Chordates and Vertebrates Lab Essay

Procedures/Methods: For each organism, find and draw a representative image. Each organism may include prepared slides as well as specimens, or students may need to find them on the internet. Provide descriptive notes for each organism and address any questions asked in detail using complete sentences. List all references. Results: 1. Urochordata –Tunicates a. Molgula – preserved i. What is the function of the two knobs/protrusions? The function of the two knobs/ protrusions are the incurrent and excurrent siphons. These creatures are suspension feeders so the siphons are where water and nutrients are exchanged, and wastes and gametes leave. 2. Cephalochordata a. (Amphiox) Lancelets – note the pharynx with gill slits, the nerve cord and the notochord 3. Vertebrata a. Lampreys – most primitive i. How do adult lampreys feed? Lampreys lack the typical jaws of other fishes, in both their larval and adult forms. After metamorphosis though, the oral hood present in larval lampreys is replaced by the adult’s concave, circular, sucker-disk mouth, with horny teeth. The feeding behavior is characterized by rhythmic rasping, negative pressure pulses in the sucker, and swallowing of fluid into the gut. Once the lamprey is attached to a host fish, the parasite extracts blood and/or muscle tissue. They prey on fishes in the ocean or lake system with their toothed oral suction like disc and breaking the skin and using a tongue that is covered with keratinized teeth to suction off blood and bits of tissue. They stay attached to their host usually until the resources are no longer available and are known to kill their hosts, but they can detach whenever they so choose. b. Chondricthyes i. Rays ii. Dogfish shark c. Ray-finned fishes – note bony support structures on fins i. Perch – 1. Note the swim bladder. What is its purpose? The swim bladder, also called the air bladder, is a buoyancy organ possessed by the perch as well as most bony fish. The swim bladder is located in the body cavity and is derived from an out-pocketing of the digestive tube. It contains gas (usually oxygen) and functions as a hydrostatic, or ballast, organ, enabling the fish to maintain its depth without floating upward or  sinking. It also serves as a resonating chamber to produce or receive sound. In some species the swim bladder contains oil instead of gas. In certain primitive fish it functions as a lung or respiratory aid instead of a hydrostatic organ. ii. Catfish iii. Eels Tetrapods (Within Vertebrata) 1. Amphibia a. Toads b. Frogs 2. Reptilia a. Lizards b. Snakes c. What is a distinguishing characteristic between reptiles and amphibians? Although both species are cold blooded, they are very different in appearance and physical makeup. Reptiles are covered in distinctive scales, and some may even have a rough texture. Amphibians, on the other hand, typically have smooth moist skin. Reptiles also have more diverse body types than amphibians. They may or may not have limbs, and can range in size from very small to substantially larger and heavier than humans. Most adult amphibians have four limbs, and while their size varies, very few grow larger than a man’s arm. The role of water is also an important distinguishing characteristic. Though many reptiles live in the vicinity of water, this is not essential for them to stay alive and some lizards and snakes are ideally suited to dry areas. By contrast, many amphibians must remain moist in order to breathe, although they do have lungs, they also take in oxygen through their skin. This thin skin means that they lost moisture easily as well, and  some will even die if their skin dries completely. Life cycles are different in that when reptile eggs hatch, the young look like miniature adults. An amphibian initially emerges from an egg in the form of an aquatic larva, like a tadpole that breathes through gills until they mature and develop lungs so they may survive without being completely submerged. 3. Aves a. Roadrunner b. Barn Owl 4. Mammalia a. Cottontail rabbit b. Opossum c. Which of these organisms is a marsupial? The opossum also just spelled possum is the marsupial of these two organisms. d. What is a marsupial? A marsupial is a mammal of an order whose members are born incompletely developed. At birth, they take a long, arduous journey from the birth canal, driven purely by instinct, grabbing hold of the mother marsupial’s fur which she has cleaned and made easier to traverse with saliva, to reach the pouch. Upon reaching the pouch, they latch onto a teat which swells in their mouth to prevent them from being accidentally dislodged during the mother’s movements. They remain attached for months to continue and complete their development. Discussion: Students learned all of the following in the chordates and vertebrates lab. Chordates have four key characteristics. They have notochords, a dorsal, hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits or clefts, and a muscular, post anal tail. Two major groupings are Urochordata and Cephalochordata. The  urochordata to be observed are the tunicates. Tunicates retain pharyngeal slits, have incurrent and excurrent siphon, and they are suspension feeders. Lancelets are the cephalochordate that will be observed in the lab. The next grouping are the craniates. The craniates have chordate characteristics plus a distinct head. Myxini are craniates, an example of which being the hagfish, but there are no specimen to be observed in the lab. The next major grouping are the vertebrates. These are craniates plus a backbone. The backbone includes vertebrae, they have a more extensive skull, and more elaborate skeletal support. The Lampreys are basal vertebrates that are jawless with a cartilaginous skeleton, and they retain their notochord. The Gnathostomes are vertebrate characteristics plus a true hinged jaw. Chondrichthyes, sharks and rays have cartilaginous skeletons, are gnathostomes. Another gnathostome is actinopterygii, which are ray-finned fishes. They have bony fin support, and ossified skeleton. The perch is an example of the actinopterygii, which has a swim bladder for buoyancy control which is for air instead of urine. They have a lateral line for vibration sensation, which will be viewed in lab. Catfish and eels will also be observed. The next group are Tetrapods, which have all the characteristics of gnathostome plus limbs. They have five key characteristics. Four limbs and feet with digits, neck for head movement, pelvic girdle that is fused to back bone, no gills, and ears for sound detection. Amphibia are early life aquatic adult life. Examples of these are toads, frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (a legless lizard which even though he doesn’t have legs, he has all the other characteristics). The next group is the amniote, which has tetrapod characteristics plus terrestrially adapted egg. The amniotic egg membranes incled the amnion, chorion, yolk sac, and allantois. Examples are reptilian and aves (birds). The reptilian include tuataras, turtles, crocodilians, birds, snakes, lizards. The scales are waterproof and the lab has specimens of snakes and lizards. The aves have three characteristics, adaptation for flight (most), keratin-containing feathers, and they lack urinary bladder, and no teeth. There are roadrunner (just the foot) and barn owl (just the wing) specimens to observe in the lab. The last big group are the mammals. They have the same characteristics as the amniotes plus hair and milk production. There are five key characteristics. Mammals have mammary glands, hair, high metabolic rate (endothermic), larger brains, and  differentiated teeth (specialized for specific purposes). Under phylum mammalia, there are monotremes (platypus and echnida (only mammals that lay eggs), marsupials (pouched mammals-kangaroo, koala, possum), and eutherians (placental mammals). Conclusion: Students successfully completed this lab and learned the differences and characteristics for each organism. When viewing the Urochordata (Tunicates), the lab showed molgula. Students learned that the function of the two knobs/protrusions are the incurrent and excurrent siphons. Organisms with these incurrent and excurrent siphons are suspension feeders, so the siphons are where water and nutrients are exchanged and wastes and gametes leave. Then the Cephalochordata were viewed in the form of Lancelets, where students saw the pharynx with gill slits, the nerve chord and the notochord. Next, students observed the vertebrata. The lampreys were the most primitive, and from them it was learned that they lack the typical jaws of other fishes both in their larval and adult forms. The Lamprey’s feeding behavior is characterized by rhythmic rasping, negative pressure pulses in the sucker, and swallowing of fluid into the gut. Then the students viewed the chondricthyes in the forms of rays and dogfish. Next the ray-finned fishes were observed, including the perch, catfish, and the eels. The students saw the bony support structures on the fins and also learned about the purpose of the swim bladder. The swim bladder, also called the air bladder, is a buoyancy organ possessed by the perch as well as most bony fish. The swim bladder is located in the body cavity and is derived from an out-pocketing of the digestive tube. It contains gas (usually oxygen) and functions as a hydrostatic, or ballast, organ, enabling the fish to maintain its depth without floating upward or sinking. It also serves as a resonating chamber to produce or receive sound. After the ray-finned fishes, the tetrapods were observed. The amphibians, reptilians, aves, and mammals were all observed. Students viewed toads, frogs, lizards and snakes for amphibians and reptialians respectively. Students also learned the differences between the amphibians and reptiles. Reptiles are covered in distinctive scales, and some may even have a rough texture. Amphibians, on  the other hand, typically have smooth moist skin. Reptiles also have more diverse body types than amphibians. They may or may not have limbs, and can range in size from very small to substantially larger and heavier than humans. Most adult amphibians have four limbs, and while their size varies, very few grow larger than a man’s arm. The role of water is also an important distinguishing characteristic. Though many reptiles live in the vicinity of water, this is not essential for them to stay alive and some lizards and snakes are ideally suited to dry areas. By contrast, many amphibians must remain moist in order to breathe, although they do have lungs, they also take in oxygen through their skin. This thin skin means that they lost moisture easily as well, and some will even die if their skin dries completely. Life cycles are different in that when reptile eggs hatch, the young look like miniature adults. An amphibian initially emerges from an egg in the form of an aquatic larva, like a tadpole that breathes through gills until they mature and develop lungs so they may survive without being completely submerged. Roadrunners and barn owls were observed for aves. For mammals, cottontail rabbits and opossums were observed. Students also learned what marsupials are. A marsupial is a mammal of an order whose members are born incompletely developed. At birth, they take a long, arduous journey from the birth canal, driven purely by instinct, grabbing hold of the mother marsupial’s fur which she has cleaned and made easier to traverse with saliva, to reach the pouch. Upon reaching the pouch, they latch onto a teat which swells in their mouth to prevent them from being accidentally dislodged during the mother’s movements. They remain attached for months to continue and complete their development. The lab successful familiarized students with all the different types of vertebrates/chordates. References: List all references used in APA format. Carol, R. L. â€Å"The Origin of Reptiles.† In Origins of the Higher Groups of Tetrapods† Controversy and Consensus, edited by H. P. Schultze and L. Trueb. Ithaca, NY: Comstock, 1991. â€Å"Morphology of the Vertebrates†. University of California Museum of Paleontology. Retrieved 2008-09-23 Nelson, J. S. (2006). Fishes of the World (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. pp. 601 pp. ISBN 0-471-25031-7. Personal Communication. Dr. Bledsoe. November 5, 2014. Rychel, A.L., Smith, S.E., Shimamoto, H.T., and Swalla, B.J. (2006). â€Å"Evolution and Development of the Chordates: Collagen and Pharyngeal Cartilage†. Molecular Biology and Evolution 23 (3): 541–549. Shu, D-G., Conway Morris, S., and Han, J (January 2003). â€Å"Head and backbone of the Early Cambrian vertebrate Haikouichthys†. Nature 421 (6922): 526–529. swim bladder. (2014). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/577044/swim-bladder tunicate. (2014). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/609172/tunicate/49484/External-features

