes the video see-through head-mounted displays stop issuing images, optical see-through continues showing a perfect view of the real world. No eye offset: Video see-through puts the camera view where the user ´s eyes are. Differences between these locations introduces distortions between the virtual and real view. VST can avoid this problem by using mirrors to create another optical paths so that the user has the feeling of getting real image without displacement. Through this system, the cameras can see what the user ´s eyes see without the use of a head-mounted display. Moreover, video blending offers some advantages over optical blending: Flexibility in composition strategies: Video see-through has advantage over optical see-through because it mixes better virtual and real objects, obscuring in a better way both elements in the real scene. VST can also simulate transparencies between these elements on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Wide field-of-view: VST optimally solves the distortion errors caused by optical systems, by using processing techniques that don ´t distort the captured image. Real and virtual view delays can be matched: VST reduces problems caused by mismatches of time between virtual and real images. The view through a head-mounted display, provides an instantaneous view of the real scene, while the view of the virtual objects is displayed with a delay. With VST systems, is possible to delay the real world view to match the virtual image view. Additional registration strategies: Video blending provides additional information through the digitization of real world scene. This system uses additional resources for a better registration of optical approaches. Easier to match the brightness of real and virtual objects: Optical approaches are used in assembly and repair of many systems because of the cost and security they provide. Moreover, these system save time and labour, which represents a great saving by companies. Focus and Contrast In a video-based system, the images from the real and virtual world must be projected at the same distance by the monitor or head-mounted display optics. To overcome the mismatches on the video camera ´s depth-of-field, the graphics must be rendered simulating a limited depth-of-field. Moreover, would be advisable for the video camera had an autofocus lens. To achieve good contrast, the brightness of the real and virtual elements must be correctly matched, because if the real scene is too bright, can wash out the virtual view. On the other hand, if the real environment is too dark the virtual image could wash out the real world scene. What are the Applications of Augmented Reality? Finger Tracking Using this technology, the computer can visually track the user ´s finger, witch functions as a digital pen, a mouse or other devices. Annotation and visualization Augmented reality could be used to annotate objects, public spaces and environments with any kind of information. This information could be public or private. AR is useful to aid visualization tasks. For example, we could be able to look out a window and see how an imaginary new building would change or view of the real world. Augmented Museum In museums, the Head-Mounted Display detects the ID of the picture, generating a description of it. Moreover, the HMD identifies which picture the user is looking at, displaying specific information on the screen. Manufacturing, Maintenance and Repair This system can also be used in assembling and repair of mechanical, electronic and electrical parts. Thus, a user can point at parts of an engine model and the augmented reality system displays the name of the part and shows how to repair it. These instructions help us to understand an equipment, superimposing 3D drawing upon it. AR could be used for assembly, maintenance and repair of equipment in aircrafts, printers, engines and automobiles among others. Future AR systems will include complex animations that will show the mechanic how to repair in the most efficient way. Medical In surgical operations, AR provides an internal view of the patient. This visualization could aid in training for surgery, through ultrasound images, Computed Tomography scans or MRI scans that provide an useful view of the patient in real time. With this system, the information is captured by sensors and displayed on the patient, thus showing exactly where to perform the operation. These virtual drawings show in an easy and graphical way the tasks that need to be done and how to do them efficiently. With ultrasound imaging, for example, the doctor can view a three-dimensional virtual image of the fetus overlaid on the abdomen of the pregnant woman. Moreover, AR could guide doctors to find the site of a tumour during needle biopsies. AR devices can also be used to help in problems related to Parkinson ´s Disease. Future applications of Augmented Reality in the medical field will be craniofacial surgery visualization and guide in reconstructive surgery. Ultrasound-Guided Breast Biopsy In the field of surgery, ultrasound-guided breast biopsy has been used for diagnosis, and to guide for needle localization in lesions prior to biopsy. AR systems helps the doctor in cyst aspiration providing a three-dimensional image to guide the needle to the right place. Entertainment Nowadays, Augmented Reality is used in weather reports by changing computer-generated maps. Thus, the real image is augmented using the technique of chroma-keying. Furthermore, special techniques have been developed to insert advertisements into certain areas of a specific place during the broadcast. We often see 3D advertising in football games promoting products or services. These images are perfectly integrated using reference points in the stadium. Using this system, production costs are reduced by creating virtual sets than can be stored in a database. Military The arms industry has long used displays in cockpits to the pilot in their flight helmet. Through the use of HMDs, the activities of other units participating in the exercise can be seen by the pilot. Augmented reality can be used in aerial reconnaissance by markings in certain geographical areas. These markings add information that will be analyzed by the control command, providing a way to aim the aircraft ´s weapon. Engineering Design Using AR systems, we can display virtual prototypes to our clients, thus the client can walk around the display analyzing its different elements and discussing the necessary changes on it. This allows a real interaction between the designer and client. Robotics Augmented Reality displays can assist the user to guide remote robots. In these systems, the user uses a three-dimensional visualization which augments the information from the real world, providing guidance in geographical spaces. Consumer Applications Augmented Reality can be used in many areas of daily life. There are a wide variety of computer programs that assist the homeowner in remodelling projects to see how the changes will affect the different parts of a house. AR may also benefit the fashion and beauty industry. For example cloth stores could have stored in a database different clothing that we could wear virtually. In beauty shops, we could see how a new hair style would look in