A Job Application Letter Essay

Paragraph One tells where you found the job opportunity and what the job title is. I am writing in response to your advertisement in the January 16 Philadelphia Inquirer. I believe that my academic training at Drexel University in Electrical Engineering, along with my experience with RCA Advanced Technology Laboratory, would qualify me for the position of programmer. Paragraph Two details your education credentials. Make special note of those skills the employer has mentioned in the job ad. My education at Drexel University has given me a strong background in computer hardware and system design. I have concentrated on digital and computer applications, developing and designing computer and signal-processing hardware in two graduate-level engineering courses. For my senior-design project, I am working with four other undergraduates in using OO programming techniques to enhance the path-planning software for an infrared night-vision robotics application. Paragraph Three contains your work experience. Again, note skills the employer wants in an employee. While working at RCA, I applied my computer experience to the field of the VLSI design. In one project I used my background in LISP to develop and test new LISP software used in the automated production of VLSI standard cell family databooks. In another project, I used CAD software on a VAX to evaluate IC designs. The last paragraph gives your phone number, email, and time you can be reached. Also, make mention of your resume. The enclosed resume provides an overview of my education and experience. I would like to meet with you at your convenience to discuss my qualifications for this position. Please write to me at the above address or leave a message anytime at (215) 555-5876.

Engineering Economics

Eng ineeri ng Economy Third Edition Leland T. Blank, P. E. Department of Industrial Engineering Assistant Dean of Engineering Texas A & M University Anthony J. Tarquin, P. E. Department of Civil Engineering Assistant Dean of Engineering The University of Texas at EI Paso McGraw-Hill Book Company New York S1. Louis San Francisco Auckland Bogota Caracas Colorado Springs Hamburg Lisbon London Madrid Mexico Milan Montreal New Delhi Oklahoma City Panama Paris San Juan Silo Paulo Singapore Sydney Tokyo Toronto 4 Level One 1. Define and recognize in a problem statement the economy symbols P, F, A, n, and i. 1. 6 Define cash flow, state what is meant by end-of-period convention, and construct a cash-flow diagram, given a statement describing the amount and times of the cash flows. Study Guide 1. 1 Basic Terminology Before we begin to develop the terminology and fundamental concepts upon which engineering economy is based, it would be appropriate to define what is meant by engineering economy . In the simplest terms, engineering economy is a collection of mathematical techniques which simplify economic comparisons. With these techniques, a rational, meaningful approach to evaluating the economic aspects of different methods of accomplishing a given objective can be developed. Engineering economy is, therefore, a decision assistance tool by which one method will be chosen as the most economical one. In order for you to be able to apply the techniques, however, it is necessary for you to understand the basic terminology and fundamental concepts that form the foundation for engineering-economy studies. Some of these terms and concepts are described below. An alternative is a stand-alone solution for a give situation. We are faced with alternatives in virtually everything we do, from selecting the method of transportation we use to get to work every day to deciding between buying a house or renting one. Similarly, in engineering practice, there are always seveffl ways of accomplishing a given task, and it is necessary to be able to compare them in a rational manner so that the most economical alternative can be selected. The alternatives in engineering considerations usually involve such items as purchase cost (first cost), the anticipated life of the asset, the yearly costs of maintaining the asset (annual maintenance and operating cost), the anticipated resale value (salvage value), and the interest rate (rate of return). After the facts and all the relevant estimates have been collected, an engineering-economy analysis can be conducted to determine which is best from an economic point of view. However, it should be pointed out that the procedures developed in this book will enable you to make accurate economic decisions only about those alternatives which have been recognized as alternatives; these procedures will not help you identify what the alternatives are. That is, if alternatives ,4, B, C, D, and E have been identified as the only possible methods to solve a Particular problem when method F, which was never recognized as an alternative, is really the most attractive method, the wrong decision is certain to be made because alternative F could never be chosen, no matter what analytical techniques are used. Thus, the importance of alternative identification in the decision-making process cannot be overemphasized, because it is only when this aspect of the process has been thoroughly completed that the analysis techniques presented in this book can be of greatest value. In order to be able to compare different methods for accomplishing a given objective, it is necessary to have an evaluation criterion that can be used as a basis Terminology and Cash-Flow Diagrams 5 for judging the alternatives. That is, the evaluation criterion is that which is used to answer the question â€Å"How will I know which one is best? Whether we are aware of it or not, this question is asked of us many times each day. For example, when we drive to work, we subconsciously think that we are taking the â€Å"best† route. But how did we define best? Was the best route the safest, shortest, fastest, cheapest, most scenic, or what? Obviously, depending upon which criterion is used to identify the best, a dif ferent route might be selected each time! (Many arguments could have been avoided if the decision makers had simply stated the criteria they were using in determining the best). In economic analysis, dollars are generally used as the basis for comparison. Thus, when there are several ways of accomplishing a given objective, the method that has the lowest overall cost is usually selected. However, in most cases the alternatives involve intangible factors, such as the effect of a process change on employee morale, which cannot readily be expressed in terms of dollars. When the alternatives available have approximately the same equivalent cost, the nonquantifiable, or intangible, factors may be used as the basis for selecting the best alternative, For items of an alternative which can be quantified in terms of dollars, it is important to recognize the concept of the time value of money. It is often said that money makes money. The statement is indeed true, for if we elect to invest money today (for example, in a bank or savings and loan association), by tomorrow we will have accumulated more money than we had originally invested. This change in the amount of money over a given time period is called the time value of money; it is the most important concept in engineering economy. You should also realize that if a person or company finds it necessary to borrow money today, by tomorrow more money than the original loan will be owed. This fact is also explained by the time value of money. The manifestation of the time value of money is termed interest, which is a measure of the increase between the original sum borrowed or invested and the final amount owed or accrued. Thus, if you invested money at some time in the past, the interest would be Interest = total amount accumulated – original investment (1. 1) On the other hand, if you borrowed would be Interest money at some time in the past, the interest (1. 2) = present amount owed – original loan In either case, there is an increase in the amount of money that was originally invested or borrowed, and the increase over the original amount is the interest. The original investment or loan is referred to as principal. Probs. 1. 1 to 1. 4 1. 2 Interest Calculations When interest is expressed as a percentage of the original amount per unit time, the result is an interest rate. This rate is calculated as follows: . Percent interest rate = interest accrued per unit time 00% .. I x 1 0 origma amount (1. 3) 6 Level One By far the most common time period used for expressing interest rates is 1 year. However, since interest rates are often expressed over periods of time shorter than 1 year (i. e. 1% per month), the time unit used in expressing an interest rate must also be identified and is termed an interest period. The following two examples illustrate the computation of interest rate. Example 1. 1 The Get-Rich-Quick (GRQ) Company invested $100,000 on May 1 and withdrew a total of $106,000 exactly one year later. Compute (a) the interest gained from the original investment and (b) the interest rate from the investment. Solution (a) Using Eq. ( 1. 1), Interest = 106,000 – 100,000 = $6000 (b) Equation (1. 3) is used to obtain Percent interest rate = 6000 per year 100,000 x 100% = 6% per year Comment For borrowed money, computations are similar to those shown above except that interest is computed by Eq. (1. 2). For example, if GRQ borrowed $100,000 now and repaid $110,000 in 1 year, using Eq. (1. 2) we find that interest is $10,000, and the interest rate from Eq. (1. 3) is 10% per year. Example 1. 2 Joe Bilder plans to borrow $20,000 for 1 year at 15% interest. Compute (a) the interest and (b) the total amount due after 1 year. Solution (a) Equation (1. 3) may be solved for the interest accrued to obtain Interest = 20,000(0. 15) = $3000 (b) Total amount due is the sum of principal and interest or Total due Comment = 0,000 + 3000 = $23,000 Note that in part (b) above, the total amount due may also be computed as Total due = principal(l + interest rate) = 20,000(1. 15) = $23,000 In each example the interest period was 1 year and the interest was calculated at the end of one period. When more than one yearly interest period is involved (for example, if we had wanted to know the amount of interest Joe Bilder would owe on Terminology and Cash-Flow Diagrams 7 the above loan after 3 years), it becomes necessary to determine whether the interest . payable on a simple or compound basis. The concepts of simple and compound interest are discussed in Sec. . 4. Additional Examples 1. 12 and 1. 13 Probs. 1. 5 to 1. 7 1. 3 Equivalence The time value of money and interest rate utilized together generate the concept of equivalence, which means that different sums of money at different times can be equal in economic value. For example, if the interest rate is 12% per year, $100 today (i. e. , at present) would be equivalent to $112 one year from today, since mount accrued = 100 =$112 Thus, if someone offered you a gift of $100 today or $112 one year from today, it would make no difference which offer you accepted, since in either case you would have $112 one year from today. The two sums of money are therefore equivalent to each other when the interest rate is 12% per year. At either a higher or a lower interest rate, however, $100 today is not equivalent to $112 one year from today. In addition to considering future equivalence, one can apply the same concepts for determining equivalence in previous years. Thus, $100 now would be equivalent to 100/1. 12 = $89. 29 one year ago if the interest rate is 12% per year. From these examples, it should be clear that $89. 29 last year, $100 now, and 112 one year from now are equivalent when the interest rate is 12% per year. The fact that these sums are equivalent can be established by computing the interest rate as follows: 112 100 = 1. 12, or 12% per year and 8~~~9 = 1. 12, or 12% per year The concept of equivalence can be further illustrated by considering different loan-repayment schemes. Each scheme represents repayment of a $5000 loan in 5 years at 15%-per-year interest. Table 1. 1 presents the details for the four repayment methods described below. (The methods for determining the amount of the payments are presented in Chaps. 2 and 3. ) †¢ Plan 1 a interest or principal is recovered until the fifth year. Interest accumulates each year on the total of principal and all accumulated interest. †¢ Plan 2 The accrued interest is paid each year and the principal is recovered at the end of 5 years. †¢ Plan 3 The accrued interest and 20% of the principal, that is, $1000, is paid each year. Since the remaining loan balance decreases each year, the accrued interest decreases each year. + 100(0. 12) = 100(1 + 0. 12) = 100(1. 12) 8 Level One Table 1. 1 Different repayment schedules of $5,000 at 15% for 5 years (1) End of year (2) = 0. 15(5) Interest for year (3) = (2) + (5) Total owed at end of year (4) Payment per plan (3) – (4) Balance after payment (5) Plan 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 Plan 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 Plan 3 0 1 2 3 4 5 Plan 4 0 1 2 3 4 5 $ 750. 00 862. 50 991. 88 1,140. 66 1,311. 76 5,750. 00 6,612. 50 7,604. 38 8,745. 04 10,056. 80 0 0 0 0 10,056. 80 $10,056. 80 $ $5,000. 00 5,750. 00 6,612. 50 7,604. 38 8,745. 04 0 $750. 00 750. 00 750. 00 750. 00 750. 00 $5,750. 00 5,750. 00 5,750. 00 5,750. 00 5,750. 00 $ 750. 00 750. 00 750. 00 750. 00 5,750. 00 $8,750. 00 $5,000. 00 5,000. 00 5,000. 00 5,000. 00 5,000. 00 0 $750. 00 600. 00 450. 00 300. 00 150. 00 $5,750. 00 4,600. 00 3,450. 00 2,300. 00 1,150. 00 $1,750. 00 1,600. 00 1,450. 0 1,300. 00 1,150. 00 $7,250. 00 5,000. 00 4,000. 00 3,000. 00 2,000. 00 1,000. 00 0 $750. 00 638. 76 510. 84 363. 73 194. 57 $5,750. 00 4,897. 18 3,916. 44 2,788. 59 1,491. 58 $1,491. 58 1,491. 58 1,491. 58 1,491. 58 1,491. 58 $7,457. 90 $5,000. 00 4,258. 42 3,405. 60 2,424. 86 1,297. 01 0 †¢ Plan 4 Equal payments are made each year with a portion going toward princi- pal recovery and the remainder covering the accrued interest. Since the loan balance decreases at a rate which is slower than in plan 3 because of the equal end-of-year payments, the interest decreases, but at a rate slower than in plan 3. te that the total amount repaid in each case would be different, even though each repayment scheme would require exactly 5 years to repay the loan. The difference in the total amounts repaid can of course be explained by the time value of money, since the amount of the payments is different for each plan. With respect to equivalence, the table shows that when the interest rate is 15% per year, $5000 at time 0 is equivalent to $10,056. 80 at the end of year 5 (plan 1), or $750 per year for 4 years and $5750 at the end of year 5 (plan 2), or the decreasing amounts shown in years 1 through 5 (plan 3), or $1,491. 8 per year for 5 years (plan 4). Using the formulas developed in Chaps. 2 and 3, we could easily show that if the payments in Terminology and Cash-Flow Diagrams 9 each plan (column 4) were reinvested at 15% per year when received, the total amount of money available at the end of year 5 would be $10,056. 80 from each repayment plan. Additional Examples 1. 14 and 1. 15 Probs. 1. 8 and 1. 9 1. 4 Simple and Compound Interest The concepts of interest and interest rate were introduced in Sees. 1. 1 and 1. 2 and ed in Sec. 1. 3 to calculate for one interest period past and future sums of money equivalent to a present sum (principal). When more than one interest period is involved, the terms simple and compound interest must be considered. Simple interest is calculated using the principal only, ignoring any interest that was accrued in preceding interest periods. The total interest can be computed using the relation Interest = (principal)(number of periods)(interest rate) = Pni (1. 4) Example 1. 3 If you borrow $1000 for 3 years at 14%-per-year simple interest, how much money will you owe at the end of 3 years? Solution The interest for each of the 3 years is = Interest per year 1000(0. 14) = $140 Total interest for 3 years from Eq. (1. 4) is Total interest = 1000(3)(0. 4)= $420 Finally, the amount due after 3 years is 1000 + 420 Comment = $1420 The $140 interest accrued in the first year and the $140 accrued in the second year did not earn interest. The interest due was calculated on the principal only. The results of this loan are tabulated in Table 1. 2. The end-of-year figure of zero represents th~ present, th at is, when the money is borrowed. Note that no payment is made by the borrower until the end of year 3. Thus, the amount owed each year increases uniformly by $140, since interest is figured only on the principal of $1000. Table 1. 2 Simple-interest (1) (2) computation (3) (4) (2) + (3) Amount owed (5) End of year 0 1 2 Amount borrowed $1,000 Interest Amount paid 3 $140 140 140 $1,140 1,280 1,420 $ 0 0 1,420 10 Level One In calculations of compound interest, the interest for an interest period is calculated on the principal plus the total amount of interest accumulated in previous periods. Thus, compound interest means â€Å"interest on top of interest† (i. e. , it reflects the effect of the time value of money on the interest too). Example 1. 4 If you borrow $1000 at 14%-per-year compound interest, instead of simple interest as in the preceding example, compute the total amount due after a 3-year period. Solution The interest and total amount due for each year is computed as follows: Interest, year 1 = 1000(0. 14) = $140 Total amount due after year 1 = 1000 + 140 = $1140 Interest, year 2 = 1140(0. 14) = $159. 60 Total amount due after year 2 = 1140 + 159. 60 = $1299. 60 Interest, year 3 = 1299. 60(0. 14)= $181. 94 Total amount due after year 3 = 1299. 60 + 181. 94 = $1481. 54 Comment The details are shown in Table 1. 3. The repayment scheme is the same as that for the simple-interest example; that is, no amount is repaid until the principal plus all interest is due at the end of year 3. The time value of money is especially recognized in compound interest. Thus, with compound interest, the original $1000 would accumulate an extra $1481. 54 – $1420 = $61. 54 compared with simple interest in the 3-year period. If $61. 