Best Buy Marketing Plan Essay

Since its start in 1966 Best Buy Co. , Inc. has become a leading multi-channel global retailer and developer of technology services and products. The company is headquartered in Richfield, MN and currently has 180,000 employees. Best Buy operates in the U. S. , Canada, Mexico, Europe, as well as China. Their product offerings include mobile products, televisions, e-readers, digital cameras, computers, appliances and many others. Best Buy attributes their steady growth over the years to their deep commitment to innovation and their customers. They continually adapt their product offerings to meet and exceed the ever changing technology needs of their customers. Best Buy recognizes that in the world of retail company’s need to constantly be finding new ways to attract, and retain customers. This has led the company to transform their operating models, as well as their stores to have a more customer-centric focus instead of the product-centric focus they once had (BBY, 2012). Recently Best Buy has been forced to make some difficult decisions regarding their company in an effort to stay competitive. With the departure of Best Buy’s CEO, Brian Dunn the company had to deal with some negative press regarding his inappropriate behavior with a company employee. In addition the company’s founder and chairman of the board of directors, Richard Schulze, was also caught up in this negative press and also resigned from the company. Recently Best Buy announced the closure of 50 of their big box stores, and lay off of hundreds of employees in an effort to cut costs (â€Å"Opportunity amid,† 2012). As online shopping increases in popularity, Best Buy’s current website may not be equipped to capitalize on this trend. This was demonstrated last holiday season when a malfunction of the company website cost Best Buy sales as well as credibility with consumers (â€Å"Company’s strength,† 2012). These recent events are forcing Best Buy to reevaluate their once very successful business model as they look to the future. Situation Analysis The electronics retail industry that Best Buy operates in is one that is constantly evolving as technology and customer preferences change. Business models that were successful in this industry in the past are not as effective in today’s world, thus companies are forced to adapt their techniques to retain their market position in the industry. Over the years Best Buy has built a strong brand recognition in the U. S. as well as around the world. This reputation helps the company maintain a solid market share in the industry. Another advantage for Best Buy is that they are becoming one of the few companies where customers can actually go to a store and try out electronics. Their stores give customers the opportunity to ask questions about electronics, something that online-only companies are lacking (Katsenelson, 2012). In addition Best Buy also offers customers a more personalized experience with their in-house group of electronics experts known as the Geek Squad. Since Best Buy purchased the unknown computer repair group in 2002 the Geek Squad has grown into the world’s largest tech-support operation with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion (â€Å"Company’s strength,† 2012). This industry contains two different types of retailers both offering  similar products. One type of retailer are those that offer electronics in stores, such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Target. The other type of retailers are those that sole offer their products online, like Amazon, EBay, and Newegg Inc. There is a huge opportunity for Best Buy to really focus on redesigning their website, in an effort to compete with the online-only retailers. The company should work toward building a tighter collaboration between their website and their physical stores (Katsenelson, 2012). In order to truly capitalize on their stores, Best Buy should consider investing more in customer service training for their employees. When customers shop at a Best Buy store the company has an opportunity to personalize the technology experience for them. In the past Best Buy employees have been too focused on selling customers what they want to sell them instead of what customers actually need (â€Å"AT BEST,† 2012). Improved customer service will also help in the battle to turn Best Buy stores into more of an asset instead of a liability. Customers are testing products in Best Buy stores, and asking employees questions about them but then ultimately going to an online competitor to make their purchase for a cheaper price. Providing employees with more customer service training may help reduce the threat of losing sales to online-only competitors (Katsenelson, 2012). In addition to improving customer service at Best Buy the company should also focus on reinventing their customer rewards program. By creating a solid rewards program and promoting it the company could encourage more repeat business, and build a more loyal customer base. This industry is also characterized by intense competition, where many different retailers are offering the same products, thus making price one of the main motivators for customers. Best Buy’s main competitors are discount chains such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Costco. As well as online-only companies such as Amazon, EBay, and Newegg Inc. When it comes to appliances Best Buy also competes with home-improvement superstores such as Home Depot and Lowes. In an industry that is driven mostly by price companies will need to discover ways to set themselves apart from the competition in an effort to gain market share. Based on the company information for Best Buy, as well as the industry analysis a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis was created to summarize key items that the company should address. This SWOT analysis will help guide Best Buy as they look to implement a new marketing plan that will hopefully lead to a successful future. SWOT Analysis Strengths (Internal Factors):Weaknesses (Internal Factors): Brand recognition Cost of operating large stores Extended portfolio of products and services Recent negative press regarding departure of upper management Geek Squad Disconnect in regards to pricing between stores and website Opportunities (External Factors):Threats (External Factors): Focus on redesigning company website Intense industry competition Improve employee customer service training Customer information stored on website being hacked Work with vendors to offer bundled products available exclusively at Best Buy Customers shop products in Best Buy stores but ultimately buy product cheaper from online-only competitors Enhance customer rewards program New product launches by major vendors Implementation Control Best Buy executive leadership should review this marketing plan quarterly to track the marketing strategy. Executive leadership should assign individuals to take on responsibility for pushing projects along to meet the marketing strategy. Management must create a schedule and budget to monitor progress but also adapt to any unexpected events that may occur and plan accordingly.