us. What Devices are Used in Augmented Reality? Hanheld Devices Augmented Reality complements mobile computing systems for optimal integration of virtual elements within real world. Nowadays wearable AR devices are too expensive, complex, fragile and hard to carry for most people. However AR systems have proven advantages in a wide variety of fields such as engineering design, manufacturing, maintenance and repair, virtual navigation, entertainment, mobile construction and others. The creators of AR systems combined the integration of a small computer with mobile devices so that users could carry them on their backs, while graphical augmentations were shown to them through Head-Mounted Displays. Despite the initial success of this system, its price remains extremely expensive and is very difficult to maintain. Because of this set of problems, developers began to think in the use of lightweight wearable devices equipped with cameras such as PDAs or mobile phones. AR Wearable Computers Mobile Phones Cellular phones are very useful because of their portability, adequate processing power and local network connectivity, but their small display size and low memory make them a very limited device for AR applications. Tablet PCs Although Tablet PCs don ´t have the limitations of mobile phones, are too expensive and extremely heavy for single handed. PDA Is the optimal platform for the Hanheld AR framework. Its interface is very intuitive and its size and weight are optimal. Moreover, its processor and RAM memory are increasingly sophisticated. What are the Major Challenges for Augmented Reality Systems? The biggest problem facing the AR today, is how to combine the virtual elements with the real world in an augmented environment, keeping the user in the illusion that the virtual elements are part of the real world. To get a good combination of these elements, we must beware of the following relationships: Object to world O: Transforms the orientation and position of virtual elements with respect to to coordinate system of the real world. World-to camera C: Defines the position of the video camera that captures the real scene. Camera to image plane P: Creates a 2D image with the information obtained from the 3D scene. This requires that relationships between physical and virtual elements must be optimal. The errors between these relationships, make the user perceive differences in appearance between real world objects and virtual elements, due to synchronization errors. These virtual elements, must interact with the user in the real world as natural as possible. The solution to these problems would be to create a system that would eliminate the differences in perception between the real world and its augmentation. What does Augmented Reality for Education? The use of Augmented Reality in school promotes teamwork and allows viewing of three-dimensional models to students, which facilitates the task of learning through a fun and interactive process. Likewise, this system can be applied to a wide variety of learning areas outside the educational field. Among the reasons that make AR attractive to be applied in educational centers, we find, among others, the interaction between virtual and real environments, the easy manipulation of objects within the virtual environment and the ease of movement from one space to another in real time. Through the use of HMDs, AR promotes team communication, showing the possible gestures and other communication signals from the students of the group. All this information is viewed by students on their screen, which facilitates interpersonal communication. This allows this form of collaboration to be seen more as a face-to-face communication than an isolated communication through displays on the HMD screen. In these collaborative environments, the information taken from the real world is socially shared in the virtual space. The advantage of using AR systems instead of other technologies, is that results highly intuitive for people who have no experience with other computer systems. Thus, even the youngest students can enjoy a fun interactive experience. Fantasy Interfaces Little children often fantasize about being actors in a fairy tale. With AR, we can make this fantasy a reality, by using a book with markers that acts as primary interface. Thus, we can turn the pages, read the text, and we can see also three-dimensional animations that tell us the story better. These 3D models are embedded in the page of the book so the child can see the animations from any point of view, moving it from different angles. These animations can be adapted to any size of book, so that reading becomes a very fun and immersive experience. These systems can be used at any educational level, making the learning process a very engaging task. To apply this system successfully, educators should collaborate with the developers of these applications to find the best way to apply it in school environments. Future directions Future monitoring systems will be more robust, and will incorporate mixed media to remedy the mistakes of registration. These systems will fully reproduce the scenes in real time within the HMD. Moreover, future AR systems will offer users the ability to walk great outdoor spaces. To achieve this, these systems will have to evolve towards better portability. To a greater sense of immersion, these systems should also incorporate 3D sound systems. As for the political and social dimensions, through the gradual introduction of Augmented Reality in the daily tasks of our live, it will be more accepted by people. Gradually, we will see that this system allow the users to make their work easier and faster instead of been seen as a system that replaces human workers. Conclusion Augmented Reality is less technologically-advanced than Virtual Reality Systems, but by contrast, AR is much more commercial. Nowadays, AR can be found in research laboratories and academic centers. The next development of AR will be initially on the aircraft manufacturing. In the other hand, its introduction to the medical field, will take longer than in other areas. AR will probably be used in medical training before than surgery. Another area where AR will develop strongly in the coming years will be in tours through outdoor environments by wearing a Head-mounted display, facilitating the development of advanced navigation systems and visualizations of past and future environments. These systems will make the orientation a much easier task. AR systems will also include 3D maps displaying information about the elements we ´re looking at, and their dimensions, and will show the easiest way to reach that destination. Regarding the application of AR in education, the lesson will be better understood by visualizations of history, geography, anatomy and sciences in general that will make the learning process much more easier. After solving the basic problems of Augmented Reality, advanced virtual elements will be developed that will be perceived as realistic as the real world. To achieve this purpose, the conditions of lighting, texturing, shading and registration will be almost perfect, so we will wear a pair of glasses outdoors that will show us realistic virtual elements with which we will interact normally.

