Earning a Degree Through Distance Education Essay

We now live in a world where mobility is vital to our everyday existence. A world where access to everything must be instantaneous and adjustable in order to suit the ever accelerating pace of today’s lifestyle. Everything today is taken for granted due to the ease by which everything can be had due to the advent of internet technology and its accompanying changes in work and education criteria. Gone are the days when we had to wake up at six in the morning in order to make it to school on time. No more long commutes nor cold winter days on the bus just to complete the school attendance and get that much coveted grade. For those of us who have not the luxury to attend a traditional educational institution, distance education is a godsend. In order to prove this point, I would like to present myself as a prime example of a skeptic who came to reap the benefits of distance education learning. Although not everybody is cut out to attend and eventually earn a college degree or its equivalent through distance education, most people who are considering going back to school believe just as I do, that it holds more benefits for us as students than those who have to attend a regular college. To begin with, distance education is beneficial to those who wish to complete their high school or college degree but do not have the time to take off from their daily tasks in life in order to commute to the school and attend to the regular student activities. What they do have time for is just to attend the classes at a venue that does not require so much time and effort to get to. Then possibly, they can squeeze in some study and homework time between their other duties at home or at the office. As a part time teacher and mother to three boisterous children, I can attest to the fact that if it were not for distance learning education, I would have given up on trying to attain an associate degree in Early Childhood Education even before I started the course. As a wife and mother, my priority will always be my family. But that is not to say that I should stop dreaming about advancing myself and getting further in my chosen career which is education. The only way I can do that is if I will be able to attend classes that have a flexible class schedule in order to accommodate the needs of my family. I found the solution in the distance learning classes. It was really very easy for e to get started in the classes because I had an open schedule and attended the classed online whenever I have the time to do so. I can attend classes while at home or on the road using my laptop and wi-fi internet connections. Due to the ease by which I can attend my classes, I never have a reason to miss a day of school. There is no such thing as my child being sick or my car breaking down so I could not come to class. Distance learning education also allows the student to learn more than just from lectures and classroom interaction. As a distance education learning student, I also learn from the school of real life and its accompanying experiences. I am not limited merely to what is taught to me because the only limitation available are the limits that I place upon myself. As a part time teacher, I have to admit that I had my doubts about distance learning education. I first thought of it as a lazy persons way of attending school. I thought that people who attended distance education classes were slackers without any dreams for their future. But, after giving the classes a fair chance, I realized that it was just like attending regular school, and sometimes, proves to even be more grueling if not for the fact that I am allowed to learn at my own pace and capability. The only competition I had was myself. As a mother, I benefit a lot from this system because it enables me to plan my classes around the activities of my children and make sure that I will always be available when they need me. It is no joke taking care of three children, one of whom is in her pre-adolescent stage and is in constant need of a mother’s guidance in her life. Distance education allows me to be a constant presence in my children’s lives and also allows us to bond together even while I attend classes because it becomes a fun activity for the family. While I attend my distance education classes, my children are sitting alongside me reading their lessons and working on their own assignments. Distance education has helped me improve my personal relationship with my children because they do not see mommy as simply an authority figure anymore whom they have to follow without question. They now see me as an equal who also makes mistakes and also has similar problems in school as they do. It gives us a common point for discussion as we compare our test results and talk about my classmates who they get to see over the webcam while I am in class. More importantly, distance education helps me save money on baby sitting payment for my nineteen month old son. Actually, distance learning education has helped my family save thousands of dollars a year that would have been spent on my daily commute to the university. These days, I can be home in a reasonable amount of time to spend with my husband and children before I attend the classes I signed up for after they have gone to bed. The detractors of distance education say that the quality of education suffers because of the questionable quality of education and interactivity between students and lecturers. My answer to this is simple, regular schools have to deal with the same problems on a daily basis. Nobody every questions the quality of their education or their lecturers. Just as I mentioned above, I too was a skeptic until I had tried and tested the system. Now, I definitely prefer the ease and simplicity of distance learning education for a college degree over attending the regular schools. Each of us have our own idea of what kind of educational institution will suit our individual needs and personalities, the choice of distance learning over traditional learning is something that falls under a personal preference. I have made my preference clear. Distance learning education has more advantages over traditional learning institutions in more ways than one simply because our lifestyles now have highly different requirements than the past decades. Thanks to the mobility offered by laptops, even the educational landscape will continue to change and evolve with the needs of the times. Something it did not have a need to do, nor have the capability to perform in the past. It is therefore my belief that earning a degree via distance learning education will soon become an acceptable and popular norm that shall be the wave of the future.

A history of Latin America Essay

It was during the European colonial expansion that Brazil fell under Portugal as a colony. Colonization in Brazil spanned the period between 1500 to year 1815. Portugal was interested in Brazil for a number of reasons that included the hope of getting minerals, raw materials as well as slave trade and labor to among other interests. The colonization of Brazil had some effect on the native way of life, with most of these effects having had a lasting effect to date. It’s worth noting that from the history of Brazil, France also had an interest in Brazil but could not stand up to Portugal which had taken the control of this part of the world through the signing of a treaty. The Portugal king known as king Manuel 1 who was reigning then wanted the colony to be ruled under a system of 15 hereditary captaincies- a fit that failed to work due to large-scale failure. The system gave way to royal enterprise in 1549. The following essay describes the causes and the effects of the Portuguese colonialism in Brazil. Causes of colonialism There are a number of things that preceded the Portuguese entry into and colonization of Brazil. Following the signing of the treaty of Tordelsillas in the year 1494 that facilitated the division of the world between Spain and Portugal, all land falling to the east was taken up by Portugal while Spain took up the land on the western side. In the year 1500, a navigator, Captain Pedro Alvares Cabral in charge of a fleet of 13 ships trailing the route taken by Vasco da Gama to India, landed in Brazil. He possessed this land for king Manuel 1 as an overseas colonial land for Portugal. His possession of the land made it a colonial land for Portugal (Sweet 2007p233). The Portuguese expressed their interest in Brazil due to the presence of raw materials that proved to be valuable for Portugal. One of the raw materials that Portugal got from Brazil includes the Brazilwood tree from which dark wood and red dye could be extracted. The Brazilwood was readily available in the Brazilian rainforest where it grew naturally. The red dye was exported to Europe where it was useful in staining luxurious textile for trading. The dark wood was sought for commercial purposes as well- specifically for sale within the European markets. The Portugal colonial system was also interested in growing sugar cane from Brazil for use in making of wine and for exporting to Portugal. An interest in other agricultural products of the nature of cash crops also interested the Portugal royal government that was reigning under the king Manuel 1 to take up Brazil as a colony. The cash crops drawn from Brazil included cotton and tobacco. These two cash crops were exported to Europe for sale in the European market. Portugal was interested in Brazil due to the prospect of getting slaves for labor and trade. The plantations in Europe required free labor that slaves could provide. Portugal marked Brazil as a potential area where for getting slaves for their plantations in Europe or for trading them. Even though the Portugal authorities had managed to transact some of the slaves with a Brazilian origin, the coming of the Jesuits in Brazil greatly led to the fall of the trade since they were opposed to the trade. This forced the Portugal authorities to embark on importing slaves from West Africa. At the same time, labor was greatly needed in the sugar plantations in Brazil. The natives provided this labor in exchange of scissors, axes, mirrors and knives while some were captured and forced to provide the labor as slaves (Morris 2006p34). Another reason why Portuguese had an interest in Brazil was because they were hoping to get minerals that they could use for their industries in Portugal or sell them in the European market. Though initially no minerals were found, some deposits of gold and later diamonds were found in the 18th century in the interior of Brazil by the bandeirantes. The area where gold deposits were found is known as the Minas Gerais mines. Deposits of diamond were found in 1729 in a village known as the Tujico village- the present day Diamantina. The French had expressed an interest n the land of Brazil as it was attracted to the Brazilwood and the prospect of mining some minerals from the land. This forced Portuguese to take up the land for establishing colonial rule in it before the French powers could take it over. Even though Portuguese had already possessed the land of Brazil, the heavy presence of the French military along the cost of Brazil forced the Portuguese to set the colonial powers and use military power to evacuate the French from the Brazilian coast (Leftwich 1999p156). Effects of Portuguese colonialism in Brazil The presence of the Portuguese colonial power in Brazil affected a number of the native life of the people in Brazil. Colonialism led to the widespread and adoption of the catholic faith in worship. This was a result of the coming of the Jesuits, who were led by the first governor, Tome de Sousa. The Jesuits made a great representation of the religious enterprise, setting missions within Brazil and actively converting the natives into the catholic faith. Another consequence of the Portuguese colonial powers in Brazil is the death of a great number of people due to wars that pervaded the colony. The natives were opposed to the colonial powers and therefore staged resistances that led to the death of many natives. An example of the native revolts is the Guarani war of the year 1756 where the native were fighting the Portuguese authorities as a protest against slave trade. The native guaranis were assisted by the Jesuits who also opposed slave trade and labor (Chasteen 2001 p251). The colonial era in Brazil also played a great role in the proliferation of the people of the African origin in Brazil. Since Brazil drew a lot of slaves from the West African region to work within the plantations in Brazil, a very large number of Africans settled within the Brazilian land after the slave trade was abolished since they had no way of going back to Africa even when they were set free (Freyre 2008 p458). There was a proliferation of infectious diseases that were brought by the colonialist from Europe to Brazil. The natives had no natural immunity against these diseases and this led to the death of a great number of natives from these foreign diseases. The colonial powers also led to the embrace of the sugar cane growing in agricultural sector for export. Since sugar cane had such a high demand within the European market, the expansion of the sugar cane sector drew great profits. This sector however received a blow and fell once the Dutch and the French started cultivating and exporting sugarcane to the European market. Since Antilles- the area where Dutch and the French produced the sugar was much closer to Europe, the sugar prices fell drastically towards the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century during which time the sugar industry on Brazil fell. The colonial powers within Brazil also led to the founding of the Rio de Janeiro city in the year 1565 by the governor general Estacio de Sa’. He established Rio de Janeiro as the capital of Brazil in the year 1763 from Salvador. At the same time, a number of changes took place with the cities in Brazil. The estados – states- in Brazil had been divided and separated so that they were headed by the city council prior to the year 1763. The city councils were composed of top figures within the Brazilian land including the merchants, land owners and business men. Since Brazil was to big to be administered by the royal government, there arose a need to divide this area into smaller estates. The states of Brasil, Maranhao, and Grao-para were unified into Brazilian viceroyalty in the year 1763 and Rio de Janeiro was set as the capital of these cities. This helped to destroy the divisions that were created in the early days of the colonial invasion (Freyre 2008 p457). There was the creation of a number of towns in south Brazil. Some of the towns created include Colonia de Sacramento, Alores islands, and Porto Alegre among other towns. As essay shows, there are a number of major changes that took place with the expansion of the Portuguese power in Brazil. The native Brazilians abandoned their cultural way of life and adopted the life that the Portuguese were living in terms of dress code, food eaten, and the religion adopted (Keller 2006p517). Conclusion Expansion of the European powers into the rest of the world during the colonial era led to major changes and experiences into the areas that these countries set their colonial power. In the case of Brazil, changes that took place were experienced over the whole range of the living including their social living, political life and religion among other areas. The effect of the colonial powers is still felt in Brazil to the present day. References Chasteen J (2001) Born in blood and fire: a concise history of Latin America, Norton p251 Freyre G (2008) The masters and the slaves (Casa-grande & senzala) Brazilian civilization, University of Texas p457, 458 Keller (2006) Colonization study, founding of new societies. Ginn & Company p517 Leftwich A (1999) Redefining politics; populace, property, and power, Taylor & Francis p156 Morris H (2006) History of Colonialism from the Earliest Times Present Day, University of Michigan p34 Sweet W (2007) A history of Latin America. The Abingdon Press p233