Nazi Propaganda IWA

The Nazi party, or National Socialist German Workers' party of Germany, attempted, and were almost completely successful in wiping out the entire culture of the Jewish, and the population of homosexuals, gypsies, disabled, and Slavic people, all due to his simple dislike of them. In his attempt to obliterate all of the people that he thought weren't worthy of life, his regime and he used several different types of propaganda – in this case, visually, through a poster- to try to brainwash everyone to have the same views as him and support his prosecution of them.Him and his brutal regime tried their hardest to manipulate everyone's opinion of certain groups so that they could achieve his sadistic and horrific goal. In the Anti-Semitic cartoon by Sepal Josef Plank), it appears that an octopus with a Star of David over its head has its tentacles encompassing a globe, seemingly sucking the color off of the globe. The cartoon is presented on a white, grayish background with a cente red globe facing Africa, Europe, and Asia with no color whatsoever.Possessing the globe is a gigantic blue octopus with the Star of David floating above its head with its tentacles wrapped round the globe, seemingly sucking the life and color out of the world. The octopus also appears to be Injecting a black substance, may be toxic, Into the Earth, poisoning it. The strikingly visual and dramatic cartoon, used as Nazi propaganda, Is very easy to comprehend and extremely memorable.The purpose of the poster was an attempt to convince German citizens and other citizens In Europe that the Jewish people are going to ruin all life on Earth and are going to poison the population and anything they touch. The Nazi regime hopes that the poster will give everyone a reality check ND make them realize that exterminating the Jews will better everyone's life and improve the world. The Nazi's believe that the Jewish are nothing but a waste of space and that they're not worthy of being around other kinds and races that are superior to them.The Nan government hopes the audience will support their efforts In persecuting the â€Å"less superior† races and Join In their movement. They hope that people will Join In on the extermination process and make their efforts a lot easier and faster. This Is an extremely effective poster due to the simple colors -gray, black, white and blue- and lack of words, making It understandable for all different ages. Nan propaganda was a huge part In their success -If you can call It that- of getting rid of the â€Å"vermeil† that they thought were In the world.Nazi Propaganda IOWA By champion Nazi Propaganda By definition, anti-Semitic is a person who discriminates against or is prejudiced or also appears to be injecting a black substance, may be toxic, into the Earth, poisoning it. The strikingly visual and dramatic cartoon, used as Nazi propaganda, is very easy to convince German citizens and other citizens in Europe that the Jewish people are period to them. The Nazi government hopes the audience will support their efforts in persecuting the â€Å"less superior† races and Join in their movement.They hope that people will Join in on the extermination process and make their efforts a lot easier and faster. This is an extremely effective poster due to the simple colors -gray, black, white and blue- and lack of words, making it understandable for all different ages. Nazi propaganda was a huge part in their success -if you can call it that- of getting rid of the â€Å"vermin's† that they thought were in the world.