Fanny Fern :: Sarah Willis Parton

For my third reaction paper I decided to write about Fanny Fern. Sarah Willis Parton, her real name, was the woman who was perseverant and trusted her own mind and followed her heart to do what she thought was best. Due to her determination she was able to make big achievements, â€Å"†¦one of the first women in the United States to have her own newspaper column, and for years, famous as â€Å"Fanny Fern†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (806). She has written many papers like Male Criticism, A Law More Nice Than Just and Fresh Leaves, etc†¦ While reading some of her writings I decided on analyzing a column which she published in 1858, A Law More Nice Than Just. This is a volume that speaks about Fanny Fern and her way of thinking on how men think of women and what are there reactions. The first â€Å"attack† is that women are not allowed to wear pants, this is only an action for men, â€Å"†¦Emma Wilson was arrested yesterday for wearing man’s apparel† (810). Why, should men be the only ones to wear pants, when there is supposed to be equality for both sexes. This is just that, a sexist idea, because women have the same right and that does not make them more or less feminine than those who wear pants, skirts or dresses all the time. Women are expected to be all day home waiting, for what? Who knows, just they know, because when they do go out they have to confront the â€Å"†¦rainy-day philanthropists who are interested in the public study of female anatomy† (810). This is absolutely not fair because when we come to see the ones who are more persistent and can say that they wear pants are the women because in the same example given before about the rainy days, women are the ones who have to suffer day in and day out to maintain a cordial look with there skirts all full of mud and all wet while men have it easier and are going about that they are the independent kind. Fanny shows us her strength of mind while wanting to break boundaries. She will not support the fact that men have it all figured out. But since she is so intelligent, she is a woman of course, she decided to go out dressed as a man, with her husbands clothes. She wore the whole set of

Essay --

SW 4000/#1 Suicide is a preventable, yet a very serious public health problem. In 2009, more deaths resulted from suicide than from car accidents in the United States. Citation here! In the past, suicide prevention has been more geared towards youths and adolescents. However, recent research has shown an increase in suicide of middle-aged adults and this increase places suicide at the fourth leading cause of death among this age group. Citation here Little is known about midlife suicides, so with that in mind, direct practice workers need an understanding in how to address the needs and concerns of the middle-age group, so that suicide can be prevented. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013), suicide rates among persons aged 35-64 years has increased to 28.4% from a previous percentage of 13.7 per 100,000 populations. You misquoted, this should be 28.4 per 100,000 which is much different than 28% There needs to be a push for suicide preventive measures that are geared more towards this particular age group. Middle-aged adults are likely to have mental health issues and stress. Such stress can come from dual caregiver responsibilities, economic challenges, and health problems. As the â€Å"baby boomer† generation is increasing in numbers, many middle-aged adults are left with stress of caring for parents and children. The three most used methods for suicide involves the use of a firearm, poisoning and suffocation by hanging. The greatest increase in incidents of suicide was shown in men aged 50-54 years and women aged 60-64. Treatment of suicidal tendencies at any age, involves reducing risk factors for those tendencies. Maris (2010) listed some common single predictors of suicide. Some of the ... ... I think it is important to conduct more research on why adults choose to end their lives. Many families suffer every day because someone they have loved chose to commit suicide. A suicide attempt is an indication that something is wrong in a person's life, no matter their race, age, or how poor or rich a person is matters. Many who die by suicide have a mental or perhaps an emotional disorder. The NASW Code of Ethics is intended to act as a guide for professional social workers that contains many values, principles and ethical standards. Suicide falls under several of the professional standards. For example, 1:01 involves a commitment to clients, 1.04 concerns competence, and 3.02 standards involve education and training. I think as a future professional social worker, it is my duty to learn all I can about suicide and possible prevention to serve future clients.

Macbeth-How Was the Witches Ported in Polanskis Movies and Shakespeare’s Book

Choose one principal character in the Shakespeare play you have studied compare the presentation of your chosen character in the play with the presentation of the same character in an adaptation of the play . Use examples from both the play and adaptation in your response. The Character I have chosen are the Witches . The witches have a big effect in the play, not only are they evil, but this is emphasized by the hate against witches and witchcraft in Elizabethan times. In the book the witches are first portrayed as scary and dangerous because of the surroundings thunder and lightning on a moor is an evil image: we associate thunder and lightning with scary and dangerous things, also the moor is a very lonely place. One of the witches asks the other witches â€Å"when shall we three meet again, In thunder, lightnig or in rain† By the witch asking this it makes the reader think why would they want to meet in dangerous weather, maybe they witches like the scary weather. The Witches language is also very evil and powerful. â€Å"Fair is foul, and foul is fair; hover through the fog and filthy air† This quote tells me that the Witches have a hatred for anything good, and their love for things good. Shakespeare could have used internal rhyme to emphasise the evilness. When Macbeth meets the witches at first they greet him as â€Å"Thee thane of Cawdor† and even more as †That shalt be king† This shows that the witches are not normal human creatures because they could be suggesting that they can see into the future. In Polanski’s movie the witches are first seen on the beach burying a hand, a rope and a dagger these items could be representing Macbeth’s future. The hand could represent the witches forcing Macbeths hand. A rope because the Thane of Cawdor was hanged. Finally the dagger because Macbeth stabs Banquo and king Duncan. Macbeth also see’s Banquos ghost carrying a dagger. Also in the movie the witches are portrayed as ugly and are dressed poorly, this could mean that they don’t care about they’re appearance. Overall the witches might not be all evil because they never lied to Macbeth, they just gave half truths.