Are Marketers Responsible for the Use of Harmful Products in Society? Essay

Mattel Toys is currently in the process of withdrawing millions of toys released in the market following disclosures that the toys have substantially high elements of lead in their paint. Excess lead can be harmful if ingested by children and can cause mental retardation, a fact that senior managers at Mattel would have been well aware of. With the blame game on and Mattel managers assuming the role of well intentioned victims of callous suppliers, consumers can do little but wait for the next big scandal. The Mattel incident is just another sordid episode in the history of marketers being responsible for the use of harmful products in society. Whilst many people consider ethical marketing to be an oxymoron, there also exists a body of thinkers who feel that marketers contribute to social and economic development, are largely ethical and sell products that fulfil customer needs and are of use to society. The issue, while discussed at great length by business experts, social researchers and marketing academics remains topical and an issue that is far from resolution. The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) enjoins business firms to consider social and community interests by taking responsibility for the effect of their actions on customers, shareholders, the community, and the environment in all areas of work. This concept extends beyond the scope of existing legislation and encompasses voluntary actions to ensure well being and improvement of quality of life of all stakeholders and the community at large.   Milton Friedman, as is well known, had something very different to say. In his words, â€Å"In a free economy, there is one and only one social responsibility of business †¦ to use its resources †¦ to increase its profits †¦ as long as it stays within the rules of the game†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Lantos, 2001, p 603) Friedman goes on to emphasise â€Å"few trends could so thoroughly undermine the very foundation of our free society as the acceptance by corporate officials of a social responsibility other than to make as much money for their stockholders as possible. This is a fundamentally subversive doctrine† (Anderson, 1989, p. 3) Friedman is not alone in such thoughts and there appear to be a number of experts who share such views. Donaldson, for example states that corporate executives who do not seek profits above all else are irresponsible in performing their functions. (Mascarenhas, 1995, p 46)Even while CSR is becoming a common enough flourish on corporate websites, many corporations, as is evidenced by the Mattel case still firmly believe in Friedman’s wisdom..   Whilst the protection and furtherance of customer interest is obviously among the foremost objectives of the CSR strategy of business corporations, corporate history is studded with scandals involving company wrongdoing in areas of marketing, finance, tax evasion, environmental degradation, and community activity. CSR tenets demand firms to sell products that are, in the first instance, safe and non injurious to consumers, the immediate community, the society at large and the environment, regardless of profitability considerations or perceived customer value. Notwithstanding the current obsession with CSR (evidenced among other things by the growing Fair Trade movement), history makes a strong case for its consistent and widespread denial by marketers and is replete with instances of companies not only introducing harmful goods in the market but also making strenuous efforts to ensure its widespread use and proliferation. Marketing has, during the past few decades become the most critical function of the modern day corporation. Even as the constant practice of marketing strategy has led to the enormous expansion of businesses, a number of ethical issues have manifested themselves in western nations, first as general concerns, and later as clear enunciations by various experts. Most of these issues relate to the introduction and propagation of products that harm and disempower consumers and communities.   Marketing activity, according to these experts, can be damaging to the personal choice and autonomy of the buyer, manipulative of social values, and deceptive in its message. In an article on â€Å"Is there more to Ethical Marketing than Marketing Ethics† Michel Brennan (1991, p 10) argues that the ultimate goal in a commercial venture is some sort of profit achievement. The needs and wants of consumers as well as the wider concerns for their impact on society become relevant only to the extent of their effect on the profitability of the organisation. With marketers following this approach many inequities have crept into the practice of marketing. It is particularly seen to be biased against minorities like gays and ethnic groups, guilty of unethical practices against the elderly, who are targeted with products related to time shares, and living trusts, exploitative of children, who are influenced at impressionable stages to consume unhealthy food and drinks, and buy undesirable fashion ware, derogatory towards women, who are used to elicit judgements on sexuality rather than product attributes, and cynically manipulative of the developing world, which is made the dumping ground for unnecessary, and often harmful, goods. George Ritzer, in his celebrated book â€Å"The McDonaldization of Society†, (1993, p 37) illustrates in graphic detail the all pervasive and malevolent impact that mass marketing can have on humankind. Ritzer argues that McDonaldization refers to a process wherein the principles of the fast-food industry, namely efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control through technology are applied to numerous sectors of society on a global basis. This process, while being immensely profitable to businesses, has the potential to cause great harm to society. In McDonald’s, customers entering fast food outlets are manipulated to pay for their food items before tasting them, collect their orders from common distribution points, choose from a restricted and unimaginative range of unhealthy and high calorie foods, sit on uncomfortable chairs, (thus being urged to gobble their food and vacate their places fast enough), and put their trays into the garbage on their way out. Similar practices, with the help of mass advertising and focussed promotions, have enveloped and controlled society in numerous ways. A recent study on confectionery retailing and merchandising by revealed that merchandising decisions were driven more by issues like space maximisation, profitability and customer pressure rather than by social responsibility. (Piacentinin, MacFadyen and Eadie 2000, p 463) The role of advertising in marketing has also come under severe attack by critics who feel that several harmful values like conspicuous consumption, greed, envy, emulation   and self-centredness, to name a few, get reinforced by advertising. Whilst reactions like these do carry elements of self righteous extremism, the argument that advertising can be more restrained and less blatantly aggressive in promoting consumption, particularly for products that appear to be harmful to vulnerable segments of society, is also valid. Developments in technology, consumer response and behaviour, and marketing thought have led to the introduction of a number of variables that have altered both the practice of marketing and its perception in the eyes of practitioners, theoreticians and students. Progress in communication and internet technology has created a proliferation of information and provided consumers with an array of choices. Not all of these developments have been positive. Computer and electronic communication technology have made it possible for large organisations to capture and store personal and some times very private data, on huge scales, thus leading to intrusions into the personal space and security of individuals. Recent trends in the west have reflected the emergence of a different line of thinking, namely postmodernism, in most areas of human thought and endeavour. Whilst modern marketing thought, exemplified by the McDonaldized society, follows extols the superiority of mechanised working, as well as extreme standardisation, and works on the achievement of progressive debasement of humans post modernism bewilders with its plurality of currents and styles, characterised by the juxtaposition of opposing thoughts. In marketing situations, the emergence of post modernism is reflected by the fragmentation of society, the rise of individuals, greater awareness in marketers of their ethical responsibilities and the development of movements like that of Fair Trade.   The concept of QOL (Quality of Life) marketing is also rapidly gaining ground. QOL concepts broadly require marketers to enhance customer well being and satisfaction without harming either the community or the various stakeholders. (Sirgy, and Dong-Jin, 1996, p22) QOL, by its very scope, is applicable to many marketing decisions and especially to the selling of harmful products. While post modernist thinkers like Stephen Brown have been vehement in their criticism of modern marketing thought, especially on the irrelevance of mass marketing in an increasingly fragmented and more informed society, the larger corporate response favours staying with accepted marketing dictum and, of late, tweaking the marketing mix to include ethical concerns. Thus whilst there is an appreciation of the changed environment, its demands are yet to be addressed sufficiently in the absence of concretised strategies that can be applied to maintain and wrest competitive advantage. Intensive research will no doubt provide strategies that can cope with the changed realities in the marketplace and enable marketing to work towards social good. In summation it would appear that while the movement to bring in ethics into the marketing of products is gaining headway much work still needs to be done and marketers need to internalise the tenets of corporate social responsibility in their working attitudes. CSR objectives would be very well served if marketers, even as they strive for competitive advantage and business profits also take care to observe time held values like honesty and exactitude, gratitude, justice, and protection of the health and safety of others. References Brennan, M, 1991, Is there more to ethical marketing than marketing ethics, Marketing Bulletin, Vol. 2, Pgs 8 to 17 Mascarenhas, OAJ. 1995, ‘Exonerating unethical marketing executive behaviours: A diagnostic framework’, Journal of Marketing, Vol.59, No.2, 43-57. Lantos, GP. 2001, ‘The boundaries of strategic corporate responsibility’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol.18, No.7, 595-630 Nantel, J, 1996, Marketing ethics, Is there more to it than the utilitarian approach?, European Journal of Marketing, Vol.30, No. 5, Pgs 9 to 19 Piacentinin, M, MacFadyen, L., & Eadie, D. 2000, ‘Corporate social responsibility in food retailing’, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 28, No.11, 459-469. Ritzer, G, 1993, The McDonaldization of Society, Pine Forge Press; Revised edition (September 1995) Sirgy, MJ. & Dong-Jin, L. 1996, ‘Setting socially responsible marketing objectives: A quality-of-life approach’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 30, No. 5, 20-34.

Service Quality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Service Quality Management - Essay Example It has got a shareholder determination from well-known centers named as Interfaith Center in responsibility of its corporation as well as the Alliance for environmentally responsible economics. Ford has agreed in publishing the first industry report, which is dedicated to the matters of environment change and the effects in their business also the automotive industry as a whole. Ford Company has also worked with Ceres, ICCR and other stakeholders (Media.ford.com, 2005). While focusing on the issues, which are not abstract at Ford that they are the third biggest automobile producer around the globe. They have produced and distributed automobiles in more than 200 markets around the globe. They have many employees’ no less than four hundred thousand people worldwide, they manufacture trucks, transmissions, forgings, castings, cars, metal stamping, engines and all types of equity preserved and combined project plants in the world. They use the energy to manufacturing their vehicle s and control, power Ford services caused approximately 10 million metric loads of carbon dioxide CO2 (Media.ford.com, 2005). ... FORD also participates in trading and dealing mechanisms in all Europe as well as in North America of carbon dioxide CO2. The percentage of energy obtain from the renewable resources have been increased. It has also declared the first large scale which is known as fumes to fuels a cell project that would change captured volatile organic compounds VOCs from paint plant emissions to electrical power operations and would decrease all the emissions. They will also offset carbon dioxide CO2 emitted in the manufacture of their FORD as well as for Mercury Hybrid Technology Vehicles (Dolan and Stoll, 2009). It seems to be proud that FORD’s accomplishment in decreasing carbon dioxide CO2 from their procedures and have got advantage from energies expense savings that usually go with it. It has been recognized that about 10 percent of the period green-house gases GHG from any vehicle befall throughout its manufacture. And the rest of the 90 percent ascribed to the entire vehicle is emitt ed while the consumer is using it, when burning the gasoline, diesel from the fossil fuel causes (Brettell, 2008). FORD take wide range of activities that assist decrease the green-house gases emissions of their vehicle fleet in enhancing their hybrid listing to inspiring much use of Ethanol fuel, to shifting their mixture of the products to much fuel well organized cars, to refining and improving the proficiency of unoriginal diesel and gasoline engines, to levitating the consciousness of the customers (greencarcongress.com, 2005). As we know that many of them stakeholders imagine spelling out exact targets and milestones for better improvements into the fleet fuel proficiency of their products. It is highly competitive industry that there consecutive to be too extensive a

New Testament Literature Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

New Testament Literature - Research Paper Example The third major chapter covers chapters 5 and 7 which present about Sermon on the Mount. The fourth major chapter is about Public Ministry and Teaching which covers specifically chapter 8 until chapter 16 verse 12. The fifth major chapter talks about Recognition and confession which starts specifically from chapter 16 verse 13 until verse 23 of the same chapter. The sixth major chapter involves the writings about Cost of Discipleship and Road to Jerusalem starting from the verse 24 of chapter 16 until chapter 20 verse 34. The seventh major chapter is about Jesus in Jerusalem which specifically consists chapter 21 until chapter 25. Finally, the eight major chapter is about Passion Narrative starting from chapter 26 to chapter 28. As can be observed, the book of Matthew introduces the preaching of John the baptizer, Jesus’ public ministry and the account of Jesus’ life and his works signifying his importance as the main subject in the book (Efird 1980, 50). The major theme of the book therefore is about the fulfillment of prophecy about the Messiah. Its justification is based on the account of John the baptizer and the actual teaching and works of Jesus. In Matthew 3: 11, John the baptizer prophesized about the coming of Jesus. In Matthew 11: 2-4, Jesus boldly informed John the baptizer about the signs made such as the blind receiving sight, the lame were able to walk, those who have leprosy were cured, the deaf were able to hear, the dead were raised and the good news were preached to the poor. John the baptizer is significantly cited in the book of Matthew as the one preparing the way for Jesus. In this way, message can be given to the people that Jesus is coming. However, John the baptizer can only be certain of the coming of the Messiah through the signs God gave him. Thus, Jesus was actually doing those signs allowing John the baptizer to hear them. This fulfillment of the prophecy is the main message that the book of Matthew is trying to

Of those who have heart disease what % eat a healthy diet Research Paper

Of those who have heart disease what % eat a healthy diet - Research Paper Example rienced significant despair when 5 out of 22 participants of his study dropped out of the program immediately which obligated them to conform to dietary reforms. The program was about putting patients with high cholesterol levels on a vegetarian diet for at least five years. Five patients gave up immediately, the rest complied with the diet prescribed by Dr. Esselstyn for some time, and only six patients completed the entire diet program (Apgar 18). Another research report implies that a whopping 89.7% Americans think that they eat a healthy diet (Berger). But, it should be remembered that there is a giant gap between an actual healthy diet and people’s perception of a healthy diet. According to a 2012 consumer survey report, the top control strategies for the 33% of Americans with high blood pressure are not based on a healthy diet, but on medication (Food Insight). This suggests that consuming a healthy diet does not form the number one priority of those who have heart-relat ed

Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Paper - Essay Example Modern world is living in a world of stress and is going through a lot of psychological disorders due to so many factors. Some of them may be individual while the others may come from the family or the society. The modern financial crunch in world economy has increased the fears more. The abnormal psychic nature has led to so many unhealthy incidents in the modern era. There are a lot of incidents in which even the members of the family killing each other without any serious reasons. Studies showed that the number of patients with psychological disorders goes on increasing day by day. There are few schools of psychology which are dealing with psychic disorders. Functional psychology, Structural psychology, Associationism, Behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, and Psycho analysis etc. are some of the common schools of psychology. The method of approach to psychological disorders will be different by different schools of psychology. â€Å"Abnormal psychology can be described as an area of psychology that studies people who are consistently unable to adapt and function effectively in a variety of conditions† (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abnormal_psychology.) A person with abnormal psychic nature will feel, think, speak and behave differently. The classification of normal and abnormal psychology is sometimes difficult. As per the old traditional parents of some countries, the children should be punished by beating them if they make any mistakes. It is considered as normal. But now it is considered as abnormal by certain psychologists. â€Å"Theories of abnormal psychology describe mental illnesses, suggest possible causes of these illnesses, and propose certain methods of treating them. These theories can be divided into four main groups or schools: (1) biophysical, (2) intrapsychic, (3) existential, and (4) behavioural.†( http://www.a2zpsychology.com/articles/abnormal.htm) Physical causes lead

Hispanic American Diversity College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hispanic American Diversity College - Essay Example All the four groups uphold rich cultural identities even if they are clustered in a similar domain on the platform of language popularly referred to as Hispanic Americans. These groups share Spanish language although they have distinct dialects with a phonetically varied composition of similar words that are spelled and pronounced the have having exhibiting different meanings. For instance, sopa means soup in some countries, whereas meaning soap in different countries. The Mexican American language is composed of both Spanish and English, which has been colloquially branded as Spanglish. On the political perspective the Mexican Americans have been very proactive especially in mooting and championing the Mexican American Civil Rights movement that was enhanced and frontiered by Mendoza V Reies lopez Tijerina. They have been impeccable in agitating for the land grants through the words of Rodolfo 'Corky' Gonzales who derives the implicit behind Chicano through his apocalyptic poem; I am Joaquin, embraces Cesar Chavez and the farm workers. The movement is known as Mendoza, V. "The Mexican American Civil Rights Movement" which advocates for myriad issues across the board. This ranges from enactment of land grants, rights to farm workers, comprehensive education systems and also have been vocal in agitating for the political and voting rights. The social context ingrained in the consciousnes... According to Huntington, numbers reported from the National Latino Political Survey, conducted at towards the end of 1980 indicated that only 90 percent of Mexican Americans of any generation don't go beyond high school. The survey also indicates that only four percent of the fourth generation attained the baccalaureate; 40 percent of the entire generation fails to obtain the high diploma, while only 10 percent of the fourth generation went beyond high school. However the Mexican immigrants to American have experienced monumental resistance in trying to gear forth for their absorption from the immigrant status into the mainstream social class. In regard to the discriminatory and poor educational systems that they were offered, the Mexican Americans find it had to get incorporated into the American mainstream lifestyle. Economically, Mexican Americans are getting on fairly in respect to the predominant Mexican American Civil rights movement that they agitated before. However fair competition, substantial wages and holistic benefits remain a dream come true for the Mexican Americans The families in the Mexican American setup are especially centered on the grandparents with a keen attention on the grandmother. They are rather staple when it comes to family. In the traditional aspect Grandmothers have been known in feeding and healing of patients. They also knew stories foods and stuff and even language. American Christmas traditions are copied from their traditions. This includes the traditional Mexican posada, a house to house celebration of song and food that replicates. Puerto Ricans. The Puerto Ricans language is primarily Spanish. According to the research findings the Puerto

Connection Between Substance Abuse and Crime Research Paper

Connection Between Substance Abuse and Crime - Research Paper Example Most importantly, however, is the fact that; when the net is cast widely, then it will trap everybody since if it is not addicted to alcohol and drug abuse, then, it is the resultant violence and crime associated with alcohol and substances abuse. Therefore, the interest in analyzing the subject of Substance Abuse, Alcohol, and Crime is derived from the fact that it is a social problem that has refused to go away for the longest time. Further, the need to study this subject emanates from the fact that it is a problem for all, and since everybody is affected by this subject, it important to engage it widely, since the existing laws and policy regulation framework does not seem to be effective in addressing the problem, creating a need to engage alternative means of addressing the problem. However, while substance abuse, alcohol, and crime is a serious menace for the nation, the specific area where the issue needs to be addressed is in the issue of alcohol and substance use by teens and young people, which results to juvenile crimes, while also affecting every aspect of their lives, such as their personal health, education, safety and security, relationships and addition (Musto, 1999). Nevertheless, the major risk is the connection that exists between alcohol or substance abuse and crime. The legal risks emanating from alcohol consumption and substance abuse by young people is high, and the chances of destroying the whole life ahead of the young people are high. The legal and policy framework in relation to the subject of substance abuse, alcohol, and crime is not favorable for deterring the access of alcohol and substances, and their consequent illegal use. The legal and regulatory framework has illegalized the possession, production, and distribution of drugs and sub stances, while the actual problem is not licensing, but the fact that such drugs and substances are available and accessible for use (NCADD, 2013).

The importance of GDP indicator for assessing the effectiveness of the Essay

The importance of GDP indicator for assessing the effectiveness of the economic policies - Essay Example This essay provides critical analysis of the usage of GDP indicator in the role of reliable criterion of estimation of economic policies of a government. It is argued, that the improvement of GDP per capita is useful for measuring the performance of the society. GDP is considered as an important indicator for determining the progress of the economy. The governments of the world regarded it as one of the statistical tool which can determine whether the economy is progressing or deteriorating. It is an economic index of the entire economic output of the country. It establishes relationship among many other things which includes the shipments of the manufacturers, construction spending, farmers’ harvest and retail sales. It is a figure that converts the national economy into a single data by surpassing the density. The conventional approach of GDP explains that more it grows, the better the country or the citizens of the country are performing. But it is creating a problem in its implementation in the recent years since the economist observed that it provides misleading and inaccurate gauge of prosperity. Increasing GDP is considered as an important objective of the economic policy of the nation but it cannot be considered as the ultimate objective because it has to consider various other indicators for determining the growth and development of the economy. There are various advantages or benefits provided by using GDP as an indicator in determining the health or performance of the nation.

Decisions in USA Super Cars Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Decisions in USA Super Cars - Assignment Example If the company decides to take loan, it would be better for USASuperCars to accept a sure sum from HSBC in 3 months instead of 12 months. Although, the bank could face risks, it can get profits. To expand their operations and get newer opportunities, organizations would enter foreign markets. When organizations expand, they might need extra financial resources. To get that resource, they might approach number of options including banks for loans. This is relevant to USASuperCars as well. USASuperCars is a company which sells luxury sports cars in its home base of the United States, and also other countries. It has signed a contract to sell their super cars to customers in 5 countries. So, as it is expanding their operations, it might need financial resources. It has an option to get loan from the HSBC bank, but there are some risks associated with it. That is, as the selling prices are fixed and are dealt in local currencies at the exchange rates prevailing at the time of delivery, uncertainties can arise leading to problems for USASuperCars. At the same time, the financial status of USASuperCars is good. So, this report focusing on the standard deviation and mean in exchan ge rates, HSBC’s loan offer, and the outcomes will help USASuperCars and its management to take a correct decision based on statistical analysis. Organizations functioning in any sector would always find both internal and external opportunities to grow. That is, apart from finding opportunities in its home operations, an organization can also find prospects in foreign countries as well (Mellahi, Finlay and Frynas, 2005). However, operating in home operations as well as foreign operations can bring different set of challenges to the organization. When the currency of the home country of the organization and currency of the entering country fluctuates due to various political and economic factors, it can affect organizations