Triple Bottom Line Approach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Triple Bottom Line Approach - Essay Example A firm must pay particular attention to social, environmental and also economic effects of the operation which is referred to as corporate social responsibility or sustainability. Sustainability is a concept which aims to address all the required aspect of an organisation which takes into consideration the research and development of a new product that does not use non renewable resources; creativity and innovation, organisation tries to figure out the ways of minimizing waste; marketing the concept of sustainability as well as advertising in support of some local issues or social cause. Thus, sustainability has become a fundamental market force which is ignited through shareholders, customers, and stakeholders. A framework which helps operate the sustainability is the Triple Bottom Line Approach (TBL). The Triple Bottom Line just do not focuses on the economic value of an organization but also on the environmental as well as social value the add to an organization and also destroys it. The TBL represents the economy, society, and the environment. The three systems are interrelated with each other; society depends on the economy and economy on the ecosystem, which represents the bottom line (Quinn & Baltes, 2007, p.4). The essay begins with an introduction of the event, its historical background, current status and classification of the event.Next, it deals with the stakeholders of the event both at the individual as well as at the organizational levelsational level. The next part of the essay discusses about the impacts that the event would have on the environmental, economic and social culture in negative and positive way. The link between the stakeholders and the impact is analysed and finally a conclusion is driven. The Event The event to be discussed in the essay is the Pamplolona Bull-running Fiesta. The fiestas of San Fermin are usually celebrated in Pamplola in the region of Navarra each year from 6 of July to 14 of July. This fiesta is internationally recognised because of running of the bulls. This event is termed as Encierro which takes place at the heart of San Fermines and makes the event spectacle (Spain travel, 2012). Although the history of bull running in Pamplola is not clear but the festival has started way back in the 13 century when the event took place in the month of October. The modern celebration has said to be evolved from the 13 century. In the past the religious festival of San Fermin was celebrated with music, dancing, markets and bullfighting in 10 of October. But the Pamplola Council had proposed to shift the festival from October to July as the weather was much more conducive and supported the celebration. Thus till date the date of the celebration remained fixed where the first bull run starts on 7th of July at about 8am and the last on July 14 also at 8am. The joining of commercial, religious and bull fighting festivals and the new time and date of operation was first official celebrated in 1591 in San Fe rmines. In 1591 the celebration was not much popular as it is today. In the 17th and 18th

Life Span Development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Life Span Development - Research Paper Example Children go through many physical and emotional changes and these years play a very important role in the lives of individuals as its effects last for the rest of the life. According to Erik Erikson’s theory of socio-emotional development, a person develops skills, self-esteem, confidence, a sense of responsibility, and learns about love and family values (Rosenthal, Gurney, & Moore, 1981). By the time a person reaches young adulthood, a person focuses more on interpersonal relationships and looks for a partner to commit to, which increases a sense of belonging. Erikson calls this stage Intimacy vs. Isolation (Rosenthal, Gurney, & Moore, 1981). A study concludes that romantic love in young adults consists three main factors: connectedness, attraction, and painful love (Seiffge-Krenke, Shulman, & Kiessinger, 2001). The relationship of a person with parents, the marital status of parents, and a number of other factors related to different stages of development have a significant effect on the romantic love of young adults (Seiffge-Krenke, Shulman, & Kiessinger, 2001). Selecting a life partner is one of the most important decisions of young adults and has a significant influence on the life of a person. Social Penetration is a term used to define relationships that move from liking to greater closeness and intimacy (Altman & Taylor, 1973).

Discussion forum in english 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion forum in english 2 - Essay Example The line of white hills in a way foresees â€Å"the birth of her baby – something unique like the uncommon white elephant. The color white symbolizes the innocence and purity of her unborn child† (Hills Like White Elephants - Literary Analysis). The word white elephant is repeated three times at different junctures of the building of the conflict and each time the reader can feel the inner pang of Jig. The other prominent symbols used are the fields of grain and trees which represent fertility and fruitfulness (the pregnant state of the girl in the story), the Ebro River that represents life and the shadow of cloud that represents the abortion of the fetus and destruction of life (Hills Like White Elephants - Literary Analysis). At the end of the story the reader is left confused as the conflict (that of abortion) is not fully resolved by the writer and is left for the reader to guess about it. Literary devices such as the style, the tone and the use of ironies provides extra charm to the narration and very often the use of effective ironies results in unexpected twists and turns to the development and climax of the story. Kate Chopin’s story "The Story of an Hour" is full of situational ironies. The very title of the story is ironic as it foretells some sort of tragedy that lie ahead the central characters within a time span of one hour. The fake news that her husband is killed makes â€Å"weep at once, with sudden, wild abandonment† and she becomes motionless and quite for a long time (Schakel & Ridl 196). The fact that Mrs. Mallard is â€Å"afflicted with heart trouble† enhances the gravity of the situation and at the end one feels the irony of the opening sentence. However, it is quite ironic that after brooding over the unexpected turning of events she is overwhelmed by a ‘monstrous joy’ and expressions such as â€Å"free, free, free †, â€Å"free Body and

The dignity of difference , how to avoid the clash of civilzations. by Essay

The dignity of difference , how to avoid the clash of civilzations. by jonathan sachs - Essay Example Sacks reflects on this issue, and he recalls Jonathan Swift’s observation that we have â€Å"just enough religion to make us hate one another but not enough to make us love one another† (Sacks 4). Therefore, â€Å"the great faiths must now become an active force for peace and for the justice and compassion on which peace ultimately depends† (Sacks 4). Globalization poses a lot of challenges, because we are more aware of the presence of other cultures in the world, and there is a danger of imposing a single way of life in a plural world, which would be a mistake. The moral dimension of globalization cannot be ignored. In Sacks’ view, the moral and spiritual issues involved in globalization â€Å"are among the most important we must face if we are to enhance human dignity, improve the chances of peace and avoid Samuel Huntington’s prediction of a clash of civilizations† (Sacks 2). Sacks pretends to exorcize what he calls â€Å"Plato’s ghost†, which is universalism, or the idea of a universal truth. According to Plato, in the world of ideas, difference is resolved into sameness. This concept implicates that there is one truth on the essentials of human condition, and one possessor of the truth, while the others who think in a different manner are mistaken. The attempts to convert, cure and save others from their error have lead to some of the greatest crimes of history. Nowadays, corporate globalism promotes a uniformity of practices throughout the world, in despite of differences. The sequence of universalizing systems or regimes in Western history, from Greek and Roman civilizations, has tended to erase the local customs, cultures and languages, and it has culminated in globalization and the emergence of a universal culture. Corporate globalism takes the role of these systems in the present-day world, and it is based on the market, the media, and multinational

Junk food Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Junk food - Assignment Example The researchers in this research paper set out to find out and verify whether the availability of junk food in schools was the reason that led to the obesity in these children. The research only focused on the children from fifth grade and only during school hours and depended on reports from the children and their parents on issues to do with exercises when at home which were bound to be biased or incomplete in some ways. The sample was of 9,380 children who were all in fifth grade in both public and private schools and who had started school in 1998. Data collected from them was that of BMI at the beginning and the end of the research period and the difference calculated. Data was also collected from parents, teachers and other school sources on things such as the children’s cognitive skills and abilities, their social wellbeing, emotional and physical wellbeing and development and especially on their physical activity both in school and at home which may change the results of the BMI in the long run. The data was collected in 2003 and 2004. Other than collection of data on BMI and physical activity, it was also collected on the amount of junk food consumed and the number of calories the junk food contained (Datar and Nicosia, 2012). The results indicated slight increases in BMI in these children from the calories intake of the junk food consumed in school. The physical activity also was very minimal both in school and at home based on the reports from the teachers, parents and the children themselves.