Adapting Communicative Language Teaching Approach to China’s Context Essay

1. Introduction With the development of market economy, China is accelerating its steps to join the world family in commerce and cultural partnership. With the recent accession to the WTO, the long-awaited Olympic Games in Beijing, China has made learning English a national priority. English, with its unique status, has been taught in China for more than 100 years. Today, English is becoming more and more popular. It is a compulsory course for all Chinese students from primary school to university. Clearly it is relatively easy to demonstrate the importance of English in current China. This essay intends to argue that to achieve success in English learning for Chinese students the methods of teaching must be reconsidered. Therefore this article is structured as follows: First, analyzing different types of English teaching methods in China and then focusing on the CLT Method. By analyzing and contrasting these English teaching methods, the need to change current English teaching methods in China will be discovered. Finally, explaining the problems of adopting the more modern CLT Approach and giving suggestions on how it may best be adapted to the Chinese context. See more:  Social Satire in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay 2. A Brief Introduction to English Teaching Methods in China 2.1 Grammar-Translation Method  English has been taught in China for more than 100 years. In the beginning stage, people did not have any experience on modern language teaching and learning, so they followed a European language teaching method YE Jin (1978- ), Master of education, lecturer of School of Foreign Language, Shenzhen University; research fields: English language teaching methods, cross-cultural communication, educational assessment,which is used in teaching Greek and Latin in Middle Ages in Europe—Grammar-Translation Method. Some Chinese students become accustomed to this method in learning English and generally showed great interest in language structures and linguistic details. Most of them believe â€Å"we would like to know what happens, because if we understand the system, we can use English more effectively† (Harvey, 1985). Therefore, most Chinese English teachers always stick to this method, and think it is essential to analyze grammar to learners, without considering the age of the students or their English proficiency. This method is effective and suitable for some Chinese students, but not all of them. The outcome of this method is that students develop poor oral English ability with pronunciation and intonation not standard. Although they have learned lots of grammar rules, when using English to communicate, they will make grammatical mistakes frequently. Especially when they are in foreign countries, they cannot ask the way; they cannot order taxi. They are â€Å"observers† rather than active participants in classes. Students became almost â€Å"structurally competent but communicatively incompetent† (Johnson & Morrow, 1981). It has been pointed out that this grammar-oriented approach reflects an artificial and formalistic view of language skills and learning. It doesn’t allow the learners to use a language in a natural way (Widdowson, 1990). This is the most serious problem in Grammar-Translation Method and also in current China’s English teaching. 2.2 Direct Method  This English teaching method is totally different from Grammar-Translation Method. It uses English directly in teaching, such as using English to make conversations or have discussions. Students’ English competence is developed in this way instead of using mother tongue to translate. The basic principle of this method is that the foreign language learning process should be like the natural process of a child learning his or her mother tongue. It believes that language is a skill or habit, and this habit can be achieved by repetition and imitation. Although this method can inspire students’ interests in learning English and is in favour of their English pronunciation and intonation, it has certain limitations: (1) It only focuses on experiences and perceptual knowledge in English and it has little estimate on students’ level of consciousness. (2) This method rejects mother tongue in English teaching. It only sees the disadvantages of mother tongue, but never makes use of mother tongue to facilitate students’ comprehension. (3) After learning English for a long time, some students may understand simple oral English but not complicated sentences and have poor grammar skills. (4) The class size should be small in using this method. So this method is just suitable to teach English beginners, and cannot be fully applied in the large country—China. 2.3 Audio-Lingual Approach  This English teaching method puts listening and speaking in the first place. It uses sentence pattern as the base of teaching and tries to avoid mother tongue in class. When using this method in learning English, students should first listen and then speak. After a long time practice, students can automatically express what they had heard. Because this method relies on repetition and drills, the main limitations are: (1) It over emphasizes the mechanical practice and ignores students’ English skills training and learning flexibility. (2) This method focuses too much on the language structure and ignores the meaning of the language, so students’ reading and writing abilities are poor. 2.4 Communicative Language Teaching Approach (CLT)  In the early 1990s, a new English teaching method was introduced to China—Communicative Language Teaching Approach. This method emphasizes how to use language as a media to communicate. Teachers should not only train students’ listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, but also train them how to use all of these language skills into the real life communication. The teacher sets up a situation that students are likely toï ¿ ¼encounter in real life. The CLT can leave students in suspense as to the outcome of a class exercise, which will vary according to their reactions and responses (Galloway, 1993). The basic features of CLT are: (1) It focuses on students’ active participation, the whole classroom is not the teacher-centered, but students-centered one. The teacher should give students enough time to practise during class. (2) The English teacher should help students to be more independent, active and fluent in using English. In real life situation, students will use the language without teacher’s help. (3) When using the CLT, the teacher often organizes pair and group work, the whole classroom setting should be arranged in favour of these activities. Although this method is quite useful and can inspire students’ interest, it still has some limitations: (1) The textbook using in CLT breaks up the English grammatical system, which increases students’ difficulty in learning grammar. (2) This method is hard to assess. The above four English teaching methods are all used in China in different time and to a certain extent; they have their own features and focuses on improving different language skills. So the limitations are unavoidable when we use them separately in English teaching. Among them, the oldest language teaching method—Grammar-Translation Method is still popular in some places in current China. Meanwhile, for various reasons, using the CLT in China met considerable difficulties. How to use the CLT in China’s English teaching context properly still has a long way to go. 3. Adapting Communicative Language Teaching Approach in China To solve this problem, we need to use the CLT flexibly, that is to say, we need to adapt CLT to China’s English teaching context. But just as Johnson and Morrow (1981, p. 1) state â€Å"new movements often begin as reactions to old ones. Their origins lie in a discontent with an existing state of affairs†. In fact, in 1992 the State Education Development Commission (SEDC) introduced a functional syllabus, in which the communicative teaching aim was set and the communicative functions to be taught were listed. In the same year, in cooperation with the British Longman, the SEDC published a new textbook series. The syllabus and the textbooks required teachers to teach communicatively in classrooms. This action met considerable resistance at that time. 3.1 Problems  The main problems of adopting CLT in China are: First, class size. In China, each class has at least 50 students, and there are only 45 minutes in one English class. Each student could potentially speak in each class less than 1 minute. So it is impossible for English teachers to conduct CLT well in this kind of class. Second, English teachers especially some primary and secondary school English teachers lack sufficient English knowledge and teaching skills to adopt CLT without further guidance and training. â€Å"Many teachers have tried to change the dominant teaching procedures but quickly get frustrated, lose their initial enthusiasm, and acquiesce to tradition†. (Campbell & ZHAO, 1993) Third, in China the whole process of English teaching and learning is heavily influenced by examinations, and the matriculation English test focuses on students’ linguistic competence. The English teaching pattern in China is textbook-based, teacher-dominated and test-oriented, which prevents students from improving their communicative competence (ZUO, 1993). Finally, lack of teaching materials is another obstacle to adopt CLT in China. Right now, some universities in China stick to their own textbooks—College English, which was published in 1989 by Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, and has remained unchanged for more than 10 years. College English does include some authentic materials from English novels and magazines, but it lacks practical applications and is hard to organize communicative classroom activities to go with it. Because of the above reasons, English teachers cannot adopt CLT directly in China’s context, and the history 31 Adapting communicative language teaching approach to China’s context ï ¿ ¼has already proved that direct adoption would fail at last. They must adapt CLT and use an eclectic method according to Chinaà ¢â‚¬â„¢s current situation. 3.2 Factors to be considered of adapting CLT to China’s context The above four English teaching methods are all used in China’s English teaching. They have their own advantages and disadvantages. Previous research and analysis show that the most scientific way to teach English in China’s context is to combine those different English teaching methods together, using an eclectic method. An eclectic method is a method that accepts the best teaching techniques from other methods according to the actual situation. To reconcile communicative approaches to the teaching of English with traditional Chinese methods helped English teachers in their teaching, but to be eclectic, teachers were required to use CLT as a method while accepting elements of the traditional methods, especially the Grammar-Translation Method. 3.2.1 Combining accuracy and fluency in China’s English teaching In English learning, accuracy and fluency are two equally important factors, but in China, accuracy is emphasized more than fluency. Chinese students are keenly interested in the exact words, have a low tolerance of ambiguity, and tend to focus on discrete grammar points and specific syntactic constructions (Barnhouse, 1981). Modern society needs students use English not only accurately but also fluently, so more attention should be paid to fluency in the future’s English teaching. As for teaching beginners, a solid foundation of English must be emphasized, which is primarily built on accuracy, so English teachers should use Grammar-Translation Method more in this stage . Then teachers should encourage students to use English orally with as few errors as possible, and to manipulate the language system as spontaneously and flexibly as possible. CLT is largely involved in this process. After students have mastered the language forms, they ought to be given intensive fluency practice, because although linguistic competence is the basis of communicative competence, communicative competence does not automatically result from linguistic competence (DUAN, 1992). At this stage, English teachers should not interrupt students’ practice to correct their mistakes frequently, but at the end of each fluency practice, the teacher should let students aware their mistakes, so they can avoid next time. During the whole practice, the teacher should let students use English extensively and limit the use of Chinese. Through this way, accuracy and fluency can be achieved and students’ English linguistic competence and communicative competence can both be developed. 3.2.2 Student-centered orientation  For a long time, China’s English classroom is dominated by teachers. They always stand in front of the blackboard, and talk all the time; students sitting in lines separately to listen. This kind of classroom setting is in favour of using Grammar-Translation Method in teaching, but it is not convenient to carry out students’ practice. In order to facilitate English acquisition, students need oral practice in English classroom. Teachers must ensure that classroom interactions are managed, not just by the teacher, but by all participants. To achieve this, teachers should arrange the desks in such a way that the students can look directly at one another to help create interactions among students. 3.2.3 Teacher’s role  Instead of being the master of the class, the English teacher could act as an independent participant and facilitator in English classroom. He or she facilitates the communicative process among all learners and between students and various tasks. He or she can give guidance and advice when necessary. But this does not mean in the teaching process, the teacher should only be a passive observer. Although the teacher may be nondirective in general, it is still the teacher’s responsibility to recognize the distinctive qualities in the students (HAN, 1979) and to help students develop those qualities. Of course, to perform these roles well, English teachers in China need further guidance and training to let 32 Adapting communicative language teaching approach to China’s context ï ¿ ¼them fully understand that teaching English does not consist only of teaching grammar but that the true mastery of a language involves communicative competence, and to let them know how to use CLT in their daily teaching process successfully. 3.2.4 Classroom activities  Classroom activities such as role-play, pair work and group discussion should be largely involved in English teaching. At the same time, teachers can also use any unexpected occurrence that happens during class. I still remember when I was in secondary school, I was always attracted easily by outside sights and noises. Once in an English class, I saw a very beautiful butterfly flying outside the window. It was so beautiful that I signaled my best friend to look at it. Just at this moment, my English teacher also noticed my signal. Instead of being angry, she asked the whole class to enjoy the beautiful butterfly, and me to describe it in English. Although in China, classroom activities are usually based on textbooks; English teachers can try to create activities to provide students with speaking opportunities and motivate them. 3.2.5 Changes in English test  For a long time, English examinations in China did not have oral test and the language use section. Recently, some important English tests in China developed by the State Education Development Commission began to include the language use section. English teachers can teach to the test from now on. The section was added to measure the four English language skills used for communication and it included such elements like: role-play, reading comprehension and communicative writing. Most of my students in China told me that the English examination is more interesting than ever before and they like these changes. 4. Conclusion  English teaching in China, with its traditional setting and current situation, differs from many English speaking countries. But this does not mean that the CLT approach is not applicable in China’s context. On the other hand, English teachers can use an eclectic method according to their actual situations. Adapting the CLT approach, making full use of its advantages and reconciling it with the traditional Grammar-Teaching Method, this approach can work the most effectively in China. But adapting CLT to China’s context is a very complicated process, under the guidance of the SEDC, the representatives of the central government, it should be done step by step. Right now what English teachers in China need to do is to modernize, not westernize, English teaching.

The Audit Commission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Audit Commission - Essay Example There are different job functions with the audit commission namely the Audit family, Performance audit family and Functional family, working towards the same goal of improving the public services. The Audit commission follows different work patterns which would vary according to the job role and preference of the employee. There is a flexible working pattern adopted by the Audit commission which involves numerical flexibility, functional flexibility and place of work flexibility. This pattern was adopted to benefit both the organization and the employees. The numerical flexibility is adopted to balance the fluctuating word loads of the organization where there is increase or decrease in the size of the employees. The functional flexibility is where the employees are trained on various skills to serve different job functions so that they can be shuffled between various tasks during the time of needs. The place of work flexibility will help employees strike a balance between work and l ife and also it reduces the cost of the company incurred on the infrastructure and optimizes the use of resources Main objective of any organization is to use the availability of resources effectively and complete the work in the given time line. Irrespective of the work location or a function, a committed employee works effectively to give desired results. Building trust with an employee and giving him responsibilities will enhance his efficiency and also makes his responsible. The leader in organizations makes a lot of difference. There must be a healthy relationship at work which will motivate the employees and as a result produce better results. The Audit Commission follows the autocratic to a democratic model by Tannenbaum and Schmidt which states that the leader must be authoritative at the same time provide freedom to the employees. The Audit commission is a friendly work atmosphere and has a good work tempo.

Memorandum Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Memorandum - Annotated Bibliography Example As the article moves on it gives some techniques that helps the reader understand his role and be friendly and agreeable in his writing. In conclusion, it tells the readers how to wrap up the employee profile in the company newsletter. The technical document could have been made better if it was supported with examples which would clear out any confusion that was left in the mind of the readers. But largely, the article is very well written. It is not complicated and does not have many jargons but still gets its message across in an informative manner. This memo was written to evaluate and present my views regarding the technical document. I will be expecting feedback of my analysis from you before the end of this month. It will help my analysis in future. Thanking you in anticipation. This memo is being written in order to critically analyze the style of writing of a professional proposal that gives details about its upcoming Computer Education Program for low income teenagers and children and requests Corporate Giving Program to provide funds for it. The proposal throughout its content emphasizes on the fact that this particular company serves community members by carrying out a variety of such constructive programs. This way it reminds the receiver that their partnership with the organization would be for a good cause. The writer's project plan is very convincing and his writing reflects confidence. This style of writing reassures the receiver of the proposal that they are investing in the right place. A strategy used by the writer to persuade the Corporate Giving Program is that in the last paragraph, the writer has reminded them of the incentive that this funding will provide for them. It emphasizes on the point that their logos will be printed on their brochures and the website. This reminder in the end of the proposal would be a motivating factor for the giving program to provide the funds. Also simple language is used and jargons are avoided which minimizes confusion on the reader's side. This style is very effective as su ch proposals present what they have to offer and what they want in return in the simplest form with most impact on the reader. This memo was written in order to evaluate the style of writing of a proposal for grant. I will be expecting feedback of my evaluation from you before the end of this month. Thanking you in anticipation. MEMORANDUM To: Mr. XYZ, Professor, ABC University From: JKL Date: July 22, 2008 Subject: Critical Analysis of a Poorly Designed Website This memo is being written in order to critically analyze the design of a website which in my opinion is very poor. The address of the webpage is http://www.havenworks.com/. Haven Works' website clearly does not follow the five design principles. First of all, there is too much going on the main page of the website because of which there is no balance. The eye can only focus on one thing rather than steady flow down the page. The items on the webpage seem like they are placed there randomly and

