OES SPS an Innovation in Repair and Conversion for the Offshore Essay

OES SPS an Innovation in Repair and Conversion for the Offshore Industry - Essay Example Rob Duffin presented a number of issues ranging from the significance of SPS in the transformation of FPSO’s which includes reduction of operational costs, life extensions and easier repair of the current station assets without disruption or operational effects. Another issue presented in the meeting was the compliance of the new technology to anti-piracy measures. I will report each of the issues separately as presented by Rob. The Director of the Institution of Civil Engineers introduced the presenter. Sandwich Plate System (SPS) overview Rob described the SPS is a structural complex consisting of two metal plates joined together using a polyurethane elastomer laminate a definition he got from Lehmann and Egge book published in 2009. Rob asserted that SPS is easier and tougher compared to hardened steel plate and is not as heavy to use as the strengthened concrete. SPS has found various applications in several areas such as structural flooring, pitch and field terraces, fixi ng and construction of ships of ships, and construction of bridges. SPS the Global Perspective Rob derived the global perspective of SPS technology from Kennedy and Ferro’s book published in 2007. Rob reported that all the Global stakeholders have acknowledged SPS as beneficial in the construction industry particularly concerning enhancing performance, sustainability and safety. In the maritime constructions, SPS has replaced the usually hardened steel used in making components such as hulls and bulkheads of ship. SPS reduces the stiffening problem and makes the components less prone to rust and fatigue. SPS is used in the construction of bridge supports and structure floors in replacement of the conventional strengthened concrete. SPS eliminates the problems of fatigue and rust associated with the use of strengthened concrete and steel. SPS place are easier to design and customize to the required dimensions. Some of the benefits of SPS plates include reduction of stiffness i n structures, ease of application and enhancement of designs in deeper-water construction. FPSO conversions –compact Double Hull Just as mentioned by McDermotte in his article Tanker Structural Analysis for Minor Collisions published in the Journal SNAME Vol. 102Technical Note FPSO P-57, typical SPS Overlays in the FPSO conversions entail the cleaning of the existing plate, fusing solid steel perimeter bars to create boundary functions. Rob pointed out that some of the advantages of the SPS Overlay include quicker repair schedules, reduced labor and minimized downtime. The overlay provides permanent upgrading at minimized repair expenses, lessened operating expenses and enhanced revenue potential. Offshore Life Extension According to Rob, McDermott in his article also emphasized the significance of offshore life extensions. SPS Overlay is a quicker and efficient method of reinstating and intensifying offshore crafts and structures. The Overlay thus strengthens the structures and prolongs their lifespan by offering permanent solutions to the previous short-lifespan projects. SPS Overlay allows for construction of high quality vertical and horizontal supports that possess strong impact resistance, lessened fatigue and controlled crack propagation. An advantage with the SPS Overlay application is that is employs the pre-existing or damaged plating to construct parts of the steel laminate panel. This is a cost-saving process while still increasing the

You Are What You Eat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

You Are What You Eat - Essay Example It is no longer dominated by small, carefully-run family farms producing some wheat, corn, dairy and perhaps eggs and poultry fed and being raised in a free-running farm area., but rather, it is dominated and run by huge multinational food processing companies whose aim is to make more profit and compete for a global position in terms of the best companies. These companies forget that they are dealing with nourishment products for the health of millions of Americans and therefore be more cautious and humane in the food they produce and even how they produce and package it.In their greediness to expand their business, these food companies engage in lying behaviors and techniques since they are aware that majority of the people are ignorant when buying food from supermarkets and others have no clue of the nutritional content and simply trust the company or the product in the supermarket. The lies are therefore numerous and they often start here during production and even transportation and preservation. If you look at a tomato, you may think of a green ripened vegetable that is going to nourish your body and you may feel pretty optimistic purchasing this item to eat or sharing it with your family. In actuality, that is more like a concept of a tomato. By this I mean this tomato may have been picked days earlier in another country by migrant farmers- before it was ripe. Then ripped by ethylene gas, shipped off in a semi-truck soaked with more toxic chemicals and now sits under fluorescent lights.