54 does not seem like a significant difference, remember that the beginning amount here was only $1000. Make these same calculations for an initial amount of $10 million, and then look at the size of the difference! The power of compounding can further be illustrated through another interesting exercise called â€Å"Pay Now, Play Later†. It can be shown (by using the equations that will be developed in Chap. ) that at an interest rate of 12% per year, approximately $1,000,000 will be accumulated at the end of a 40-year time period by either of the Table 1. 3 Compound-interest (1) (2) computation (3) (4) = (2) + (3) (5) End of year 0 1 2 3 Amount borrowed $1,000 Interest Amount owed $1,140. 00 1,299. 60 1,481. 54 Amount paid $140. 00 159. 60 181. 94 $ 0 0 1,481. 54 Terminology and Cash-Flow Diagrams 11 – llowing investment schemes: †¢ Plan 1 Invest $2610 each year for the first 6 years and then nothing for the next 34 years, or †¢ Plan 2 Invest nothing for the first 6 years, and then $2600 each year for the next 34 years!! ‘ote that the total investment in plan 1 is $15,660 while the total required in plan _ to accumulate the same amount of money is nearly six times greater at $88,400. Both the power of compounding and the wisdom of planning for your retirement at he earliest possible time should be quite evident from this example. An interesting observation pertaining to compound-interest calculations in-olves the estimation of the length of time required for a single initial investment to double in value. The so-called rule of 72 can be used to estimate this time. The rule i based on the fact that the time required for an initial lump-sum investment to double in value when interest is compounded is approximately equal to 72 divided by the interest rate that applies. For example, at an interest rate of 5% per year, it would take approximately 14. 4 years (i. e. , 72/5 = 14. 4) for an initial sum of money to double in value. (The actual time required is 14. 3 years, as will be shown in Chap. 2. ) In Table 1. 4, the times estimated from the rule of 72 are compared to the actual times required for doubling at various interest rates and, as you can see, very good estimates are obtained. Conversely, the interest rate that would be required in order for money to double in a specified period of time could be estimated by dividing 72 by the specified time period. Thus, in order for money to double in a time period of 12 years, an interest rate of approximately 6% per year would be required (i. e. , 72/12 = 6). It should be obvious that for simple-interest situations, the â€Å"rule of 100† would apply, except that the answers obtained will always be exact. In Chap. 2, formulas are developed which simplify compound-interest calculations. The same concepts are involved when the interest period is less than a year. A discussion of this case is deferred until Chap. 3, however. Since real-world calculations almost always involve compound interest, the interest rates specified herein refer to compound interest rates unless specified otherwise. Additional Example 1. 16 Probs. 1. 10 to 1. 26 Table 1. 4 Doubling time estimated actual time from rule of 72 versus Doubling lime, no. of periods Interest rate, % per period 1 Estimated from rule 72 Actual 70 35. 3 14. 3 7. 5 2 5 10 20 40 36 14. 4 7. 2 3. 6 1. 8 3. 9 2. 0 12 Level One 1. 5 Symbols and Their Meaning The mathematical symbols: relations sed in engmeenng economy employ the following P = value or sum of money at a time denoted as the present; dollars, pesos, etc. F A n i = value or sum of money at some future time; dollars, pesos, etc. = a series of consecutive, equal, end-of-period month, dollars per year, etc. amounts of money; dollars per = number of interest periods; months, years, etc. = interest rate per interest period; percent per month, percent per year, etc. The symbols P and F represent single-time occurrence values: A occurs at each interest period for a specified number of periods with the same value. It should be understood that a present sum P represents a single sum of money at some time prior to a future sum or uniform series amount and therefore does not necessarily have to be located at time t = O. Example 1. 11 shows a P value at a time other than t = O. The units of the symbols aid in clarifying their meaning. The present sum P and future sum F are expressed in dollars; A is referred to in dollars per interest period. It is important to note here that in order for a series to be represented by the symbol A, it must be uniform (i. e. the dollar value must be the same for each period) and the uniform dollar amounts must extend through consecutive interest periods. Both conditions must exist before the dollar value can be represented by A. Since n is commonly expressed in years or months, A is usually expressed in units of dollars per year or dollars per month, respectively. The compound-interest rate i is expressed in percent per interest period, for example, 5% per year. Ex cept where noted otherwise, this rate applies throughout the entire n years or n interest periods. The i value is often the minimum attractive rate of return (MARR). All engineering-economy problems must involve at least four of the symbols listed above, with at least three of the values known. The following four examples illustrate the use of the symbols. Example 1. 5. If you borrow $2000 now and must repay the loan plus interest at a rate of 12% per year in 5 years, what is the total amount you must pay? List the values of P, F, n, and i. Solution In this situation P and F, but not A, are involved, since all transactions are single payments. The values are as follows: P = $2000 Example 1. 6 i = 12% per year n = 5 years If you borrow $2000 now at 17% per year for 5 years and must repay the loan in equal yearly payments, what will you be required to pay? Determine the value of the symbols involved. Terminology and Cash-Flow Diagrams 13 ~- ution = S2000 = ? per year for 5 years = 17% per year = 5 years – ere is no F value involved. – 1 In both examples, the P value of $2000 is a receipt and F or A is a disbursement. equally correct to use these symbols in reverse roles, as in the examples below. Example 1. 7 T you deposit $500 into an account on May 1, 1988, which pays interest at 17% per year, hat annual amount can you withdraw for the following 10 years? List the symbol values. Solution p = $500 A =? per year i = 17% per year n= 10 years Comment The value for the $500 disbursement P and receipt A are given the same symbol names as before, but they are considered in a different context. Thus, a P value may be a receipt (Examples 1. 5 and 1. 6) or a disbursement (this example). Example 1. 8 If you deposit $100 into an account each year for 7 years at an interest rate of 16% per year, what single amount will you be able to withdraw after 7 years? Define the symbols and their roles. Solution In this example, the equal annual deposits are in a series A and the withdrawal is a future sum, or F value. There is no P value here. A = $100 per year for 7 years F =? i = 16% per year n = 7 years Additional Example 1. 17 Probs. 1. 27 to 1. 29 14 Level One 1. 6 Cash-Flow Diagrams Every person or company has cash receipts (income) and cash disbursements (costs) which occur over a particular time span. These receipts and disbursements in a given time interval are referred to as cash flow, with positive cash flows usually representing receipts and negative cash flows representing disbursements. At any point in time, the net cash flow would be represented as Net cash flow = receipts – disbursements (1. 5) Since cash flow normally takes place at frequent and varying time intervals within an interest period, a simplifying assumption is made that all cash flow occurs at the end of the interest period. This is known as the end-of-period convention. Thus, when several receipts and disbursements occur within a given interest period, the net cash flow is assumed to occur at the end of the interest period. However, it should be understood that although the dollar amounts of F or A are always considered to occur at the end of the interest period, this does not mean that the end of the period is December 31. In the situation of Example 1. 7, since investment took place on May 1, 1988, the withdrawals will take place on May 1, 1989 and each succeeding May 1 for 10 years (the last withdrawal will be on May 1, 1998, not 1999). Thus, end of the period means one time period from the date of the transaction (whether it be receipt or disbursement). In the next chapter you will learn how to determine the equivalent relations between P, F, and A values at different times. A cash-flow diagram is simply a graphical representation of cash flows drawn on a time scale. The diagram should represent the statement of the problem and should include what is given and what is to be found. That is, after the cash-flow diagram has been drawn, an outside observer should be able to work the problem by looking at only the diagram. Time is considered to be the present and time 1 is the end of time period 1. (We will assume that the periods are in years until Chap. . ) The time scale of Fig. 1. 1 is set up for 5 years. Since it is assumed that cash flows occur only at the end of the year, we will be concerned only with the times marked 0, 1, 2, †¦ , 5. The direction of the arrows on the cash-flow diagram is important to problem solution. Therefore, in this text, a vertical arrow pointing up will indicate a positive cash flow. Conversely, an a rrow pointing down will indicate a negative cash flow. The cash-flow diagram in Fig. 1. 2 illustrates a receipt (income) at the end of year 1 and a disbursement at the end of year 2. It is important that you thoroughly understand the meaning and construction of the cash-flow diagram, since it is a valuable tool in problem solution. The three examples below illustrate the construction of cash-flow diagrams.  ° Figure 1. 1 A typical cash-flow time scale. Year 1 Year 5 r=;:;; r+;:;. I 1 2 Time o I I 3 4 I 5 Terminology and Cash-Flow Diagrams 15 + Figure 1. 2 Example of positive and negative cash flows. 2 3 Time Example 1. 9 Consider the situation presented in Example 1. 5, where P = $2000 is borrowed and F is to be found after 5 years. Construct the cash-flow diagram for this case, assuming an interest rate of 12% per year. Solution Figure 1. 3 presents the cash-flow diagram. Comment While it is not necessary to use an exact scale on the cash-flow axes, you will probably avoid errors later on if you make a neat diagram. Note also that the present sum P is a receipt at year 0 and the future sum F is a disbursement at the end of year 5. Example 1. 10 If you start now and make five deposits of $1000 per year (A) in a 17%-per-year account, how much money will be accumulated (and can be withdrawn) immediately after you have made the last deposit? Construct the cash-flow diagram. Solution The cash flows are shown in Fig. 1. 4. Since you have decided to start now, the first deposit is at year 0 and the [lith Comment deposit and withdrawal occur at the end of year 4. Note that in this example, the amount accumulated after the fifth deposit is to be computed; thus, the future amount is represented by a question mark (i. e. , F = ? ) Figure 1. 3. Cash-flow diagram for Example 1. 9. + P = $2. 000 i = 12% o 2 3 4 5 Year F= ? 16 Figure 1. 4 Cashflow diagram for Example 1. 10. Level One F= ? i = 17†³10 2 0 3 4 Year A=$1. 000 Example 1. 11 Assume that you want to deposit an amount P into an account 2 years from now in order to be able to withdraw $400 per year for 5 years starting 3 years from now. Assume that the interest rate is 151% per year. Construct the cash-flow diagram. Figure 1. 5 presents the cash flows, where P is to be found. Note that the diagram shows what was given and what is to be found and that a P value is not necessarily located at time t = O. Solution Additional Examples 1. 18 to 1. 20 Probs. 1. 30 to 1. 46 Additional Examples Example 1. 12 Calculate the interest and total amount accrued after 1 year if $2000 is invested at an interest rate of 15% per year. Solution Interest earned = 2000(0. 15) = $300 Total amount accrued = 2000 + 2000(0. 15) = 2000(1 + 0. 15) = $2300 Figure 1. 5 Cashflow diagram for Example 1. 11. A = $400 o 2 3 4 5 6 7 Year p=? Terminology and Cash-Flow Diagrams 17 Example 1. 13 a) Calculate the amount of money that must have been deposited 1 year ago for you to have $lOQO now at an interest rate of 5% per year. b) Calculate the interest that was earned in the same time period. Solution a) Total amount accrued = original deposit + (original deposit)(interest rate). If X = original deposit, then 1000 = X + X(0. 5) = X(l + 0. 05) 1000 = 1. 05X 1000 X=-=952. 38 1. 05 Original deposit = $952. 38 (b) By using Eq. (1. 1), we have Interest = 1000 – 952. 38 = $47. 62 Example 1. 14 Calculate the amount of money that must have been deposited 1 year ago for the investment to earn $100 in interest in 1 year, if the interest rate is 6% Per year. Solution Let a = a = = total amount accrued and b = original deposit. Interest Since a Interest Interest b b + b (interest rate), interest can be expressed as + b (interest rate) b =b = b (interest rate) $100 = b(0. 06) b = 100 = $1666. 67 0. 06 Example 1. 5 Make the calculations necessary to show which of the statements below are true and which are false, if the interest rate is 5% per year: (a) $98 now is equivalent to $105. 60 one year from now. (b) $200 one year past is equivalent to $205 now. (c) $3000 now is equivalent to $3150 one year from now. (d) $3000 now is equivalent to $2887. 14 one year ago. (e) Interest accumulated in 1 year on an investment of $2000 is $100. Solution (a) Total amount accrued = 98(1. 05) = $102. 90 =P $105. 60; therefore false. Another way to solve this is as follows: Required investment = 105. 60/1. 05 = $100. 57 =P $9? Therefore false. b) Required investment = 205. 00/1. 05 = $195. 24 =p $200; therefore false. 18 Level One (e) Total amount accrued = 3000(1. 05) = $3150; therefore true. (d) Total amount accrued = 2887. 14(1. 05) = $3031. 50 â€Å"# $3000; therefore false. (e) Interest = 2000(0. 05) = $100; therefore true. Example 1. 16 Calculate the total amount due after 2 years if $2500 is borrowed now and the compoundinterest rate is 8% per year. Solution The results are presented in the table to obtain a total amount due of $2916. (1) (2) (3) (4) = (2) + (3) (5) End of year Amount borrowed $2,500 Interest Amount owed Amount paid o 1 2 Example 1. 17 $200 216 2,700 2,916 $0 2,916 Assume that 6% per year, starting next withdrawing Solution P = you plan to make a lump-sum deposit of $5000 now into an account that pays and you plan to withdraw an equal end-of-year amount of $1000 for 5 years year. At the end of the sixth year, you plan to close your account by the remaining money. Define the engineering-economy symbols involved. $5000 A = $1000 per year for 5 years F = ? at end of year 6 i = 6% per year n = 5 years for A Figure 1. 6 Cashflow diagram for Example 1. 18. $650 $625 $600 $575 $ 550 $525 $500 $625 t -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 t o Year P = $2,500 Terminology and Cash-Flow Diagrams 19 Example 1. 1B The Hot-Air Company invested $2500 in a new air compressor 7 years ago. Annual income â€Å"-om the compressor was $750. During the first year, $100 was spent on maintenance, _ cost that increased each year by $25. The company plans to sell the compressor for salvage at the end of next year for $150. Construct the cash-flow diagram for the piece f equipment. The income and cost for years – 7 through 1 (next year) are tabulated low with net cash flow computed using Eq. (1. 5). The cash flows are diagrammed . Fig. 1. 6. Solution End of year Net cash flow Income Cost -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 Example 0 750 750 750 750 750 750 750 750 + 150 $2,500 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 $-2,500 650 625 600 575 550 525 500 625 1. 19 Suppose that you want to make a deposit into your account now such that you can withdraw an equal annual amount of Ai = $200 per year for the first 5 years starting 1 year after your deposit and a different annual amount of A2 = $300 p er year for the following 3 years. How would the cash-flow diagram appear if i is 14! % per year? Solution The cash flows would appear as shown in Fig. 1. 7. Comment The first withdrawal (positive cash flow) occurs at the end of year 1, exactly one year after P is deposited. Figure 1. 7 Cash-flow diagram for two different A values, Example 1. 19. A2 = $300 A, = $200 0 1 2 3 4 i = 14+% 5 6 7 8 Year p=? 20 Level One p=? j = 12% per year Figure 1. 8 Cash-flow diagram for Example 1. 20. F2 1996 1995 A = $50 A = $150 = $50 F, = $900 Example 1. 20 If you buy a new television set in 1996 for $900,. maintain it for 3 years at a cost of $50 per year, and then sell it for $200, diagram your cash flows and label each arrow as P, F, or A with its respective dollar value so that you can find the single amount in 1995 that would be equivalent to all of the cash flows shown. Assume an interest rate of 12% per year. Solution Comment Figure 1. 8 presents the cash-flow diagram. The two $50 negative cash flows form a series of two equal end-of-year values. As long as the dollar values are equal and in two or more consecutive periods, they can be represented by A, regardless of where they begin or end. However, the $150 positive cash flow in 1999 is a single-occurrence value in the future and is therefore labeled an F value. It is possible, however, to view all of the individual cash flows as F values. The diagram could be drawn as shown in Fig. . 9. In general, however, if two or more equal end-of-period amounts occur consecutively, by the definition in Sec. 105 they should be labeled A values because, as is described in Chap. 2, the use of A values when possible simplifies calculations considerably. Thus, the interpretation pictured by the diagram of Fig. 1. 9 is discouraged and will not generally be used further in this text. p=? j = 12% per year F. = $150 1. 9 A cash flow for Example 1. 20 considering all values as future sums. Figure 1996 1995 1997 1998 1999 F2 = $50 F3 = $50 F, = $900