Is Batman a Real Superhero

Is Batman a real super hero, according to a lot of people they would say he is not and when you would ask for a reason why not; they will usually always give the same reason that he can’t be one since he has no super power. But I’m writing this paper to show that a superhero isn't necessarily defined by his powers, but rather, his zeal for fighting crime and his innate ability to do so. Batman may not have super human powers but he shares every other trait that other super heroes have that define them. As well another example of why we may consider Batman to be a real super hero is Lex Luthor, Lex does not have any super powers but he is defiantly a super villain, thus with him being a super villain how could we not agree to Batman being a super hero. Interestingly, the term â€Å"superhero† has been traced back to its first appearance in a 1942 story by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, when it was used to describe the costumed character â€Å"the Guardian,† who also had no â€Å"super-powers. The term â€Å"super† is a coinage of the 1920s, when it came into vogue as a contraction of the word â€Å"superior† and should not be construed as always meaning something beyond the ability of ordinary humans; â€Å"super† does not have to be synonymous with â€Å"impossible. † Note that in the link below, it is clearly stated that â€Å"characters need not have actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes. † Batman is also served up there as an example of one of the world's best known â€Å"superheroes,† and he is the prototype of scores of costumed heroes who have no superhuman powers. Clearly, Batman qualifies as a â€Å"superhero† and opinions to the contrary are exactly that, mere opinions, and may be ignored with a clear conscience. Webster defines being a super hero as a type of stock character possessing â€Å"extraordinary or superhuman powers† and dedicated to protecting the public and has some visual characteristic (typically an outfit) that makes him/her identifiable. Batman defiantly fits this definition to the teeth, since he has dedicated his whole (fictional) life to the protecting the citizens of Gotham City, and everyone out there has to admit he has some pretty extraordinary powers. But what else defines as super hero: A strong moral code, which will include being willing to risk one’s own life in order to help someone help and expecting nothing in return. Such code can also include the refusal or strong reluctance to kill or wield weapons. Batman has never killed anyone and doesn’t use guns, he uses gadgets and stealth to subdue his enemies and then make sure they are handed over to the police force. Also a strong motivation and a sense of responsibility with a hint of some personal vendetta against criminals, like with Batman’s vendetta against the people mugged and shot his parents when they were coming out of their play they were attending. A super hero must also have a secret identity that will protect their family and friends from being the target of his enemies. Batman doesn’t have a lot of close friends but the ones he does he wants to protect from villain’s such as the Joker and the Riddler. Heroes must also have a distinctive costume in order to conceal their identity from the public. They must also have an underlying motif that resembles the heroes name, personal effects and other aspects the character has come to represent, for example Batman takes his name obviously from a Bat, operates at night designs all of his gadgets with a â€Å"bat† prefix, and most importantly the â€Å"batmobile† tends to resemble a bat. Heroes must also have a supporting cast of recurring characters in there comic books, though not all of them will not know the super heroes secret identity which will make the heroes personal relationships with them complicated by the dual life. One of the most important parts of heroes is their enemies they fight. Super heroes will usually start by fighting run of the mill villains with no exceptional gifts, but then later on usually super villain’s will start to appear, and in many case the hero is actually responsible for them coming into to play. Like how Batman was there for the accident that created two face, Batman may not have been able to stop it but that sure won’t stop two face for blaming Batman. Also archenemies are the most important villain to superheroes as they are usually the exact opposite and just as powerful as or even more powerful than them. Batman’s greatest enemy would most likely have to be the Joker, as he is the foil to batman, as Batman is dark, quiet, and grim while the joker is colourful, loquacious, and very flamboyant. The hero will also need some sort of job with minimal supervision or independent wealth to fund his deeds since he keeps his identity secret there is going to be no way he’s going to be paid for what he does, Batman got the lucky end of the stick on this one since he is the richest super hero out there he will have no problem funding is exploits. Heroes will also need to have some sort of headquarters or base of operations, usually hidden, in order to prepare for some sort of mission or to come back to store all their gear. The last thing that defines a super hero from an ordinary Joe is the back story that explains the circumstances that the â€Å"hero† acquired his or her abilities and as well the motivation behind wanting to help the public and just help themselves. Many origins will usually include freak accidents or tragic events, like batman’s parents being shot. Now for all of you out there who still don’t believe that someone without super powers could actually be a super hero, hasn’t looked into the actual science of being batman, I’m not saying batman has super human powers but what he does and the frequency that he does it could not even be attempted by todays strongest athletes. Some question that needs to be asked is how much energy Batman uses in a day and how much food must he eat to give him that much energy. In the book â€Å"becoming Batman† by E.  Paul Zehr, Batman would expend about 4,000 calories a day which is comparable but still more than how much Tour de France racers use when competing in the race, but wait Batman does this everyday not just once a year. So in order to keep this going he must intake 4,000 calories a day in food, though it can’t just be any food it must be carefully monitored to contain 15% fat , 60% Carbohydrates and 25% protein, in order to maintain the physical fitness he needs to keep fighting crime. Now let’s talk about his crime fighting abilities, we all know that Batman is extensively trained in the martial arts, but how long would it take you to become a master in them, and how many does Bruce Wayne know, according to â€Å"Becoming Batman† Bruce knows more than 3 different styles of martial arts. Now in order to master a skill there is three steps you must go through; cognitive, associative, and automatic. Cognitive is the first step and this is where the Bruce would use information to develop a plan, require a high level of concentration, and unable to manage small details or changes in the environment. The second step is associative which refines the movements, gradually manages to change in the environment and doesn’t attend to every aspect of movement. The final step is automatic and here you require no cognitive attention to movement, get consistent performance, and can easily adapt smoothly and easily to different environments. Now Batman has mastered more than 3 different styles of martial arts (by roughly the age of 20-30), that seems a little bit far from imaginable since Batman is very intelligent is shows a sign that he was well educated and with education how can you find the time to master more than 3 different forms of martial arts. Also another main aspect to Batman is the fact that he is out every night being batman and getting into fights, how can someone that fights pretty much every night keep it up. He would have to make sure that he never broke a bone, and in his line of work that would be incredibly difficult, he would have to do everything perfectly and all regular humans are incapable of being perfect, but Batman’s not. Batman share more than enough of the commonalities of the fictional characters classified as â€Å"superheroes† to claim the pedigree. He wears a costume and keeps his real identity a secret; he has a hidden headquarters; he uses special equipment, ranging from miniaturized devices he keeps in his utility belt to vehicles like the batmobile and the batplane; he has the legal status of a deputy; he associates with other so-called superheroes and is a founding member of the Justice League of America, a team of â€Å"superheroes†; he often fights individuals who qualify as super-criminals; he defends common people and will risk his life to protect the common man; he can be summoned by the police through the use of a special signalling device (the â€Å"bat signal†); he has special skills which he uses to fight crime, ranging from a mastery of certain fighting skills, to the use of disguises, to the mastery of certain forensic sciences, to a unique understanding of psychology of the criminal mind, and he is a very good detective. Batman also answers to a higher moral code than does the average man.