Doing Business in Spain Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Doing Business in Spain - Assignment Example In this respect, a new business venture with the assistance of the marketing analysis is able to conduct operations in accordance with business opportunities (Katz, â€Å"Negotiating International Business – Spain†). Spain is a member of the ‘European Commission Community’ and the membership of European Union (EU) facilitated the country to conduct barrier-free trade operations. In this context, the country is able to perform business operations with better growth opportunities. Moreover, with the advent of globalization, the country has been able to perform sustainably with better transparency as well as efficiency (Katz, â€Å"Negotiating International Business – Spain†). The assignment intends to highlight an overview of Spain with regard to culture, education, labor market and economy. Additionally, an analysis is conducted with the aim of obtaining adequate information in relation to the business environments in the Spain on the basis of business culture, investment climate, major industries, legal aspects i.e. labor laws and other laws, business opportunities, process of starting a business in Spain. The analysis further helps to understand the significant areas about business opportunities. Spain is a member state of European Union and the country is officially recognized as Kingdom of Spain (Compare Infobase Ltd., â€Å"Spain Map†). Spanish culture is widely known for its Flamenco dance and music, beaches, bullfights and sunshine. Additionally, the people believes in developing relationship as well as respect (Don Quijote Salamanca S.L., â€Å"Spanish Culture†). Around 12% of the overall populations of Spain are foreigners of which around 47% belongs to European origin and rest is non-European. According to the article published by EURES, 60% of the overall populations of the country are identified as active workers. Spain has the fourth largest economy in the Eurozone in terms of business operations. Additionally, in terms of nominal

Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution Essay Example for Free

Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution Essay In the 1850s, Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution. His theory proposed that species evolved gradually through subtle changes from one generation to the next by means of natural selection. By natural selection, the most desirable hereditary traits become more common from one generation to the next while the less desirable, weaker traits die out. This gives rise to an organism that is more capable—fitted to—of surviving in the surrounding environment. At the time Darwin formulated his idea beginning with his trip on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s, some scientists resorted to the idea that God had preordained life by natural laws rather than by miraculous feats. While logical and correct, the idea still refers to a divine power, indicating a religious bent, so perhaps it was obvious that the ideas addressed could lead to religious controversy. As is common in science, Darwin’s concept arose from ideas garnered from a number of scientists of his time. Some researchers of the time believed that natural laws were responsible for life. While Darwin’s ideas did not account for the processes believed to account for life at the time, there was a theory at the time thought to account for life. Most thought that species were transmuted from one species into another. The problem with transmutation, an idea that is similar to evolution in some respects, is that a species may change through transmutation, but it will still be the same species. A dog may change into a different type of dog, but it will still be a dog; likewise, for a cat or any other species. Evolution dictates that the entire animal kingdom can grow through stages from one species into another over time. Birds came from reptiles, mammals came from birds and humans came from non-humans. (Lewontin, 1981) The data is unequivocal. During his voyage on HMS Beagle, Darwin found fossil remains of gigantic mammals that were recently extinct with no indication that their extinction had been caused by climate changes or catastrophic events. Although he believed that the remains he found were related to species in Africa or Europe, examination of the remains Darwin found showed that they were only related to other species found only in the Americas. Creationists insist that life came about from God in six days. While most evolutionists attack creationism on the grounds of scientific facts, there is another line of evidence virtually unnoticed by those who support evolution theory. Historians and archeologists have learned that the biblical story of creation came from the myths of another culture. Stories presented in the Bible evolved slowly over time, long before religions existed, and incorporated tales from many cultures. The story of the Garden of Eden, the serpent and the Tree of Life, for example, are said to have been depicted on an Akkadian Cylinder Seal nearly 2500 years before Christ. The serpent itself was viewed as a deity. Notice: No one familiar with the mythologies of the primitive, ancient, and Oriental worlds can turn to the Bible without recognizing counterparts on every page, transformed, however, to render an argument contrary to the older faiths. In Eves scene at the tree, for example, nothing is said to indicate that the serpent who appeared and spoke to her was a deity in his own right, who had been revered in the Levant for at least seven thousand years before the composition of the Book of Genesis. There is in the Louvre a carved green steatite vase, inscribed c. 025 BC by King Gudaea of Lagash, dedicated to a late Sumerian manifestation of this consort of the goddess, under his title Ningizzida, Lord of the Tree of Truth. p. 9. The Serpents Bride. Joseph Campbell. Occidental Mythology, The Masks of God. Arkana. New York. Viking Penguin Books. 1964, 1991 reprint The information in the Old Testament dates from about 1450 BC until 200 BC. This means that, contrary to the strongly held beliefs of most Christians, the creation story of Genesis is actually derived from the myths of ancient Sumerians. Therefore, the story is a myth. This means that those who against Darwin’s ideas on religious grounds based on their beliefs in the accuracy of the story in Genesis have unknowingly chosen to accept myth over facts. While they believe the myth to be factual, archeological evidence demonstrates otherwise. The scientific evidence leans heavily in support of Darwin’s ideas. While we may not fully understand some aspects behind the mechanism of evolution, we are continuously learning more about those mechanisms. (Dobzhansky, 1973) Dobzhansky states: Let me try to make crystal clear what is established beyond reasonable doubt, and what needs further study, about evolution. Evolution as a process that has always gone on in the history of the earth can be doubted only by those who are ignorant of the evidence or are resistant to evidence, owing to emotional blocks or to plain bigotry. By contrast, the mechanisms that bring evolution about certainly need study and clarification. There are no alternatives to evolution as history that can withstand critical examination. Yet we are constantly learning new and important facts about evolutionary mechanisms. Theodosius Dobzhansky, â€Å"Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in Light of Evolution†, American Biology Teacher vol. 35 (March 1973) reprinted in Evolution versus Creationism, J. Peter Zetterberg ed. , ORYX Press, Phoenix AZ 1983. Darwin (1859) believed that whales evolved from bears based on a scenario where selective pressures might cause this evolution, but he was criticized for this idea and removed the suggestion. Gould, 1995) Today, there is much more fossil evidence for the evolution of many species thus supporting the idea of evolution as a general biological principle, including the evolution of whales from lower animals. Evidence in support of evolution exists at many levels. There is paleontological evidence based on fossils, morphological evidence that relate the body morphology of higher animals to lower animals, evidence from molecular biology and from embryology. Added to this, the chronological picture that results is consistent with other lines of evidence. For example, the evidence for the evolution of whales from lower animals is convincing. Whales have been closely studied with respect to evolution. If evolution is valid, transitional stages from one level of evolution to another should exist. Although the fossil remains of whales spotty for a long time, recent fossil discoveries have more than adequately lent support to the concept of evolution for whales. Researchers state that independent lines of evidence from different disciplines confirm the pattern of evolution in whales. John Ray recognized that whales were mammals rather than fish in 1693 based on their similarity to terrestrial mammals. (Barnes, 1984) In 1883, Flower (see Barnes, 1984) found that whales had vestigial characteristics in common with terrestrial mammals just as humans have vestigial tails, the coccyx. Findings similar to these led to the concept of ‘ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. ’ This concept is briefly explained in further detail below. Flower (1883) recognized that the whales have persistent rudimentary and vestigial features characteristic of terrestrial mammals, thus confirming that the direction of descent was from terrestrial to marine species. On the basis of morphology, Flower also linked whales with the ungulates; he seems to have been the first person to do so. Today, we know that whales have vestigial features in common with lower animals. For example, they have vestigial olfactory nerve, protruding hind limbs, pelvic fins and diaphragms. Like humans, during embryological development, whales develop features similar to lower animals and abandon them as development progresses. During their development, there is also evidence that whales have terrestrial ancestors. Some whales even develop hair while in the womb although they do not retain it. In 1985, Goodman et al. demonstrated that whales are more closely related to ungulates than to other animals. (Goodman, 1985; Miyamoto and Goodman, 1986) Some studies have identified genes, enzymes and other proteins that connect whales to extinct animals. (Irwin et al. 991; Irwin and Arnason, 1994; Milinkovitch, 1992; Graur and Higgins, 1994; Gatesy et al, 1996; Shimamura et al. , 1997) We have already noted above that the creation story in the Bible was taken from the text of an ancient culture that predates the Hebrew account. Rather than to openly acknowledge that the Bible’s story of creation is a mythical legend that explains evolution and the appearance of life on ea rth, some religious groups resort to far-fetched, fictitious, generally ridiculous concepts such as ‘creationism’, ‘creation science’ and ‘intelligent design’ to dismiss or explain away the science and replace it with fantasy. Embryology and developmental biology have a concept, ‘ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny’, that simplifies and briefly but succinctly expresses the concepts presented in the first chapter of Genesis. This is like explaining a complicated scientific concept, take conception and birth for example, to a little child by using a fairy tale rather than detailed research information. The fairy tale is not accurate, but the general information it communicates is true. With this single phrase, the first chapter of Genesis is summarized and explained. The phrase means that the embryological processes of development, ontogeny, depict and encapsulate the evolutionary history of the species, phylogeny. For example, during development of the human embryo, the fetus briefly has gills and a tail like its phylogenetic ancestors. In other words, during development, the developing embryo goes through some of the same stages that humans went through as the species developed from lower animals to humans. The concept makes perfect sense and explains many aspects of human development. Obviously, we cannot provide a comprehensive review of the evidence support evolution in a few pages, and we certainly cannot provide realistic evidence against it in light of all that exists to support it. While the evidence in support of the evolution of whales is plentiful, much evidence exists for evolution in general, including in humans. As has been reported here, the evidence is not just from scientific research, but also from archeology and history. That evidence shows, among other things, that the biblical story of creation in Genesis predates the Bible by hundreds of years. Despite all the evidence in support of evolution and against the idea of the biblical creation as being anything more than a myth, we can be certain that the argument in support of the biblical creation as being the real story and representing the real facts will not go away. Humans being what we are, we will always be faced with living with the Genesis myth as if it were fact, and coping with those who insist that the earth all the universe was created in six literal days. That concept certainly will never go away no matter what facts exist to disprove it.