Skills Gap In America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Skills Gap In America - Essay Example At this point, it becomes necessary to ask the question; what job skills or talents are lacking? In answering this question, the truth is that the USA may not be short of individuals who are educated and who possess some education qualifications that are essential for the prevailing job openings within organizations. Therefore, the skills gap is not lacking in the education aspect of the employees, but rather in their talents (Wastler, n.p.). The existing skills gap is especially being felt in the areas of the high growth industries, which include construction, advanced manufacturing, nuclear and clean energy, health care and information technology (Dahl, n.p.). While there could be some qualified individuals in the unemployed group that constitutes 8.1%, their ability to tolerate the working conditions in these sectors, as well as their talent that are necessary in achieving the goals of these sectors is what is exactly lacking (Wastler, n.p.). This is true, considering that these a re sectors that require more than just academic qualifications, but the basic talents and willingness to go an extra mile to ensure the success of the tasks. The remedy to addressing this problem therefore, can be found in addressing the public policy on education, starting from K-12 level upwards, to ensure that the policies focuses more on specialized skills, which include the technical and the apprenticeship skills, that are basically lacking in many industries, considering that such skills constitutes the on-hand-job training, at the expense of theoretical build-up of the academic training (Needham, n.p.). Such on-hand-job skills are the ones lacking experts, thus throwing the essential industries such as construction, manufacturing, health and energy; most of which are hand-on-experience based, into disarray. The existing skills gap in America is talent-based, and constitutes the shortage of middle-skills workers, who constitute â€Å"specialized highly trained mechanical, tec hnical and production careers† (ASTD, 5). Such specialized training does not require high levels of education such as a degree in the specified field, but the high on-the-job training skills, which produces technical experts, who may merely hold a government or an institutional certification, yet they are highly competent when it comes to performing the specific tasks on the job description, which may require less theoretical knowledge, but practical skills to deliver excellent results. The high-skills shortage is especially significantly being experienced in the field of mathematics, engineering, information science and sciences (ASTD, 6). Among the most affected specific fields include the field of nuclear energy, where the rate of the workers retiring is high, while the young generation that is showing interest in the same is significantly reducing, while the growth in the sector is predicted to average at 3% annually, for the next 8 years (ASTD, 6). In addition to the wani ng interest that is noted in the young generation, there also lacks adequate training programs to train experts in this field, thus posing a danger to the growth and competitiveness of nuclear energy as a