Reading Development Essay

As literate persons, we all know something about reading, writing, and literacy. In fact, our understanding of what literacy is varies widely. Jeanne Chall concluded in Learning to Read: the Great Debate (1983), that children get a better start in reading if they are taught phonics because they break the code that links what they hear with what they see in print. Harvard Professor Jeanne Chall has outlined the stages of reading development that begin at preschool age and continue until university age. The stages of reading development explains how students’ progress as readers. Chall’s proposed scheme for reading stages includes six stages with the purpose of understanding the path of reading development from pretend reading to advance reading. The basic philosophy is that children learn to read as a developmental process; also advocating for the use of both phonics and exposure to challenging literature as the best method of teaching young children to read. Her approach encompasses the development of decoding, comprehension, and critical evaluation. Chall considers that her proposed stages of reading development resemble Piaget’s stages of cognitive and language development (Chall 1996). Accordingly, the methodology used to implement the theory entails the following. Each reading stage has a definite structure and varies from the other stages in characteristic qualitative ways. Each stage follows a hierarchical progression. Chall believes that individuals progress through the reading stages by interacting with their environments and that this interaction affects the individual’s reading development as much as the progression of the distinct stages (Chall, 1996, p. 11). Chall’s six reading developmental stages that describe how children typically learn to read. According to Chall (1996), students proceed through predictable stages of learning to read to becoming a proficient reader. During the pre-reading stage up until about six years old, learners begin to control language. By the time the learner reach kindergarten, he should have some print knowledge and vocabularies of about 6, 000 words. Many children at this stage know how to write their names. In stage 1, the learners develop a sense of alphabetic principle and utilize new sound-spelling relationships. The learner at this stage is more likely to be given reading materials easy to understand texts and that contains simple reading texts. Through Grades 2 and 3, the learner is at the second stage where he develops decoding skills, fluency and additional strategies in reading texts. At stage 3, the learner encounter wide varieties of texts and context, and all the reading demands that accompany these experiences. They extend on background experiences and strategic habits in reading. At stage 4 to 5, though high school and college, the language and intellectual demands of reader increase. They can analyze texts critically and they construct their own individual uses of reading based on analysis and synthesis. The age and grade conditions for the different stage may vary as the child’s culture and environment plays a part in how fast they progress. Therefore, individuals progress through the reading stages at different rates. How fast they advance depends upon the interaction between individual (biological, motivational, cognitive) and environmental (home, school, community) factors. The characteristics and descriptions given for the different stages serve primarily as models, presented to covey how reading develops, and changes. There are many ways to bring about the same results in reading. For instance, there are many procedures in teaching beginning reading from letters and sound to words to stories. Yet designed to accomplish the major beginning reading task of decoding. A person’s progress through the stages is not a straight upward path. At any reading stage, the individual’s performance also depends on the difficulty of the task. If the task is new and no additional instruction is received, the reader may temporarily drop to a lower level. For example, a child who has learned to decode familiar text (Stage 2) will start â€Å"guessing† when material is too difficult. The text may contain many words that needed to be decoded, too many that are not recognized immediately, and too many unknown meanings. According to the proposed reading stages, the table below shows each stage of reading development, what the child is learning, types of activities and the materials a child will be using.