Higher education Essay Example for Free

Higher education Essay Education â€Å"Knowledge is power† as Focault stated. This quote is commonly used to define not only the importance of knowledge and its effect, but ones decision to attain knowledge demonstrates power of developing knowledge. Education is one of the main factors in attaining knowledge. Education serves and effects society in numerous of ways. The influence of educational institutions, the structure it has on children and adolescents, the control education has on society, how education transform lives , and the social benefits that comes with having a higher education. Education may be defined as the process by which a society transmits knowledge, values, norms, and ideologies from young people to adult roles. The influence of educational institutions is one example of how education affects our society. According to the article â€Å"Universal Education†, Mr. Gatto states â€Å"School is the first impression children get out of an organized society. Like most first impressions, it lasts† (N. P). To me, this statement clearly represents not only how school is an educational institution influencing the lives of many, but how Gatos express that schools are a part of the children’s socialization process in development (1 ). Our youth, which is considered the future of our society, develop some their values and learning processes from institutions. School is very crucial and necessary in a child’s upbringing, because it takes the child from childhood and prepares them for adult activities. Institutions serve as a backbone to create, maintain order, and control our environment which entails the rules and monitoring systems. Schools have provided a structured system with policies, and procedures that influence the youth. Educational institutions help create a social world for children. One of the main factors of education is that its structures the lives of children and adolescents. Education gives an opportunity to enhance careers and skills for beneficial purposes. That is why schools prepare students to be effective economic competitors, reliable workers for employers, and well-adjusted individuals. In â€Å"Letters to a Young Brother†, Mr. Harper states â€Å"Since the key to staying in the game is education, it is essential that you take control of your relationship with school† (56). This statement clearly shows Harper’s affirmation about the bond between one’s education and financial success. Mr. Harper expounds greatly on the importance of education and how it influences and affects the life of young adolescents. Schools shape the life of a child from childhood years well into adulthood. For instance, the beginning years of school develops the child’s interactions and social skills. In one’s early school years, one learns how to read, write, and how to develop key social skills that one will utilize for a life long period. Even in adulthood, education affects our lives, because of the careers available and the amount of one’s salary tends to increase with the completion of academic programs and degrees. Education also motivates, pushes our youth to do better, and want to amount something professional in their lifetime. Education has a major control on society as a whole. Educational institutions affect not only our surroundings, but the daily lives of all people within that society. In my opinion, every neighborhood should contain some sort of institutions, whether it’s a community college, high school, or even an elementary school. Education improves lives and minds, and offers more opportunities and possibilities. Our education system embeds our youth with a structure of discipline, and knowledge that will be utilized for further advancement in one’s life. On a collective note, our institution of education reinforces the statuses of the larger society. Some parents are affected and play a major role in the child’s school life. For example I maintain a safe environment for my seven year old son. I show interest in his progress at school, help him with his homework, explain the value of a good education him , and I also stay touch with teachers and school staff . The main reason I created such partnerships is because I understand how important is education and I know it will help him succeed in school, and in later life. The key to a bright and successful future for the youth is through the education they get at school, but they also need resources at home to support them. Parent involvement in children’s education allows kids to perform better in school Education is the key to creating opportunity and changing lives. â€Å"The unemployment rate for people who have never gone to college is more than double (10 percent) what it is for those who have gone to college (4. 5 percent)† (qtd. in Hawkins N. P. ). These statistics make it clear that completing some form of higher education is the best tool to meet the challenges of a 21st century economy. Education is a productive and beneficial factor in a person’s life. The benefits of a college education are evident; higher salaries and lower unemployment rates. â€Å"Cities with a higher percentage of college graduates have lower crime rates† (qtd. in Hawkins N. P). Criminal offenders often have low levels of education. Statistics shows only 35 percent of inmates in U. S. correctional facilities have earned a high school diploma, compared to 82 percent of the general population. Young people with insufficient education are immensely found within the criminal justice system. Education provides opportunities to reduce crime, by helping children to gain knowledge, skills, and character that help them avoid criminal activity. I think education is one the most auspicious means we have of preventing and reducing crime A college education is essential in today’s society to earn a job. A College degree will open the door of opportunity in ways that will increase your potential in landing a great job in the field of preferred study. The more knowledge and experience one holds, the more willing employers are to furnish better positions in the company, and enhanced pay raises or bonuses. Having a college degree tells your current or prospective employer a lot. First, students gain a wealth of knowledge in school. Spending two or four years immersed in a program dedicated to your job field, arms you with the knowledge you’ll need from day one on the job. Employers know that if you’ve got a degree, you won’t need as much training as those without one. A degree also gives you a different perspective of the industry than that of someone without a diploma. Having a college degree makes the employee more valuable to a company (Cunningham, N.P). Your job relies on the amount of education youve received and have achieved in subjects. Math can help you out in money in shops; you can become a successful shop accountant or a bank accountant. English helps you with your daily communicating skills; you can become a successful lawyer, English made writers like James Patterson and Steven King. Science is included in our daily lives, when you water plants, make a cup of tea, freezing food; you could become a scientist, doctor, chemist. Science made people like Einstein. Even if you dont want a job, you need to have some sort of knowledge of the world. Education is the path to success; it benefits individuals, families, and communities (Harper, 106). â€Å"College graduates are statistically more likely to have healthy children and to be involved with their children’s education both inside and outside of school. Studies have also found that there is a correlation between a womans education, and the health of her children. Thusly, having a college degree is related to good health in parents, and learning readiness in children. For instance, more than 90 percent of preschoolers whose mothers are college graduates are read to at least three times a week, compared to 76 percent of their counterparts whose mothers are high school graduates†(qtd. in Cunningham N. P). Higher income is one out of many benefits of having a higher education, people with more education tend to have more leisure time and better outcomes for their children, and improved quality of life in general. For example, they are more likely to have jobs that provide health insurance and retirement benefits than workers without college education. In conclusion, â€Å"School is a great gift our society offers you. It provides the key for your future† (Torres, 160). Educational institutions serve as a major influential force in society and the lives of both children and parents. Schools are organized networks of socializing experiences, which prepare individuals to act in society. Education structures the lives of many, whether it’s a child, adolescents, or adults. Education is very meaningful in the upbringing of a child, and plays a significant role in his/her life. Education educates individuals, such that they prefer not to engage in crime. College-educated adults engage more frequently in educational activities with their children. A college degree proves to an employer that you’re devoted to your career, and serves as proof that you’re knowledgeable and qualified in your field. Essentially, higher earnings are one of the important outcomes of higher education. It is imperative you have an advanced education if you want to be successful. Work citation Cunningham, Alisa. The Broader Societal Benefits of Higher Education. the Solutions For Our Future Project†. The Institute for Higher Education Policy, Washington, D. C. , N. D. Web. 29 Oct 2012. Gatto, Taylor John. Universal Education. Yes Magazine, yesmagazine. org. 02 1998. Web. 29 Oct 2012. Harper, Hill. Letters To a Young Brother. New York, N. Y: Penguin group USA Inc. , 2006. 56-105. Print. Hawkins, Mary. Reinventing Your Life with Education: The Larry Crowne Effect. †. pickthebrain. com, 07 2011. Web. 29 Oct 2012. Torres, Jose. A letter to a Child Like Me. Trans. Array Across Cultures: A Reader For Writers. Sheena Gillespie and Robert Becker. 8th. Ed. USA: Pearson, Inc. , 2011. 160-164. Print.