Individual and International Response to Disasters Essay

Individual and International Response to Disasters - Essay Example The response towards major humanitarian disasters such as the deadly tsunami that struck Asia in December 2004 leaving approximately 200,000 people dead, scores of hundreds missing and property worth millions of dollars in damages has, no doubt, been massive (UN/ISDR par 4). From donations to volunteer services outpouring from all corners of the world, the responses with respect to the 21st century humanitarian crises without a sense of denial, have been commendable but not sufficient. Yet, the role of the media, an integral component of communication parameters, appears to be less than equal to the task of coercing the entire process with the right buttons; evidence points to synergies directed in the aftermath rather than in the preventive mechanisms. By definition, a disaster [according to the United Nations] refers to a sudden, adverse, disruptive event to the normal functioning of the society with intolerably widespread losses beyond the ability of the affected using the availab le resources (UN DHA/IDNDR 27). Whether man made or natural, disasters are catastrophic, instantaneous, indiscriminate in character, and more so, occur without warning thereby making adjustments efforts difficult. To be sure, man has known disasters for ages. Human suffering induced by floods and/or famines are but tales that have defied generational with deleterious damages that enjoins precious life in a long list of loses. Though helpful, the technological improvements have more than detached man from nature and made the modern era disaster occurrences even more frequent and perilous with partly irreparable consequences. Individual and international agencies/organizations respond to disasters as a show of care gesture and/or to assist in situations where facilities and resources are genuinely inadequate in addressing the humanitarian needs of the affected populations. The assistance normally ranges from immediate to long-term efforts designed to save lives of those in danger and subsequently lessen or alleviate altogether any form of suffering (â€Å"23 Principles of Humanitarian Donorship† par 3). It is worth mentioning that no single actor can successfully meet the facets of a relief/recovery without help. Indeed from the survivors’ needs spanning from health risks [nutrition and emergency shelters, for instance], to livelihood reconstructions, international disaster responses would be verily incomplete without the combinative effort from various specialized actors beginning with the affected government entities, intergovernmental organizations [the UN agencies, to be precise], nongovernmental organizations [both the domestic and the international], the Red Cross, and more importantly the support of the affected civilian populations. Nonetheless, while these actors respond uniquely in some way to humanitarian disasters, not all stretch their efforts to the ultimate objective, thus making disasters rightly multi-phased emergencies where actor s only make contributions towards a desired end. Coordinated collaboration among actors is thus vital in combining specific knowledge, skills, experiences as well as technologies. While it is almost certain that these resources will ultimately meet towards the course discussed herein, quite a number of factors [argued below] determine their supply. Factors that Influence Individual and International Response to Disasters Extreme events such as the 9/11 attacks, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and the more recent Hurricane Sandy in the United States did produce catastrophic impacts with long-term disruption of socio-economic systems. With the exception

Project Management Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Project Management Review - Essay Example It also functions as a tool in evaluating the presented change requests of the project. Further, the Change Control Management also serves the function of managing and implementing the changes approved by the management. 2. Risk Profile, its benefits to risk management A risk profile is a sequence of questions addressing the normal areas of the project where uncertainty prevails. Going through the list of probable risks and by making use of the experience from the past, the management can reduce the risk and increase the success rates. It eases the risk management since adopting previous approaches that were successful is less risky than formulating new management strategies. 3. Functional conflict, why encouraged Functional conflict means the disagreements of interests, ides or main concerns between the groups, individuals, or organizations. Or the deviations of decisions in the non-fulfillment of the requirements of a job course, or process. Functional conflicts arise when the mini mum to reasonable levels of conflicts develop the effectiveness of the team. Such conflict is considered to be constructive as it develops the quality of assessments, motivates creativeness and novelty, and cheers up the inquisitiveness and interest among the team members. It can be used as a tool to create an environment which airs the problems and releases the tension, and also promotes a stage for self-evaluation and modification. The functional conflicts usually arise if: the formal objectives are overlapped, the role-descriptions are overlapped, the contractual bond is ambiguous, the assigned tasks are simultaneous, and if there exists any hidden intentions. Functional conflict can become an advantage to the firm. The project manager can encourage functional conflicts and can use them as antidotes for group thinking. The functional conflict questions the status quo of the project and so there arises the need for creating new idea, promoting assessment of team goals and tasks, i ncreasing the profitability to which the team would respond to alter. Project managers and team leaders should carefully build conflicts into decision-making process. So they can surface and solve the important problems and also reconsider the decisions. 4. Four major steps in facilitating the group decision-making process The project manager plays the central role in leading the teams’ decision making process. The project manager is not asked to make decision himself, but to create an atmosphere for the entire team to discuss and to reach a final possible solution in consensus ad idem. This does not bring a conclusion that each one of the group holds the solution hundred percent; instead it means that the entire group is agreeing up on the best decision under a situation. As Gray, Larson & Desai (2010, p. 360) note, there are four major steps that facilitate the group decision making process. I. Problem identification: - When meeting with issues, the project manager should b e careful not to define the problems in terms of choices (e.g., whether to concentrate on X or Y?). Instead, he should detect the original issues to which these alternatives are probable remedies. This process will enable the team members to formulate alternatives rather than just selecting among them. The important point of problem identification is to focus on the gap between the present state of the project and the desired sate of the project. II. Generating alternatives: - When there is a general understanding of

