Robin Hood Case Study Discussion Essay Example

Robin Hood Case Study Discussion Paper 1. Describe how Robin Hood developed his initial strategy for competing with the sheriff of Nottingham and discuss how he implemented it. Critique this approach. The original problem definition of high taxation that faced the people gave way for a new market which was stormed by Robin Hood. Seemingly an unlawful act, his mission was to â€Å"steal from the rich, and give to the poor†. As he entered the market, he was faced with rivalry of the prince and the sheriff. Robin Hood and his band of Merry men stole from the rich and gave to the poor which is in actuality is entirely opposite to the actions of his rivals. As Robin Hood entered the existing niche market he gained popularity and support amongst the common folk as he was supplying a unique good/service. He provides a free service to the poor after his operating expenses are accounted for. Also, the people had a preference for his product and tactics were not easily matched or copied by the competition. By obtaining this support, this strategy was to his advantage against Prince John and the sheriff. The opinion of numerous common folk would have persuaded Prince John to change the law of unfair taxation. Robin quickly realized that there was little he could do himself; which led to development of the organization by stimulating human resources. He sought close allies who would follow his vision of vengeance for the sheriff and the prince. These men would act as direct subordinates, however as time progress, admittance was allowed with less scrutiny whereby the only determining factor was loyalty. He believed strength lay in numbers. Robin implemented his strategy of ‘strength in numbers’ by seeking discipline from his band of men which ensured unity in the organization. We will write a custom essay sample on Robin Hood Case Study Discussion specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Robin Hood Case Study Discussion specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Robin Hood Case Study Discussion specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This was achieved through a specific department within the organizational hierarchy. As a result they became more powerful in their battle against the sheriff. This forced the Merry Men to live outside the law which was also desired to gain sufficient discipline in the group. This organization was fairly simple. Critique By acquiring a large extent of subordinates, Robin obtained a work force that is not necessarily trained as he allowed any to join who asked few questions. In doing so, extra man-hours would have to be spent in training. Also if prescreening of the new entrants existed, the idea of using the entrants with existing skills can give way for a more efficient organization. I. e. farmers would have been used not for war but for food. As the largest internal dilemma faced the band was an increased group size infrastructure, supplies and other physical resources would quickly diminish. Thus cutting cost should be priority, thus tradeoffs can be made by employing skilled workers for defined job. E. g. famers and hunters With the ideal of improper interview, his organization could be easily infiltrated by his competitors thus relieving their plan and strategies. 2. Identify organizational characteristics and environment characteristics that would lead you to think robin hood is wise to considering a change in strategy as he enters his campaign second year? Robin’s organization could be seen as one of a hierarchy, he is the highest person in the organization which can put him in roles such as C. E. O. or chairman. His responsibility is to delegate specific task to his lieutenants, each has their own functions which contributes to the success of the merry men as a unit. For example Will Scarlett was assigned the important task of shadowing the sheriff and notifying the merry men of the sheriff next move. Figure 1: Robins Organizational Hierarchy The motivation of the band was vital to keeping them interested in the purpose of the vendetta. Motivation theory seeks to explain all kinds of motivated behavior in different situations, including behavior in the organizations. Since the majority of behavior is sense motivated, individuals are greatly influenced by their environment. Maslow’s theory of human motivation, all people have a need or desire for self respect, self esteem, and respect from others. This directly applies to the Merry Men, for they sought respect and were proud of their famous motto â€Å"Rob from the rich and give to the poor†. The resourced based model was important in the success of the group; five factors were looked at which the band demonstrated resources, capability, competitive advantage, attractive industry, strategy formulation and implementation. The resource of the group came from the merchants that travel through the forest, initially the resource was always available but t was quickly becoming sparse as merchants was choosing a different route. The men were properly trained to plan their robbery and skillful in their archery, however, the influxes of new recruits were beginning to strain the reserves of the group as training and food was costly. Robin and the merry men had the support from their customers which were the peasants and farmers but now as income was low and the maintenance cost was high they would have to tax the very people which they helped meaning that the peasants and farmers could turn on them and add to their troubles. Understanding the resource base of the group I could see why a change in strategy was wise. Figure 2: Resourced Based Model Robin and his organization were in crisis due to lack of a proper corporate strategy. The merry men were growing, with large number of new recruits but the organic structure is not cohesive. Communication and discipline is being broken down, table 3 below shows some options robin could use and their SWOT analysis. | Opportunities | Threats | Strengths| SO Strategies: Kill the Sheriff * Wipe him out, no more problems * Has the men to do it When the sheriff is gone, disband. ST Strategies: Join the barons * Has the fighting force * Get access to capital markets * Maybe ends the conflict quicker| Weakness | WO Strategies: Limit size of band * Turn the fighting band into a group of elites * Maintains discipline * Solves food issues * Basically, curtail growth| WT Strategies: Disband * Give up the cause, return to normal life * Robin flees to another country to escap e punishment| Figure 3: SWOT Matrix Problems Robin and his organization faced: * Lack of discipline Maintenance cost * Shelter/space shortage * Food shortage * training * security and vigilance (whoever wanted to join was taken in and there could be traitors and spies) These problems need to be address if the band is to have any chance against the sheriff and prince John. 3. Assume that Robin Hood has asked you to help him devise a new strategy. Identify a set of factors for him to consider in revising strategy. It was evident from the story that Robin Hood needed to change his approach owing to both internal and external factors. An uncontrolled workforce along with unsuitable supplier location led to the brink of economic viability. Changing the overall goal of his organization to fixed transit taxation would decrease his competitive advantage over the Sheriff. As a result the cost of amenities which Mr. Hood provided to the common folk would increase. If he chooses this path he would lose his loyal supporters which kept him in control of the monopolized market. The farmers and townspeople would then favor Prince John’s governance and rely on his pity for commodities. In the event of this situation Robin Hood’s main foe, The Sheriff would become stronger in light of his political connection with the prince. Although his work force was constantly growing, its productivity was diminutive. He claimed that he was not familiar with a large population of his organization. It would be in Robin’s best interest to restructure his work force. He would gain an advantage by decentralizing the team into several self sustaining units; each unit consisting of team manager, lieutenants and miscellaneous subordinates. Akin to a franchised organization, each team unit would be operating under the Robin Hood brand name, have the same goal as Robin, and operate within the limits of Robin. This structure would be less demanding to co-ordinate and allow him to devise alternate strategies. Since Robin also had a problem with a definitive Sherwood Forest location, this structure would also aid his disguise from his suppliers, the rich merchant travelers and the Sheriff. It is an imprudent choice for Robin to divert from his core competency and profound skill of banditry. The change in profession may lead to a lack of enthusiasm which would reflect poorly through the eyes of his followers and his brand name. References: Analyzing Strategic Management Cases Date Accessed: 02nd February 2011 The Business Operations of Robin Hood and the Merry men Author: Sumeet Malhotra Date updated: 2010 Date Accessed: 05th February 2011 ROBIN HOOD a Case Study Author: Misti Walker   Date updated: 05th September 2009 Date Accessed: 05th February 2011 Case Study 24 Robin Hood Book Winning In The Market Place Second Edition   Date update: 2011 Date Accessed: 07th February 2011 Robin Hood Case Analysis Author: Aaron labin, Curt Matthews, Rich Miller http://www. scribd. com/doc/37469551/Robin-Hood-Final Date updated: 14th April 2009 Date Accessed: 07th February 2011

Free Essays on Computer

A Strong Background in Computer Technology Will Benefit Future Engineers Computer technology has advanced dramatically over the past ten years. Technology has advanced from computers the size of a room that can only perform one particular task, to personal computers (PC’s) that will fit on a desk and perform multiple tasks. Understanding computers and their programs and being able to apply that knowledge is very important in today’s workplace. Engineering is a field that requires an extensive background in computer technology. Future engineers will benefit dramatically from having a strong background in computer technology. In order to understand why computers are important, we have to understand what a computer is and what it does. A computer is a device capable of performing a series of calculations or logical operations without human intervention. The computer is characterized by the number and complexity of operations it can perform and by its ability to process, st ore, and retrieve data (â€Å"Computers† 1). The development of computers began in the 19th century by British mathematician Charles Babbage (Eadie 3). Babbage designed, but did not build, a mechanical digital device capable of processing information as a modern computer does (4). In 1930 American scientist Vannevar Bush built a mechanically operated device, called a differential analyzer (4). It was the first general-purpose analog computer. Analog computers will be discussed later in this paper. The first information-processing digital computer actually built was the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, or Mark I computer (4). Completed in 1944, this electromechanical device was designed by American engineer Howard Aiken (5). In 1946 the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, or ENIAC, was put into operation (5). Using thousands of electron tubes, it was the first electronic digital computer. In the late 1950s transistors replaced electron tubes in comput... Free Essays on Computer Free Essays on Computer Rapid Prototyping Rapid Protoyping Table of Contents Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Page 3 Discussion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Page 4 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Page 10 Appendix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Page 11 Foot Notes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Page 14 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Page 15 Introduction Today many companies are under pressure to reduce lead time for new product introductions. This is especially true in a market such as computer parts where the lifetime of a product is short. Companies are always searching for a way to create products faster and more efficiently. One tool that allows companies to cut the time between a product concept to launching the product is rapid prototyping. The rapid prototyping (RP) process generally consists of seven steps. These steps are listed below: 1. The RP equipment imports model data from a CAD/CAM file 2. The RP equipment creates a cross-section of the model using different techniques 3. The RP equipment uses