Der Rattenfanger Essay Example for Free

Der Rattenfanger Essay Page fifteen opens with ‘pipe music’, this gives the audience a sense of what the story of Der Rattenfanger is about even if they fail to understand the German title. Pipe music is usually associated with the story of the Pied Piper, which is what we later discover Der Rattenfanger expresses. As Faith reads the title of Der Rattenfanger Eva asks her ‘Mutti’ the question of what an abyss is, this is significant in regards to describing the character of The Ratcatcher, an abyss is usually associated with separation and loss, both of which The Ratcatcher personifies. That he is mentioned with association to an abyss foreshadows what is to happen with Eva and the relationship that she currently shares with her ‘Mutti’. Page sixteen is the Ratcatcher’s first appearance in the play, he materialises from Faith and the audiences imagination and his first lines are rhetorical questions â€Å"Who is not counting? †, â€Å"Who has forgotten their blessings? † . The rhetorical questions are intended to influence the audiences’ opinion rather than requiring an answer to the questions posed. The cross-dialogue between Helga and The Ratcatcher ensures that all of The Ratcatcher’s lines are declaratives â€Å"I will find you†, â€Å"I will search you out whoever wherever you are†. This enforces the idea of The Ratcatcher being a dominant character, The simile â€Å"eyes as sharp as razors† creates the impression that The Ratcacther is a being who inspires fear and gives the idea of an entity that haunts one’s nightmares. The dynamic verbs that are used when describing The Ratcatcher’s speech are all associated with antagonists, â€Å"It hissed†, â€Å"It spat†, referring to The Ratcatcher as an ‘It’ rather than a he dehumanises the character and adds to the antagonist or even entity feel. â€Å"A train whistle blows. Sounds of busy railway station† the whistle of the train can be interpreted as symbolic of the Der Ratenfanger, the pied piper of Hamlen lured the children away from the town of Hamlen with his music when they refused to pay him for using the same method to rid them of their rat infestation, like the Ratcatcher the Kindertransport is taking the children away from their families and what they know into the unknown, it could also be a metaphor for Hitler, it was a direct result of his actions that led to the children being forced from their home country, rats is an nti-Semitic term for being Jewish, Goebbels wrote: â€Å"It is true that the Jew is a human being, but so is a Rat a living being – one that is none too pleasant . . . our duty towards both ourselves and our Conscience is to render it harmless. It is the same with the Jews†. The rats in the pied piper story could be interpreted as a metaphor for the children that would become victims of Nazi persecution. I will take the heart of your happiness away† I interpret the heart of you happiness as being a metaphor for the loss of the children in the town of Hamelyn. The Ratcatcher is omnipresent throughout the play, he embodies all of the male antagonists, the guard, the Nazi, the border guard, and the station guard, the organiser and the postman are all derived from him, each character appears and creates tension for the audience, they all inspire fear in Eva and are the embodiment of loss and separation for both Eva and Evelyn, e. . , the loss of Eva’s money to the officer who searches her on the kindertransport, in contrast to this the postman actually delivers a parcel to Eva, which we discover is a letter from her mother along with a Jewish prayer book and her story book Der Rattenfanger. It seems that even when Eva attempts to run from her past der rattenfanger is always there on the edge of her mind and steadily creeping closer. The Ratcatcher is the origin for provoking the characters and the audience into thinking about family and identity, he also forces the characters to contemplate how the present is affected by the past, and learning how to come to terms with our insecurities and fears, for instance at the end of Act one, Scene two where the â€Å"pipe music† and â€Å"shadow of the ratcatcher looms†, The Ratcatcher, who has already been established as an antagonist and representing fear and punishment foreshadows what is to come. By the end of this scene we begin to realize the depth that Eva’s insecurities and fear of The Ratcatcher run, the cross-dialogue of Eva speaking with her future self-Evelyn gives the audience the impression that Eva/Evelyn may suffer from a duel personality or in the very least a severe mental condition, Eva being the naive and frightened voice here whilst Evelyn is the mature and dependable voice. Evelyn’s closing line for this scene â€Å"He won’t take you anywhere ever again†. The he she refers to being the Ratcatcher, further enforces the idea that The Ratcatcher is the embodiment of loss and separation for Eva/Evelyn, the fact that Evelyn confronts the personification of her fear in this scene gives the audience the impression that Evelyn is beginning to come to terms with her past, although The Ratcatcher is still presented as a dark and brooding presence that Evelyn attempts to suppress and bury in the recess of her mind.

Globalisation during the twentieth century

Globalisation during the twentieth century International Relations Explain the significance of the advance of media and communications to the process of globalisation during the twentieth century. The twentieth century saw the speed of technological achievement soaring as the human race innovated and developed quicker than ever before. After the western discovery of the New World in the early modern period there was a great influx of Europeans across the Atlantic seeking out new opportunities and long distance communication became more and more important to remain in contact globally. Technological advances of the twentieth century not only aided this difficult problem, but created a globalised world where vast distances became no feat in ensuring the smooth functioning of life, business and politics. For example, in 1865, when US President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated it took the news twelve days to travel to the United Kingdom. This delivery required the use of boats to carry the message across the Atlantic and then telegraph to deliver it from Cork in Ireland, to London. One hundred and thirty six years later, on 11th September 2001, there was a terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. The attack comprised of two planes hitting the two towers with roughly twenty minutes between them. By the time the second plane hit the second tower there was an audience of around two billion who watched the second attack in real time. The technological advances of the twentieth century and the emergence of global media is what made this vast improvement and the development of a global village possible. Innovators of the nineteenth century had already developed a primitive wired telegraph system which was used as the primary means of communication during this century (obviously other than of course the global standard for millennia word of mouth). The downside of the telegraph was that whilst it was quicker than anything before, it was still a slow means of communication. The system still required telephone cables and although it was one of the first good examples of clear and more rapid international communication, it lacked the instantaneousness of modern ‘globalised communication. Another drawback was that it was not until undersea cables were laid in the middle of the twentieth century that telegraphs could be sent across the Atlantic; and by this time other more reliable forms of transatlantic communication had been developed. It was not until inventors in the twentieth century, such as Marconi, began dabbling with radio signals that the radio telegraph was created. Utilising these newly discovered radio waves in December 1901 Marconi telegraphed the letter ‘S across the Atlantic from St. Johns in Newfoundland, to Poldhu in Cornwall, a distance of eighteen hundred miles, using kite-born aerials at around one thousand feet. From this point radiotelegraphy took off and became one of the most revolutionary changes in communication in centuries, adopted especially favourably by the armed forces who began using it to communicate between ships which had until then been primarily using homing pigeons and visual signalling. There is difficulty in pinpointing the exact time when radio was first used to communicate human voice as claims are varied. However the first transatlantic human broadcast took place in 1915 with the signal moving first from New York to San Francisco, then to Naval Radio Station NAA at A rlington Virginia and finally from there across the Atlantic Ocean to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. By November 1920, the U.S. was operating a daily broadcast of scheduled radio programs, with the first being the 1920 U.S. Presidential election results. The importance of this history of radio is to first demonstrate the speed at which radio was developed, but more importantly to illustrate that by the 1920s human voices could be transmitted across oceans to communicate with what less than two hundred years ago would be near isolated countries. Not only this but the broadcast of the 1920 election results was arguably the first example of radio being used as a form of media, to publicize political news to the wider world. Throughout the next eighty years radio improved dramatically, including the introduction of FM (standing for frequency modulation the technology used) which controlled static to give a high-fidelity sound. In 1954 Sony produced the worlds first transistor radio, bringing to the world a revolutionary new step where radios became cheaper and by the latter half of the century the majority of the population of western nations owned one. Radio was not the only method for the broadcast of human voice, indeed the more direct, one-to-one method of communicating over long distances was the telephone. According to ATT, one of the leading telecommunications companies in the United States, by 1904, right at the beginning of the twentieth century, there were already over three million connected phones in the United States. The design and technological improvements increased throughout the twentieth century allowing people across the globe to talk directly in real time (this also laid the groundwork for later developments in computer networking). The improvements aided globalisation to an incredible degree by allowing business and social interaction to take place not in the form of a letter sent and taking days or even weeks to arrive, but instantaneously. The merging of this technology with the concept of two-way radios created after the invention of the radio led to the development of the mobile phone. The military were pri mary users of the concept throughout the early twentieth century but it was not until the 1950s that mobile phones became practical, and not until the last decade of the century that the pocket mobile phone became