Animal Cruelty Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Animal Cruelty - Speech or Presentation Example This is only the smallest thing you can do yet. In all cities of every state exist refuge and associations for the rescue of uninhabited animals. You can watch over No Kill protection and rescue groups in your region and observe if you can join in. a kind human being should refuse apathy in all its shapes On fur farms animals are kept in overcrowded dirty cages, they are restricted to live in those small regions without any protection from the changing weather states. They do not even get the basic requirements like clean water, necessary protection from natural changes and veterinary care (Goranson, 1995). Fur farms restrict them to interact with nature and experience the natural activities like jumping, climbing, burrowing, and swimming. These extreme restrictions tire them from their life and due to lack of natural environment they become unable to deal with their life. To get the fur, fur farmers use inhumane ways of killing them. They try to practice the cheapest and the way which confirm the death of the animal. The cruelty can be confirmed by imagining their usual techniques which include suffocation, electrocution, poisonous gases and poisonous elements. A lot of animals are electrocuted by containing bars slotted in into their rectums and 240 volts pass all the way through their bodies (ASPCA, 2002). The animals shake, vibrate and often scream earlier than they have heart attacks and depart their life. Crude killing ways are not always successful, and at times animals "come to life" at the time when they are being skinned. Burberry, one of the leading bags and costume supplier, is well aware of the suffering that has been experienced in making the fur available for every fur-trimmed coat, hat, bag etc. Even after knowing this fact, the company does not stop using fur in its designs. Regardless of a number of alternatives available, it is useless to argue that they cannot stop using fur in their makings. There is no excuse for Burberry to continue helping the brutal humans in showing their cruelty by snatching the life of millions of animals for the sake of money and luxuries. To discourage Burberry and many other companies like them, who show that they are legal and are not involved in any such cruelty, we can stop using their products and notify them about our concern by simply contacting them via e-mail or their website. We must spread this news as much as we can, in order to provide a safe environment to the animals and to do justice with them. By using their products we are helping them in increasing their profits and buy more and more fur by killing more animals. Their products must be boycotted until they implement a fur-free plan (American Humane Association, 2000). Moreover, horse racing is no more an entertaining sport. The caretakers of racing horses do not take any account of the injuries and ailments that horses usually experience during racings. If the horse owners or the racing track owners are not ready to provide fitness and safety of horses, then authorities should implement strict rules to be followed by them in order to

IT In Financial Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

IT In Financial Organizations - Essay Example Various technologies have been invented to automate certain business functions of an organization. The type of technology depends totally on the type of operation and the organization's infrastructure support. The financial institutions have adapted to various advanced technologies so as to enhance the services they provide to the customers dependent on the upgraded business processes. Many financial institutions collect the information related to individual customers such as their personal details and their financial details associated with the institutions and various businesses carried out over a period of time. This is information is then processed and then certain data can be obtained automatically by implementing certain technologies. Asset Management serves the investment needs of institutions, governments and government agencies around the world. An asset can be defined as anything owned by an individual that has a cash value, including property, goods, savings, and investments. Asset management, therefore, refers to the management of the assets by money managing teams. Though the major emphasis is on managing the investment portfolios of a company, asset management also includes management of physical assets such as money, equipment and property, as also the non-tangible assets such as information and the workflow processes (ittoolkit, 2007). Assets, in any commercial set up, include the monetary investments, plants, infrastructure and its human resources. Asset management is, therefore, a process that aims at the optimum utilization of resources for maximum returns at the minimum investment or costs. The first priority of any asset management team is to identify the company's 'assets' or resources. Once these are identified, the team can then focus on the business process or, in other words, understand the functioning of the tangible or non-tangible assets (netsimplicity, 2005). Preparing the monetary investment portfolios is an important aspect of asset management. The investment portfolios give a clear picture of the income- expenditure ratio, as well as the financial status of a company. Based on the study, the asset management team can remove deficiencies, or modify the investment structure to maximize returns. Property, plant, and equipment are the tangible assets of the company. Asset management involves the study and analysis of the actual property on which the plant is built and all the equipment that is required to run the business. Plant and equipment need effective management. Their depreciation values needs to be studied. Their analysis helps the team to arrive at a decision whether to repair or replace machinery in order to reduce running costs. Human Resources include the non-tangible resources of the company. Managing human resources involves studying individuals, departments; divisions, planning for improvement of skills, improving comfort level and security, and, thereby evolving a policy for maximum output by the employees (Cole, 2006). Ensuring accurate tax and paying for these on time is also one of the ways which companies consider an attractive option rendered by asset management. Depreciation, amortization,

Leventhals Illness Dimensions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leventhals Illness Dimensions - Essay Example People by use of their common sense search for the meaning of somatic events and tend to attribute these events to a specific cause. According to Taylor, (1999), the presence of symptoms and also how a person interprets them affect his/her behavior. Equally important are the attributions which the person makes out of the symptoms being experienced. Research has shown that majority of the people seeking medication on not so serious symptoms are later diagonised to suffer from depression related illnesses. The explanation here is that the people interpret the symptoms to mean presence of physical diseases. Leventhal proposed five dimensions of illness in which illness experiences are organized. The five dimensions are: control and curability. Cause, Timeline, consequences and identity (Leventhal, Benyamini, Brownlee, Diefenbach, M. Leventhal, Miller, L., & Robitaille, 1997). A patient's perceptions of how they can control an illness and the possible out come changes their behavior. When administering treatment for illness perceptions the goal should be to influence behavior. In the (Development and Diversity. Vol. 4) it is noted that illness representations affect the measure a patient will take in order to adapt to an illness as his/her emotional responses. To adapt a patient may use escape-avoidance mechanisms and wishful thinking. This, illustrates that it is crucial for clinicians to examine individuals coping In reg

Plea Bargaining Essay Example for Free

Plea Bargaining Essay Most cases are resolved through plea bargains. This is resulting from negotiations between the prosecutor and defense attorney. Plea bargains can be made at any stage of the criminal justice process. Plea bargains can be either a charge bargains or sentence bargains. There are advantages and disadvantages with plea bargains. With plea bargains, it can reflect the due process and crime control of the criminal justices. Plea bargain is an argument between the prosecutor and the defendant to plead guilty to a crime to receive a lesser charge or sentence rather than going to trial and getting a harsher sentence or charge. These bargains are another way for the prosecutor to have the defendant to testify against other defendants on other cases as well as the trail they are in. Plea bargains are another way to help reduce cases from going to trial. Usually please bargains are between the council and the defense attorney but the judge can have a factor in it depending on the jurisdiction. They can work with the judge for a predetermined sentence. If the prosecutor goes back on the agreement, the defendant can ask the judge for relief. The judge may use different tactics to go about this such as withdrawal of the agreement or have the prosecutor go through the agreement there are distinct types of plea bargain. Charge bargaining is the most common and used plea. Charge bargaining involve negotiating charges that would be filed. This plea bargain will be to lesser charges and the higher charges will be dismissed. Sentencing bargaining involves pleading guilty to the state charges and not to a reduced charge so that the agreement is for a lighter sentence. There is also a lesser used plea bargain called fact bargaining. This bargaining uses certain facts in return to not use other facts in the case that would cause a different verdict. The plea bargain has to follow through with these knowing rights: a knowing wavier of rights, a voluntary wavier, and a factual basis to support the charges t which the defendant is pleading guilty. Plea bargaining is often criticized but the majority of convictions are due to bargaining. The benefits a plea bargains is there for the defendant. The defendant has this as an option instead of a trial, its uncertainties and to avoid maximum sentence. For the courts it lightens their loads for the judges and the prosecutors. The disadvantages of plea bargains are for those who are innocent pleading guilty for a crime to avoid the harsher verdict if found guilty in a trial. The plea bargains require the defendants to give up their constitutional rights. Rights that are protected by the fifth and sixth amendment: the defendant will have to waive the right to a jury, the right against self-incrimination in the right to confront hostile witnesses. The plea bargains are accepted as long as the defendant understands the consequences and volunteers to do so. Now if the defendant is coerced to do a guilty plea then it is unconstitutional. It also makes law enforcement and lawyers lazy in doing their job because it is an easy way out of not taking the time to investigate and to prepare a decent case. The due process makes sure that the defendant is receiving fair treatment while in the criminal justice hands. Plea bargaining reflects the due process because if the prosecutor has all their facts together, they can pursue a case to avoid the motions of a trial. The counsel allows the defendant the option of the plea bargain. If accepted, their sentence is reduced. The crime control assumes all is guilty before court so the plea bargains will not likely to be used here. The crime control suggests everyone is guilty and they should be tried and punished before the court. Though they are on opposite ends, the due process and crime control model have benefits that all of the branches of the criminal justice can handle. To ensure those individuals are receiving fair trails, the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments are very valuable to the justice system. According to FindLaw (2013), â€Å"Judicial economy simply means that one goal of the judicial system is to conclude cases in an efficient and speedy manner. Without plea bargaining, it is widely believed that there would be an explosion of cases which in turn would overtax and disrupt the current legal system. † Plea bargains are a notion to a sure sentence. Going to trial can result in months or years of arguments, hung jury, and evidence being unaccounted for, and etc. Prosecutors prefer to settle cases with plea bargains than to juggle a verdict with a jury.