Negative impact Essay Example for Free

Negative impact Essay There is a proven link between the growing human population and the sustainability of the environment. In Florida’s case, the state has one of the highest rates of population growth in the U. S. with a rate of more than 25% over a period of 10 years (1990-2000), and the consumption (and over-consumption) of resources by this ever-increasing multitude has resulted in the degradation of the ecosystem’s health. Aside from this, the products of human consumption (such as wastes) and human activities, have contributed to the upset in the biogeochemical cycle, and consequently, the ecosystem’s demise. For example, the collapse of Florida’s coastal ecosystems has been tied by scientists to overfishing. Wetlands too, are disappearing at an alarming rate. People are also encroaching upon the natural habitat of animals, displacing the native animal population. For instance, this has lead to an increasing number of snakes and alligators in residential areas. What do you consider the greatest positive impact that humans have made in the same area? In Florida, water is a scarce and depleting resource. Because of the state’s high rate of population growth, scientists are estimating that water drawn from the largest potable water reservoir, the Florida aquifer, will run out by the year 2025. The problem has escalated to a critical point that in Central Florida, potable water is not allowed to be used in irrigation. In 2002, Department of Environmental Protection has launched a statewide comprehensive Water Conservation Program for the public’s water supply. This program has garnered a lot of support and publicity from various sectors of society including the media, schools, even business establishments, and has resulted in further research in the area of water conservation and resource preservation.