The Theory Of Media Richness

The Theory Of Media Richness To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in a way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others. Anthony Robbins. Electronic mail is a method of exchanging digital message from sender to receiver. Email plays an important role in business today and has become a basic necessity in any organization just like paper and ink. It is been used by many as an all-encompassing collaboration platform than a simple communications tool. According to P.K McBride (2006), World Wide Web is an ever- growing aspect of internet with billions of web pages. Workers are given unrestricted access to the Web, allowing them to manage their own research. It provide facility to copy, reply or forward messages like document and graphical files to the sender or to the third party. Effective transfer of messages and informations within the organization and between top managers and employees is very essential for the betterment of company. Email is the most commonly used electronic messaging service. Smartphone which includes email as basic feature has increased accessibility of email. It influence mobile technology, email has a major impact on business, marketing, medical field and banking. The purpose of this essay is to evaluate Email as communication tool in personal and organizational level. However, this essay firstly define email and its use in organization along with different use of theories for email communications and which include Information overload Social cues Media richness theory Critical social theory Controlling effect From above all the theories, Media Richness Theory is the most effective for business communication as it deals with symbol carrying capacity which refers to face-to-face communication and which is a must for any organization to success and build relationships. This essay focuses on people attitude towards communications and its implementations in work place with respect to Media Richness theory. Essay explains employees use of email and mobile communication for their personal and organizations purpose and how Computer-Media Communications plays an important role in it. Advantages and disadvantages of the theory are specified with example of BlackBerry and Android. In the end, my own experience of use of mobile email communication is explained in relation to my personal email diary found in the appendix. Implementation of theory and Email communication. Communication helps coordinate and effective control resulting in clear understanding, good production and healthy climate for cooperation among the various levels. Both for personal as well as organizational use, email have become a part of our everyday lives from communicating with friends, for new job application. Most services on internet whether its social networking or professional ask for email address before using their service. According to Mullins (2010: 230), Email has some emotions woven creatively to encapsulate feelings through signs and symbols. It has many advantages like free communication between social groups and in organization which involves communication with employees, clients as well as potential customers. Email help maintain records and archive of business transaction, rechecking past information, file repository, contracts which could be recovered later. It help have a record of your clients database and act as a address books which has all the important co ntacts that could be conveniently retrieved anytime. The portable gadgets like mobile phones and laptops are able to send and receive emails and help manage your business even if you are travelling or in another part of the world. The communication tool for evaluating email could be best explained by Media Richness Theory by Richard L. Daft and Robert H. Lengel. According to them it is a frame work to describe a communications medium by its ability to reproduce the information sent over it. It helps understand the impact of different communication media type on message and help reduce ambiguity of communication through proper selection of communication media. It comes from Computer -Media Communication (CMC) and is often associated with business communication by Newburry (2001). Sitkin, Sutcliffe and Barios-Choplin (1992) found data carrying capacity and symbol carrying capacity to carry information. Face-to-face communication would be characterized as rich media while modern information technology such as email could be classified as lean media. It deals with internal communication within an organization context. The theory got upgraded to email and it was considered as a good way of communication in organization. Silverstone in the beginning of the 90s [Zhao 2005], put forward concept of Domestication of Technology Theory which deals with how technology gets integrated in people daily life and its impact on social environment where as in other hand it deals with communication in business and it is based on contingency theory and information processing theory. E.g. if a manager need to remind its employees about an upcoming meeting then which communication medium should be used to inform and send the message: face-to-face, telephone, memo or electronic mail? Such communication choice in organization varies from its level of ambiguity. Employee can be updated and get connected to top management through emails, and can also get latest news reports and this could be obtained by effective use of this Theory. Proper training and guidance is very much essential for introducing new technology at work place for obtaining complete employee involvement in the organization. An employee can obtain many different types of mails such as personal emails, emotional mails from friends and relatives, social emails involving some event or activities, professional mails with job interviews, notifications of ads etc Face-to-face communication medium is the richest one followed by email, telephone, memos and letters (Rice and Shook 1990). Advantage of Media Richness Theory: Ability to reproduce information. Sender chooses a communication medium. Reduces uncertainty and equivocality. Help improve employees performance. Disadvantages of Media Richness Theory: Choice of media is done by assumption of rational decision making. Actual use of media and social influence is not reflected. Ignores use of symbolism in communication. Theory is devised before the widespread use and developments of email. Mobile users like to get their mails in their mobile devices and which launched the mobile email solution with BlackBerry. The handheld device helps receive and send mails wherever they are and help stay employee connected and could give immediate feedback as soon as possible. Another example is the Android Operating System in modern mobile system which provides users to do array of operations as it can run multiple applications at the same time, multitasking and is more fluid than other cell phones. Mobile email allows composing, forward and responding to emails exactly in the same way as on a personal computer. With the fast spread of mobile email, it is getting integrated in our social and work life as it has potential to impact the way employees use email and work together. Mobile email is now becoming an important tool for mobile workers for effective communication, coordination, collaboration and to handle complex situations on move hence resulting in improved relationship with customer, co-workers and supervisors. After critically analyzing my own email for a week, I have found that the use of mobile email device for communication has some advantages as well as some disadvantages. In my survey, I have received mails from social network sites, personal mails, job vacancies and notifications. Mobile email help keeps me connected with the world and help to be updated; I could check my mails on a move and even reply to some important mails. For example there are situations when I receive irrelevant mails like advertisements and junk mails and I read them thinking its important and hence waste my own time. When I am on move and expect some important mails to arrive and then battery dies or I misplace my phone then it can give rise to major problem. Devices could be easily broken or misplaced and could also create privacy invasion towards personal and organizational security. It makes a person so dependent towards it that people spend less time with family and friends. The one main disadvantage of m obile mail device is it has a negative health effect and which a major problem in todays busy life. Conclusion: Communication is very essential for any organization to build relationship and for its success. The use of mobile device for email is been adopted by people for personal as well as for organizational purpose. It helps receive mails even when they are on outside their homes or organization. From the critical evaluation, Media Richness Theory is the most effective theory to understand the value of mobile email devices as an effective tool for communication. This theory help organization to select appropriate communication media to communicate with its employees and to stay connected through mobile email devices and an example of such a device is BlackBerry and Android which help send and receive mails at anytime and anywhere. Mobile mailing helps keep a record of their daily activity and also maintains database which enable them to communicate with people no matter where they are. The Human Resource professionals play supportive role in achieving organisations goals by making employees and technology join together for effective result in work place. The introduction of new technology help raise productivity of work, develop new product and services, innovative thinking and developed method of communication between colleagues and customers. Mobile communication acceptance device in an organization depends on its management and employees and how well they get mixed with technology and its usage. The devices has many advantages like instant mail alert, help stay connected while move and having peoples record and ease of communication where as the disadvantage include lack of social participation and privacy factor. The use of new technology like mobile email for communication in relation to Media Richness Theory is now reaching its heights and is been adopted by organization for its employees personal and professional use.

Explore Jane Austen’s attitude to marriage in Pride and Prejudice Essay

Explore Jane Austen’s attitude to marriage in Pride and Prejudice Looking at the social, historical and cultural context In the 19th century when Austen wrote ‘Pride and Prejudice’, the way in which marriage was viewed was very different. It would have been expected of a young woman to find a ‘suitable’ partner for marriage before they were thirty, as after this they could be seen as an embarrassment to their family. By suitable, it does not mean in the way in which marriage is viewed today. Today marriage is seen as an expression of deep love and respect for another person. In Austen’s time, a ‘good’ marriage was seen to be one where wealth and social status of the man and woman were socially suitable. There was very little, if nothing at all based on a good love match. This can be seen in Austen’s opening statement, ‘it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.’ Austen’s use of irony immediately indicates that she does not agree with this popular view of her time. Austen’s views are depicted throughout the book through the thoughts of characters, especially through the main character, Elizabeth Bennet. They seem to share the same view that social suitability is not enough for marriage, but it should be based on love and understanding. For Austen to hold this opinion in the time that she lived shows she was ahead of her time, as her opinion is the common view among today’s modern society. Austen illustrates two main examples of the ‘ideal state’ of marriage. These can be seen through the relationships and eventual engagements of Bingley and Jane, along with Elizabeth and Darcy. The way, in which Austen portrays these two relati... ...and compatibility and the feelings of the two people involved, were not high on the priority list for a good, successful marriage. However Austen thought this should be the other way around, as she believed that love and compatibility are one of the most important aspects of a good marriage and that money and social status should only play a part in marriage, not decide it. This can be seen where she shows her personal feelings towards each different type of marriage shown. In the marriages she sees as being ‘good’ marriages, we can assume that they will be happy when the marriage has been based on a balance of their personalities and their love. Throughout each she continually stresses the importance of love, equality and compatibility in a marriage. The reader is shown the alternatives to this, in both the positive and negative consequences of marriage.

Lorraine Glass :: essays research papers

Landscape Writing and the Lorrain Glass   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Looking through my Lorrain glass I saw different moods of a scene. I sat on top of my car and looked out over a field of apple trees, raspberry bushes, and pumpkin patches. At the end of the fields was a huge white house with a ton of windows. The house had a wide porch that went all the way around to the back. I couldn't see much detail from such a great distance, but the smoke coming out of the chimney told me there was someone inside.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I chose three different colors to put into my Lorrain glass. Red, yellow, and green slates of color all gave a different feeling to the picture I was creating in my frame. It was almost like a snap shot. I chose colors that I thought were drastically different to give a different feeling for the same scene.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each slate did give a different feeling, but they looked similar in shape. Through the cellophane wrap, when the wind blew, the images seemed to wave. They had a small slant and looked as if they were moving. It was about 4 p.m. and the sun was just going down. The sun would hit the Lorrain Glass and made the image bright.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The red piece of cellophane made me feel hot. I felt that the sun coming through made it seem even warmer. It gave me a feeling of desert warmth with no water in sight. All the trees looked bare and dead. The yellow piece of paper made everything seem sunny and bright. The house looked full of light. I could picture in my mind the owner of the house having a glass of lemonade on the porch. The trees, the house, and the pumpkins all seem to come to life. They looked full and lively. The green cellophane seemed kind of cold and dark. The sun coming through of course made it seem a little brighter but it still had that sense of dreariness. The pumpkins looked rotted and old, the trees appeared bare with bad apples around its base, and the house just seemed to blend into the back round.