commonplace. Communication over long distance, and indeed globally, was then possible from anywhere on the earth (or at least where signal was found, which by the end of the century covered most places in almost all countries across the world. One of the next important innovations of the twentieth century was the invention of the television. By the mid 1920s inventors on both sides of the Atlantic were working on capturing, transmitting and receiving live images, with pioneers such as Scottish inventor John Logie Baird (famous for his original mechanical television set) and Americans Philo Farnsworth and Vladimir Zworykin (who were focussed on all electric units using cathode ray tubes). Regularly scheduled television broadcasts began in the late 1920s in the United States and throughout many other western nations by the 1930s, but it was not really until the 1950s that televisions entered the average home. By this time mechanical televisions had been made obsolete in favour of the higher definition image produced by the newer purely electronic devices. Programming focussed around films and live dramas which dominated household entertainment across the world by the 1960s; first in monochrome, and eventually, during the fif ties and sixties, in full colour. Despite the arguably slow start for television in the latter half of the twentieth century television became the single most important form of entertainment and media in the majority of the developed world. The majority of news throughout Europe and North America especially was delivered via the television and towards the end of the century broadcasts were running twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. In 1963 the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnsons succession gained four days of coverage, whereas the U.S. moon landing in 1969 was reputedly viewed by 94% of American television homes. It is almost impossible to debate that by the end of the twentieth century television was the dominant form of media in the western world, with a reported ninety nine percent of households owning at least one television and with an average of nearly seven hours exposure a day, much of it based on global issues, events and information. This exposure has created a population which is more informed about the world around them than ever before, and due to the simplicity and lack of necessary engagement or effort it appeals to almost everyone. Television has also seen the growth of film and scripted television shows. Hollywood dominates the global film and television market with its programming shown throughout the entire world, and although there are many national groups vying for a share in the highly profitable industry, there is no comparison to their American counterpart. As stated by Sinclair, Jacka and Cunningham Hollywood has established itself as the ‘international best practice, and as stated by Mooney and Evans ‘Wherever you go in the world people know of Mickey Mouse, Star Wars and Rambo.. The films produced by Hollywood are globally known, and despite a delay between release dates in the U.S. and the rest of the world they are available no matter where you are on the earth. This demonstrates vast improvement even from the beginning of the century where by no means every country even had the technology to play films and television created in the United States. Another noticeable effect of television and film on globalisation is the merging of cultures. Whereas in centuries previous there was little or no real exposure to foreign cultures other than actually visiting them the television in the twentieth century has brought thousands of different cultures into the living rooms of billions in the world. Language, clothing, design and rituals have been adopted and adapted in many societies leading to hybrid creations and entirely new cultures coming into existence. New cultures share elements from existing ones, taking specific traits and altering them to fit their own lifestyle or geography another key illustration of the globalised world. Aided by the growth in technology throughout the century the mass media has grown to become one of the single most important forces of globalisation. News groups and organisations such as Reuters and the BBC have thousands of people stationed throughout the world keeping their finger on the pulse and ensuring that the rest of the world is up to date to the minute with the events throughout the globe. Not only making it easier to hear about global events, the mass media has ensured that ever minor world events receive some coverage and consequently the world feels much more united. No longer is the news purely built around the happenings in North America and Europe (although to a degree this news does gain the majority of coverage), every crisis or affair throughout the third world is reported to the rest of the humanity. Perhaps the single most important and revolutionary development of the century was the creation of the computer and the worldwide network known as the Internet. The computer had been in development since the 1940s with individuals and teams across the world developing faster computers with more processing power. Yet it wasnt until the 1980s where personal computers for use in the home became practical, and not for nearly another decade before they were economical. However by the 1990s computers were owned in millions of homes across the world, increasing more and more throughout the last decade of the century. The attribute of computers that really aided the globalisation process however was networking and the internet. By connecting the computers of the world together using the existing telephone network (and later fibre optics) there was an immediate and permanent connection between all computers on the planet. Information could be transferred instantly across the entire span of th e world in milliseconds. As well as this, with developments in wireless technology internet access could be achieved almost anywhere mobile signal was found. In its original design, the precursor to the Internet, ARPANET, was designed as a system for the military and universities to share information, but it quickly grew in usage and spread to the wider civilian community. The effect of the internet on media was revolutionary. Photos, videos and stories could be uploaded to news sites instantaneously from anywhere in the world. More fundamentally however was that the internet created journalists out of anyone willing to contribute. Due to the freedom and lack control over what could or could not be shared over the internet (a fundamental value of the internet community, which has to an extent been taken advantage of with the ability to pirate information) anyone wanting to publish a story or report on an event was fully capable of doing so and have the chance to have the entire world read it. Consequently news reporting became a more mass project than ever before with even the potential for less influence from biased sources. By the end o f the century millions of people were actively reporting news on the internet and millions more turned to the independent news sources instead of the mainstream media. The Internet has also continued the trends set by television and film, allowing people across the world to get hold of and view television shows and films that they would never have had the chance to obtain beforehand. Similarly, literature, essays and reports are found in the billions online where they can be accessed from anywhere. In this way it can be said that the internet truly revolutionised information, allowing it to be accessed anywhere by anyone, and although this may not be true in all countries (some governments choose to limit and censor the content of the internet in their own territory) there is a level of freedom and globalisation that has never been seen before. The key importance of the advance of communications technology and media throughout the twentieth century has been its significance in creating a global village and its major role in the process of globalisation. As outlined, the growth of technology in communication has meant that society has advanced from its sluggish pace at the beginning of the twentieth century, to the instantaneous speed of the 1990s. As well as this the content of communications has improved allowing massive amounts of data to be sent in an instant as opposed to a short letter. Media coverage of the entire globe in real time makes keeping the world updated entirely simple and the number of people reporting has meant that the ‘official news sources are not always the first to report a story. Most importantly however these advances have created an infinitely smaller world where oceans and vast distances between countries do not eliminate the need or desire to know about them or communicate with them, to th e point where nations are closer than ever at a civilian level, not just politically. Bibliography Books Giddens, A., ‘Sociology, 6th ed. (Polity: Cambridge, 2009) Mooney, A., Evans, B., ‘Globalization, The Key Concepts (Routledge: London, 2007) Sinclair, J., Jacka, E., Cunningham, S., ‘New Patterns in Global Television: Peripheral Vision (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1996) Winston, B., ‘Media, Technology and Society A History: From the Telegraph to the Internet (Routledge: London, 1998) Websites About.com, ‘The Invention of the Radio, http://inventors.about.com/od/rstartinventions/a/radio.htm accessed January 19th 2010 ATT, ‘ATT: A Brief History: Origins, http://www.corp.att.com/history/history1.html, accessed January 19th 2010 GSM World, ‘GSM Coverage Map, http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml accessed January 19th 2010 ThinkQuest, ‘Television: The History, http://library.thinkquest.org/18764/television/history.html, accessed 19th January 2010 ‘Television Health, http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tvhealth.html, accessed 20th January 2010 Giddens, A., ‘Sociology, 6th ed. (Polity: Cambridge, 2009) Ch. 17 ‘The Media pg.723 Ibid. Winston, B., ‘Media, Technology and Society A History: From the Telegraph to the Internet (Routledge: London, 1998) pg. 272 ‘The Invention of the Radio, About.com, http://inventors.about.com/od/rstartinventions/a/radio.htm accessed 19th January 2010 Ibid. Ibid. ‘The Invention of the Radio, About.com, http://inventors.about.com/od/rstartinventions/a/radio.htm accessed 19th January 2010 ‘ATT: A Brief History: Origins, http://www.corp.att.com/history/history1.html, accessed 19th January 2010 ‘GSM Coverage Map, http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml accessed 19th January 2010 ‘Television: The History, http://library.thinkquest.org/18764/television/history.html, accessed 19th January 2010 ‘Television Health, http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tvhealth.html, accessed 20th January 2010 Sinclair, J., Jacka, E., Cunningham, S., ‘New Patterns in Global Television: Peripheral Vision (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1996) pg. 13 Mooney, A., Evans, B., ‘Globalization, The Key Concepts (Routledge: London, 2007) pg. 111