Conscription Paragraph Essay Example for Free

Conscription Paragraph Essay Out on the battlefield many men were lost saving families and there country. These men are honoured for being heroes for what they have done and because of there actions less men were killed, families receive there family members faster and some men get to see another day. This was all possible from the government using conscription. After the government decided to use conscription this made many people and families angry but they did not see the good and the need for it. They used every volunteer that they received yet it was not enough and that it was necessary to use force to gather the men needed to help fight and win the war. Due to the more soldiers fighting the faster then men got to come home to their families and with the amount of men recruited more families and friends were saved. The men who had joined the army learned that all is the same out in the battlefield and there class, wealth, race, or religion we all become equal when fighting and protecting your country. Conscription helped and forced lazy and unemployed people to work and get paid and honoured for what they are doing, which is better then doing nothing all day. In the process of joining the war the men were trained and put in to a fitness training to make them healthier and strong for and after the war. All of the men who came back are now remembered as heroes and honoured for there bravery and courage. Yes the government broke the promise about using conscription however the war was in our favour and families, friends, country were all saved and protected in the process. We have made a face on the earth and shown our power to all the countries out there and tell them to beware because we will fight and we ill win.

Plato and Aristotle Essay

Plato and Aristotle Essay What is happiness? Happiness is a way of engaging in the various activities of life. Can happiness allow people to live the good life? Aristotle believed that happiness can allow people to live the good life. This essay will be examining the ethics of Plato (428-347 BCE) and Aristotle (384-322 BCE) to analyse, justify and compare the major concepts of the two philosophers therein. I will argue that Aristotles solution to the problem of the good life is a better answer than Plato. It will summarise the fundamental concepts of Platos and Aristotles ethical theories, before providing my own opinion on their ethics. Plato: Plato was a philosopher who was both a rationalist and an absolutist in ethics. He was a rationalist because he believed that people can discover knowledge or justification by reason alone and for no circumstances that the knowledge can be wrong (http://philosophy.tamu.edu/~sdaniel/Notes/plato.html). Plato held the belief that human reasoning ability is the condition that allows people to approach the Forms (in Greek, idea). For Plato, human beings live in a world of visible and intelligible things. The visible world is what we see, hear and experience. This visible world is a world of change and uncertainty which means that we have to seek for it only in the realm of the mind in order to find any absolute certain knowledge. Platos rationalism dissimulates his absolutism. He was an absolutist, in that he believed that there is one and only one good life for all to lead since goodness is not dependent upon human inclinations (Popkin, Stroll, 1999, p.4). It is an absolute and exists in dependently of mankind. Thus this had made him believe that If a person knows what the good life is, he/she would not act immorally (Philosophy Made Simple, 1999, p.3). In order to live the good life people must be schooled to acquire certain kinds of knowledge. This training will give them the capacity to know the nature of the good life, since evil is due to lack of knowledge. However, Aristotle had a different perspective to Platos belief of what the good life is and how should people act. Aristotle: Aristotle was a philosopher who was both an empiricist and a relativist in ethics. Aristotle was an empiricist, in that he examined the behaviour and talk of various people in everyday life. He discovered that various lives, which people of common sense considered to be good, all contain one common characteristic: happiness. Aristotle concluded that the good life for people is a life of happiness. Aristotle defines happiness as an activity of the soul in accord with perfect virtue (Philosophy Made Simple, 1999, p.8). Aristotle considered that pleasure is essential for a person to live a happy life. Aristotle uses a formula called the Doctrine of the Mean or the preferred name Golden Mean to answer how people should behave in order to achieve happiness. Moderation in all things is the Doctrine of the Mean. This leads to the fact that Aristotle was a relativist, in that he believed that there was more than one good life for people. He stated that we must have virtues of moderation whic h are different for each individual. The virtues are the virtues of moderation as this was how Aristotle perceived it as. By definition, virtue is a means between two extremes, an excess and a defect, with respect to a particular action or emotion (The Purple Philosophy Book: Ethics, p.21). This demonstrates that the mean is not the mathematical definition, average. Knowing what the Golden Mean is, will allow an individual to develop self-control. People must strive for the mean between two extremes: courage is the mean between rashness and cowardice. Also people must act moderately in order to achieve happiness. (http://www.plosin.com/work/AristotleMean.html) Appraisal: I would now like to share my opinion and perspective on how I perceive the theories of Plato and Aristotle. In my view, the better solution to the problem of the good life is Aristotles relativism, rather than Hobbess absolutism. Firstly, Platos argument about the good life is flawed for a number of reasons. The first reason I will analyse is whether his inference If a person knows what the good life is, he/she would not act immorally (Philosophy Made Simple, 1999, p.3) is justified. I believe that Platos account must be rejected because a person could still act evilly even though they know and understand what the right course of action is. For example, if a person knows stealing is wrong but stills commit the crime, then this casts Platos argument in doubt. Aristotles view on the human nature, on contrary, is that what is right for one person is not necessarily right for another, since he believed that there was more than one good life for people (http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/rar/PvA .htm). An example for this is that a person can be more or less courageous than others. When interpreting the theories of both philosophers, it is clear to me that Aristotles view of human nature is far more superior to Plato. This is because Aristotle showed a more realistic view of human nature than Plato about the good life. Therefore, it is evident that Aristotles solution to the problem of the good life is a better answer than Plato. Secondly, Plato suggests that moral difficulties in many cases are theoretically solvable by the acquisition of further knowledge. There seems to be situations in which moral difficulties are not theoretically solvable by the acquisition of further knowledge. For example, a person knows all the relevant facts that inventing a nuclear bomb will be able to kill 1,000,000 people which will then end and shorten the war by years. On the other hand, if the person knows the effects of dropping a nuclear bomb, it will then make the area uninhabitable for numerous years. The situation seems analogous to many problems which soldiers face. Should we or should not drop the nuclear bomb? In this situation, the acquisition of further information will not be able to help the person to solve this moral difficulty. In this account, Platos theory cannot be accepted, since he has mistaken moral knowledge with scientific and mathematical knowledge. Therefore, it is evident that Platos argument about the good life and moral difficulties are like mathematical problems are flawed for a number of reasons. I believe that Aristotles argument about the Golden Mean is flawed for a number of reasons. For the first reason I will analyse whether his inference that everyone always ought to follow the middle course between certain kinds of activities (Philosophy Made Simple, 1999, p.11) is justified. There are some situations that do not have a middle course. (http://www.plosin.com/work/AristotleMean.html) For example, there is no middle for keeping a promise and breaking a promise. Furthermore, moderation is not always appropriate, since some situations require extreme behaviour. Some people have passionate and flamboyant personalities. For example, a person may find that moderation behaviour does not suit him/her as the person may be temporarily passionate about his/her occupation. Therefore, it is evident that Aristotles Golden Mean is flawed in this case. In conclusion, Aristotles argument about the good life demonstrates that the good life is a life of happiness. Platos however, does not; as he believed that people needs certain kinds of knowledge of the good life in order to live the good life. From the reasons above, Aristotles solution to the problem of the good life is a better answer than Plato. On the other hand, Aristotles Golden Mean would not work. However Platos absolutism will work in the situation in keeping a promise and breaking a promise. From the reasons stated above Platos absolutism will be a better answer than Aristotles relativism.

George Washingtons Views on Slavery Essay -- Slavery Essays

George Washington's Views on Slavery In his writings, George Washington felt very strongly that slavery was an institution that needed to be eliminated from American society. However, there were several circumstances that arose following the American Revolution that would prevent Washington from actively pursuing the elimination of slavery during his lifetime. It is certainly plausible that George Washington's personal economic short-comings, forefront in the setting of conflicting political agendas and the nation's revolutionary climate, prevented this founding father from actively pursuing the nationwide emancipation of slaves. Prior and during the American Revolution, little was written by Washington on his feelings about slavery. In the last year of the war and thereafter, more attention was spent by Washington on the issue of slavery. On February 5, 1783, Washington received a letter from Marquis de Lafayette, whom Washington considered both a friend and a son, that stated, "Let us unite in purchasing a small estate, where we may try the experiment to free the negroes, and use them only as tenants. Such an example as yours might render it a general practice..." (Sparks v.3, p.547). It is doubtful that Lafayette would have proposed this idea unless he knew that Washington had strong views on seeing the elimination of slavery. Washington wrote back to Lafayette on April 5, "The scheme... to encourage the emancipation of the black people of this Country from that state of Bondage in which. they are held, is a striking evidence of the benevolence of your Heart. I shall be happy to join you is so laudable a work..." (Fitzpatrick v.26, p.300). Unfortunately, Washington was still in cha... ...nian in the late 18th century, Washington was truly enlightened on his views of slavery. It is unfortunate that more Southern Americans did not follow Washington's lead, for this issue of slavery would cost us many American lives in another sixty years, and would almost destroy the nation that George Washington had worked so hard at building. Works Cited Carroll, J.A., and M.W. Ashworth. George Washington: A Biography. Vol. 7. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1957. 7 vols. Fitzpatrick, John C., ed. The Writings of George Washington. 39 vols. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1933. Freeman, Douglass S. George Washington: A Biography. Vol. 6. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1955. 7 vols. Sparks, Jared. Correspondence of the American Revolution, Letters to Washington. 4 vols. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1853.