MGT499 - Strategic Management Mod 4 SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MGT499 - Strategic Management Mod 4 SLP - Essay Example nd the overall Starbucks experience warrants an analysis of how well the company manages its internal strengths and weaknesses by optimizing its core competencies and developing its weaknesses that will allow it to achieve its company mission and objectives. One of the biggest strengths of the company lies in the dedicated and exceptionally skilled workforce who is well trained. Company strategy has always been to reward excellence of employees and Starbucks is today among the best companies to work for as per Fortune 500 ratings and Financial Times ratings. With attractive fringe benefits, stock option plans and high wages and salary scales, the Starbucks refers to its employees as partners, promoting commitment and loyalty and this is one of the key resources of the company which is hard to imitate due to â€Å"social complexity† involved ( Barney 1991). The company utilizes this strength in many ways. It has used the service staff’s skills in customer care and overall enthusiasm to create an in store atmosphere that is cozy, friendly and home like that they have branded it as the â€Å"third place† in life. The regular customers are called by name and the Baristas of Starbucks outlets remember their usual drinks. Such customization has been at the cornerstone of Starbucks success. Another internal strength is the Starbucks special SWOT team specializing on stores opening. They have an excellent track record of location scouting and opening new outlets in cost effective and speedy fashion. This strength has allowed the company to make right location decisions and the use of in-house design and fabrication teams has allowed Starbucks to cut costs in outlet openings and also maintain the unique Starbucks ambiance in line with company expectations. Optimization of this strength has allowed the company to drive its expansion plans aggressively. Financial strength and low costs is strength. This is achieved through large scale roasting and milling facilities,

APPLIED ETHICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE MANAGEMENT Essay

APPLIED ETHICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE MANAGEMENT - Essay Example The problems solved revolve around the practical moral issues, specifically those related to professions such as law or medicine or accounting. There are at least six ethical theories as described by some scholars (Champion, 2007). Plato describes the absolutism theory. This theory relates to the personal character of the individual. It helps answer the question regarding the kind of life one is entitled to live. It is based on the principle; conform to forms, that is, basis on ideals that make the reality. The source of value according to this theory is the form of goodness. The method applied here is reasoning the nature of analogies and unchanging ideals. An example of such an ethical principle is lying, which does not conform to the truth form. The principle is exceptionless in that the form of goodness advocated for is not known (Champion, 2007). Aristotle describes eudaimonism which helps answer the question relating to the kind of person one should be. It also relates to the personal character. The principle is to maintain and develop activities in line and obedience to the rationale principle. The value source is the human nature which determines the well being of humans. The method for determining this is through examining and analysing the commonly used moral language and other moral ideas. St Thomas Aquinas describes ethics based on the natural law. It relates to personal character just like the two discussed above. The question asked relates to the kind of person one should be (Champion, 2007). The principle here is to promote whatever is termed and defined as good and discard the evil commitments. The good behaviours are advocated for by the society, family, self preservation and knowledge. The value source for this ethical behaviour is human and universe nature as referenced by God. The human inclinations are examined and reasoning the nature of law. Cultural differences among the ordering society are a major control issue (Champion,

Macbeth, The Odyssey, Beowulf and Gulliver's travels Essay

Macbeth, The Odyssey, Beowulf and Gulliver's travels - Essay Example To spur Macbeth into action, Lady Macbeth indicates she is the stronger character because â€Å"I have given suck, and know / How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me: / I would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have plucked the nipple from his boneless gums / And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn† (I, vii, 54-58). Although guilt forces him to go through with the murder of the king, Macbeth becomes a victim to a new kind of guilt following the murder that far surpasses anything he had experienced before it. When Macbeth willingly participates in murder, this quickly escalates to massacres of perceived enemies and the propagation of lies and deceits as a means of maintaining the perception others have of him. As Macbeth confesses to his wife his fears regarding his inability to say ‘Amen’ (II, ii) following his first murder, she consoles him and warns him against the future both share, â€Å"These deeds must not be thought / After these ways; so, it will make us mad† (II, ii, 32-33). Despite this warning, though, neither character seems capable of escaping the inevitable deterioration of the soul that their actions have brought upon them. Because of this guilt, Macbeth begins seeing ghosts of friends he has murdered on the suspicion that they might accuse him of Duncan’s murder and Lady Macbeth goes insane in an attempt to cleanse herself of the guilt that has infected her soul. Like Macbeth, a great portion of Odysseus’ tale is brought about as a response to guilt. He has fought well and bravely before Troy and, at the beginning of his story, is preparing to return home to his wife Penelope and the young son he has yet to meet. However, in willingly joining in battle on Troy, which was strongly associated with ideas of family and home, Odysseus has committed a crime that must be atoned for. Zeus makes this clear in

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Operations Management - Essay Example It is evident from the study that service and manufacturing supply chains share a lot more in common than the way they differ. In the process of delivering service products, manual processes that require human beings is involved. So, the solutions that use standardization and automation in improving operation efficiency in the service industry are less applicable. In addition to this, the labor intensive industries require more advanced scheduling systems so that they can coordinate effectively the prefaces of commonalities. The customers in the service industry play a great role in the delivery of services during the delivery process or even the service initiation process unlike in the manufacturing business. A good example is the electronic repair service. The involvement of customer delivery has an impact in service heterogeneity and impacts the service quality. The distinctive needs by the customers do change the content of each service product offered. As a result, it makes the service quality hard to measure and also monitor. The service which is provided by the service industries is often intangible for instance; education is one of the services. Intangibility leads to three issues: First, it’s difficult to score, secondly, it’s difficult to account for and thirdly, it’s difficult to identify suppliers. An intangible good as many believes can only be stored in books. This characteristic then shifts the focus of management from buffering by inventory to ensuring capacity flexibility and also managing capacity. One of the ways in which service procurement can better be controlled is by implementing a two-way match of the service receiving process. Here, the purchasing documents as well as the invoices are matched upon receiving and this process includes matching of the invoice, purchase order and shipping document in manufacturing. Unfortunately, in the service receiving process, counting of physical goods is a missing link. It becomes difficult in the start of the procurement process to identify the suppliers. The service buyer is not always sure of the specification of the service been procured. In addition to this, due to the intangibility of the service, you find that the service quality is very hard to measure (Andrew & Michael 2005). Simultaneity of production and consumption: Unlike in the case of the manufactured good, the services are created and consumed at the same time. You find that once the service has been created, there is no lead time in the middle to buffer against uncertainties. Combined with difficulties in storing these services, it isn’t surprising seen that a flexible capacity is vital to the success of a service supply chain (Andrew & Michael 2005). Customer supplier duality: A good example to explain duality is the electronic repair service. Here, you find that a customer supplies the malfunctioning electronics and in return,

Lifelong Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Lifelong Learning - Essay Example It may be present at birth or have been caused by any kind of trauma or sickness. The consequences involve a lag between the affected person’s traits or abilities and the standard aptitudes. Some causes are nutrition problems, brain injury, and drug abuse. Regarding diagnosis, the symptoms commonly appear within infancy stage. Delays in the different developmental stages must first be referred to specialists such as pediatricians. One of the tests usually employed in diagnosing is Battelle Developmental Inventory (Hughes, 2012). Different skills like communication, motor, and adaptive are evaluated. The findings should also be confirmed by several experts. Early intervention is crucial in overcoming or lessening the severity of delays. Therapies are usually more helpful if utilized promptly. For instance, as much as 50% of children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) can be ready for inclusive education due to early intervention (Blessing, 2012). Common therapies are physical , occupational, and speech. Other kinds of therapies that may be useful are play, music, water, and many others. The main priorities for intervention are the main aspects in a person’s development such as physical, cognitive, communication skills, social and emotional, as well as self-help and independence skills. Plans of actions are established to cater to the milestones in the different areas like eating independently, completing puzzles, having basic vocabulary or sign language, identifying emotions, and walking up and down the stairs. The progress in the aforementioned dimension will significantly help the child adapt to the general challenges in the society. The government has educational programs conceptualized for learners with specific needs. â€Å"Young children who qualify for special education are entitled to free, appropriate, public education (FAPE)† (p.5). Moreover, a least restrictive environment (LRE) is provided to maximize learning. Hence, exceptiona l learners can study at home or in other community areas where they can comfortably study. Appropriate learning aids are also used in respect to their availability in the community. For instance, a tutor may visit the home and coordinate with other kinds of service providers. The progress will be then regularly reported to the family and other individuals involved. Furthermore, the Individualized Education Program or IEP and Individualized Family Service Plan or IFSP are used to fit the curriculum to the child. This way, children with unique ways of learning will have optimal support and opportunity to improve. Furthermore, there are services for the young exceptional learner. Early intervention services must be coordinated with the other staff providing assistance. One of the most common services is â€Å"Head Start†. It benefits children from financially disadvantaged standings (Hardman, 2011). It was originally founded in 1965 as a summer school that intended to help child ren cope with their academics. The program expanded over the years. At present, head start offers scholarships to deserving children with special needs. There are also non-government organizations that are active in providing service. Most assistance is grounded on inclusion and self-empowerment. The goal of the groups is not just to give support but to also guide the children to help themselves. Day services otherwise known as day centers provide preparation life