Concrete: Advantages And Disadvantages

Concrete: Advantages And Disadvantages In this era which we live in, there are more than 7 billion (1) people on Earth and its resources are limited and quickly depleting. As a response to this high demand and burden on the Earths precious goods, there has been a green movement. Governments and companies are implementing laws and constantly looking for ways to be more efficient and conserve whatever little we have at our disposal. In the light of all this innovative research and as university students studying environmental engineering, concrete evolution has sparked our interest. Concrete is very much a large part of the environment, being one of the most widely used materials in construction, concrete is virtually everywhere. Its high durability and versatility has made it superior to all other building materials however there are some downsides to concrete that has made it a threat to the environment, mainly the greenhouse gas emissions that come with making cement. The cement manufacturing industry is under increasing pressure to reduce these emissions due to the fact that it releases a lot of gases, namely carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide. The real struggle is to find ways to produce a concrete that is environmentally safe, without losing the integrity of the concretes durability and reliability. In this paper, the making of concrete and its advantages and disadvantages will be discussed, alongside some different alternatives that have been implemented at present time to deal with energy efficiency and environmental security. Economic and social effects are also looked at and discussed. The main alternatives in focus are; the use of chemical admixtures, recycled concrete materials and fuel alternatives for the kiln. Kiln and Efficiency The most energy consuming part of the cement making process is the burning of the mixture of the constituent parts of cement within the kiln. A large amount of emissions is released by the fossil fuels used to heat the kiln up and the chemical reactions that take place within the kiln itself. A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber or oven, in which a controlled temperature is maintained and kilns used for making cement get to temperatures of about 1500 degrees Celsius (2). In order to get to these temperatures, large quantities of coal are burned to generate the energy needed for the kiln. Coal is the primary fuel burned in cement kilns, however, the use of alternative fuels in cement kilns is now common and increasing. This high energy consumption however leads to high carbon emissions, about 7% of the worlds total carbon emissions. Cement production is an energy-intensive process consuming thermal energy of the order of 3.3 GJ/tonne of clinker produced. Electrical energy consumption is about 90 120 kWh/tonne of cement.(3) These are the reasons why more efficient fuel alternatives are being investigated to firstly help improve the quality of air we breathe and secondly protect the earth from adverse conditions that come with too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There are two types of kilns being put to use, one utilizing a wet process and the other dry. The wet process is the older method and involves a slurry mixture of water and the cement ingredients being transferred to the kiln. The wet process however uses a lot of energy and therefore the modern dry process is more commonly used. It uses the dry ingredients blended together and then transferred to the kiln, the only disadvantage it that a lot of dust is released. Both diagrams below will illustrate the the cement making process and more importantly the two different kinds of kilns. Material Science According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, material science is the scientific study of the properties and applications of materials of construction or manufacture (as ceramics, metals, polymers, and composites).(5) The concise encyclopedia further explains how material science goes into how the properties of different materials depend on their composition such as atomic mass and electron configuration.(5) It also points out the importance of material science to engineers of all disciplines as they need to know as much as possible about different materials in order to come up with designs and fix problems in their respective fields. With a sound knowledge of materials and their properties, they can be manipulated in any way necessary to be an asset to us. In our case, understanding the chemical reactions that take place in concrete will help to understand why the methods chosen have been picked in the first place to help rectify any problems. From the manufacturing of the cement in the kiln to the demolition of concrete structures, knowing and understanding the reason behind different aspects surrounding the whole concrete process is very beneficial in finding alternatives to make it more environmentally safe and efficient. Alternative Fuels Fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, have been used as energy sources in the cement manufacturing industry for decades. In more recent years, these traditional fuel sources have become increasingly substituted with alternative fuels typically of waste sources such as municipal solid waste, scrap tires, waste wood, agricultural biomass, meat and bone meal, and petroleum coke. The list of candidate materials is continuously expanding and regulatory pressures, economic factors and the fact that we are running out of landfill space are all reasons why these alternative fuels are continuously sought for and studied. Alternative fuels used today in cement manufacturing and the different potential alternative fuels differ considerably from the traditional fuels, and the cement manufacturing industry is faced with several challenges in making the switch from traditional to alternative fuels. Some of these challenges include, inadequate heat distribution, blockages in the preheater cyclones, unstable precalciner function, higher SO2, NOx, and CO emissions, congestion in the kiln riser ducts and dusty kilns (6). Furthermore, due to the fact that the cement industry is strictly regulated by national and international legislation for environmental related issues, health and safety of practices, and the quality of cement produced, special approval is required for the use alternative fuel since they all different and can potentially introduce harmful environmental effects or affect the quality of the cement. The type of combustion implemented, which is determined by the type of fuel used can have a direc t affect on the composition and characteristics of the output product, and the function of the kiln as different manufacturing plants may differ in their design. A common practice in cement manufacture is the addition of the ash produced by the fuels, which are comprised of compounds containing silica and alumina, into the clinker (6). The composition of the fuel ash created by different fuels can determine in which proportions an alternative fuel can substitute a conventional fuel, for example some can yield silica rich fuel ash which can later reduce the amount of ground sand needed as a raw material to make cement. Moreover, the inclusion of constituents that can have a deleterious effect on concrete performance must be controlled, since this can happen even at very small concentrations. An example of this would be alkalis such as potassium oxide and sodium oxide, which can in the presence of moisture can cause reactions in concrete called ACR and ASR which can cause cracking in the structure. These alkalis can also react with SO3 to form alkali sulphates, which can affect the reactivity of the cement with aggregates, resulting in hardenin g problems (6). Therefore, the inclusion of alkalis from the kiln system should be minimized. In certain kilns that have preheaters, the use of alternative fuels can lead to the volatilization of certain molecules they introduce, which can lead to their subsequent recirculation in increasingly higher loads. Their recirculating can lead to their condensation in cooler areas, binding to circulating dust particles and can potentially cause blockages, thereby affecting the heat-exchange system. Some of these molecules are sodium oxide, potassium oxide, alkali sulphates, and chlorine, which not only are responsible for deposits, preheater blockages, and kiln rings but can also affect the quality of the cement produced if they are retained to some proportions(6). Petroleum coke or petcoke is a solid residue from the crude oil refineries. It is considered a low volatile fuel with a typical volatile content of 5-15 %. The fact that its volatile content is low means that it has a low reactivity / burning rate and therefore is not possible to burn 100% petcoke in kiln or precalciner without using other high volatile fuels along with it (6). Consequently, this alternative fuel requires finer grinding and is pushing new kiln designs into the market to allow for their complete burning. Another negative is the fact that it has a high sulphur and vanadium content. This can result in increasing the sulphur circulation in the kiln and precalciners and as mentioned before causing build-ups and blockages, and increasing sulphur dioxide emissions. Sulphur contamination of the cement can cause cracking and high vanadium content can cause reduce the strength of concrete (6). A 0.2 percent addition is reported to lead to a 10 percent reduction in 28-day stren gth of cement. However, due to low ash content of petcoke such high contents of vanadium in cement are unlikely (6). This is an attractive fuel as it has a high calorific content and relatively less expensive than coal and other fossil fuel conventionally used. Sewage Sludge is generated from wastewater treatment from industrial, residential, commercial, and institutional sources. Sewage sludge is usually disposed of by throwing it in the sea, its use as fertilizer, its incineration, or it is dumped in a landfill. Due to stricter environmental specifications associated with its disposal, the possible health and environmental risks in using it as a fertilizer and the increasing cost for its disposal in landfills, its use as an alternative fuel in cement manufacture is becoming more attractive. The organic components of the sludge are entirely destroyed when it is burned as fuel and the inorganic components and heavy metals are combined and included in the final product. The sulphur content of sludge is not greater than coal so it does not pose a major concern in comparison, and although it has higher nitrogen content the nitrogen oxide emissions are lower than when fossil fuels are burned (7). However, there are higher contents of volatile c ontent, ash, and low fixed carbon compared to coals. Sludge usually requires pretreatment before it can be used as a fuel and has to be burned in controlled conditions as with most alternative fuels. Using sludge is also attractive economically, as it resulted in an increase in return when used instead of fossil fuels, in spite of its lower energy content than coal and the fact that it needs to be stored in special silos in order to avoid contamination (7). Its storage and handling and reduction of water content are the most difficult part of its use as a fuel, however it is definitely a far better option than use of non-renewable resources since it is widely available and a nuisance to dispose of. The use of sludge as a fuel source cannot have much of a social impact other than perhaps peoples perception of it, some may regard it as a better option than incinerating sludge which forms poisonous by-products, while others may be bothered by its use in anything else. Scrap tires have become utilized as an alternative source of fuel for various parts of the developed world instead of fossil fuels in many industries including cement manufacture. When tires are burned the rubber is completely destroyed and the inorganic component and heavy metals are included in the cement product. Different cases present different conclusions about the emission of SO2 and NOx, which may suggest that it depends on the kiln system and the burning process implemented. However, two Portland Cement Association (PCA) reports (2008, 2009) found that nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide, and particulate emissions were reduced when scrap tires substituted a portion of the conventional fuels (7). Heavy metal, dioxins and furan emissions showed different results in different studies however, again Portland Cement Association studies collected data from 31 cement plants that used tire as fuel and found a significant reduction in the emissions of dioxins and furans (7) . Some problems with tire derived fuel is incomplete combustion and zinc oxide present at concentrations that may be detrimental to the quality of the cement. Overall, the use of tires as fuel is an environmentally, and economically sound option compared to other end-of life alternatives of tires and the use of 100% fossil fuel. Tires have a higher energy content than coal and allow for savings in the purchase of coal. Another source of fuel being used is agricultural biomass, which includes all forms of biomass not included in the categories of meat and bone meal, or sewage sludge. Some common sources are rice and coffee bean husks, palm kernels, algae, and cottonseed oils. The use of agricultural biomass has been proven to be an effective way to reduce greenhouse gases and the dependency for fossil fuel (7). Furthermore, its been determined to have low SO2 emissions, low dioxin and furan emissions, and very low heavy metal emissions. Biomass in the form of waste from industrial or agricultural processes is less expensive than fossil fuels, and therefore its use would reduce operational costs. However, equipment specific to the processing of biomass may be needed and may incur additional costs. Also, supply seems to be a major concern, a continuous supply may be difficult to achieve. Socially it can be beneficial to some agricultural communities, allowing them to make an additional income from sel ling their agricultural by-products (7). Finally the last alternative fuel to be discussed is the meat and bone meal (MBM), a by-product of the rendering and food industries. Their co-incineration with fossil fuels in cement kiln systems has become a common way for their elimination. MBM has a lower fixed carbon and high ash content and high levels of phosphate, sodium, potassium, magnesium and chlorine (7). Due to the fact that chlorides can volatilize and condense at high temperatures in the kiln and can react with alkalis and sulphates to form compounds with low melting points, which can lead to their recirculation and condensation. As mentioned earlier this can can have harmful effects on the production process and cement produced . Consequently the MBM used as substituted fuel and the compounds introduced into the cement needs to be controlled and monitored. The sulphur content, on the other hand, is a little lower than can be found in coal, and the high calcium content in MBM can help retain most of the SO2 released f rom its combustion (7). The use of MBM in cement production reduces CO2 emissions, SO2 emissions, and introduces a safe and environmentally friendly way to disposing of them. And as with the previous alternative fuels mentioned, it reduces the demand for landfills and their associated environmental and health risks. In summary the cement kiln provides numerous advantages over other end-of life alternatives for much of these wastes. The high temperatures, oxygen rich environment, and adequate residence time provided by the kiln system allows for the complete destruction of the organic material. Also, aside from being able to process a wide range of waste materials, since the ash is incorporated into the final product there is no additional waste to manage from the use of these wastes. However, these alternative fuels are derived from selected