The Electoral College Should Be Revised Essay -- Argumentative Persuas

The Electoral College Should Be Revised As citizens of the United State of America, one of our most important rights is that of which to vote. By voting, the general population has a say in who its leaders are. Votes for local, state, and even federal representatives directly reflect who the constituents want in office. However, America’s highest office is not elected by a vote of the people. Instead we use a confusing and outdated system called the Electoral College. Our president is not elected by the people, but by 538 electors who can legally vote for whomever they choose. Several times in our nations history an elector has voted against the people’s will. Three presidents have been elected into office by the electoral college and not had the majority support of the nation. This phenomenon may very well happen again this year. This system needs to be changed. The highest office in our great nation needs to be elected by the people he/she is representing. The electoral college was developed by our founding fathers as a compromise between a president elected by Congress and one elected by the popular vote of the people. They feared that if the president was elected by Congress, he/she may feel some obligation to it. They also felt that the American people were not well enough informed and mature enough to elect their own leader. They finally decided on an Electoral College that today is made up of 538 electors from all 50 state and the District of Columbia. Each state is allotted a number of electors equal to its number of Representatives and Senators in Washington. The District of Columbia has a number of electors equal to that of the least populated state. As an example, California, our nation’s most populated state, h... ...t. This government is made of the people, for the people, and by the people. We need to have the ability to choose our own leader without the possibility of that decision getting manipulated. Sources Cited: Tom Curtis, "Making Sense of the Electoral College." [Internet, www], http://www.msnbc.com. [viewed Nov. 6, 2000] "Frequently Asked Questions on the Electoral College." Prepared by The Office of the Federal Register. [Internet, www], http://www.nara.gov. [viewed Nov. 6, 2000] "Electoral College." 2000 United Republican Network. [Internet, www], http://united.republican .com. [viewed Nov. 6, 2000] Eric Wikman, "The Electoral College: Then, Now, and Tomorrow." [Internet, www], http://www.wickman.com. [viewed Nov. 6, 2000] Judy Cresanta, "The Electoral College: Crisis Avoided." [Internet, www], http://www.npri.com. [viewed Nov. 6, 2000]

Examine the importance of Act III, Scene V Essay

Examine the importance of Act III, Scene V. How would you direct the scene in order to emphasise your interpretation? Romeo and Juliet is a play of love and tragedy. It is a great play if directed properly and is easy for people to understand. This is why I am writing this essay on how I would direct one of the most important scenes, Act III, Scene V. I will explain the significance of this scene and how I would get across its meaning. To understand this scene you need to know a little about life of people in the 16th Century; for one thing the relationship between children and their parents was very different especially amongst the rich. The father of the family expected everyone to do what he said even if they disagreed. Also mothers didn’t usually know their children personally as they hired nurses to take care of them 24/7 and even with babies they hired a wet-nurse, which means the nurse had usually just had a child and would breast feed the family’s child. The mother and father had very little to do with their children. Even though they didn’t know their children they still arranged their marriages! The children had no say in the matter. A rich family would usually set up a marriage with another wealthy family. It was socially unacceptable for a rich person to marry a poor person. Once married the wife was expected to do whatever her husband said and never answer back. If she did the husband would usually get angry and sometimes physical. As well as thinking about the 16th Century behaviour I need to think about the relevance to a modern audience. I think a modern audience would relate to all the love and compassion in this scene. They would see the love Juliet has for Romeo and feel sorry for her because her father is forcing her to marry someone else. They will see the pain and suffering she is going through to get her father to cancel the wedding but he gets angry because they should do what he says and never answer back. The important thing when trying to direct the scene is to emphasise the part the modern audience would relate to. I would do this by making the scene very dramatic and make the actor playing Capulet push Juliet around as well as speaking very loudly, maybe even shouting. I would also have the actress playing Juliet cry and whimper, get down on her knees and make it look like she is begging. The other characters, Lady Capulet and the Nurse would be trying to hold back Capulet, but would cower away when he speaks to them. This should show the audience that Juliet is desperate and will demonstrate how aggressive Capulet can be. As well as thinking about the historical context and the contemporary relevance we need to consider the character development. In this scene we find things out about the Capulet family we never knew before. The characters seem to change, for example Juliet starts the scene very happy as she has just that night consummated her marriage to Romeo. This happiness is shown when she says, â€Å"Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate tree. Believe me love it was the nightingale. † This shows that she is happy and being romantic. As the scene continues she changes from being happy to suicidal because she is being forced to marry Parris. â€Å"If all else fail, myself have power to die. † This means if she cannot delay the marriage she will kill herself. Another character that changes is the Nurse, as in the beginning of the scene she helps Juliet hide Romeo when Lady Capulet walked in. She said, â€Å"Your lady mother is coming to your chamber. † This shows the nurse wants to help and gives Romeo time to escape through the window. The Nurse does try and stick up for Juliet against Capulet but backs down when he shouts at her. Right at the end of the scene the Nurse suddenly changes and says, â€Å"I think it best you married with the county. † The Nurse has now decided not to back Romeo and Juliet’s love and told Juliet to marry Parris and forget about Romeo. She does this because she realises that Juliet has no alternative. We also learn things about the characters. We learn that Capulet has a very short fuse and gets very angry as he expects his family to do whatever he says. He was outraged that Juliet answered back by saying she did not want to marry Parris. â€Å"Hang thee young baggage, disobedient wretch! † This proves how aggressive Capulet gets. Also, Capulet and Lady Capulet’s marriage is shown in a different light as we see that Lady Capulet doesn’t stand up against her husband and does what he says. â€Å"Here comes your father, tell him so yourself, and see how he will take it at your hands. † This illustrates that she will not speak against her husband and advises Juliet to tell him herself. All this is showing that Capulet runs the relationship. We also find out that Romeo and Juliet’s relationship is very immature as they keep changing their minds about important things, for example â€Å"Therefore stay get, thou need’st not to be gone. † This proves their immaturity and that they don’t understand the consequences of their actions. This scene is a turning point in the play as Juliet is distraught because she is being forced to marry Parris and feels everyone has abandoned her. She believes the only way out is to take her own life, so she turns to the Friar for help. This is significant because the Friar is the one who gives her the sleeping potion and tells her to take it the night before her marriage to Parris. Taking the sleeping potion eventually leads to the death of Romeo and Juliet. I think the end isn’t quite inevitable because you don’t know that Romeo wouldn’t get the message from Friar Lawrence and think that Juliet is dead, then take the poison when he sees her in the tomb. If everything went to plan, Romeo would have known she was just in a deep sleep and then live together outside the walls of Verona. However, the way this scene ends and some of the language in this scene makes a tragic end more likely. There is a lot said in this scene that would suggest the play would end in tragedy. As Juliet is told she will marry Parris, this complicates everything for Juliet as she already has a husband. It makes her feel suicidal because Romeo has been banished and now she has to marry Parris. On top of all that her mother and Nurse abandon her. â€Å"Talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word. Do as though wilt, for I have done with thee. † This makes us believe something tragic will happen soon. We also believe that it will end in tragedy because of the way the play has been structured. The play starts with the prologue, which says, â€Å"The fearful passage of their death marked love†¦ † This states that it will end tragically. Juliet says, â€Å"Methinks I see thee now though art so low, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb. † The two lovers separate after saying things like this, which suggests they will never see each other again. This all points to the same thing, a tragic end. This also changes the tone of the play because in the scene before, the mood was very loving and happy as Romeo and Juliet got married. This mood stayed at the beginning of this scene. â€Å"Look love, what envious streaks do lace the severing clouds I yonder east. † This shows Romeo being romantic to the women he loves. The romance is also shown in the structure of the sentences by iambic pentameter. It makes the sentences flow and sound poetic. All this shows love and happiness. Then when Juliet’s mother enters the mood changes from happy and loving to despair and sorrow. Juliet’s starts to plead with her mother but she will not listen. When her father enters the mood becomes very dramatic, as Capulet was being very aggressive. This is shown by harsh, brutal language, â€Å"Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither. Out you green – sickness carrion. † This shows his anger and aggression. The rhythm has also changed, it is now very sharp and snappy to show the anger he has towards her. We also see Juliet pleading to her father, â€Å"Good father, I beseech you on my knees, hear me with patience, but to speak a word. † She pleads and pleads. She is worried and full of despair. At the end she talks of killing herself, this is how much the mood has changed. Shakespeare has presented several forms of love in this scene and other themes, like fate. The forms of love presented in this scene are young love, which Romeo and Juliet have for each other. This kind of love has blinded them and all they think about is each other. They don’t think about their actions. Also we are shown the love between Juliet and the Nurse, which is like a mother and daughter love. The Nurse helps Juliet and tries to give the best advice she can. I think Shakespeare wants the audience to conclude that love is strong and that people should fight for love. He may also want them to realise how some families can disown their children just because they love, in their eyes, the wrong person. The other theme, fate is an important part, as if it was meant to be they would be fine and nothing would go wrong but things go terribly wrong for Romeo and Juliet. So it seems fate is against them or fate has already predetermined their deaths. If I was directing the production of Romeo and Juliet I would instruct the actors to play their parts dramatically and over state things of importance e. g. I would make the actors playing Romeo and Juliet be over affectionate to each other at the beginning of this scene. I would tell the audience about the 16th Century life and behaviour, so they would be able to understand the background better. I would explain that the father expected everyone to do what he said. Also I would explain about the wet-nurse and the bond between her and Juliet. I would do this by including it in the programme or through a narrator. In order to get a good response from the audience I would have to highlight the things they can relate to. I would ask the actress who played Juliet to emphasise her despair by getting on her knees to plead with her father. Also I would make Capulet shout and push Juliet around ensuring that the audience would feel sorry for her. This will demonstrate how angry Capulet gets and that Juliet is really upset because she doesn’t want to marry Parris. To make sure they know the mother won’t stick up for Juliet I would make the actress hide behind Capulet. For the Nurse, I would get her to stop Capulet from hitting Juliet, to show she tried to help, but he will push her away. I would also make them emphasise the parts, which indicate the play will end in tragedy by speaking louder. Act III, Scene V is a particularly important scene because the mood drastically changes from happiness to despair. This is because she is being forced to marry Parris and everyone abandons her. All this shows the audience that there is going to be a tragic end to the play.