Project Plan- Risk and Quality Requirements Essay

IT Project Plan IT projects are complex in nature. A proper plan gives not only maps the elements of the project but also ensures that the progress of project is going in the desired direction. In other terms, a project plan reduces the risk of project failure or over runs and improves the quality of the project. Project plan is the initial step in executing the project management. Project management strives to meet the expectations of the project stakeholders in terms of cost, quality, delivery and operations.   Project management is a crucial process that involves, people, process, price, infrastructure and cost. Project management should balance the interests of different stakeholders of the project like Project team members, management of the working group, client parameters, industry practices and the budget restrictions. In IT industry, it becomes the responsibility of project manager to look after the co-ordination of the above aspects. Project plan becomes an essential helping tool to the project management in directing the project requirements to the people and system. The project plan aligns the activities with the project life cycle and gives visibility to different phases of the project. IT will be like indicating the stakeholders of the project like client and project team to act upon the different activities of the project like, development, testing, rollout, training and implementation. The project plan is developed in connection with Organizational plan, Risk plan, Cost plan, Test plan, Roll out plan, Quality plan, Maintenance plan etc., So it is evident that Risk identification and Quality parameters act as forecasters for the project phase activities and does have a great significance in the successful implementation. However project plan includes the The Project Plan provides complete overview on how and when a project’s objectives are to be achieved, by expressing different activities to resources to achieve targets at different milestones The major elements of the project plan are as following: Description of the project or an over view of the project plan. Project specifications and requirements of the client Project Initiation plan and requirements in terms of technology, budget and people Project dependencies- external, internal Project milestones like Analysis, design, development, testing, implementation and training Identification and specification of project assumptions like availability of resources, technical inputs, skills and competency requirements. Project plan with work break down structure through Gantt chart or bar chart and control points at different levels. Project level activity specifications for different stakeholders like client team,, analysis team, design team etc., Project level resource specifications Project budget and cost plan Project tolerance, through put and capacity in terms of users and boundaries Technology to be implemented with constrains and rationale for the usage. Network contingency plans and infrastructure layout plans to be required for the project work out Risk identification and risk tolerance specifications of he system Quality framework under which the project is expected to execute Risk Risk can be termed as the possible loss or damage to a process. Risk identification is the estimation of possible potential dangers that can occur or hinder the progress of the project.   Risk in IT project management is a major component to consider even before the project execution, as the unidentified risks not only obstruct the progress but also may turn the entire project into loss. A risk will have a probability something above 0%.   And there is an identified chance to happen, which other wise is not a risk. So a deliberate approach to identify and mitigate the risks is highly appreciable from the project learning from decades. According to Dr. Barry W. Boehm, (as cited in kjordan) the top 10 identified software risks are as follows: Personal Shortfalls in perception of risk and resources Unrealistic schedules and budgets Developing the wrong functions and properties Developing the wrong user interface Gold-plating Continuing stream of requirements changes Shortfalls in externally furnished components Shortfalls in externally performed tasks Real-time performance shortfalls Straining computer-science capabilities So, IT projects do have a risk management process that is expressed through the risk management plan. The risk management plan contains the four major areas to observe in the plan: Risk Identification: The project manager or risk management personnel will identify the possible potential threats to the project management before well in advance. Eg; Shortage of workforce due to the withdrawal of people from the team; this can be from different reasons like, maternity leave, transfers to other projects or contract termination etc., Risk Quantification: The risk identified should be quantifiable, other wise which it is will not be of much useful. Eg; What percentage of people are going to be placed on another major project or percentage of testers that may not be available on project A. Risk Response: The consequences of risk should be specified, in the sense, sometimes the system may be less altered with certain types of risks. With this, the low response of system indicates and attributes the risk as a less priority risk. And the risks that may cause major alterations to the process will be given high priority by the project plan to address them and mitigate them. Risk Monitoring and Control: Risk monitoring and controlling involves the risk mitigation tools and practices for the easy execution of the project. Eg: Training the new people to fill the gaps on attrition by the time they leave or to be transferred from the current project process. The common risk scenarios in IT projects are as follows: Schedule Risk This is the highly possible risks in IT projects, when projects over run with scheduled times or slip the release schedules or the client priorities and queries are not answered Schedule risks alters the project phases and disturbs many dependencies. Other project dependencies like testing schedules, release schedules and infrastructure costing etc., can be altered and result in excessive costing and   losses. Schedule risk can happened due to the following reasons: Inappropriate or wrong project time estimation Poor tracking and monitoring of work break down plan with the resources. Over estimation of system functionality and through put. Eg: When the existing system support only 50 resources to work, scheduling of 60 or 65 may result in non availability of proper infrastructure. Wrong estimation of effort or skills. Eg: the project with low skilled work force or low effort estimation may take much time compared with the scenario of experienced people on task. Failure to specify or identify complex functionalities or requirements that emerge and become stumbling blocks for the progress execution, takes longer time to resolve and them to continue with the projected phases. Unexpected project scope expansions: These can happen due to the poor business analysis and feasibility guidelines. Budget Risk All the above schedule risks can ultimately result in increase in resource cost. In addition to this, the following at the initial project plan phase also result in budget risks Wrong budget estimation: When the cost of resources is going to be increased in future, adaptation of old compensation rates will ask for more funds to meet the project execution after some time. Cost overruns: These will arise when the project activities are not aligning with the planned activities Project scope expansion: Wrong specification of requirement may lead to extra budgets.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eg:   Some IT projects fail to define the project scope very specifically in terms of design,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   development, training (on site), installation, maintenance, and support. A project that fails   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   to differentiate between on site training support and training support through   Ã‚  Ã‚   documentation like user guide and admin guide has to face a situation in which the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   company has to bear the traveling and expenses of training resource when on-site training   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   is demanded in the last moment. Operational Risks Operational risks arises due to non specification of appropriate project methodology and non implementation of project processes like daily meetings (scrums), communication reports, Change requirement reports. Such risks will again result in over runs in operational schedules and results in high costs. Some causes of Operational risks are as follows: Failure to address priority conflicts: when tasks and conflicts are not nor prioritized, people sit on unnecessary or low priority tasks resulting the operational delays. Failure to resolve the responsibilities: The non-defined roles and responsibilities work on the similar operations or raise conflicts at some point of time in the operations. Insufficient resources : A project with in sufficient resources may execute poor operational performance and may result in operational delay.   