the cross-section to build up the model layer-by-layer 4. The process is repeated until the model is complete 5. The model is removed from the RP equipment 6. Depending on the technology used, some models need to cure in ultraviolet ovens 7. Models are then machined to their final finish Rapid prototyping allows models to be created within hours. The hand carved models of the past could take weeks, even months to complete. Currently RP is only used for prototyping. Many people hope that someday it will replace the traditional production line. Discussion The declining cost of computers has changed the way a factory works. An increase in use of computers has aided in the advancement of computer-related areas such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided Manufacturing (CAM) and Computer Numerical Control (CNC). Rapid Prototypi... Free Essays on Computer A Strong Background in Computer Technology Will Benefit Future Engineers Computer technology has advanced dramatically over the past ten years. Technology has advanced from computers the size of a room that can only perform one particular task, to personal computers (PC’s) that will fit on a desk and perform multiple tasks. Understanding computers and their programs and being able to apply that knowledge is very important in today’s workplace. Engineering is a field that requires an extensive background in computer technology. Future engineers will benefit dramatically from having a strong background in computer technology. In order to understand why computers are important, we have to understand what a computer is and what it does. A computer is a device capable of performing a series of calculations or logical operations without human intervention. The computer is characterized by the number and complexity of operations it can perform and by its ability to process, st ore, and retrieve data (â€Å"Computers† 1). The development of computers began in the 19th century by British mathematician Charles Babbage (Eadie 3). Babbage designed, but did not build, a mechanical digital device capable of processing information as a modern computer does (4). In 1930 American scientist Vannevar Bush built a mechanically operated device, called a differential analyzer (4). It was the first general-purpose analog computer. Analog computers will be discussed later in this paper. The first information-processing digital computer actually built was the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, or Mark I computer (4). Completed in 1944, this electromechanical device was designed by American engineer Howard Aiken (5). In 1946 the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, or ENIAC, was put into operation (5). Using thousands of electron tubes, it was the first electronic digital computer. In the late 1950s transistors replaced electron tubes in comput... Free Essays on Computer Metaphors and Their Meanings In the poem â€Å"Marks† by Linda Pastan, the speaker resents the way she is treated by the members of her family. Linda feels dissatisfied because she does not feel that her family respects her enough as a mother. Linda wrote the poem †Marks,† whose main theme was the metaphor of school grades. The poem does a great job of showing Linda’s true feelings, as well as the possible idea of her dropping out. I think that Linda chose this metaphor to describe her family because she feels that her family is judging and grading her performance at home. According to the poem, Linda does not feel appreciated by her family. Instead she feels like she is a servant or a maid to them. The quote, â€Å"My husband gives me an A for last night’s supper, an incomplete for my ironing, a B+ in bed.† (Pastan) makes Linda feel like she is just being used for her services, and not loved for being a wonderful wife. The remark by her son has enough power to make any parent feel discouraged. The quote, â€Å"My son says I am an average mother, but if I put my mind to it I can improve,† (Pastan) can really upset parents, especially when they try their hardest to provide the best for their children. All the criticism that Linda faces causes her to want to stop being a mother. I think the reason she is saying this at the end of the poem is because she wants her family to realize how vital she is to the family, and that the jobs Linda does are jobs no one else can do. The metaphor used is an excellent way to put her thoughts into writing. It is effective because it shows the lack of care by her family. Metaphors, when used appropriately, are a great way to spice up a paper or essay. Metaphors provide that descriptive edge that many papers lack, and they keep the reader focused and interested. Metaphors take a particular item or topic, and compare that item or topic to something completely different. For exam...

Entreprise Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Entreprise Information Systems - Essay Example In business there are different types of organizations depending on the type of business that is offered. It is always good for a business leader to have a look at the forms of business organization and find out the best organization. The types of the business organizations can be the sole proprietorship, partnership and the business of corporation. For one to find out the best business organization, he or she can find it by the kind of tax offered in the business, the legal issues that are in the business, and the personal and financial concerns that are in the business. The sole proprietorship can be a one person working in a business and this is the most form of business in the world. In the sole proprietorship, there are both the advantages and disadvantages which affect the business either directly and indirectly. For example, one of the advantages is that the capital or the start up cost needed for one to start up a business is very easier. On the other side, the form of business has unlimited liability and there is limited life in the business. In the partnership form of business, two or more people are involved in the business. The business can be either small or be larger and it may include the accounting firms. In the partnership, there are still categories like the general and the limited liability business. Its advantage is that the business is very easy to form while it has unlimited liability. The third form of business is the corporation type of business. This is a business that is limited in number which gives a legal business motive. The business form has an unlimited life that is very commercial while the business has so many business regulations t hat offend most of the business leaders and workers. These are activities that are mainly created in order to achieve a certain goal or organizational specific. They are achieved by working on a number of operations that happen within the business. While working on the operations to find