A Study Of Lewins Model Management Essay

A Study Of Lewins Model Management Essay In the refreezing stage the company stabilized changes by establishing systems that can establish behavioural pattern in the organisation. A new performance appraisal system based on behaviour and results was introduced to encourage customer service. (Goodstein., D., L. Burke, W., W., 1991) 14 It is not easy for an organisation change its structure and business processes since any change may lead to some level of resistance by the employees. One of the main causes for resistance is the fear of the unknown and loss of what is familiar. There are four reasons of resistance from employee to organisational change including 1) Parochial self-interest, 2) Misunderstanding and lack of trust, 3) Contradictory assessments, and 4) Low tolerance for change. (Buchanan D. Huczynski A., 2004) BA tried to change behaviour by changing the management style from authoritative to participative. BA wished employees participate more in management decision but since this was unfamiliar employers would fall back to the old patterns. 15 A tactic that was used in BA to manage resistance to change was the HR policy which included training guidelines. Such an HR policy is important in making the employees understand and react positively to change. There is also an example where resistance to change hindered the organisations goals and objectives. In an attempt to cut down cost can compete with low cost airlines BA tried implementing a new payment system and also hiring workers for lower salaries. This created insecurity among the employees which ended in a strike that cost the company in millions in 2000. Therefore handling resistance and the HR aspects of the company is vital to a successful change process. 15 REFERENCES 16 Wilson, C.D., (1992), A Strategy of Change, Thomas Learning, London 16 British Airways, 2006, Leaders For Business: What are we looking for?, http://www.britishairwaysjobs.com/baweb1/?newms=info196 (22 December 2006) British Airways, 2006, Our Recruitment Process: The Assessment Process, http://www.britishairwaysjobs.com/baweb1/?newms=info48 (22 December 2006) 16 Paton, R.A. McCalman, J. (2008) Change Management 2nd ed. Sage Publications, London 16 Cellars, T. (2007), Change Management Models: A Look at McKinseys 7-S Model, Lewins Change Management Model and Kotters Eight Step Change Model, Associated Content, [Online], http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/237685/change_management_models_a_look_at_pg5_pg5.html?cat=3, accessed on 30 November 2009 16 Green, M. (2007), Change Management Masterclass, Kogan Page Limited, Philadelphia 16 Syque. (2007). Lewins freeze phases. Retrieved April 12, 2007, from Changing Minds 16 12Manage. (2007, April 9). 7-S framework (mckinsey). Retrieved April 12, 2007, from 12Manage Web site: http://www.12manage.com/methods_7S.html 16 Chapman, A. (2006). Change management. Retrieved April 12, 2007, from Business Balls Web site: http://www.businessballs.com/changemanagement.htm 16 Mind Tools. (2007). Lewins change management model: Understanding the three stages of change. Retrieved April 12, 2007, from Mind Tools Web site: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_94.htm 16 Morgan, O. (n.d.). Organization management part 1. Retrieved April 12, 2007, from Oliver Morgan Web site: http://www.omorgan.info/download/Part%20I/organisation_management_Part_I.pdf 16 Recklies, D. (2007). The 7-s-model. Retrieved April 12, 2007, from Recklies Management Web site: http://www.themanager.org/Models/7S%20Model.htm 16 Johnson G and Scholes k (2002) Exploring Corporate Strategy, Prentice Hall, 6th ed. 17 INTRODUCTION British Airways Plc, renowned in the world as a leading airline, operates international and domestic scheduled and charter passenger services, freight, mail as well as ancillary services. Including 6 domestic flights, British Airways serves nearly 150 destinations. New code share arrangements agreed with Finnair, Iberia and Cathay Pacific are included in BAs global alliances. The airline operates in geographical areas such as the UK, Europe, America, Africa, Middle and Far East, Australasia and Indian sub-continent. For the year ended March 2009, the company generated revenues of  £ 8,992 million which is an increase of 3.1% on the  £ 8,753 million revenues generated in the year ended 2008. The net loss of the company was  £358 million during the 2009 financial year, showing a major decrease from the  £696 million profit in the previous year. British Airways Plc was formed from the airlines,  BOAC,  BEA, Cambrian Airways  and Northeast Airlines on 1 September 1974 through  nationalisation  by the Labour Government. In February 1987, thirteen years later, the company was privatised. Measured by passenger numbers, British Airways was the largest airline of the UK until 2008. British Airways is listed on the  LSE  and is a constituent of the  FTSE 100 Index. The airline celebrated its 35th anniversary on 31 March 2009. Change management According to cook et al (2004) change management is a set of processes that is employed to ensure that significant changes are implemented in an orderly, controlled and systematic fashion to effect organizational change. One of the goals of change management is to reduce resistance to change in order for organizational members accept the change and thereby achieve the organizations goal of a smooth transformation. Change management can be seen to have five specific stages that must be realized for an organisation to be successfully implementing change. Firstly the organisation must know why a specific change or series should be brought about. Secondly the organisation must be motivated and desire to go through this particular change. Thirdly the organisation must posses the knowledge of how to carry out the change. Fourthly the organisation must acquire new skills and behaviours that are necessary for the change to occur. Lastly the organisation must become sustainable by making these new behaviours their usual practice. Further according to Wilson (1992) change can occur mainly in two dimensions depending on the theories and models used. This view explains that change can be either planned or unplanned. Also change can be described in terms of the process or implementation strategy. The issues of understanding and managing change within an organisation depend on the change approach that is selected by the organisation. Organisational Structure British Airways operates as a group of companies whose main industry sectors are international and domestic scheduled and charter air services carrying passengers, freight and mail as well as providing supplementary services. The group consists of British Airways Plc and a number of subsidiary companies, including British Airways Holidays Ltd, British Airways Travel Shops Ltd etc. The two main operating bases of the company are Heathrow and Gatwick airports and has established in branches around the world. The company is listed in several stock exchanges including LSE, Munich, US etc. British airways together with its partnerships have managed to extend its network thus entering all significant markets. As for the structure of BA, it has suffered a shift from modern to post modern to post modern organisational structure i.e. it has moved from mechanistic to more organic style of operation. The operations of BA can be analysed departmentally into Planning, Distribution and mileage partnerships, Marketing communications, Global contact centres, eCommerce, Triton Programme, Revenue management, AirMiles Travel Company, Travel Shops, BA Holidays, BA travel Clinics, Corporate communications, BA world Cargo, Ground Operations, BA engineering, Information management, BA shares etc. Each division has its own functionalities to perform, goals and objectives to meet which contributes to corporate aims and objectives. Department Responsibility Planning Planning fleet, network, schedule, infrastructure, resources, property Distribution mileage partnerships Ensure that customers can book pay and ticket a booking through the website, contact centres, shops, travel agents around the world Marketing communications Marketing communications, advertising, promotions, gain insight into customer needs Global contact centres Delivers services to customers who prefer using the phone eCommerce Major projects to broaden the range of transactions customers can do on their own, improve quality of online channels Triton Programme The 10 year contract with Amadeus, leading provider of travel industry systems Revenue management Monitors, controls, forecasts sales working to improve profitability AirMiles Travel Company Carries out customer loyalty programmes Travel Shops Provides personal services and expert advise from well