Black Panther and Ku Klux Klan Essay Example for Free

Black Panther and Ku Klux Klan Essay After doing research to compare/contrast the two groups, the Black Panthers and the Ku Klux Klan, it opened my eyes. I realized that the new generation is oblivious to the existence of both groups and the similarities and differences in them. I researched the two different groups to see when the groups came into existence who were the members, why they fought for rights they thought they deserved and the groups involvement in violent acts and their remnants today. In World War II, blacks fought for the American dream willingly, but separately from the white soldiers. When the war was over, human rights activists of all races and educated blacks thought the soldiers and blacks deserved the right of equality. Malcolm X was one of the many human rights activists. He was an African-American Muslim minister he thought after years of non-violence, signing petitions, marching, praying and crying and blacks doing the impossible to be recognized as human beings, it was time for them to take it into their own hands. Malcolm X was then assassinated February 21, 1965. Today many of his quotes like this one are famous. And when I speak, I dont speak as a Democrat. Or a Republican. Nor an American. I speak as a victim of Americas so-called democracy. You and I have never seen democracy all weve seen is hypocrisy. When we open our eyes today and look around America, we see America not through the eyes of someone who has enjoyed the fruits of Americanism. We see America through the eyes of someone who has been the victim of Americanism. We dont see any American dream. Weve experienced only the American nightmare. The Black Panther Party was then founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale,  in 1966, it was based on ideas which were strongly associated with Malcolm Xs life works it was made up of progressive militant political organization. They advocated Black Nationalism and had strong believes in the necessity of violence and armed self-defense. They patrol African American neighborhoods to protect residents from acts of police brutality and to obtain freedom from white oppression. Fought for the rights of American blacks in the US, they called themselves Revolutionaries. Ku Klux Klan on the other hand was founded in 1866 in Pulaski, Tennessee. The Klan members were many former Confederate veterans determined to fight for the right to restore white supremacy they called themselves The Invisible Empire of the South. Ku Klux Klan believed that black werent fighting for right but for special right and that Negros were happier when they had nothing not even their own name. They also showed resistance to policies that gave the right to economic equality for blacks and other minorities. The Black Panthers were non-violent they petitioned for the right for Black Americans to bear arms. Reason being the police werent there for their safety or to promote their welfare they were there to contain, brutalize and murder them. With the blacks starting to carry guns came violence. There were shootouts with police which killed many innocent people, riots that destroyed towns, blacks had means to defend themselves but then crime skyrocketed. The Black Panther werent organized as some thought and werent ready to fight a revolution they just wanted to be treated like an equal and were ready for anything that crossed there path. Ku Klux Klan had and still have a very violent disposition, they could terrorized the black and any other minorities that they thought threatened their white purity as they referred. Being that the sheriff upheld the rights of the Klan and courts upheld the rights of the sheriff. The Klan killed civil right helpers blacks and whites. Civil rights helpers assisted blacks learn to read so that they could vote as well as getting them to the poles to vote. KKK burned many churches, schools and were involved in lynching of hundreds. Now after two decades of failure 1982 was the official end of the Black Panther Party they did accomplish one thing a major change in police brutality in Oakland went way down. Black Panther also went back to square one the non-violence approach, by setting up organization to help needy family such as free clinic and free meal programs. Educated blacks and activist in this generation are very disappointed in blacks not getting involved and how they accept the minimum for themselves. KKK on the other hand are still very prominent and doubled in size. They even still to this day try to recruit new members by putting flyers with candy on doors in residential areas, doing pod cast, and even do interviews to try to convince the public what they are doing is right and isnt racist as all. They are even trying to adopt highways in some states which judges arent allowing, even after they try to convince them its to keep nature clean.

Blood Sports (Debate) Essay Example for Free

Blood Sports (Debate) Essay Blood sports should not be banned; whatever problems there are with the sport can be fixed with reforms. The World Health Organization has called for tighter regulation, including â€Å"Simple rules, such as requiring medical clearance, national passports to prevent players from fighting under more than one name, restricting fights for fixed periods after knockouts, requiring that ringside physicians be paid by the state and not the promoter, and making sure that the players are aware of the potential long-term consequence of blood sports, may help protect them to some degree. †The Australian Medical Association additionally â€Å"recommends that media coverage should be subject to control codes similar to those which apply to television screening of violence. †Finally, the World Medical Association suggests that all matches should have a ring physician authorized to stop the fight at any time. It has been reported that no safety regulations would be effective if head blows remain however such authors incorrectly apportion blame on boxing for a group of diseases known as Parkinson’s syndrome. Blood sports can result in chronic traumatic neurological conditions if fighters are not well matched, and fight without regulations in regard to their exposure. Boxing cannot cause Parkinson’s disease or other conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease as those are genetic conditions so to include them together as one set of conditions is incorrect and misleading. About 80% of deaths are caused by head, brain, and neck injuries, so the removal of the head as a scoring region may make a huge difference to the injury outcomes for this sport. However it would also change the very nature of the sport; and may mean people won’t participate in it. Ultimately, governments should do what they can to make blood sports as safe as possible, without losing the essence of the sport or banning it entirely. - (Banning blood sports would force people to channel their aggression into more harmful, violent activities) There is no conclusive scientific evidence linking increased contact sport participation with being more violent in social settings. Such statements make it sound as thought we would have not violence in society if all contact sport was removed and we all know that is untrue. Blood sports isn’t about violent aggression, it is about controlled aggression this is very different to violent behaviors. In a report on â€Å"violent† sports in schools, conducted by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a martial-arts instructor explained, â€Å"Contact and combat sports allow students to deal with their aggression in a safe environment, rather than in the context of the classroom or school hallway. †This type of outlet is not only important for youth, but for adults as well. Jason Brick said, â€Å"Positive Views on Violence In Sports,† Live strong, January 7, 2011, accessed July 13, 2011, With /proposition (The Effect of blood sports on the viewers) Blood Sports have been around for decades. Viewing violence generally triggers or serves in the increase of aggression of an individual. Sports such as wrestling (smack down) and Ultimate Fighter Competition (UFC) are bloody sports and have mostly negative effects on those who watch them. The objective of these two sports is to beat an individual into unconsciousness, make them tap out by inflicting pain, if none of these is accomplished within a time frame, the match is to be stopped and the judges decide who wins. Many children, teenagers, and even adults tend to try and imitate a knock out or combos that were seen performed at one of these fights onto an individual in an uncontrolled environment whether it is their sibling, friend, coworker, or a stranger for different reasons that includes but is not limited to a misunderstanding or horse playing. Watching this sport leaves the viewer psychologically aggressive. For example, if someone watches a match and gets into a fight with another person later on, that person is more likely to use a technique he saw during the fight, and since there is no referee to stop the fight in case of suffocation or tap-out, the victim is more likely to bleed, pass out or even dies. During the 1980’s, two men were in a bar discussing the Marvin Haggler and Sugar Ray Leonard fight that had occurred several days before, and in the process on trying to show exactly how one of the punch landed, both men went outside, drawing a crowd with them. The demonstration turned tragic when one of the men landed a punch to the jaw of the other, and such was the power of the blow, that the victim fell, hit his head on the pavement and started to bleed, and had to be buried a few weeks later. Seeing and permitting violence to be seen makes it seem normal and legal when in fact it is not normal and it is horrible, but here is where lies another problem which is called desensitization. Many years ago when a horrible scene was about to be portrayed on your television set, there would first appear a window saying the images that you are about to see might injure the sensibility of certain people or words to that effect. Well, have you noticed that now they no longer even bother showing that little window? Its as if the media know that human kind are used to everything by now. That nothing is going to affect them that much. So what does this show? It shows that us human beings are getting desensitized to everything and when that happens it also means that we dont get so emotional about anything anymore and so consequently dont fight any more either in order to strive for a change. We have all come to a point where nothing moves us that much anymore. (Pain and Injury as the Price of blood sports) Many people think about sports in a paradoxical way: They accept violence in sports, but the injuries caused by that violence make them uneasy. They seem to want violence without consequences— like the ?ctionalized violence they see in the media and video games in which characters engage in brutality without being seriously or permanently injured. However, blood sports are real, and it causes real pain, injury, disability, and even death (Dater, 2005; Farber, 2004; Leahy, 2008; Rice, 2005; Smith, 2005b; Young, 2004a). Ron Rice, an NFL player whose career ended when he tackled an opponent, discusses the real consequences of blood sports. The brutal body contact of the tackle left him temporarily paralyzed and permanently disabled. He remembers that â€Å"before I hit the ground, I knew my career was over. . . . My body froze. I was like a tree that had been cut down, teetering, then crashing, unable to break my fall. † Research on pain and injury among athletes helps us understand that blood sports have real consequences. Studies indicate that professional sports involving brutal body contact and borderline violence are among the most dangerous workplaces in the occupational world. The same could be said about high-pro? le power and performance intercollegiate sports in which 80 percent of male and female athletes sustain at least one serious injury while playing their sports and nearly 70 percent are disabled for two or more weeks. Research shows a close connection between dominant ideas about masculinity and the high rate of injuries in many sports. Ironically, some power and performance sports are organized so that players feel that their manhood is up for grabs. Men who de? ne masculinity in terms of physically dominating others often use violence in sports as an expression of this code of manhood. Until they critically examine issues related to gender and the organization of their sports, they will mistakenly de? ne violence as a source of rewards rather than a source of chronic pain and disabilities that constrain and threaten their lives.