Teacher Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Teacher Evaluation - Essay Example There are teachers who don't teach very well according to my evaluation but still students are able to score high grades in their courses. Hence the greatest challenge while teaching is to measure the effectiveness of a teacher. The evaluation process used is quite simple. The process includes the evaluation of the average grade report of the class the teacher is teaching. There is a separate teacher's evaluation form that is filled by each and every student, without their names. I regularly inspect classes and the way teachers are teaching. All these methods combine to give us a clear picture of how the teacher is teaching and help us to evaluate his or her performance. From my point of view a regular visit of 5 to 10 minutes in a class by a principle is good enough to inspect a teacher but then the principle has to make sure the visit is unannounced, which will give the principle a clear view of what is happening (Danielson & McGreal, 2000). Long observing hours distract the students and teachers both hence short and regular observing periods are most suitable. Well there are a number of settings, for example a teacher assigns some work to the students and then we observe how is he or she helping the students in completing their work, it shouldn't be overdone like the teacher shouldn't help the student too much or too less. There should be a balance. Then a teacher is observed while giving a lecture to check on the methods that are being used, we prefer interactive lectures that keep the students interest, boring and less interactive sessions are of no help to the teacher and the students both. These settings are important as being a teacher is not that difficult but handling situations and maintaining the interest of the class in a lecture are two difficult things that a good teacher must learn. We can learn how well the teacher is at maintaining healthy relationships plus a good teacher will always have a scheduled life. An effective teacher would always be motivating people around as that's how he treats the students in his or her class. A teacher should be polite and should listen to each and everyone. We don't often use conferencing techniques while evaluating a teacher but in some cases where problems are being faced by the students and no possible solution is being derived and the root cause is not being caught, we prefer conferencing. The teacher goes through a brief meeting with the principle and other higher staff members like the vice principle and the coordinator. The primary concern for holding a teacher incompatible to teach in any class is the fact that the students do not understand the core concepts of the course and the overall grades are lower than expected. After the initial assessment of the teacher we predict an average grade of the class keeping in mind the ability of the students and the past trends. If the grades are higher or lower than expected we conduct an evaluation of the reasons for that and then accordingly change our evaluations about the teacher. If the teacher is performing at a higher level than expected we do promote the teacher in terms of the class and rewards are also given, in case a teacher does not want renewal of contract than a meeting is held where the vice principal the coordinator and the principle talk to the teacher for the reasons of this demand and try to make every possible

Traffic Flow and Public Transport in North Cyprus Essay Example for Free

Traffic Flow and Public Transport in North Cyprus Essay ABSTRACT Nowadays one of the most issue affect our daily life, load on Economic, and the negative effects on Environment is Traffic flow and their way of been plan, they way of our public transport planning, services lines, bus station and the regulation are also effect the life quality in the city. In the last, few decades’ streets in the city have built without any attention to grow population and the increasing number of vehicles. What the main important changes have to be for increasing the traffic flow. Why have to be done. this paper will talk about the ideas can solve problem by change the line of public transporting for more covering area and less traffic, by experimentally study and a interview with the users of the road ( drivers and public users). The new alternative system show how the traffic flow change. Further study has to done for more developing solution. Keyword: traffic flow, public transport. Quality of services, Lefkosa city (North Cyprus) | | INTRODUCTION Researches done by marketing show that the quality of the service reflects the public satisfaction (F. Fonseca , S. Pinto , C. Brito, 2010), and its show how it is important to make high quality services to gave the public relax and comfortable ride when they are using the public transporting. Which will increase the number of the users of the public transports and will achieve less traffic since its will encourage people to use public transport. Since the main Factors that Community go away from using public transport are the long length, and the time they lose and the expansive prices for ticket (Pavel STOYANOV, Plamena GAGOVA, 2012). Even that the traffic management become a big problem and a big concern in last few years in developed country such as north Cyprus. Living in the information world with high computer network show that a simulation can be important for analyzing data and developing solution, and it can solve the problem related to traffic control. In addition, it can provide a new intelligent transportation system. (Georgios Papageorgiou, Pantelis Damianou, Andreas Pitsilides, Aphames Thrasos, Petros Ioannou, 2006). From other studies and researches, the environmental affect that it coming from road construction and road using. In order to decrease the impact we have to understand