No proper subject training : When the project stakeholders are not given project training at consecutive levels, there will be no direction and clarity in the project operations.   No resource planning : If the resource allocation is not properly planned, conflict arises between the different activities of the system   No communication in team: poor communication is the major hindrance for smooth project execution. Excessive communication and less communication will also alter the project schedules. Non -defining the desired level and form of communication hampers the information flow . eg: Non-maintenance of Change request forms from the client may result in wastage of work on the old configuration of modules by the developers and may result in project over runs. Technical risks Technical risks are the most unidentified risks with great damage and result in failure of functionality and performance. The causes of technical risks are: Continuous changing requirements: The initial technical specifications may require different technology platform to the technology that is appropriate for the recently added requirements Poor suggestion of technology: Lack of technical expertise of resources may result in compatibility problems. Some advanced features that may not be ready by the time of release, or that may not be compatible with the already developed functionalities will hamper the project execution. Product is complex to implement: When the product development is too complex and there is a dearth of skill and expertise in the market, the project needs to suffer delay or failure. Difficult project modules integration: When different modules are products are to be integrated, incompatibility problem arises between them that result in re work or failure. External Risks    These are the external risks beyond the boundaries of project management. These are all uncertain and may result of the following: Shortage of fund. Market Changes: Transferred demand Changing customer product strategy and priority Government rule changes. Quality Requirements of Project Quality refers to the delivery of projects and products that meet the expectations of all the stakeholders. A project that may meet all the specification of the client, but may over run the project schedule is not termed as a quality project, as it has resulted in extra cost to the management. So in order to bring down the risk, IT projects adopt different Quality models. For example Software design and development projects adopt quality models like CMMI, ISO, BSI, etc., he quality model frames a risk management plan and ensures the system to adhere to the planned project activities until the successful implementation. Usually the quality models identify some risk areas and constantly work on controlling the risk areas. The parameters that are commonly observed by different Quality models for IT systems are as follows: Correctness, Reliability, Integrity, Usability, Efficiency, Maintainability, Testability, Interoperability, Flexibility, Reusability, Portability, Clarity, Modifiability, Documentation, Schedule, Validity, Functionality, Generality and Economy. The quality management department or manager will ensure the project that it is being executed properly as per the plan. All the stakeholders monitor the project activities according to the quality parameters and control the error or risk as per the risk mitigation guidelines. Project Quality Plan defines the expectation of the stakeholders in terms of project specifications, schedule time, technology inputs, dependencies etc., and also maps the process to ensure the system to balance. A Project Quality management supports the following through quality plans and system guidelines: Defining organizational and project level quality objectives and parameters Customer requirements and expectations in terms of functionality, delivery Acceptance criteria of the IT product, which is a prioritized list of criteria for the customer to accept the final product. Roles and responsibilities of Quality management team. Functionality boundaries of the project quality system Reference to Industry practices or standards to be met The quality-control and audit processes to be applied to project management Quality-control and audit process parameters and requirements Change management procedures in case of scope change in project Configuration management plan Validation and verification controls Quality control and Assurance plan and procedures By adopting quality monitoring procedures Defining test lab procedures like- test documentation, testing resources, Test cases, scenarios, error logs and other testing documentation Metrics for quality analysis System guidelines for quality management procedures Maintenance of configuration management and change control requirements Conclusion For the Successful IT Project implementation, the project plan must address the risk issues and Quality requirements to mitigate the risk issues. Effective project planning, quality control, and monitoring will ensure the quality assurance of the project mitigating the identified risks. References Elizabeth and Richard Larson, How to Create a Clear Project Plan, Retrieved February 2,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2008 from www.projectmanagement.ittoolbox.com/documents/industry-articles/how-to–  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   create-a-clear-project-plan-844 – 26k – EPA Requirements for Quality Assurance Project Plans (EPA QA/R-5), Retrieved February   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2, 2008 from http://www.epa.gov/QUALITY/qs-docs/r5-final.pdf kjordan, Introduction to Software Risk & Risk Management, Retrieved February 2,2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://baz.com/kjordan/swse625/intro.html Hyatt & L. Rosenberg, A Software Quality Model and Metrics for Identifying Project Risks and Assessing Software Quality, http://satc.gsfc.nasa.gov/support/STC_APR96/qualtiy/stc_qual.html Project Management Planning, Retrieved February 2, 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.cio.ca.gov/itpolicy/pdf/PM3.2_Planning_Process_and_Plan.pdf Project Quality Plan , Retrieved February 2, 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documentation_and_templates_project_quality_plan.asp Project plan, Retrieved February 2, 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documentation_and_templates_project_plan_.asp QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT PLAN REQUIREMENTS, Retrieved February 2,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2008   Ã‚   from     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.wipp.energy.gov/library/CRA/BaselineTool/Documents/Appendices/  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   WAP%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2010.PDF Quality Assurance Planning, Retrieved February 2, 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.chesapeakebay.net/info/qa_planning.cfm Risk management strategy, Retrieved February 2, 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documentation_and_templates_risk_management_strateg  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   y_.asp Risk management framework, Retrieved February 2, 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documentation_and_templates_risk_management_framew  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ork_.as p Risk management strategy, Retrieved February 2, 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documentation_and_templates_risk_management_strateg  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   y_.asp Risk log (risk register) Retrieved February 2, 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documentation_and_templates_risk_log_risk_register.asp Types of Risks in Software Projects, Retrieved February 2, 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/types-of-risks-in-software-projects/   