Issues Of Deforestation In Malaysia

Issues Of Deforestation In Malaysia Malaysia is witnessing a rapid growth in the vicinity of urban cities with the construction of large engineering structures (e.g. towers, factories, high-rise condominiums, wide-span bridges and highways) to meet the requirement for the nations economic growth, societal activities and the aspirations of its population. This urbanization is the increase over time in the population of cities in relation to the regions rural population. As we have stated, the growth of cities is frequently implicated in concerns about environmental deterioration. Almost half of the worlds population currently lives in urban areas, and for the foreseeable future, urbanization will increase (United Nations, 2001). What is more, urban growth and population growth generally in developing countries will outpace that in industrialized countries. These urban areas, whether small towns or megacities, each develop an environmental footprint. Although there are important regional differences in the level and trend of urbanization, city growth has proceeded steadily throughout the developing world (Chen et al,1998). As we recounted at the outset, many policy makers, government officials, and the like have a negative view of urbanization, who see urban growth as problematic. Environmental concerns would serve to reinforce these overall urban growth concerns. Yet, there is a positive association of urbanization and urban economic development with overall economic growth (NRC, 2003). However, the rapid rise of urbanization has giving more impacts into forest area. The forest can be define as a woods or the woods and less often as a wold (or weald), holt, or frith (or firth), is an area with a high density of trees. For the best define to the forest as an ecosystem or assemblage of ecosystems dominated by trees and other woody vegetation. But in Malaysia, it hard to define about forest. It is because there is a lack of good-quality data about the definition of a forest, the extent of forest cover, loss of forest, (un)sustainable yields, and so on in Malaysia. The official definition of a forest used in Malaysia differs from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) definition, which excludes areas under agricultural crops (e.g. oil palm). In Malaysia, however, the areas under oil palm, rubber and tree crops are frequently regarded as forest. The question of the definition of forests is particularly significant in the Malaysian context where the Malaysian forests are rapidly disappearing and, conversely, forest plantations areas are expanding (JOANGOHutan, September 2006). Malaysia currently has 32.8 million hectares of land area, of which 24.8 million hectares 75.5 per cent of total land are classified as forest and tree cover. Of these, 19.5 million hectares are forest cover and 5.3 million hectares are tree cover. Of the total forest cover, 9.2 million hectares (47.4 per cent) are found in Sarawak, 5.9 million hectares (30.1 per cent) are found in Peninsular Malaysia and 4.4 million hectares (22.5 per cent) in Sabah. Sabah claims it has the least forest(JOANGOHutan, September 2006). Although Malaysia is known as the equatorial rain forests of the world due to its location mapped and it`s forested, but the historical fact that the year of between 1990 and 2005 Malaysia lost 6.6% of its forest cover, or around 1, 486 000 hectares. As showed at table 1 for the information about the forest cover in Malaysia , 2010. Of course we know that forests bring many benefits to human life, flora and fauna. Right now, the degradation of forest frequently lately happened. It similarly, the same case in Kelantan. Kelantan is the one of the states in Peninsular Malaysia with the largest forest reserve. Unfortunately, the forest in there more to bare area because of deforestation and encroachment activities. Thus, a forest-related law has been established under the amended legislation 313 ( AKTA PERHUTANAN NEGARA 1984). Deforestation and increased road-building in the Kelantan are a significant concern because of increased human encroachment upon wild areas, increased resource extraction and further threats to biodiversity. Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to agriculture or urban use. Deforestation occurs for many reasons: trees or derived charcoal are used as, or sold, for fuel or as timber, while cleared land is used as pasture for livestock, plantations of commodities, and settlements. The removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity. It has adverse impacts on biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Deforested regions typically incur significant adverse soil erosion and frequently degrade into wasteland. The continuing demand for urbanization in Malaysia in the next few decades of this century suggests the need for planning and implementation on forest area plans or programs which is going to be even more complex in the future than it has been in the past. Environmental impacts from deforestation such as slope erosion, mass movements, sediment yield and decreasing water quality may be expected in the continuous development of the urbanization (Khairlmaini Fauza,2010). So that, all the urbanization and deforestation, there have relate to environment implication factor. How much the urbanization of Kelantan is make it and it`s impacts to environmental implication factor? The example environment implication factor can be relate here such as heating temperature, landslide or slope erosion, and loss of natural habitats. Because of that, this paper addresses the issues and challenges affecting comprehensive and holistic outlook towards urbanization. Right now, researcher more concentrates the effect of urbanization in Kelantan and its decreasing of forest area or knowing as deforestation. Remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) are providing new tools for advancing ecosystem management. (Both of these tools has its own privileges. By viewing the lack of data analysis on the impact of the reduction of forest development, this thesis is done with the help of the two tools above to solve the problems.) In recent years, as a spatial database management system (DBMS), the Geographic Information System (GIS) has developed powerful tools for visualizing data (Peters and MacDonald, 2004; Fisher and Unwin, 2005; Liao et al., 2010). This development naturally leads to the emergence of new sub-disciplines or interdisciplines and one of them is Historical GIS, in which the GIS provides the investigation tool to study past phenomena, including demographic patterns, changes in land use and geopolitical scenarios (Gregory and Ell, 2007; Knowles, 2008). Since Historical GIS in Malaysia is still relatively lacking, this study was conducted to apply GIS to visualize the effect of urbanization on the forest area in Kelantan. Area estimation through remote sensing is often used for classification and production of crops statistics. This effort was demonstrated in the past by Gonzales-Alonso et al.(1991), Gallego and Delice (1993), Gonzales-Alonso and Cuevas (1993) and Ferencz et al.(2004). Integration of ground data and classification of remote sensing data is shows a greatest operational feasibility and economical interest that contribute for the benefits of the global society. Remote sensing data has the potential and the ability to provide spatial information at global scale; of features and phenomena on earth on an almost real-time basis. 1.2 BACKGROUD OF STUDY AREA Malaysia is situated in the Southeast Asia, between latitudes 1 o and 7o north, and longitudes 100o and 119o east. The regions in Malaysia are divided into six regions. There are four regions in Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia), and two regions in North Borneo (East Malaysia). The four regions in Peninsular Malaysia are the northern region (Perlis, Kedah, Perak, and Pulau Pinang), the central region (Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, and Melaka), the Eastern region (Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang), and the southern region, which consists of just one state, Johor. The two regions in East Malaysia are the Sabah region, which consists of Sabah, and the Sarawak region, which consists of Sarawak. The surface area or total landmass is about 329,847 km2 (127,350 sq mi). The State of Kelantan lies in the north-east of Peninsular Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. It is bounded on the western side by the State of Perak and Thailand, it shares it southern and eastern boundaries with the States of Pahang and Terengganu and is bounded on the north-east by the South-China Sea(P.G. PAK-POY ASSOCIATES (M) SDN BHD etc ,1981). The State contains a fertile alluvial plain, ideal for crops such as rice, tobacco, fruits and vegetables. Besides coinciding with a national administrative boundary, the physical boundary of Kelantan can be described in topographical terms as a geographical entity. It is separated, even isolated, from the neighbouring States of Perak, Pahang and Terengganu by mountains rising to over 7,000 ft. (2,160 m) on its western and southern borders, and to over 4,000 ft. (1,230 m) on portions of its eastern border. It has a narrow coastal plain where unrestrained movements of population and goods occur both into and out of the State(P.G. PAK-POY ASSOCIATES (M) SDN BHD etc ,1981). Kelantan covers an area of 14,922 sq. km which is 4.4 percent of the total area of Malaysia, and is administratively divided into ten districts: Kota Bharu, Pasir Mas, Tumpat, Pasir Puteh, Bachok, Kuala Krai, Machang, Tanah Merah, Jeli and Gua Musang.

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw Essay -- Pygmalion George Bernard Sha

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw's father, George Carr Shaw, was an alcoholic which meant not much money was spent on Shaw's education, therefore he was mainly self-taught, since he was self-taught he never had ideas forced upon him, this caused him to turn into a strong minded individual who expressed his opinions. He was a socialist and a critic who believed strongly in equality. Shaw wrote many plays, which expressed his opinions, one of the most famous being Pygmalion. Shaw uses Pygmalion to show the superficial basis of the class system. Pygmalion is set in London, in the early 1900's when the distinction between classes was more defined. I believe Shaw choose to set the play in London because it has the widest range of classes and would make it easier for him to show how false the class system really is. There is the queen who is considered to be of the highest class and people living on the streets who are considered to be of the lowest class. Shaw uses Pygmalion to show how false the class system is and how it is based on superficial ideas. Shaw shows that people can't be put into categorise when he makes the characters exceed the boundaries of the groups they have placed in. One of the characters to do this is Eliza, who exceeds the boundaries of lower class. " I'm a good girl I am." She shows that she is well mannered, and has more morals than Higgins. She also shows herself to have a lot of pride and self-respect. Through Higgins and Pickering's perceptions of Eliza, we are shown that the class system is all in the mind of the beholder and how it is perceived differently in each person. Higgins sees Eliza as lower class; "I treat a duchess as if she were a flowe... ...Shaw shows how people are judged when we first meet Doolittle. "He'll make bad use of it I'm afraid!" because of his poverty-stricken appearance, Pickering assumes that Doolittle will waste the money. Shaw also uses Doolittle to show that happiness can't be bought with money, when we first meet Doolittle he is happy but when he comes into money he doesn't like his new lifestyle and isn't happy with his new found finances. Shaw successfully criticises the British class system through Pygmalion. He shows how people can't be fitted into categorise as he makes many of the characters exceed the boundaries that they have been confined within. Through Pygmalion he picks up on the class system's many flaws and how easily it can be proved wrong. Pygmalion is successful in getting the message across about the class system and how it is based on superficial ideas.

Gestational Diabetes Essay example -- Health, Diseases

Along with all the worries and complications a woman might face while pregnant, one of the more serious conditions is gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs in 4% of all pregnancies (Seibel, 2009). Many women are not informed about the disease, some may not know that they need to be tested, and others may have heard about it, but want more information on what may cause it and/or how to prevent and treat it. Either way this disease needs to be taken seriously by every pregnant woman or woman planning to get pregnant to protect not only herself but the unborn child. Gestational diabetes is a disorder characterized by impaired ability to metabolize carbohydrates, usually caused by a deficiency of insulin resistance, occurring in pregnancy (Seibel, 2009). After the baby is delivered the disorder disappears but in few cases it has returned as type 2 diabetes. There are many factors that increase the risk in women to acquire the disorder, being overweight prior to becoming pregnant, a family history of diabetes, having too much amniotic fluid, and having sugar in your urine are just some of them (Namak, 2010). During a normal pregnancy tissue resistance to insulin is present, and weight gain and presence of placental hormones can contribute to this insulin resistance ( Gutierrez, 2007). Pregnant women require two to three times more insulin than a woman who is not pregnant, and the insulin production and increased tissue resistance causes this glucose intolerance or increased blood sugar levels or gestational diabetes ( Gutierrez, 2007). â€Å"Almost all women have some type of impaired glucose in tolerance resulting from hormonal changes they go through during pregnancy. This means that their blood sugar levels may be higher... ...st twice the risk of developing diabetes compared to those who had breastfed (Doheny, 2010). Overall the study showed to be successful, but only for those women who breastfed all of their children for a month or longer. So with these studies it encourages women to take part in the well being of themselves and their unborn child by getting tested for gestational diabetes earlier than later. Gestational diabetes may only be a disease that last throughout a pregnancy, but it is very harmful to not only the mother but also can be for the unborn baby. It is important that gestational diabetes is widely known and understood because the earlier in the pregnancy the patient knows the better. Gestational diabetes can be extremely harmful so it is nothing to take lightly; patients have to know that they must follow the instructions given to prevent the disease to worsen.