the reason of why it have this impact, and it start with waste of road construction process, manufacturing of the materials, unprepared or broken road which will increase the fuel use for engine to moving the vehicle more than asphalts road. And all this have negative impact to our environment, which it can be reduce by re-usage and re-construction of materials, also another possible to reduce the impact can be by remanufacturing of excavation materials. (Damijan Koletnik, Rebeka Lukman, Damjan Krajnc, 2012) On the other hand, there is a type of people such as blind people have very difficult for using public transportation. There is few systems can offer the assistance and information for blind persons such as the RAMPE project. This project aim to help blind people by smart hand-held personal digital assistant (PDA), that have the ability to speech and able to connect to wireless Wi-Fi connection on the bus stations. Where this device has functions such as vocal message and information about the system provide from the stations, in the same time it can gave information about the real time. When this device equipped will offer information such as route number and destination, so it can increase their mobility and autonomy in public transport and make them independent, on the other hand, it will warned the driver that a blind person would ride the bus. (G.Baudoina, O.Venarda, G.Uzanb, A.Rousseaub, Y.Benaboua, A.Paumierc, J.Cesbronc, n.d). Since the operation and planning have costs, and because of their immediate impact for public transportation quality. Public transport companies trying to find a research tool in the way can reduce operating cost. New opportunities and information can collect from AVL (automatic vehicle location) and APC (automatic passenger counters). Both of these systems help for research and planning or scheduling in public transport. The efficiency of these system come from their complexity and the way of solving this problem, in way can combined them, crew and vehicle and users of the public transportation. (C. Fleurent  · S. Vob, 2011) What make public transportation issue special that its international problem and it is a community problem. And such as International Conferences of Advanced System for Public Transport (CASPT), â€Å"this conference serves as a forum for international community of researches and practitioners† (Hong K. Lo, William H.K. Lam, S.C. Wong, Janny M.Y. Leung, 2010), such this conferences and other works show us how the necessary of finding a new methodology and techniques. To provides a solution for public transportation system, considering planning, operation, scheduling and controlling issue, these issue have to be focus on, because their effect on the public transport section and their impact on the quality of this industry. In this article the case study on North Cyprus, explain some of the main public transportation available. there is a wide network of daily buses and mini-buses connect the main towns, in addition there Dolmush (shard taxi) operating on the same lines and some time have other routes, there is also taxi and its widely available but it can be expansive if its work on meter, where there are kind of standard journey fare. (Anonymous, 2009) The alternatives provides by public transportation and its benefits, that it help city for easier living condition, and less energy use since the bus will move with one passenger and more it will use almost same amount of energy. In addition, that effect on health by less motor working lower pollution, and not only air pollution but also noise pollution, which will save our environment. Moreover, it gave an affordable price and solution for who cannot afford car price and its expenses. At other level, it is create jobs, which will decrease the number of unemployed. In addition, its provide employees a faster way to go their jobs. Other benefits come as a result that fewer cars need fewer park space. As results less property for parking space, that leads for higher accessibility roads. One of the greatest impacts of public transport comes for whom unable to drive such as the elderly, disabled and young. From other point public transportation, help supports the economic and cultural ev en social activates. Moreover, the safety factor where will be lower crime, additional to lower accident. (Gershon, 2005) METHODOLOGY In this research indentifies the relationship between quality and satisfaction. This will increase the customer satisfaction, which will improve the public transportation. From the other hand a new consideration include in this study, environment factor and it effects on public transportation. With all this, factors in our case have to apply to improve the quality and provide solution that is more suitable. (Hong K. Lo, William H.K. Lam, S.C. Wong, Janny M.Y. Leung, 2010) Also the understanding of the public and the users of the road important to provide a higher quality services. Even a study for understand which elements make them prefer using a personal car. From other hand, (F. Fonseca , S. Pinto , C. Brito, 2010) in there paper they explain about how a bus breakdown on a scheduled trip can make a big delay problem. Moreover, how a consideration of a bus rescheduling and bus signal priority can effectively reduce the delay problem. This will lead to decrease the costs of delay and increase the company profit. Moreover, the case study we will use interview method that is it will not provide a meaning but it will describe the experiences of the selected group. The other side of collecting data will be documents from departments such as Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Public Information Office. The interviews have different kind or level of people. Choose will be depend on their perception and functional areas or field. This selected group will be operators, technical, lawyer, students and so on. Main object and targets of this interview, to identify the most important needs for higher quality services and more satisfaction. Another methodology can be as a simulation tool (LIN TIM), this simulation tool can use to analyze data such as line planning, timetabling, vehicle scheduling and delay management. However, it can use to provide answers for line planning question. (Schà ¶bel, 2012). By combination of interviews, document and computer programs such as simulation