Business Essays – Commercial Domestic Cleaning

Business Essays Commercial Domestic Cleaning Commercial Domestic Cleaning Business Description This is the perfect time to starting this new venture after patiently searching for nine months for the perfect location, finally we realise we could use our own house as an office. Our business is locate in Gateshead and our cleaning contractors cover Gateshead, Newcastle and Sunderland. The demand from the owners clients as well as the ambitions of the owner to one day start his own business will make this business to be one of greatest and potencial business in the region. Business Idea Avelino Family Commercial Domestic Cleaning and Ironing Service is a full cleaning service dedicated to consistently providing high customer satisfaction by providing the best possible highest standards office, domestic cleaning and ironing service at an acceptable price and value relationship. We also will maintain a friendly, fair, and good working environment which respects, ideas and hard work. The key to success in archiving our busine ss goal are: Genuine client care Attention to detail Commitment to our work and customers Providing an environment conducive to giving relaxing and professional service We are dedicated not just to meeting our customer’s expectation, but rather exceeding them. AFCD cleaning service has the Experience, Expertise and Resources to provide the best value contract cleaning service. Management Bedrooms – hoover and wipe the floors, clean door, light switches and skirting boards, clean mirrors, dust all surfaces, wash windows inside; Living room – dust and polish all surfaces, clean windows inside, mirrors and pictures, wipe skirting boards, light switches and door frame, hoover and mop the floor; Bathrooms – scrub and discalce bath and showers, sinks, shower doors and tiles, wipe all surfaces, clean mirrors, wash inside windows, scrub and disinfect toilets, hoover and wash floors; Entrance area and stairs – hoover and wash (if necessary) floor and stairs, wipe skirting boards, entrance door and light switches. Offices – cleaning all desks, hoover and mop the floor. Unique Features A a sole trader I will run my business, with a good eye for detail, that as got the experience of years in the business and knowing what my customers needs are. The AFCD cleaning service staff are highly trained in all aspects of cleaning to a very high standard, and are fully vetted, honest, reliable, friendly, uniformed staff so if customers are tied of housework or to busy with work! want their evenings and weekends back, well let AFCD cleaning service take the work out of housework, so they can relax of an evening, or just enjoy they weekends having fun, while we leave they home spick n span.

Environment, Crime, and Disease in Mali Research Paper

Environment, Crime, and Disease in Mali - Research Paper Example Environmental Issues Globalization has various impacts on Mali’s environment, which are both positive and negative. The positive impact on the environment has mainly been in the agricultural sector. A good example is the tremendous growth in production of cotton (Kutting, 2004), which came about with the introduction of new seeds, which suited the Mali environment favorably. The increase in production of cotton has helped in the contribution to the economy because of increased exportation. The interaction of Mali with other countries has helped Mali know of better ways to cope with current environmental changes. The negative effects of globalization on the environment have been uniform in many countries especially third world countries with no exception to Mali. Globalization has led to mass industrialization, which has made industrial wastes a nuisance (Logan, 2002). This has led to pollution of water masses, which lead to the destruction of marine life and also diminishing a ccess to fresh water for human and animal use. Crime Similarly, globalization has influence the occurrence of crimes both positively and negatively. Through globalization, Mali law enforcers have accessed ways to fight crime by interacting with other law enforcers in the globe. This has somewhat reduced some forms of crime and has made Mali a more secure place. Also due to globalization there has been collaboration with allies in the Diaspora, who have helped to give ideas on training to ensure the law enforcers get the best training they can get so that the country is kept safe. However on the other side, globalization has also led to access of terrorists to ideas to build weapons of mass destruction and has increased the threat of terror attacks (United Nation, 2010). Mali people are very close allies with the USA in the war against terrorism. The local Mali individuals have also been able to learn more tactics to commit crime thus the rate of crime has gone up. Disease Mali being an African country in the tropics, there are many diseases that are rampant in the region. The region is infected with communicable diseases and globalization has spread the diseases to other parts of the world due to immigration to other countries (Lee, 2003). This has made the country have a crisis every time there is an outbreak of a disease since the poverty levels in this third world country cannot allow combating of these diseases easily. On the other hand, globalization has availed researchers with samples to try and get a cure for these communicable diseases. When foreigners come to Mali, they have to be immunized and thus vaccines have been developed to avoid also a humanitarian crisis, when there is an outbreak. Conclusion Mali has been working closely with USAID to combat the negative effects of globalization. In terms of environmental problems, USAID has funded Mali government in controlling industrial wastes not to spill over to the environment and end up polluting it. USAID through funding the world vision is also helping in providing safe water for drinking to the Mali community. The efforts of the USAID are quite commendable and their effect is being felt, but, I believe the involvement of the locals more to help keep the environment safe will yield better