Production Functions and Cost Functions in Oil Pipelines Essay

1. For an 18-inch pipeline designed for 150,000 barrels per day, what is the short-run cost per barrel (per thousand miles) of transporting crude oil if the throughput is (a) 50,000 barrels per day (b) 100,000 barrels per day (c) 150,000 barrels per day? Using chart 7, a) Cost of transporting 50,000 barrels would be 30 cents. b) Cost of transporting 100,000 barrels would be 17 cents. c) Cost of transporting 150,000 barrels would 16 cents. 2. Can a 16-inch pipeline with 10,000 horsepower transport 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day? If a firm has a 20-inch pipeline, how much horsepower must be used to transport 150,000 barrels per day? This question can be approached in two ways. Both the approaches give different answers. a. Using Chart 1, a 16-inch pipeline with 10,000 horsepower will NOT be able to transport 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The pipeline will require at least 20,000 horsepower. If a firm has a 20-inch pipeline and wants to transport 150,000 barrels per day, they should use 20,000 horsepower. b. Using formula , T = (H) (D ) / (0.01046) When D= 16 inches H= 10,000, we get T= 349619.69 barrels. Thus, a 16 inch line pipeline with 10k horsepower can transport 100k barrels of oil. If the pipeline is 20 inch and we need to get 150k barrels of oil, using the formula, we will need 357.79 3. Does it appear that there should be many pipelines competing to transport crude oil over a particular route? Why or why not? I don’t think there would be multiple lines competing to transport crude oil over a particular route unless there is more demand than what is currently being supplied. It does not make economic sense to run pipelines at less than maximum capacity as they require a huge investment. The cost of laying the line and the materials costs of steel, pipe coating, line block valves, corrosion protection and so forth are a huge investment and would not be feasible for an oil company if the pipeline would not be supplying oil to its fullest capacity. 4. According to Leslie Cookenboo, plant D in Figure 1 â€Å"is not the optimum plant for the output at which it itself is most efficient (Q1).† How can this be? Explain. Optimum point is the point where the output costs the least per unit. The point where Q1 falls on the curve of plant E is lower than the lowest point on the curve of plant D. Therefore plant E can produce D’s optimum output more cheaply than D. 5. Leslie Cookenboo stresses the difficulties and limitations of estimating cost functions on the basis of historical cost data, rather than engineering data of the sort he uses. What are these limitations and difficulties? According to Leslie Cookenboo, where engineering estimation is feasible for cost studies it should be used, since actual costs may be subject to any number of erratic variations arising from construction or operating conditions unique to particular cases. In cases where engineering data is not available, historical data can be used, but using historical data makes the cost estimation prone to errors as it does not take into account the specific environmental factors that affect a particular situation. 6. Explain in commonsense terms why there are economies of scale in pipelines. In general, the average cost of transporting a barrel of oil decreases as total throughput increases. That is, oil pipelines are characterized by  economies of scale. There are several reasons for this: a) Setup Costs: The cost planning, design and installation are fixed setup costs. b) Volumetric Returns to Scale: Oil Pipelines are characterized by volumetric returns to scale. This happens because the cost of steel depends on its surface area while the capacity of the pipeline depends on its volume. Also, the amount of horsepower required is determined by resistance to flow which is decreasing in the diameter of the pipe. In the case, the production function is estimated as: This production function is characterized by increasing returns to scale. Doubling line diameter and horsepower leads to more than a fourfold increase in output but only a doubling in costs. c) Long run fixed costs: The cost of the personnel that monitor the pipelines is a long-run fixed cost due to the fact that a minimum number of personnel is required to monitor the pipelines regardless of the throughput. d) For the same level of reliability, larger pipelines require relatively fewer pumps in reserve. 7. Leslie Cookenboo has been senior economics adviser in the corporate planning department of Exxon Corporation. In what ways might Exxon have made use of his findings? Leslie Cookenboo’s study has 3 major findings: a. Economies of scale characteristic of the operation of pipe lines require that oil must be carried conglomerated in as large quantities as is possible in large diameter lines. This gives the least transportation costs obtainable. Exxon can reduce its transportation costs by transporting oil in large quantities in large diameter lines. b. Pipelines should not be run at throughputs appreciably below capacity; otherwise higher costs per barrel will be incurred than need be. Exxon can avoid higher costs per barrel by operating the pipelines at maximum capacity. c. Capacity of a large line can be expanded appreciably without increasing average costs. Decreased average costs can be obtained with moderate expansions.

Marks and Spencer Advertising Strategy Essay

Marks and Spencer is an international multi-channel retailer that has been running for 129 years. It now operates in â€Å"over 50 territories worldwide† and employs â€Å"almost 82,000 people†, (Marks and Spencer plc, 2013). It’s dependence on its origin country; the UK is progressively being reduced due to its international focus. M&S’ UK turnover consists of 54% food and 46% general merchandise, including home ware, clothing, lingerie etc. It is currently growing its e-commerce and has expanded to the finance business with its M&S Bank branch. Clothing has been lately an aspect of concern for the company, as sales of clothing have â€Å"slipped back for the ninth consecutive quarter†, (The Guardian, 2013). This has created a 9. 1% fall in half-year profit. For this reason, according to M&S Chief Executive, they are currently working on having â€Å"more innovation and choice than ever before†, (Bolland, 2013). However, according to retail analyst for the BBC, â€Å"The company is too risk averse and is unwilling to break the mould of its traditional ways of doing business†, (Conlumino, 2013). The affordable fashion market in the UK has been described as â€Å"challenging† by Chief Executive Bolland. The fashion industry requires radical and innovative measures for success, which M&S has not dared to implement until now. Marks and Spencer’s fashion competition is becoming increasingly tough and aggressive. Retailer Next overtook M&S â€Å"as the UK’s biggest fashion retailer, in July 2012†, (Nairn, 2012). Primark, its older rival has â€Å"an expected 5 billion pounds in clothing sales in 2014†, (The Guardian, 2013) this is a very close figure to M&S, with the potential possibility of performing above it. CAMPAIGN STRATEGY Marks and Spencer decided to adopt a fairytale theme for its Christmas 2013 campaign, focusing on its men and women ware collections as well a their lingerie collection playing a strong role. The adverts’ message claims to â€Å"Believe in Magic and Sparkle† and is based on a collection of fairytale stories including Alice in Wonderland, Red Riding Hood and The Wizard of Oz. It encourages the audience to believe in the true Christmas spirits while taking them through a range of mind-blowing and fantasy settings that communicate the wide range of festive products available in the store. The advertising campaign was developed by the advertising agency RKCR/Y&R and also includes its Christmas party food range on the table set during the ‘Tea Party’. The company has tried to emphasize its quality by bringing to the advert loved fairy tales in a glamorous offset. Christmas is a key selling season for M&S and thus their Executive Director of Marketing & Business Director claimed how they wanted to â€Å"recapture the magical essence of Christmas that customers tell is synonymous with M&S†, (Bousquet-Chavanne, 2013). In terms of the media channels, Marks and Spencer â€Å"is shifting its marketing approach to digital first†, (Vizard, 2013). This means that its strategy is launching campaigns online (through Youtube and its Website) before the use of Above The Line advertising (appearing in TW or print), this is a way to engage better with its consumers. The campaign was first launched on the 4th November online and two days after the TV debut took place. The whole campaign had a very strong focus on engaging their target audience through social media, allowing shoppers to vote via Twitter and Facebook on a name for the highland terrier which features in its campaign. The main purpose of the campaign is to create awareness to their target audience and recover primarily in terms of clothing sales (increase them). Further objectives of the campaign are to attract its target market for a bigger range of their products. By integrating food and general merchandise such as clothes and home ware in the advert, M&S aims to take advantage of cross-fertilising across food and clothing, as opposed to other retailers. Finally, the objective of moving to digital marketing is to become multichannel and prove its ecommerce savvy, as according to head of digital store development, â€Å"A â€Å"frightening number† of M&S customers still do not consider it as a multichannel retailer when they are shopping online†, (Zuurbier, 2013). In terms of its target audiences, Marks & Spencer has always aimed to target different age groups, using its advertisements to expand the generations. By using well-known celebrities such as Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, David Gandy and Helena Bonham-Carter, it attracts customers from different segments, thus the main character Rosie can appeal to every woman, being neither too common nor too unattainable. However, although reaching out to an adult market segment with its range of winter clothes and festive feasts, M&S has widely aimed to target a younger market, thus engaging them in a wide Social Media campaign and well-known models. In terms of its reach, the M&S advert was broadcasted to a mass audience by using ABT advertising and OL advertising. It is currently â€Å"wining the Christmas TV battle in terms of social, with 58. 8 million mentions on Twitter and 160,000 interactions on Facebook†, (Kindred, 2013). The campaign also created a #magicandsparkle hashtag, which allowed the brand to measure further the impact on social networks, with it being mentioned over 3,500 times. The advert is available internationally with 948. 533 views in Youtube and British TV cannels. The advert was first launched on TV 6th of November and is showing at a daily basis currently and until the end of the Christmas holidays (2 months approx). The use of social media has been a key element in this last Marks & Spencer’s campaign for two main reasons. First of all, M&S are trying its best to understad consumers’ tastes and what they really want. Social media allows the company to ‘listen’ to what customers are saying in real time, thus having direct feedback and evaluation of their efforts immediately. Secondly, one of their main current objectives is to expand its online market share, thus they want to be perceived as a ‘multichannel’ retailer for online shopping. According to the head of digital store development, â€Å"A frightening number† of regular customers do not consider it as a main online shopping point, and social media through the campaigns enables a connection between the consumers and M&S online platforms and therefore a direct link to purchase. The media channels have played a crucial role in transmiting their campaign to the desired public. The shift on its marketing approach, by launching campaigns online and on social media before print and TV enabled a closer relationship with the online consumers and a way of creating an experience and a feeling with the campaign. The use of mass media by broadcasting the advert through british TV channels reaches most families that could potentially buy at the physical stores, whereas the online platforms reach audiences that could potentially make purchases at the E-store. The main aim of the campaign was to attract customers of all demographic groups and promote the new products that the company is offering. M&S image is in search of improved quality and consistency, and they wanted to transmit this to their audience. However, the key issue in this campaign is whether it really communicated a clear ‘message’ and whether it is appeals to the correct target market. M&S, being a multi-department store with different product and option offerings, should thoroughly consider how the different product rages and collectoos are segmented. Usually, M&S was using its ads to span the generations, always including different groups. However, by trying to appear as a ‘improved quality’ brand and creating an advertising campaign featuring actual and trendy celebrities, there is a high risk of detering its core group of older and more simple shoppers. In terms of attracting the younger audience, there is a high risk involved because this segment is yet not convinced about M&S products being for them, so the efforts to attract this dangerous and risky segment might loose focus on their main and loyal customers. A controversial question on this topic is whether the use of celebrities such as the model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and David Gandy are associated with the image and main values of the brand. M&S is usually chosen by consumers who regard the brand as trustworthy, caring, straightforward and wise, being their old heritage a plus for consumer loyalty. Although the celebrity endorsement can create a high amount of awareness and the models can appear as desirable, the brand is unnecessarily being elevated more than necessary, and going a complete different way to its all-time values. It is therefore questionable whether the ‘all things to all ages’ appeal is reflected in the advert. The AIDA model can be used to evaluate the four main points of an advertising campaign, regarding Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action. The process is used by marketers to ensure that the desired result occurs from the campaign and M&S campaign follows all of the steps: Attention: By presenting the beautifully-made video with well-known celebrities it is catching the audience’s attention. The use of its fairytails theme can help purchases identidy the problem of needing the products offered by the firm to complete its christmas holidays. Interest: Once M&S had the prospects’ attention, the way to maintain the interest in the campaign was to keep the audiences engaged by creating social media activity and repeating the story in different media channels. Desire: In the desire stage, the range of products showed in the advert are exposed on a way that are tempting and desired by the customers, so that they want to purchase de product. Action: The final step was to persuade the prospects to take immediate action. By using online platforms, creating a direct link to purchase and by limiting the range of products to the christmas season, M&S is creating sense of urgency by encouraging action within a specific time frame. This call to action is essential for the advert to influence the growth in sales. Marks and Spencer has been suffering from decreasing sales throughout the last years, and instead of focusing on targeting a unclear market segment, it should promote its heritage and history, which is why it is stil considered to be number one multi-department store in the UK. The advertising campaign is beautifully made and has exquisite production values and gorgeous sets but it does not appeal to the right audience. There is an unclear linkage between the advertising and the heart of the brand as experienced by the stores. The celebrities do not represent what the clients are neither what they want to be, as they are unreachable and extravagant. The magical essence of the advert and the ‘high glamour’ that it wants to communicate has nothing to do with the brand. M&S should focus on one emotional point that can reach its most loyal clients, whereas this advert looses focus by trying to appear and image that is nothing to do with the brand. Even though M&S has captured a lot of attention, the call to action remains unclear, although impact on sales cannot be analysed until after Christmas.