program. This kind of data will be first step for evaluating, and providing solution. Which will be a suitable answer for the traffic problem and it is improve the quality of public transportation. STUDY By choosing LEFKOSA city, a general review about country where our cases study. North Cyprus covers almost 37% of the third largest island in Eastern Mediterranean. The main cities are (Lefkosa, Kyrenia, Famagusta, Karpas, Iskele, Labta, Lefka, and Guzelyurt). Located west of Syria and Lebanon and south of Turkey. (Hasan Cantas, Adrian Muwonge, Baris Sareyyupoglu, Hakan Yardimci, Eystein Skjerve, 2011) We have to understand the main bus station and bus route in Lefkosa city. This data has collected from the website of northcyprusonline, first type of data in general form about buses and minibuses in Northern Cyprus, its include the cover routes between Lefkosa city and other major towns or larger villages. Both of the bus and mini buses routs are almost the same, where the different is sizes and color. Commonly destination shown in the front windscreen either stands at bus stop or on the road and rise hand anywhere with the main road to stop the bus. Other type of information about F requency of the bus. Buses in North Cyprus have no schedule but its departures every (20-50min), depend on the bus destination or when it is full. Also running time and period change between summer and winter. Mostly bus services finish around 6 pm in winter, while in winter the last one leave at 8pm.but mine bus work more late mostly until 10pm. Moreover, the ticket prices generally between two$ up to five$ depend on the distance. The fare paid usually to bus driver or worker sell ticket. Lefkosa city have bus station (terminal), where its location† Corner of Ataturk Caddesi and Kemal Asik Caddesi†. There other main bus station along the city like old city gate. The location of the terminal is good and bad in the same time. Since it is almost in the middle city easy to reach but also cause traffic. (anonymous, 2001-2013) One of the people has been interview with is Mohammad HARAB (HARB, 2013), HARAB own a car and he live in north Cyprus for a 6 years and he study in the university. His comment about public transportation that. It is expansive, comparing with the money that I will pay for a fuel. In addition, it is not every time working and there is no good bus station most of the time there is one place to set its open, so in winter I will freeze until bus will come and in summer, it is too much hot to wait outside or to walk to bus station. Another person is ESRA ISIKDEMIR, from her point that public transport in Lefkosa are really bad, since it don’t cover all the areas and its only operate on the main road, and there is no night services, while taxi are too much expansive. ESRA also talk about the quality of transportation need to be improving and have to be more cover area. Moreover, as ESRA compare between road in turkey and North Cyprus that roads need to be fix and more planning for higher quality of life. (ISIKDEMIR, 2013) Other student is GIZEM YAMAN owned a car and its Turkish number not a Cyprus number, and the reason behind bringing car that there is no public transportation between home and university, in other words 3 different buses. Moreover, other solution is university bus, while university bus usually crowded. In addition, schedule of bus are often every hour and weekend every 2hours and its work until 10 pm evening. All this was the reason to bring a car for daily use, however YAMAN do not like to drive car, due to high traffic in the city. (YAMAN, 2013) ALL of ISIKDEMIR, YAMAN and HARB are students, looking to other type of people. USAMA RIGEB a worker and father lived more than 11 years in North Cyprus. RIGEB say that it is hard to count on public transportation since the most near bus road to his home more than 10min walking, and if he will ride with his family will cost him more if he use a personal car. Other issues RIGEB talk about that they do not offer evening service, which mean that taxi will be the only choose for who do not have car. In addition, its costly choose even worker cannot afford it for longer term. From other hand the traffic in Lefkosa city are too much crowded and using public transportation will make him lose time he need. RIGEB talk about important issue in his view, that there is no fix time for public transportation that trying to use bus can be longer and hard and unhealthy choose, since waiting in cold or under sun will affect bus users. (RIGEB, 2013) Other person is BELAL RAGEAB, RAGEB worker and his family live with him; his points that wish he could afford to buy car so his life quality will be higher and using minibus will be finish, a reason of that the money lose for using public transportation. However, Hand since it is the only way for him to go work, the government should improve public transportation for higher quality of services and more costumers’ satisfaction. (Rageab, 2013) Under scope North Cyprus, Lefkosa city need a new studies such as â€Å"technical phases land –use planning, trip-generation, trip-distribution, modal-split, traffic assignment and evaluation†. (BLACK, 1974) However, this studies need to be improve and organize, but one of the solution of the problem can be by alternative Planning, in other words finding alternative route for public transportation in the way it can cover more areas and reduce the traffic. However, the energy conservation of the public transportation studies can improve the efficiency of transport sector. (JEFFRY J ERICKSON, DAVIDL GREENE,ALBERTO J SABADELL, 1988) While the quality of service is the main standard and consequent satisfaction of the customers, it has expected that the managers of the transport industry have to talk to customers, were they can understand what their needs and for more developing solution, regards that the customers are important to public transportation. In addition, quality dimensions can increase customers’ satisfaction. (F. Fonseca , S. Pinto , C. Brito, 2010) CONCLUSION Lefkosa city not a high population, but it’s have a problem with traffic and public transportation, and the reason of that the city plan old and have no development, and the improvement of the roads are slow almost dead. While the road need maintenance, and bus route need a study for higher efficacy and satisfaction to consumer