Islam in Italy Essay -- Islam Italy History Essays

Islam in Italy Problems with format 'Like many minority communities of varying religious and ethnic backgrounds, Muslims have struggled to define their place in societies around the world.' As immigration patterns have ebbed and flowed through the centuries, Italy is one of many European countries that plays host to a growing number of Muslim immigrants.? Muslims struggle with identity, intermarriage, gender relations, worship, education, and civil rights in the context of their new country.? These issues are particularly poignant for Muslims entering and living within Italy during this religiously momentous time.? During the past twenty years, Italy has seen a resurgence of immigrants who hold to the Islamic tradition.? For the largely Catholic Italy, the impact of this is immeasurable and has catapulted society and government toward decisions that will forever alter the country (Israely). A Brief Look at an Ancient History Historically, the Italian peninsula has been exposed to Islamic influence since the beginning of the Muslim age in the seventh century A.D. (Matthews).? As Islam spread north and west, the Byzantine Empire effectively remained a blockade until the fall of Constantinople in 1453.? But another road into Europe was open for Islam by traveling across North Africa, over the sea, and up to the island of Sicily and the Italian mainland.? After years of skirmishes, Sicily was taken in 902.? The Roman Empire quelled much of the Muslim activity in mainland Italy, and there are still remnants of Saracen towers, positions to watch for Muslim invaders approaching by sea.? Though the Muslims never gained a strong foothold in mainland Italy, the island of Sicily was securely theirs for two centuries.? Du... ....fieri.it/leggi_e_provv/liberta_religiosa/statuto_giur_islam_en.htm>. Holzner, Claudio. ?Re-Birth of Islam In Italy: Between Indifference and Intolerance.? The Journal of the International Institute. Vol. 3, Issue 2, (1996): 4pp. Israely, Jeff. ?In Catholic Italy, Islam makes inroads.? The Boston Globe. 14 May. 2000. ?< http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/135/nation/In_Catholic_Italy_Islam_makes_?inroadsP.shtml>. Kern, Gunther. ?Italy?s Muslims in Uphill Battle for Recognition.? IslamOnline. 2003. < http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2000-11/26/article4.shtml>. Matthews, Jeff. ?Early Islam in Italy.? 2001.< http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/naples/earlyislam.html>. Roggero, Maria Adele. ?Muslims in Italy? Muslims in the West, From Sojourners to Citizens. ed.Yvonne Y. Haddad. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2002. 131-143.