Language & Gender Essay

Language and gender in the classroom Many of the issues reviewed in this chapter have far-reaching implications in classrooms. Classrooms and schools are among society’s primary socializing institutions. In them, children come to understand their social identity relative to each other and relative to the institution. Although schools are certainly not responsible for teaching students their gender-differentiated social roles, they often reinforce the subordinate role of girls and women through curricular choices and classroom organizations that exclude, denigrate, and/or stereotype them. However, as discussed earlier in this chapter, recent theoretical insights suggest that identity is not fixed, that language use is not static, and that it is possible to negotiate social identities through alternative language use. It follows, then, that schools are sites in which inequities (based on gender, race, ethnicity, language background, age, sexuality, etc. can be challenged and potentially transformed by selecting materials that represent identity groups more equally, by reorganizing classroom interaction so that all students have the opportunity to talk and demonstrate achievement, and by encouraging students to critically analyze the ways they use language in their everyday lives. Based on a review of 2 decades of research on gender and classroom interaction, Clarricoates concludes that interaction between teachers and students and among students themselves is â€Å"suffused with gender† (1983, p. 6; cited by Swann, 1993). Studies reviewed by Swann (1993) describ e a range of ways in which gender differentiation is maintained in mainstream English-speaking classrooms, including the following: †¢ ‘ While there are quiet pupils of both sexes, the more outspoken pupils tend to be boys. †¢ Boys also tend to ‘stand out’ more than girls. Michelle Stanworth (1983) notes that in her study teachers initially found some girls ‘hard to place’. Boys also referred to a ‘faceless’ bunch of girls. Boys tend to be generally more assertive than girls. For instance, a US study of whole-class talk (Sadker and Sadker, 1985) found boys were eight times more likely than girls to call out. †¢ Girls and boys tend to sit separately; in group work, pupils usually elect to work in single-sex rather than mixed-sex groups. †¢ When they have the choice, girls and boys often discuss or write about gender-typed topics. †¢ Boys are often openly disparaging towards girls. †¢ In practical subjects, such as science, boys hog the resources. In practical subjects, girls ‘fetch and carry’ for boys, doing much of the cleaning up, and collec ting books and so on. †¢ Boys occupy, and are allowed to occupy, more space, both in class and outside—for example, in play areas. †¢ Teachers often make distinctions between girls and boys – for disciplinary or administrative reasons or to motivate pupils to do things. †¢ Teachers give more attention to boys than to girls. †¢ Topics and materials for discussion are often chosen to maintain boys’ interests. Teachers tend not to perceive disparities between the numbers of contributions from girls and boys. Sadker and Sadker (1985) showed US teachers a video of classroom talk in which boys made three times as many contributions as girls — but teachers believed the girls had talked more. †¢ Teachers accept certain behaviour (such as calling out) from boys but not from girls. †¢ Female teachers may themselves be subject to harrassment from male pupils. †¢ ‘Disaffected’ girls tend to opt out quietly at the back of the class, whereas disaffected boys make trouble. (Swann, 1993, pp. 1-52) A 10-year research project by Sadker and Sadker (1993; including participant observation, audio and video recordings, interviews with students and teachers, and large-scale surveys) in elementary, junior high, and high school, and in university classes in the United States, and the review of research on language and gender in the classroom by Sommers and Lawrence (1992), both support these general findings. It is interesting to note the parallel between research on girls and boys in schools on the one hand, and on minority and majority students in schools on the other. Just as boys and men (generally with no attention to factors like race and ethnicity) seem to be advantaged at the expense of girls and women in mainstream schools in Britain, Australia, and the United States, white middle-class standard English speakers (generally with no attention to gender) seem to be advantaged at the expense of nonwhite middle-class standard English speakers (see Nieto, 1992, for further discussion). However, as Swann (1993) points out, these findings need to be interpreted with some caution. The differences between sexes are always average ones, and boys and girls behave differently in different contexts. In other words, these are tendencies, not absolutes, that have been documented in mainstream English-speaking classes. It should be emphasized that there is considerable variation that can be exploited by teachers in their own classes. As discussed earlier, for the variation in how girls and boys use language to be understood, research needs to begin not with boys and girls as fixed categories that behave or are treated the same in all contexts, but with a particular community of practice, in this case a class or a school. The analysis, then, needs to focus on the activity and on how boys’ and girls’ rights and obligations are constructed within that activity within that community of practice. Once the class and the activities to be analyzed have been identified, the teacher or researcher can begin by asking how girls and boys, women and men, are represented, for example, in the texts selected for use in the class as well as in the work that the students produce. Researchers have found that women, like other minority groups, tend to be excluded, marginalized, or stereotyped within the mainstream curriculum content (see Nieto, 1992; Sadker ;amp; Sadker, 1993; Swann, 1993, for further discussion). Although we are not aware of any studies that have documented short-term and longer-term effects of mainstream curriculum content versus curriculum content that is gender balanced, Swann summarizes the concerns of teachers and researchers about gender imbalances in the curriculum as follows: Teachers and researchers have been concerned about imbalances in children’s reading materials because of their potential immediate and local effects: they may affect the way pupils respond to a particular book and the subject with which it is associated; they may also affect the pupils’ performance on assessment tasks. There is further concern that, in the longer term, such imbalances may help to reinforce gender differences and inequalities: they may influence children’s perceptions of what are appropriate attributes, activities, occupations, and so forth for males and females. Introducing alternative images may redress the balance, and also have a disruptive effect, causing pupils to question accepted views of girls and boys and women and men. (p. 113) Swann (pp. 190-197) provides a variety of checklists that teachers and researchers can use to investigate how girls and boys, women and men, are represented and evaluated in the texts they choose and the activities they organize within their classrooms. When teachers find that their curricular choices are not balanced with respect to gender, for example, that the science text includes few contributions by women, that the literature anthology includes stories primarily by white males about white males, or that the women included in the texts are portrayed only in traditional roles, they can adopt texts that offer images of women and men in less traditional roles. If the goal is to encourage students to question traditional notions, simply providing alternative images in the curriculum content may not be sufficient. Teachers may want to encourage students to talk about traditional and alternative images, perhaps by critically reading and responding to sexist materials, by emphasizing choice in women’s and men’s roles, and by challenging representations of women and men (and other groups) in the students’ own work. We will return to these points later in this chapter. As has been discussed throughout this chapter, it is not only what is talked about, in this case through the curriculum content, that helps shape gender roles; equally or more important is an understanding of how girls and boys, women and men, position themselves and each other through their interactions. With respect to the organization of classroom interaction, research suggests that participation frameworks, or groupings of students and teachers for classroom activities (e. . , as individuals, in pairs, in small groups, or as a teacher-fronted classes), can strongly influence the students’ opportunities to talk and demonstrate achievement (see Erickson, this volume; Saville-Troike, this volume). For example, mainstream U. S. classrooms are generally characterized by the transmission model of teaching and learning (Cummins, 1989) and the initiation-response-evaluation (IRE) participation structure (Holmes, 1978). In these teacher-centered classes, the teacher talks for most of the time as he or she transmits the curriculum content to the student population in a relatively competitive atmosphere, and initiates the students5 participation. The students are encouraged to bid for the opportunity to respond to what Cazden (1988) describes as the â€Å"known-answer55 question, and the teacher then evaluates the students’ responses as right or wrong. It is in this traditional competitive