waste streams and usually require some level of pretreatment, such as the shredding of tires, drying of sewage sludge and reducing its pathogen levels, etc. This is a extra investment of time and money that the cement manufacturers will need to take on as the pretreatment of these wastes is an integral part of their recovery and in most cases is taken care of externally by waste treatment experts or outside suppliers. Despite, these extra costs for the prepr ocessing of these wastes, the cement manufacturers are expected to make a larger return on this investment in comparison to the purchase of fossil fuels. Also, the use of these wastes as fuels would create a market for these them in neighboring communities, which will help reduce the number of operating landfills and put to use the calorific value in these wastes rather than have them wasted. The burning of carbon neutral wastes which include agricultural biomass, municipal waste, animal waste and paper waste are considered as GHG sinks since they would otherwise decay in landfills and form methane which is a more harmful GHG than CO2 (8). Other wastes that are derived from fossil fuels such as tires, are not carbon neutral, however burning them in cement kilns rather than incinerating them, which also induces GHG emissions, can result in significant CO2 reductions. Although the kiln emerging technologies and their capacities to process these fuels was not discussed, since it is too broad of a subject to cover and is not the main purpose of this paper, it is understood that some alterations to tradition kiln systems is required to adapt to the different combustion of these fuels. An example of these changes is features such as a multi-channel burner design and thermograph systems which allow for the control of the flame and optimize burning of different fuels (10). There are also different mathematical models, which look at which combination of alternative fuels in which proportions can produce optimal burning conditions (11). There has been much progress over the years in the substitution of fossil fuels in cement kilns, especially in the EU where substitution rates are much higher than in North America, however, there is much more work that needs to be done in the evolution of the cement industry towards greener and more sustainable practices. Advanced Chemical Admixtures Our society relies greatly on building materials, concrete being one of the oldest, and most important of those materials. Concrete is a combination of 60% to 75% aggregates and 25% to 40% paste. The paste is comprised of 7% to 15% cement, 4% to 8% of air content, and 14% to 21% water (15). Although paste only contribute less than 40% of concrete, the components greatly affects the overall quality. An example is with the reduction of water to cement ratio, and in turn increases the compressive and flexural strength, increases resistance to weathering reduces shrinkage and cracking, and lowers permeability. To achieve these characteristics in concrete, engineers came up with admixtures, an important ingredients used when the goals are to reduce the cost of concrete, maintaining the quality of concrete during the different stages of its production, basically to achieve desirable properties of concrete. Admixtures are classified under the following; Air-entraining mixtures, water reduci ng admixtures, plasticizers, accelerating admixtures, retarding admixtures, corrosion inhibitors, etc. Superplasticiser/High range water reduction is made up of synthetic polymers, which are admixtures that increase slump flow, essentially used for low to normal slump and water-cement ratio. The use of superplascticiser not only brings the water-cement ratio down, but it drastically increases the workability, as well as increasing the strength at an early stage up to 200% within 16 hrs (13) . A great example of a new and innovative plasticizing admixture is Glenium SKY. The third generation high range water reducer or superplasticizer also known as Glenium was introduced in the 1990s. Glenium is a polycarboxylic ether polymer, that attracts entrringite molecules, through a static electric charge. This entrringite provides a protective barrier around the surface of cement particle, which prevents hydration and crystallization. In September 2003 Glenium SKY (Synthesis of Key performance and Yield) was introduced. This new superplasticizer was developed for ready mixed concrete, concrete that contains high performance quality from the production to the usage. Unlike the other types of Glenium; Glenium 21 and Glenium 27 , Figure 1 Glenium SKY, new chemical monomers controls the rate in which the entrringite molecules cover the cement molecules. Therefore the cement molecules are not completely covered, which allows the crystallization to take place at a slower rate, and accelerated strength at an early stage without compromising the consistency. Glenium SKY was tested against Glenium 27, it is noticeable from the table below that Glenium needing less water and lower cement-water ratio, but still was a able to produce a more consistent slump and greater strength according to the test results in table 1. Within 90 min, the slump dropped only by 2 mm. The usage of Glenium SKY benefits socially, economically, and environmentally. With the increase in workability, decrease in water-cement ratio, and high early strength, allows the most optimum concrete design which in turns have a positive effect on the economical aspect The definition of sustainability means to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their need (15). Sustainability is achieved when these 3 factors are properly balanced, economy, social, and environmental. It is evident that the addition of the superplasticiser used in concrete mix designs will help to achieve environmental sustainability. The concrete industrys main goal is to produce a superior material with a positive impact to the environment. This super-plasticiser or high range water reducer will decrease the water-cemnet ratio, meaning less cement needed as well as water. Water usage can be reduced from 10% to over 30%. A 10% reduction is equivalent to 600 000 tonnes of water saved annually (14). Not only are the usage of water is reduced but also other environmental factors. Analyzing the effects of the super-plasticiser shows a generally positive effect on the environment. Figures 3 and 4, shows 2 concrete structures impact on the environment with the addition of super-plasticiser in relation with the structures without the admixture. For the flat Slab concrete, adding the super-plasticiser admixture decreases these negative impacts by a great margin. It is evident that the total energy requirement is reduced by 8%, the toxic impact on human health is reduced by 10 %, the acidifying pollutants is reduced by 8%, and the CO2 is reduced to almost 20%. However, using this admixture, there is an increase in chemical waste, the values have been normalized to 100% for the control, which means the increase of the non-hazardous chemical wastes will only increase by 1% (13). Overall for this cement mix the superplasticier admixture is beneficial because it decreases major negative impacts such as abiotic depletion and eootox sediment by 3% and another 3 categorie s by over 10%. The effect of the admixtures vary depending on the different type of mixes and their purpose. The concrete mix for a precast wall unit was also analyzed using these admixtures. Based on that analysis we can conclude that this admixture has the desired effect by decreasing the energy by 10% by volume of concrete. As with the previous concrete mix the superplasticiser has a greater impact on a number of impacts. While there is an increase in chemical waste by 10% by volume of control concrete the decrease in energy is of 20%. This outweighs the negative of this admixture. Overall the super-plasticiser admixture has a great effect on a number of impacts but also a negative impact on chemical waste. Figure 3 and 4 compare the strength with and without the admixture versus the energy and climate change. It is evident that the super-plasticiser are effective in reducing the CO2 emissions and the energy consumption. A cement mix with this superplasticiser admixture will have a positive overall effect and has very beneficial impact on the environment. The use of this super-plasticiser admixture in concrete mixes allows for social sustainability. As previously stated before, with the addition of this admixture, concrete mix can be made to have a higher strength. An increase in the strength of the concrete will result in a more durable material, and a longer life expectancy. With concrete having higher strength and a longer life, maintaining these structures will be reduced especially within major highways and roadways within a city. Traffic congestions greatly impacts our lives, career, and safety. By reducing the amount of traffic will allow a better quality of life. In central Ontario alone, there are 11 zones where major structures are being repaired and maintained. On the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) near Hamilton, a $7.3 million dollar contract has been approved for the structural rehabilitation (14). According to the traffic reports, the QEW Burlington Skyway Bridge, the Millen and Fifty Road structures and glover road will be u nder construction, which means a delay up to 30 minutes (14). The 30 minute construction delay with the addition of bottlenecked areas, and overcrowded vehicles can increase the delay to be even longer than 30 minutes. Lets say 30 minutes delay for construction, and because of a large amount of the population commute to the city of Toronto for work, another 10 minutes due to vehicles overcrowding the roads. We have a total of 40 minutes delay, and a total of 80 minutes delay a day, which comes up to 6400 minutes or 106.6 hours in traffic until this specific project is completed in 4 months. These delays will cause people to be late for work, school, or other commitments, which can lead to stress, and road safety. By producing an optimal concrete design using a super-plasticiser such as Glenium SKY, we can increase the strength and life expectancy of the structure, which will reduce traffic caused by maintenance and repair, and create a more socially sustainable environment. Reaching economic sustainability is just as important as social and environmental sustainability. With the increase in workability, decrease in water-cement ratio, and high early strength, allows the most optimum concrete design which in turns will help to achieve economical sustainability. The increase in workability allows proper installation into areas of low clearance, underwater placements, and areas where consolidating methods cannot be used. Which means savings on equipment, transportation, and time. When mix designing, with the addition of Glenium SKY admixture, the water-cement ratio is decreased, which results in a smaller amount of water and cement needed. Economically, this is a positive result, not only does it reduce the cost of the amount of cement needed it also reduces energy cost. According to the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario is increasing driver and vehicle fees in order to maintain bridges and roads. The price of maintenance has increased. Consequently this increases taxes and other fees. Using this admixture the amount of maintenance required can be reduced, with increase in tax will not be necessary. Recycled Concrete Concrete as one of the mostly used building materials when produced and transported creates a lot of CO2 and when disposed generates a huge amount of waste; therefore it causes a lot of concerns for environmental activists. In order to address these environmental issues, it is necessary to recycle the concrete when demolishing buildings built using concrete. Also reuse of this construction waste is important in terms of life Cycle Assessment that is the standard method of evaluating environmental impacts associated with different stage of products life, which includes recycling (22). There are 3 basic concepts to promote the proper reuse of the construction waste, (A) assurance of safety and quality, (B) decrease of environmental impact, and (C) increase of cost effectiveness of construction. In this paper we focus on some benefits of proper recycling of concrete for the environment. First, we are going to address some of the main environmental problems with concrete. Concrete production emits huge amount of CO2, which is the main issue of this industry that leads into global warming. Up to 8% of all the CO2 produced in the world comes from concrete production. Using recycled concrete can dramatically reduce the amount of emitted CO2 and fight against global warming. Nitrous oxide emission and other articulated air emissions on one hand, and on the other hand the traffic congestion caused by delivery of the ready concrete wastes a lot of energy and cause air pollution. Water pollution and adverse effects of concrete on health are among the other problems that make concrete recycling more essential. (19) In the past, the resulting concrete from demolishing the buildings was released in the environment which had enormous negative impacts. Conventionally recycling concrete has been considered as a difficult task, however recycling technology has been improved and now it has become a feasible technology. Recycling concrete has become a simple process that involves breaking the concrete pavements, removing them from the sites to the recycling machines that can be also installed near the construction sites and finally crushing the concrete into pieces that can vary in quality and size. (18) Furthermore, recycling technology has reached the stage that can prepare the recycled concrete to produce superior recycled aggregate for structural concrete. Recycled concrete has become one of the best construction materials as it is stronger than new concrete. There are only few restrictions on the type of concrete that can be used as recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) (20). Recycling now has become more common method of developing the waste produced by demolishing or renovating the structures made of concrete rather than transferring them by truck and leaving them in landfill. Environmental awareness and also the desire of contractors to keep construction costs as low as possible, has made concrete recycling an attractive proposal in any construction project involving concrete. Unlike most of the materials, such as, glass, bottles or metals that can be reused to produce the same material, once concrete has been made from cement, it cannot be decomposed to its initial component of sand, cement and water. However, Crushed concrete can be combined with virgin aggregate in producing concrete. (17) It is important to develop standardized guidelines to create new materials. These standards are needed for quality control of Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA), and the correct use of this recycled materials to produce new concrete. Recycling can reduce the amount of waste concrete that must be landfilled so it saves landfill space by keeping the waste concrete out of landfill. In addition, it reduces the need of virgin aggregates which help to cuts the negative environmental issues of extraction process. Recycled concrete can be used as gravel and it reduces the need for gravel mining. Another positive impact of recycling is the reduction of transportation requirements to transfer the new material to the construction sites, which in turn can reduce air and water pollution significantly and also decrease the greenhouse emission. One of the most important environmental advantages of concrete recycling rather than leaving the concrete in the landfill and buying the new material is to save up to 1,360 gallons water by recycling one ton of concrete. Using developed recycling system, to recycle the concrete waste produced from demolishing structures or roadways, can reduce t