Ikea Management Analysis Essay

Abstract: This article is an analysis of the IKEA’s supply chain. IKEA’s supply chain is globally with sales in more than 250 own stores in 24 countries and 32 external franchisees in 16 countries. It has special supplier management, store design, and warehouse management. IKEA Supply Chain system includes IOS, TSO, material and suppliers, DC and IKEA store. IKEA global planning has seven processes. Sale planning and demand planning are in this article. IKEA’s supply chain was operated really successful, however, it still exist some problems, like lack of central coordination, inaccurate sale forecasts, and high inventory costs. In the end, this article will provide some recommendations to solve those problems. Introduction IKEA, founded in 1943, is one of the best home furniture company in the world whose, and its vision is â€Å"To provide better life for everyone†. IKEA provides modern and fashionable low cost furniture for over 38 countries with 301 stores. It is the largest furniture retail chain in the world and boasts a range of 12000 products, including home furniture, accessories and some other stuff. What’s more, it’s concern for people and environment lead to excellent use of raw material and energy, which result in their green targets and the overall environment. A supply chain is a network of retailers, distributors, transporters, storage facilities, and suppliers that participate in the production, delivery, and sale of a product to the consumer. The supply chain is typically made up of multiple companies who coordinate activities to set themselves apart from the competition. A supply chain has three key parts: Supply focuses on the raw materials supplied to manufacturing, including how, when, and from what location. Manufacturing focuses on converting these raw materials into finished products. Distribution focuses on ensuring these products reach the consumers through an organized network of distributors, warehouses, and retailers. Ikea is a worldwide company and its supply chain also deserves us to study. In this paper we are going to analyze the IKEA’s supply chain in the market and we will also analysis the strategy and plan of the company. In addition, we would give our proposed recommendation in the end. IKEA Supply Chain Strategy IKEA’s supply chain is global with sales in more than 250 own stores in 24 countries and 32 external franchisees in 16 countries. The stores are supplied through 31 distribution countries, or directly from the 1,350 suppliers in more than 50 countries. IKEA’s supply chain consequently has a global spread with both sales and purchasing in all major regions of the world. IKEA’s growth has been tremendous and sales are still growing. Currently IKEA plans to open 10-20 new stores every year with a goal to double sales within the coming five year. Considering the pace of growth in sales, the many stores and warehouses, and the fact that some business areas change up to 30% of its assortment every year, supply chain planning is a real challenge. The supply chain needs tight control and high levels of visibility to keep costs down and avoid obsolete inventory and/or stock outs. The IKEA supply chain is mainly make-to-stock (MTS) and only a few products are made to custo mer orders. Consequently, the entire supply chain is heavily dependent on forecasts. The regions and the stores have traditionally had a strong power and a high degree of local freedom in terms of planning and placing replenishment requests. This has led to a fragmented supply chain planning with local optimization and a lot of manual intervention with plans throughout the supply chain. Furthermore, due to frequent shortage situations some regions have purposely overestimated demand to ensure delivery, which in turn has led to imbalance in terms of demand coverage. Hence, some markets have suffered from stock outs during long periods, whereas other markets have ended up with obsolete inventories. Forecasting has been done on a regional level with approximately 120 users striving for different goals and using different methods. Part of the explanation to this is that IKEA has lacked a common and structured tactical planning of demand and replenishment. In terms of capacity planning, all different parts of the supply chain (stores, warehouses, regions, etc.) tried to optimize its own part of the supply chain, leading to a set of imbalanced supply plans with a low and unstable total throughput with long replenishment times for the supply chain as a whole. IKEA initiated a program (cluster of projects) aiming to taking better control of its supply chain, and enhance performance in terms of delivery service and costs. A new global planning concept was developed and is currently being implemented. Its cornerstones are mutually integrated planning processes, a centralized planning organization, focus on data quality and use of advanced software support. The purpose of this article is to outline IKEA’s global supply chain planning concept and describe the roles of the planning organization, data quality, software support and project and change management in the concept and its implementation. Supply Chain Management of IKEA Supplier Management IKEA has about 1400 suppliers from 33 countries, 64% of them are from European countries, with largest supplier markets in China and Poland. IKEA maintains lasting relationship with suppliers, and it has its own way to select suppliers from worldwide. After decide what product and material to be used, trading offices would find the suppliers in their respective regions and invite bids from them. IKEA has a principle, which is to choose suppliers of lowest cost at the same time, guarantee the quality. By placing orders directly on line, IKEA can always receive the deliveries within one to two weeks. On the other side, they ask suppliers to take inventory, so that suppliers can clearly know about the time, category, and amount of goods they have to fill up. IKEA also asks suppliers to deliver some of the goods straight to their stores, and this kind of managing would possibly save time, energy, and money considerably. They have formed a certain role to evaluate the performance of suppliers and point out standards and grades. Under such pressure, IKEA’s suppliers would be serious about their job and try their best to make sure the goods are of best quality and fastest delivery. By this kind of supplier management, IKEA would absolutely has high efficiency and quality. Store Design IKEA chose its store location on the city outskirts as the company’s stores were large and required huge parking spaces because IKEA realized that its customers were visiting stores in their cars. There is a typical feature of IKEA stores. [pic] The picture above is a map of some IKEA stores, in this, one can obviously see that customers entered into the stores, they would follow the arrow printed on the floor, and see through all products they exhibit. This kind of layout is called Racetrack layout, which has a main section that directs towards various section of the store, loops through the store and returns customers to the front of the store. It draws customers around the store and is commonly used in department stores. IKEA uses this to encourage customer to explore and move around IKEA at ease. The Racetrack Layout leads customers throughout the whole IKEA passing through different department. It makes sure that no section is missed out as the Racetrack Layout is design in a way that customer will have to follow the path in order to get to the end. The Loop allows customer to have different viewing angles and to catch a glance of every item in the store within a look. This encourages exploration and impulse buying. Thus this is strategic for IKEA as to capture customers. Warehouse Management IKEA has large warehouses like â€Å"DC008†, it has 19 input doors and 22 output doors. This separation makes the warehouse operation more effective. In the warehouses, there are many forklifts and they run fast and flexible. This also improves efficiency. Besides, IKEA seriously considered the safety of warehouses. It built a perfect security system. If some materials are not in right position, the red light will turn on and there will be an alarm ringing. Another significant warehouse management is space management. A system numbers every area, and all of them will be in the computers, so workers can clearly see wherever there is a vacancy. That ensures turn-around speed. The WMS (Warehouse Management System) in IKEA is so mature that it is used in every warehouse of IKEA’s. However, now IKEA need to figure out how to reduce inventory in order to save money. As for IKEA, there is a special kind of warehouse, which is self-serve warehouse. It is just in stores and keeps some inventory to give customers more choices. It can as well make customers enjoy pleasant about self-purchase. IKEA Supply Chain IKEA Supply Chain System (From the tree to the living room) IKEA is one of the leading home furnishing companies in the world and is expanding globally and fast gaining market share. Also IKEA’s supply chain has a global spread with both sales and purchasing in all major regions of the world. In IKEA Supply Chain system, firstï ¼Å'IOS is IKEA of Sweden, where decisions are made, such as the number of items, purchasing, suppliers, distribution, store coordination, and so on. Second, TSO (Trading), trading is responsible for the relationship with suppliers. Within trading there are 43 trading service offices in Europe, Asia and North America. Third is material and suppliers. They provide raw materials and manufacture the products. Co-workers in this area form a bridge between the factory floor and the products on the shelves at IKEA stores. They are responsible for ensuring reliable production methods that lead to high quality results, but which at the same time involve the min imum waste and maximum efficiency. Although not the most visible role within IKEA, this area is incredibly important for the company. The suppliers of IKEA and the good relations IKEA enjoy with them are among the company’s greatest assets. Fourth, in DC (Distribution centers), trucks, boats and trains are all needed to move products around. Coordinating these different means of transport to make the movement of goods as quick and efficient as possible is a real art. And DC are not enough just to make sure the goods arrive at the right stores and customers at the right time; they must also arrive in good shape, ready to be sold at the lowest possible price. Fifth is store. IKEA has more than 250 own stores in 24 countries and 32 external franchisees in 16 countries. To simplify, chart 1 shows the whole IKEA Supply Chain system described above. [pic] Chart1 IKEA Supply Chain system Moreover, in fifth part, In-store Logistics are also an important part in IKEA supply chain. In-store Logistics have seven steps (chart 2): Step1, create commitment with clear and qualified goods. Step2, develop an in-store logistics organization based on knowledge and competence. Step3, create balance between the space to range relation. Step4, place rational and correct orders. Step5, sales space management. Step6, establish routines for the most efficient goods flow. Step7, follow-up on performance. [pic] Chart 2 IKEA Supply Chain-In-store Logistics IKEA Supply Chain Planning Planning Concept Overview. According to IKEA’s characters, such as offer a wide range of home furnishings with good design and function and provide low prices, Ikea’s supply chain is in constant flux, with improvements being made whenever they are required or new technology appears. But generally, Ikea’s supply chain is mainly make-to-stock (MTS) and only a few products are made to customer orders. Consequently, the entire supply chain is heavily dependent on forecasts. IKEA focus on all forecasting activities and need calculations to control the entire supply chain inventory levels and replenishment. The global planning process (Chart1) is made by the central function of IKEA of Sweden. From the IKEA’s global supply chain planning (Chart1), we can figure out there are seven major processes (1) Sale planning; (2) Demand planning; (3) Need planning; (4) Supplier capacity planning; (5) The distribution supply chain planning (transport, warehouse, and store planning; 5a-c) and (7) Replenishment orders. In the following, we will talk about the processes separately into more details. But we will only focus on two parts Sales planning and Demand planning. [pic] Chart1 IKEA’s global supply chain planning concept and planning processes. Sales planning. The first step of sales planning is the corporate management of IKEA makes the overall sales forecast. The forecast is made on an aggregate level in terms of total sales volumes in monetary units for IKEA in total. It shows the expected sales increase in percentages. Ikea’s sales plan will be updated three times a year. The forecast is mainly determined by the strategic marketing plan and the remaining part of the current fiscal year plus five years into the future. So the current strategic business plan of Ikea is important for sales planning. At the end of the sales planning process, in order to achieve the business areas’ growth plans and expectation for the future, Demand Planners at IKEA of Sweden provide the data and information of forecasts for each of the business areas. Demand planning. In Ikea, there are 32 Demand Planners work in the tactical demand planning process, each one responsible for forecasting a certain part. The tactical forecast attach to IKEA of Sweden and is done on a rolling 84 weeks, with new historical sales data loaded once a week. In the end the forecasts on store levels are aggregated, reconciled, and compared with the sales frames on the retail forecast group level and on the distribution services region level. IKEA also has Retail Forecast Group, including one to several stores located geographically close to each other. In Europe, a retail Forecast Group normally corresponds to a country. IKEA in different countries own the right to have local event and activities. But, to let Demand Planners review the forecast on the regional level each week, the specific activity plans must be told at least six months in advance. In case that the forecast deviates considerably from actual sales, the Demand Planner looks for the reason and adjusts the sales figures or forecast model accordingly. Problems Lack of Central Coordination All we know IKEA is a hug international company. It provides modern and fashionable low cost furniture for over 38 countries with 301 stores. It emphasizes on local autonomy rather than a centralized coordinator. This method is easier for regions and store to plan and replenishes their own inventories. However, it also causes hundreds of subsystems inside the IKEA. Those subsystems include product design system from the headquarters; orders to suppliers system, orders to transport to the mall system, store management system and some accessory systems in each region or store. There are at least four hundreds complex subsystems inside the IKEA. These system’s databases is not well integrated, and do not have unified communications platform, that resulting in information separation, the low quality of information transmission, it is not conducive to the efficient operation of the supply chain. Lack of Accurate Sale Forecasts Due to changes in demand, sales forecasts data of the Swedish headquarters get deviation, if the forecasting data is bigger than the real, and this led to the warehouse overstock directly. If the mangers do not adjust the place orders plan that will cause serious problems by global warehouse overstock, retail shopping centers will immediately face to increase sales efforts to absorb the backlogged inventory. The other hand, in order to avoid some seasonal items out of stock, IKEA place large quantities of orders to suppliers, the mall immediately changed the stage from the under stock to overstock, However, the shopping center cannot sell them all, therefore, pass the season, there are still a lot of inventory backlog. Inventory Costs are too high IKEA purchases and sales too much, and often use the strategy of expand the inventory to cope with the uncertainty situation. IKEA worried about the inventory cannot be well satisfied the needs of the shopping centers, and if IKEA keep a low inventory level, it will increase the risk of lost sales opportunities, Therefore, IKEA maintain a high level of inventory to avoid the risk of under stock, That cause the shopping malls, the distribution center, and the central warehouse to maintain a considerable amount of inventory. Recommendations The urgent need for IKEA is to spend a large investment in the supply chain systems integration, make a great effort to integrate internal business systems, to achieve the company internal information sharing, built unified communications platform to make sure each subsystem can easy get the information from others, particular in transportation information and warehousing information. Ultimately achieve the comprehensive integration of manufacture, procurement, inventory, sales, financial and human resources management, logistics. That can make the ideal supply chain operations to become a reality. The supply chain systems integration can make each subsystems get the other subsystems information easily that really helpful for IKEA to forecast the sales in the future. In addition, IKEA also can get information from the date of the past sales, the public economic information, from customer and from suppliers. The supply chain systems integration also can help IKEA use those two strategies to reduce the cost of inventory. Firstly, IKEA requires the supplier to transport the production directly to the shopping malls, omitting the middle stage of the warehouse storage and handling. Use this strategy, IKEA do not have to establish the inventory and also do not have to maintain a safety stock to satisfy the demand of the shopping center. The delivery period becomes short, and easy to control. It also reduces the broken rate of the goods that ultimately improve the service level of the mall shopping centers. Secondly, IKEA also can use the strategy of vendor-managed inventory. It means suppliers according to IKEA’s the actual sales demand and safety inventory requirements to place the order to them. This strategy requires mutual trust between IKEA and supplier. IKEA can establish appropriate oversight mechanisms to make this strategy works well. This strategy can make both the IKEA and the suppliers’ benefit. References Laura Spinney (2011) The secret of IKEA’s success: we do the hard work, New scientist. Retrieved from: http://0-ehis.ebscohost.com.leopac.ulv.edu/eds/detail?vid=2&hid=23&sid=0dbc6e03-427b-4dec-9711-136b9cfedca8%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=edselp&AN=S0262407911631783 Jonsson, P. and Gustavsson, M. (2008) â€Å"The impact of supply chain relationships and automatic data communication and registration on forecast information quality†, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, 38 (4), 280-295. Steve Banker (2009 Nov) In-Store Logistics at IKEA. Retrieved from: http://logisticsviewpoints.com/2009/11/05/in-store-logistics-at-ikea/ IKEA’s Cost Efficient Supply Chain. Retrieved from http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Operations/OPER084.htm NYP IKEA: Merchandising Presentation and Store Design (Part 3), May 18 2012. Retrieved from http://ikea-escrapbook.blogspot.com/2011/07/merchandising-presentation-and-store_4586.html Patrik Jonsson, Martin Rudbergochï ¼Å'Stefan HolmbergGlobal, Supply chain planning at IKEA, Retrieved from http://www.plan.se/files/Jonsson_Rudberg _Holmberg_08.pdf Ikea supply chain-from the tree to the living room, Retrieved from http://www.slideserve.com/presentation/39927/IKEA-Supply-Chain–from-the-tree-to-the-living-room â€Å"IKEA | Purchasing.† IKEA | Purchasing. Web. 17 May 2012. Retrieved from http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/jobs/business_types/purchase/index.html Ikea, Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IKEA â€Å"Ikea.mov.† YouTube. YouTube, 15 Feb. 2010. Web. 18 May 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYr6JlJ1wlE. SWOT Analysis and Sustainable Business Planning An IKEA Case Study.† Weaknesses and Threats. Web. 18 May 2012. http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/ikea/swot-analysis-and-sustainable-business-planning/weaknesses-and-threats.html. â€Å"IKEA Distribution Improves Supply Chain Management.† IKEA Distribution Improves Supply Chain Management. Web. 18 May 2012. http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240083923/IKEA-Distribution-improves-supply-chain-management.