Many People Have Different Learning Styles

Your role of organizing and delivering training tarts by identifying the learners' needs. Before the course starts, You need to carry out an initial assessment of all learners, by direct contact or through their training manager / unit manager. Planning Your responsibilities are: 1 . To ensure that once the syllabus is known, you prepare for the lesson and lesson plans generated 2. To ensure the course structure and timetable are developed 3. To ensure that resources are planned IEEE laptops, projectors etc 4. To ensure accommodation is suitable 5. To get to know our students and their needs 6.To ensure that our knowledge is up to date 7. Organization is number 1 priority in delivering a good lesson 8. To organize the class room layout to suit the group you are teaching. It is necessary to keep up to date with any changes in the training curriculum, especially in SST John Ambulance as things like first aid modifications / principals change frequently to keep up with modern changes in everyday lifestyle and delivering first aid or methods in teaching. Shoots Ambulance offer regular training days / evenings to keep up to date with any changes.Boundaries with Planning There are limitations with planning, in that a Teacher can only plan for what s known and there may be unexpected occurrences that have to be dealt with in the lesson. However, there also has to be an element of â€Å"expect the unexpected† Delivery Your responsibilities are 1. To ensure that delivery is clear and concise 2. That standards are maintained 3. That YOU deliver your lesson to a consistently high standard 4. That YOU deliver a differentiated lesson taking into account different learning styles, and a differentiated lesson to engage learners at different levels.

Time and time again he practices his moves until

He kneels down, trying to lay low to avoid detection.   He has stalked his prey all day.   He has studied â€Å"the kill† from every conceivable angle.   He replayed every scenario in his mind.Time and time again he practices his moves until he is sure that there are no mistakes.   There can be no letting go of this one.   This is the big one that will make everything else seem so insignificant.This will be the last hunt.   It is as if his eyes are glued to this target.   Nothing will deny him this.   It is his birthright.   It is his destiny.   He approaches his prey confidently as his prey stares at him unaware of what will happen next.   As the first words are spoken, he knows that the game is afoot.   The mark has been engaged and the â€Å"con† shall now begin to unfold.It was a very simple transaction.   Legitimate on its face and humanitarian in character.   The young man’s life had taken on the most unfortunate of all turns.   In a span of one month, he had lost everything to the financial crisis.Formerly a successful trader on wall street, one error had cost him his entire life savings and even now threatened to ruin the futures of his daughters, whose pictures he was not slow to show.   â€Å"They are honor students in high school but I don’t know if I can afford to send them to college†, he claims.   The mark looks at him with compassion, reflecting a hint of suspicion.â€Å"Kind sir, I understand your wary nature and I would like to say that I do not appeal to your generosity but as an honest and working man who has fallen on hard times, I would just like to beseech you for an opportunity for me to redeem my pride and rebuild my spirit,† the con man begins his speech and he knows it is only a few more moments before the job is done.â€Å"If you would indulge me for a moment of your time to enlighten you about my situation for you see, I was not like this.   In fact, I liv ed among the haves and looked down on the have nots.   As luck would have it, however, I have fallen on hard times and seek only a way to redeem myself in my eyes so that I may have the courage to face my family when I return home to tell them of my tragic failure.†It is the perfect pitch.   Not an appeal to generosity but rather an appeal to the pride of all men; the need to be able to bravely face his troubles.   It strikes a chord in everyone’s heart, for who could ever deny a little help to a person who wants nothing more than a chance to regain his pride.   There has been no mention of money except that which has been lost by the con man.   Neither will there be a mention of money until the con man is convinced that he has secured his mark.â€Å"Dear sir,† he continues, â€Å"thank you indeed for this time and as you have given me the chance to walk with my head up high again, allow me to repay your act of kindness with a generous gesture.   I w as a trusted banker for a very wealthy family and as such, I am privy to many of their transactions.   If you are interested, I can invest your money in a few of their business that are already making so much money.The returns are not extraordinary but certainly better than normal bank rates.   I only offer this to you because you have been so kind.   Here is my card, please give me a call.   Have a nice day.†Game, set and match.   All he has to do is just sit and wait.   There is no cause for what he does.   It is simply just about the money.   For those who fall prey to the scam, the only cause is the money.   There is nothing more to it.   There are no deeper existential philosophies and moralities to wrestle with just the thought of having more cold hard cash or having none at all.Every con has an angle.   Every con plays on the emotions of people.   Logic never betrays its owner.   Every decision a person regrets in life can be traced back to a s ingle strand of emotion that clouded solid judgment.   This is something that every con man understands.   This is something that every con man counts on.   The cause is simply just money, for after all, a con is about the dollars and sense!

Health and Family Life Education School Nutrition Plan Essay

The goal of the â€Å"Healthy Eating, Active Living Project† at The People’s Cathedral Primary School is to assist children and families in making healthy food choices by supporting nutrition policies, expanding opportunities for nutrition education and focusing on physical improvements in the canteen. In order to bridge school activities with nutrition habits in the home, families will be engaged through school sponsored Family Nights, cooking demonstrations, and nutrition related homework assignments. At the project’s conclusion, the school’s overall nutrition environment will improve substantially, such that healthy eating habits are the norm- rather than the exception. Children will be afforded the opportunity to consume enough energy and nutrients to fuel optimum learning and physical development. Targeted Environments and Population The â€Å"Healthy Eating, Active Living† project will focus on the entire student population The People’s Cathedral Primary School along with their families. The school is located within the St. Michael district, serving 350 students ages 3-12 years in preschool to class four. The school population will primarily be reached through school based intervention. Primary Healthy Eating Challenges to Address Achieving nutrition integrity within a school, means taking a comprehensive approach to program planning, management, operations and integration of nutrition into the total education program of the school. With this in mind, I anticipate working with the following three challenges to create and sustain a healthy eating climate at The People’s Cathedral Primary School. These challenges are: †¢ School policies to support healthy eating habits and choices †¢ Nutrition education as an integral part of the school’s curriculum †¢ Equipment to serve fresh fruits and vegetables in the canteen The People’s Cathedral Primary School is particularly concerned about the nutritional health of their students, who are among the highest-risk groups for childhood obesity and diabetes. The staff of The People’s Cathedral Primary School is highly motivated by the goals and opportunity of the â€Å"Healthy Eating, Ac tive Living† project to pursue more aggressive nutrition policies for their students. Education is an integral component in guiding healthy food choices. As part of the nutrition education integration component of this project I will work diligently with school staff to develop and integrate nutrition education into core subjects. Through this cross-curricular approach, teachers will be able to address multiple learning requirements in a time effective manner. The third challenge of the project is the physical availability of healthful options. It is my belief that the school and community have a shared responsibility to provide all students with access to high-quality foods as an integral part of the total education program. The People’s Cathedral Primary School has demonstrated the receptivity to nutritional interventions through a morning snack program. However, while fruit and vegetable consumption is up, The People’s Cathedral Primary School is without a plan to continue incorporation of fresh fruits and vegetables into the student’s diets in a sustainable manner. Through this project proposal, the school would purchase a salad bar that would deliver fruits and vegetables on an ongoing and sustainable basis. Proposed methods of increasing access to healthy food and healthy eating choices The overall goal of the â€Å"Healthy Eating, Active Living† is to help children make healthy food and activity choices by supporting policies, nutrition education and physical improvements at The People’s Cathedral Primary School. Improvements in all three areas will result in a school norm that supports healthy food habits and choices. Goal 1: Develop and maintain an Effective Partnership to promote healthy eating. Goal 1’s main tactics are to form a workgroup within the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), complete assessments, develop an action plan for the school, and pursue additional financial support. This workgroup will provide oversight and technical assistance to the project. Assessments will be completed to review food consumption patterns, school nutrition policy, and need for physical improvements to the kitchen and canteen. Parents and teachers who are culinary experts with experience in improving kitchen and canteen environments will assist. Additional funding will be pursued, specifically to support a full kitchen and cafeteria renovation. Goal 2: Increase community awareness of the health and other benefits of healthy eating The main tactics of Goal 2 are to develop a health promotion campaign, encourage healthy foods from diverse cultures, and develop a video highlighting project activity. The project will work with local culinary experts such as Chef Peter Edey and Chef John Hazzard as well as students, staff and families to develop fun, engaging, and culturally relevant health promotion materials to be posted throughout the school and to be sent home. As an example, a Healthy Eating Map that highlights inexpensive places to purchase healthy foods, will be developed and distributed to the school community. Project staff will coordinate quarterly Family Nights to promote healthy foods from diverse cultures through cooking demonstrations and celebrations. The school will introduce an ethnic food menu. The local media will be enlisted to promote events at the school. Lastly, Class 3 and 4 students will create a video o f project activities and impacts to share with surrounding schools. Goal 3: Increase access to and availability of diverse healthy eating programs The primary tactics of Goal 3 are to introduce nutrition education, promotions and programs into the school. Nutrition education will be enhanced through a variety of projects. First, the school will introduce a salad bar into the school meal program. Second, the school will work with community agencies to offer cooking demonstrations for all classroom and families. Third, this project will work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and school staff to bridge the connection between the canteen and the classroom, better integrate nutrition education into core subject areas, and provide nutrition field trips to local farms. Finally, the school will work with The Ministry of Agriculture during the summer to increase nutrition opportunities for the students they work with. The increased collaboration of school staff on promoting nutrition will allow positive nutritional messages to be reinforced in a variet y of settings throughout the school. Staff will also benefit as they increase their knowledge level about healthy nutrition. Goal 4: Enhance policy and organizational supports for healthy eating . In order to address Goal 4, I will work with a core group of staff to complete an assessment of the school’s nutrition environment and policies using Ministry of Agriculture assessment tool. The school will be asked to focus on a small number of policies. Partnering agencies will support the school in implementing current and new nutrition policies through training, technical support and incentives. The group will also work with local culinary experts to assess the existing canteen environment to see how the school can include a salad bar into their existing space and streamline how food is served so that children are standing in line less. The adoption of these policies will help create a school norm supportive of a healthy nutrition environment. Goal 5: Improve built environments, facilities, equipment, and other supports for healthy eating Goal 5 deals with the physical changes needed at the school to support healthier eating. The school canteen is currently without a salad bar and bulletin boards for promoting good nutrition. The project would allow the school to purchase a salad bar, bulletin boards, and other equipment needed to prepare and promote fresh fruits and vegetables. The project will also allow for physical improvements needed in the school garden to supplement nutrition education activities.