Legalization Of Cannibalism :: essays research papers

Virginia Woolf once said, â€Å"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.† This is one of the many arguments behind legalizing cannibalism. If the act of eating other human beings was legalized and regulated it will solve all the problems of modern society. Cannibalism has been around since the Neolithic times. It is not currently practiced, but I think a revival of this age-old practice would benefit everyone. Cannibalism can solve world hunger. It can improve our criminal justice system. Cannibalism will also put an end to over population and spice up some of the current cooking shows. The legalization of cannibalism is what our modern world needs to turn itself around.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The common idea behind using cannibalism to end world hunger is that we can kill half the people in the world and feed them to the other half. I disagree with that. Humans can live without their pinkey fingers, appendixes, and tonsils. This amounts to more than four hundred grams of useable meat per person. If the entire world donated those body parts, we would have 2, 400, 000, 000, 000 grams of meat or 2, 400, 000 metric tons or 3, 779, 250 cows worth of meat. These figures do not include the number of people who die and who would be edible. This, combined with the other foods currently available would help feed all the hungry people of the world. By legalizing and encouraging organized cannibalism we can help hungry and malnourished people everywhere.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If cannibalism is legalized the world will be much better behaved. I do not think that the majority of criminals would commit crimes if they knew that their appendages would end up in the supermarket if they were caught. This would also apply to schools. Detentions do not work, but I think that if you break a rule you will have to give a limb to be eaten. If you are late five times, it is a toe. If you skip an English class, the punishment is a pound of flesh. The Young Offenders Act should also be altered. The punishment for young offenders would just be less than the punishment for adults. My improved correctional system would completely significantly reduce crime from our streets.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cannibalism would provide economically viable solutions to the problems of modern society. Today there is a large homeless problem. Some have suggested feeding half the homeless to the other half.

Antonio Vivaldi :: essays research papers fc

Antonio Vivaldi was born on March 4th, 1678, in Venice, Italy, and died on July 28, 1741, in Vienna, Austria. His father, a barber and a talented violinist at Saint Mark's Cathedral himself, had helped him in trying a career in music and made him enter the Cappella di San Marco orchestra, where he was an appreciated violinist. In 1703 Vivaldi became a priest and acquired the nickname "The Red Priest", since he had red hair. He had become a priest against his own will because it was the only possible way for his poor family to obtain free schooling. In 1704 he was pardoned from celebrating the Holy Mass because of his ill health, and later became a violin teacher at an orphanage for girls called Ospedale della Pietà   in Venice. The orphans soon started to gain appreciation and esteem as Vivaldi wrote most of his concertos, cantate and sacred music for them. In 1705 the first collection of his works was published. He was a prolific composer and is most well known for composing over 500 concertos, 46 Operas, sinfonias, 73 sonatas, chamber music, and sacred music. His most famous work is said to be the Four Seasons. Vivaldi's music is particularly innovative as he gave brightness to the formal and the rhythmic structure of concertos. He repeatedly looked for harmonic contrasts, creating innovative melodies and themes. Vivaldi’ main goal was to create a musical piece meant to be appreciated by the wide public, and not only by an intellectual minority. The joyful appearance of his music reveals a transmittable joy of composing. These are among the causes of the vast popularity of his music. This popularity soon made him famous also in countries like France, at the time very closed into its national schemes. He is considered one of the authors that brought Baroque music to evolve into an impressionist style. The Four Seasons composed by Vivaldi was one of the earliest examples of program music and was also the most famous of all his concertos. Vivaldi wanted to depict the various seasons in the four concerti in Italian. When you listen to the Four Season, you feel as though he has created a whole another atmosphere with its own feelings. He seems to have used only the four major instruments that are usually present in an orchestra, which are the violin, viola, cello and bass, to depict this atmosphere effortlessly.

Cree Indians :: essays papers

Cree Indians This is an introduction to the Cree Indians way of life explaining about the foods they ate, significance of story telling, myths, religious beliefs, rituals performed, and their present day way of life. It is almost impossible to touch on every aspect because of what is not printed and only known by elders. Some native words used by Cree Indians: Kiwetin meaning the north wind that brings misfortune (Gill, Sullivan 158). Another word is maskwa used for bear, the most intelligent and spiritually powerful land animal (Gill, Sullivan 182). A water lynx that holds control over lakes and rivers is called â€Å"Michi-Pichoux†; they are associated with unexplained deaths (Gill, Sullivan 189). Tipiskawipisim is used for the moon who is the sister of the sun. Once a flood destroys the first humans, Tipiskawipisim creates the first female (Gill, Sullivan 303). The history of the Cree Indians begins where they live for the most part in Canada, and some share reservations with other tribes in North Dakota. The Cree Indians, an Alogonquian tribe sometimes called Knisteneau, were essentially forest people, though an offshoot, the so-called Plains Cree, were buffalo hunters. The Cree’s first encounter with white people was in 1640, the French Jesuits. The Cree Indians later lost many of their tribe in the 1776 break out of small pox, battles with the Sioux, and a defeat to the Blackfeet in 1870. The Cree lived by hunting, fishing, trapping, and using muskrat as one of their staples. They made sacrifices to the sun; the Great Master of Life (Erdoes, Ortiz 504). The Cree lived in the Northern Plains, which was also home to the Sarsi, Blackfoot, Plains Ojibway, and Assiniboin. Many of the tribes were equestrian bands moving to pursue the buffalo. The buffalo was their resource for food, material for dwellings, clothing, cooking vessels, rawhide cases, and bone and horn implements. The introduction of the horse by the Spanish led to the plains Indians to become more able and skillful hunters. Each tribe had different methods of hunting, preservation, and preparation of meat (Cox, Jacobs 98). One method of the nomadic plains tribes for cooking was to use rawhide cooking vessels which came from the hump of the buffalo, staked over a mound of earth and left to dry in the shape of a bowl. The pot was put in a shallow hole near the fire, and then carefully selected stones that would not shatter easily would be put in the fire and transferred to the bowl with wood or bone tongs to heat the contents of the pot. Cree Indians :: essays papers Cree Indians This is an introduction to the Cree Indians way of life explaining about the foods they ate, significance of story telling, myths, religious beliefs, rituals performed, and their present day way of life. It is almost impossible to touch on every aspect because of what is not printed and only known by elders. Some native words used by Cree Indians: Kiwetin meaning the north wind that brings misfortune (Gill, Sullivan 158). Another word is maskwa used for bear, the most intelligent and spiritually powerful land animal (Gill, Sullivan 182). A water lynx that holds control over lakes and rivers is called â€Å"Michi-Pichoux†; they are associated with unexplained deaths (Gill, Sullivan 189). Tipiskawipisim is used for the moon who is the sister of the sun. Once a flood destroys the first humans, Tipiskawipisim creates the first female (Gill, Sullivan 303). The history of the Cree Indians begins where they live for the most part in Canada, and some share reservations with other tribes in North Dakota. The Cree Indians, an Alogonquian tribe sometimes called Knisteneau, were essentially forest people, though an offshoot, the so-called Plains Cree, were buffalo hunters. The Cree’s first encounter with white people was in 1640, the French Jesuits. The Cree Indians later lost many of their tribe in the 1776 break out of small pox, battles with the Sioux, and a defeat to the Blackfeet in 1870. The Cree lived by hunting, fishing, trapping, and using muskrat as one of their staples. They made sacrifices to the sun; the Great Master of Life (Erdoes, Ortiz 504). The Cree lived in the Northern Plains, which was also home to the Sarsi, Blackfoot, Plains Ojibway, and Assiniboin. Many of the tribes were equestrian bands moving to pursue the buffalo. The buffalo was their resource for food, material for dwellings, clothing, cooking vessels, rawhide cases, and bone and horn implements. The introduction of the horse by the Spanish led to the plains Indians to become more able and skillful hunters. Each tribe had different methods of hunting, preservation, and preparation of meat (Cox, Jacobs 98). One method of the nomadic plains tribes for cooking was to use rawhide cooking vessels which came from the hump of the buffalo, staked over a mound of earth and left to dry in the shape of a bowl. The pot was put in a shallow hole near the fire, and then carefully selected stones that would not shatter easily would be put in the fire and transferred to the bowl with wood or bone tongs to heat the contents of the pot.