of the public transportation. This study deal with the general issue that Lefkosa public transportation problems, and its gave some steps for alternative solution for improving the traffic flow in the city and reducing the environment effect for heavy uses on the personal cars, also for more safety and healthier life-style. The following steps can be a start to solve the traffic problem, study for schedule the bus working hours and ticket prices, and add capacity for roads, critical area such as four area need planning. Planning methods such as land uses, transportation distention, also a Long-term researches for strategic management. Other studies for data with a good analysis tools can improve the public transportation impacts on environment, social and economic. Include technical assistance such as simulation programs, local program coordination. Other research has to be about the financial resources for higher quality of life and better planning city. In other words, Lefkosa city need more advance environment friendly management system, advance of the new technology using in order to decrease costs with higher efficiency. Hiring skilled managers and technical people to improve the quality of service and insure more customer satisfaction. Develop a private section for improve the alternatives of the buss users. Create ideas for attractive solution to increase the number of people for improving public transportation economic. Other Further study has to done for more developing solution. Bibliography anonymous. (2001-2013). North Cyprus Bus Services. Slovakia. Anonymous. (2009). TRANSPORTATION. Retrieved january 7, 2013, from Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Public Information Office: http://www.kktcenf.org/en/index.asp?sayfa=cmsdmid=0cmsid=183ssid=532284118 BLACK, J. A. (1974). TECHNIQUES OF LAND USE/TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IN AUSTRALIAN CITIES . Transportation 3 (1974) 255-288 , 255-288. C. Fleurent  · S. Vob. (2011, December 13). Public transport: case studies and applications. Public Transp , pp. 105-107. Damijan Koletnik, Rebeka Lukman, Damjan Krajnc. (2012). Environmental Management of Waste Based on Road Construction Materials. Environmental Research, Engineering and Management , 42-46. F. Fonseca , S. Pinto , C. Brito. (2010, may 19). Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in Public Transports. 4th International Quality Conference , pp. 249-257. G.Baudoina, O.Venarda, G.Uzanb, A.Rousseaub, Y.Benaboua, A.Paumierc, J.Cesbronc. (n.d). The RAMPE Project: Interactive, Auditive Information System for the Mobility of Blind People in Public T ransports. 1-4. FRANCE. Georgios Papageorgiou, Pantelis Damianou, Andreas Pitsilides, Aphames Thrasos, Petros Ioannou. (2006, july 6-7). A Microscopic Traffic Simulation Model for Transportation Planning in cyprus. International Conference on Intelligent Systems And Computing: Theory And Applications , pp. 157-166. Gershon, R. R. (2005). Public Transportation: Advantages and Challenges. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine , 7-9. HARB, M. (2013, January 8). Public transportation in lefkosa city . (M. ALASEER, Interviewer) Hasan Cantas, Adrian Muwonge, Baris Sareyyupoglu, Hakan Yardimci, Eystein Skjerve. (2011). Q fever abortions in ruminants and associated on-farm risk factors in northern Cyprus. Cantas et al. BMC Veterinary Research 7:13 , 1-7. Hong K. Lo, William H.K. Lam, S.C. Wong, Janny M.Y. Leung. (2010). Advanced public transport system scheduling and control. Public Transp , 157-158. ISIKDEMIR, E. (2013, January 3). Public transportation in l efkosa city. (M. ALASEER, Interviewer) JEFFRY J ERICKSON, DAVIDL GREENE,ALBERTO J SABADELL. (1988). An analysis of transportation energy conservation projects in developing countries . Transportation , 163-189. Pavel STOYANOV, Plamena GAGOVA. (2012). SOME IMPLEMENTATION OF QUALITY OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT. TRANSPORT PROBLEMS , 37-41. Rageab, B. (2013, january 3). Public transportation in lefkosa city. (M. ALASEER, Interviewer) RIGEB, U. (2013, January 2). public transportation in lefkosa city. (M. ALASEER, Interviewer)

Rip Van Winkle and its Impact on Society :: Rip Van Winkle Essays

Rip Van Winkle and its Impact on Society Events, no matter how small can change a society, a culture, and an outlook in the blink of an eye. Whether it is in a war, a speech, a gesture, or even a novel. Washington Irving made an incredible impact from his short story "Rip Van Winkle", drawing the events surrounding him to form a simple story with deep meaning. To bring to a pinpoint, the story shaped the American culture as the American culture shaped the story. Washington should not be able to take full credit for his story. Rip Van Winkle originated from the Dutch folklores. The story was found in the house of Diedrich Knickerbocker. Although there was some speculation on the accuracy of the tale, historians agree that the story is "now admitted into all Historical collections as a book of unquestionable authority" (Irving, 1353). Knickerbocker claims that he actually talked to Winkle himself and concluded that Rip was in sound mind and that "the story therefore, is beyond the possibility of doubt" (1353). The Catskills are a parallel to the story. Filled with Indian folklores, the Catskills are believed to posses a Manitou or spirit that will take the form of the flesh of human or animal form that would strive to rid the area of bad or mischievous elements or people. Combing the Dutch folklore, the Indian tales, and the idea of using short simple stories to make a point, Washington created a whole new dimension of literature. The British culture concluded that his story had become the new "American" literature. Washington analysis of the relationship between the British and the colonists caused a minor stir among people. First, it was unconventional to even mention the revolution since it was such a touchy subject. Secondly, Washington made quite a statement with his notion that the British rule acted selfishly and oppressive, in turn, portrayed America as the hero. From this folklore, others have grown from it. Some believe that Rip in fact did not fall asleep, but took adventurous journeys in foreign lands with strange people. Art and child-like fantasies have been the median to which the stories have been communicated.