classroom that boys seem to be advantaged (Sadker ;amp;c Sadker, 1993; Tannen, 1992). However, just as women participated more in more collaboratively organized meetings than in traditional hierarchically organized meetings (see earlier discussions of Edelsky, 1981; Goodwin, 1990), some research suggests that girls, as well as students from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds, participate more in cooperative learning organizations than in traditional teacher-centered classes (Kramarae ;amp; Treichler, 1990; Tannen, 1992; see also Kessler, 1990, for a general review of benefits of cooperative learning). However, the picture is much more complicated; simply organizing students into smaller groups is not the answer. In fact, some research suggests that mixed-sex groupings can reproduce boys’ dominant role and girls’ supportive role. For example, in a study by Sommers and Lawrence (1992) of mixed-sex peer response groups of college students in writing classes, it was found that males took far more turns than females, produced greater quantities of talk, at times appropriated females’ ideas as their own, and tended to interrupt and/or silence their female counterparts. Females tended to wait, listen, acknowledge, and confirm other students’ contributions. When Sommers and Lawrence compared male and female participation in the peer response groups with their participation in the teacher-fronted participation framework, they found that boys and girls tended to participate more or less equally in the teacher-fronted organization because the teachers could exert more control over how the participation opportunities were distributed. It is important to mention that the teachers in these teacher-fronted classes were Lawrence and Sommers themselves, and that they were aware of and concerned about equal participation opportunities for males and females in their classes. In a study by Rennie and Parker (1987, cited by Swann, 1993) of primary school students in science classes in Australia, it was also found that boys tended to talk more in mixed-sex groupings, and girls tended to watch and listen. However, in single-sex groups, and in classes in which the teachers had participated in a â€Å"gender awareness† course, girls tended to participate more actively. Both these examples suggest that when teachers are aware of gender-differentiated language use, they can change the dynamics in their classes so that girls and women are not subordinated, at least in the short run. Swann (1993) provides some useful suggestions for teachers and researchers who are interested in systematically observing and analyzing the dynamics within their own classes to understand how girls and boys are positioned relative to each other (Chap. 8), as well as suggestions for changing discriminatory practices (Chap. 9). The research discussed thus far has been concerned with genderdifferentiated language use in mainstream, white, standard Englishspeaking contexts in the United States, Britain, and Australia. Even in these relatively homogeneous contexts, it is evident that factors other than gender (e. g. participation framework and activity type) may affect the way people behave. Although there has been relatively little detailed research to date on the ways in which boys and girls from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds interact in the classroom, an area of particular concern to ESL and bilingual teachers, it is likely that factors such as culture, race, ethnic ity, and socioeconomic status interact with gender to shape students’ participation opportunities. For example, Swann (1993) discusses a series of analyses of gender and ethnic imbalances in classroom discussions in four nursery and primary schools in Ealing, England. Swann points out that in the original analysis, Claire and Redpath (1989) found that boys averaged three times as many turns as girls, and that some boys were more talkative than others; this finding is consistent with much of the research on girls’ and boys’ participation in classes. Their follow-up analysis of the same data, however, suggests an interaction between gender and ethnic group. They found that the boys who dominated the discussion group were white and black Afro-Caribbean; the Asian boys participated much less frequently. White and black Afro-Caribbean girls participated about equally; Asian girls participated the least of any group. They speculate that the topics of discussion and teachers’ attitudes and behaviors in the lesson might contribute to these classroom dynamics (see Swann, 1993, p. 65, for further discussion). Consistent with Claire and Redpath’s first analysis, research by Sadker and Sadker (1993) found no systematic differences between black and white students, students from different age groups, or students from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

A visit to Subir Raha Oil Museum at ONGC Essay

As a part of the curriculum of the programs offered at UPES, the students of first semester MBA Energy Trading and MBA Oil & Gas were taken to Subir Raha Oil Museum, ONGC in Dehradun. Being the students of the petroleum industry, this visit gave us a rich and holistic picture about how oil it is created in the nature, how various methods are used to detected it, the various challenges which the industry faces during its extraction and processing, how oil is refined and finally how it is effectively distributed via various means. Along with all this, the visit also gave us an in depth picture on how an oil industry functions around all these areas. We learnt about the intrinsic details of drilling & refining of oil and also about how the life is in offshore drilling platforms like the â€Å"Jack-Up Rig†, through video films. Accompanied with our faculty Dr. Somya Sharma, Course Coordinator of MBA Energy Trading, the students were very excited to know the details of the oil industry which in this museum, was depicted in innovative ways and with various working models which really grasped our attention. All in all, the visit was enriching and brought us closer to the industry. ONGC is the foremost exploration and production company in India. It is responsible for most of the exploration effort, established reserves and oil and gas production in India. ONGC possesses the fiscal, technical and managerial strength to rank as a world-class oil and gas company. Describing their Museum in detail, it was inaugurated on 14th August 2005. Earlier it was The headquarters of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited and this was set up in Tel Bhawan also known as Patiala House, at Dehradun in 1956. The place was once the palace of the maharaja of Patiala house and was brought by ONGC for an amount of INR 6 lakhs. The museum is divided into different sectors of the oil industry. First section told us about what oil is and its vast history. It refreshed our knowledge on how oil is formed on earth, the various grades of oil found in different places and how it gets deposited in various traps in the earth’s crust. We also saw a Foucault pendulum which shows the indubitable fact of earth’s endless rotation about its axis. In this section, there were samples of different types of crude oil and several charts explaining their qualities at different temperature and the viscosity  effect they exhibit while transporting the respective crude oil. The second section gave us an insight on the exploration and production of oil. Here we were shown scaled down models of various types of rigs and the ships used by ONGC for the E&P activities. These models were enclosed in aquariums with exotic fishes in it, which really fascinated us. Third section told us about the transportation methods and refining technologies used in this industry. An extensive description was provided about various IT technologies used by the ONCG in every aspect of their activities. After that there were several kiosks set up which explained about the different distillates obtained from the crude oil and the various catalysts used to obtain those distillates. A beautiful working model was also present which depicted the cracking of the crude. After the above technical section, we came across an exhibit which showed the several of the ONGC’s refineries both existing and upcoming, marked on a detailed map of our country. There were also several charts explaining the various safety policies and the extreme measures which the ONGC takes in order to protect their employees and the environment. We were also given an insight into the future plans and goals of ONGC, wherein they are planning to venture into the field of several new fuel types like the coal bed methane, gas hydrates under the ONGC VIDESH LTD program. The rest of the section told us about the infrastructure of ONGC, the vast assets and basins they own and the several services they provide in petroleum industry. There was an attractive display of how the oil industry had influenced the world of philately in various nations. And also, there was an amazing exhibits of fossils from pre historic era and an amazing collection of unique rocks like the flexible rock – â€Å"Itacolumite†. Outside the museum, there was a incredible display of several types of drill bits, a christmas tree, several types of blow out preventer, a coiled tubing unit, a sucker rod pump and a thumper truck. All of this, not only makes this museum, the first compressive museum on oil in the entire nation but also a pioneering ecology of the oil industry in the entire sub-continent. It was a cornucopia of information on oil industry from which the students of the MBA Energy trading and MBA Oil & Gas immensely benefited from.