CAD/USD Exchange Rate

The Canadian dollar has significantly appreciated against the U. S. dollar since the beginning of 2000. The CAD/USD exchange rate (currency in USD) increased from 0. 686 to 1. 015 as of March 18, 2011. There was a trend of CAD appreciation in 2003-2008, followed by a rapid depreciation in the second half of 2008. Since the beginning of 2009, CAD has risen sharply and has been trading about at par with USD for the last two years. The recent CAD appreciation was caused by a number of factors and lead to certain economic consequences, which are discussed next. Causes of the Canadian Dollar Appreciation Appreciation of the Canadian dollar in the last years can be explained by internal factors, such as performance of Canadian economy and interest rates, and external factors, such as commodity prices and weakness of the U. S. economy. State of Canadian economy. Canada has been quickly recovering from the recent recession. For the year 2010, real GDP grew 3. 1%, following a decline of 2. 5% in 2009. Strong economy makes Canada an attractive target for investors who seek secure returns. This raises the demand for the Canadian currency and, therefore, pushes the exchange rate upward. This argument is supported by the exchange rate fluctuations in the above graph. The Canadian dollar was rising as the economy began to recover in the late 2009. State of the U. S. economy. Rise in CAD/USD exchange rate can be largely attributed to depreciation of the U. S. dollar. The U. S. dollar has historically been a safe investment target for many investors. However, now this situation is changing and demand for the currency is falling. The U. S. economy has been facing serious difficulties in the recent years. The country’s trade deficit was almost $500 billion in 2010, a 33% increase from 2009. The U. S. s also the world largest borrower with a $4,453 billion of foreign debt. Weak economy and high uncertainty are turning investors away from the American dollar, which is supported by its depreciation against other major currencies. Commodity prices. As Canada is a large producer and exporter of raw materials, the Canadian dollar is strongly affected by commodity prices. Many commodity prices, especially gold and copper, have been rising recently, making the associated industries more profitable and strengthening the Canadian economy. Strong economy, in turn, attracts more investor, and the Canadian dollar appreciated due to increased demand. Interest rate differentials. The U. S. Federal Reserved has lowered the interest rate to current 0. 25% since 2008 in order to stimulate the economic growth. Canada currently has a higher interest rate of 1% and thus attracts more investors for its short-term assets. Demand for the Canadian dollar increases and puts an upward pressure on the exchange rate. Consequences of the Canadian Dollar Appreciation Effect on trade. The exchange rate has an important impact on Canadian trade performance, especially with its largest trading partner, the U. S. The Canadian economy significantly relies on its export activity, but stronger Canadian dollar makes the country’s exports more expensive to foreigners and can decrease the trading volume. According to Statistics Canada, exports to the U. S. fell in 2009 by 36. 4%. Exports then increased slightly in 2010, but still the amount was around C$73. 6 billion under the 2008 level. To prevent their exports from falling and keep their market share, Canadian companies have to lower their price and sacrifice some profit. However, decline in exports should not be attributed only to the currency appreciation. The U. S. economical health and trade agreements also affect the trading activity between two countries. On the other side, Canadian importers benefit from the currency appreciation. Canadian manufacturers can acquire materials, machinery and equipment at a lower cost, which leads to increased capital investment and productivity growth. Thus, strong currency is harmful to exporters and beneficial to importers. The dollar appreciation decreases Canadian export and increases imports, which negatively affects the trade balance and lower GDP’s growth. However, lower import costs offset negative consequences of export decline, and the total effect of the currency appreciation becomes muted. Effect on industries and provinces. Not all industries are affected evenly by the currency appreciation. Manufacturers that heavily depend on exports of their production are affected the most. Such industries include forestry, transportation equipment, and machinery. Imported inputs, however, should also be taken into account when assessing the total effect of the appreciation. Industries that use high imported content in their production are less hurt by the rising dollar. For example, transportation equipment industry highly depends on export, but it also has high ratio of imports to production and can profit from cheaper imports. On the contrary, industries that heavily rely on exports but use low foreign content in production, such as forestry, are affected most adversely. The same logic applies to Canadian provinces. Highly export-oriented provinces such as Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia are influenced significantly by the currency appreciation. Effect on unemployment. Rising Canadian dollar makes labour costs comparatively higher and increase the total production costs in export-oriented industries. Profit margin falls, and manufacturers decrease their labour force. They also add more machinery and equipment as the imported capital become more attractive due to the appreciating dollar. For example, in 2010, manufacturing sector experienced a loss of 37,000 jobs compared to 2009. This decrease in employment can be partially explained by the stronger dollar. Effect on productivity. Stronger Canadian dollar can have a positive impact on the country’s productivity. Productivity greatly affects the country’s living standard. Improved productivity results in higher output, profits, wages and, eventually, the standard of living. As exchange rate increases, Canadian output becomes relatively less competitive in international markets, and domestic companies start to lose their profits. Competition among manufacturers gets more intense, and companies try to retain their profits by increasing their productivity through investment in more efficient machinery and equipment. Companies’ capital to labour ratio rises due to lower cost of imported equipment, and increased use of capital leads to improved productivity in the long run. With lower exchange rate, Canadian firms are more profitable and have more money for capital investment, but with stronger dollar, imported capital and materials become relatively cheaper. On the other hand, higher exchange rate makes Canada less attractive for foreign direct investment because of relatively higher labour costs. The extent of this effect is limited, but the country still loses potential productivity gains. It is important for Canada to increase its productivity and relative competitiveness for the long-run strengthening of the economy in order to make the effects the currency appreciation less severe. To conclude, the appreciation of the Canadian dollar caused by a number of factors has a considerable effect on the country’s trade balance, industries, employment and productivity. However, these causes and consequences should not be considered in isolation but rather interdependently, and fundamentals such as economic performance of Canada or the U. S. should be taken into account.