travelled consultants BA Holidays Sells holiday packages travel Clinics Offers travel health advice and comprehensive vaccination service Corporate communications Protects and manages the global reputation ensuring that a wide audience are aware of the airlines news and developments. world Cargo Provides freight, mail and courier services Ground Operations Management of Customer services and terminal operations with safety and security Engineering Responsible for aviation maintenance providing full support for the fleets Information Management Responsible for all IT across the BA group and plays a fundamental role in shaping the future of the airline BA shares Responsible for all investor relations Table 1: Departmental Analysis of British Airways Market Environment PEST Analysis The Airline industry has become extremely competitive due to the budget airline and the current unfavourable economic conditions. All player compete for the market share in an environment where the bargaining powers of customer have increased and there is no control over the powers of fuel suppliers and prices. In the current economic conditions there is limited growth in volume and demand for air travel has declined significantly. The PEST analysis shows the external factors that affect the organisation and its change processes. It also reveals the changes the organisation must make in order to remain competitive in adverse market conditions. Thus, this section looks into the external environment of British Airways since change strategies are affected by the factors and changes in the macro environment. Such changes could bring about favourable or adverse effects on the companys turnover and growth. The PESTEL framework has been applied to examine the external factors and its impact on the company. Political and Legal Factors Developments in the political and legal factors can have a high impact on the airline industry. Political developments include changes in governmental policies, international regulations and legislations, government taxes on air travel, political and economical relationships with counties, changes in airport and aviation rules etc. Some of the developments have a favourable impact on the company while some others will have an unfavourable impact. The EU policy has increased air travel and therefore has been a positive impact on the airline industry. On the other hand, increase of government taxes has adverse results on the industry since demand for air travel declines due to high airfare. Economical Factors Economic developments such as increase in fuel prices, unfavourable currency and interest rates, recession, inflation, increase in unemployment has a negative impact on British Airways. In such environments leisure travel declines because people have less disposable income and business travel declines because corporate spending is reduced. Also recession negatively impacts on growth of companies in terms of expansions and buying additional aircrafts. On the other hand, changes such as economic boom, deflation could favourably contribute towards a companys performance. Social and Environmental Factors Airline industry is constantly under pressure for various environmental pressure groups due to high CO emission, noise and the effects on the climate. Also outbreaks of diseases such as such as Swine Flu can decrease air travel. Another aspect that could reduce air travel is safety related issues such as acts of terrorists and crashes. Technological Factors Changes in technology have shown negative and positive impacts on the airline industry. The positive impacts have been safety, cost reduction and ease of booking and planning travel online. On the other hand due to new technological developments such as advanced meeting facilities business travel is not necessary to the same extent as before. BA and Ryanair British Airways aims to operate a high quality service to its customers at a affordable price. It operates long and short haul flights to many destinations around the world and ensures comfort while taking the passengers closer to their destination. British airways mainly operate in three areas, namely passenger transport, cargo and mail services. British airways aim to understand its customers needs and operate accordingly. The company has a strong brand image and the employees are expected to work up to its standards. The organisational structure can be regarded as a flat type because it has only one level of hierarchy that separates Managing Directors at the top from bottom-line employees. On the other hand Ryanair operates on a no- frill strategy which means that the passengers are not provided with any extra facilities and operates simply as a point to point transportation service. It has grown largely in Europe by attracting customers who prefer low ticket prices thereby reducing the market share of British Airways. It mainly operates short haul flights to destinations which are secondary airports. Factors Affecting Change Management According to Paton and McCalman (2008) Change management can be defined as a planned process for changing a core function or organization of an enterprise. Change Management is an organized, systematic application of the knowledge, tools, and resources of change that provides organizations with a key process to achieve their business strategy. (Lamarsh 2000). With the aid of technology the industries and products are congregating which means each firm has to take a very holistic approach to the marketing of goods and services. Paton McCalman (2000). Factors driving change Most organisations change when internal and external environments change. The factors that initiate the need for organisational change can be two fold. The first factor can be called an External Trigger which involves the activities and innovations of competitors, change in customer requirements, legislation and government policies, and so on. Economic change can create the need for change. Also, due to the EU policies many companies had to change their practices and procedures. Environmental pressure groups that impose pressure due to adverse environmental effects can force a company such as BA to change its processes to make it climate friendly. The second factor can be called the Internal Triggers including new product and service design, innovations, appointments of new directors, new ideas on how to achieve service quality etc (Buchanan D. Huczynski A., 2004). The British Airways privatization program that changed the companys ownership was launched due to the impact from such triggers. The aims and objectives of this programme was to improve the organisations performance and gain a competitive advantage over its competitors. According to the change model described by Lewin, organisational change occurs in three stages. The first stage is called Unfreezing which reduces the forces which maintain behaviour as it is currently and recognition of the need for change occurs. The second stage is called Movement which is the development of new practices and the implementation of the change. The final stage is named as Refreezing which is stabilizing the changes that occurred and reinforcement through supporting mechanisms. (Mul lins, J., L., 1999) Involving People It is essential that the organisation manages its human resources in a manner that is favourable to the change process. It is important that the employees understand and support the change in order to have a smooth transformation. If the change managers can make the people involved to see the common objectives and mutual benefits that the change will bring about it helps in making the change more successful (Paton McCalum, 2000). However, each individual will react to change in a different manner. The factors that affect how individuals will react to change are manifold, namely the organisational culture, the reasons for change, factors of change, leadership aspects and organisational structure. The change management style and approach are important aspects with regards to involving the employees of the organisation. Change management requires a considerable amount of skill and previous experience on the management of the organisation. It is important to consider each individuals pe rception and attitude towards the process for it to be a success. For example during the second stage of change, BA developed tactics and programs to bring the vision of the top management-level to the bottom-line employees throughout the organisation. Thus the internal structure and systems were changed and also a permanent training center was established to promote staff training. Stakeholders It is important that the company analyses its stakeholders since the change will have an effect on them. Communication is vital to involve all stakeholders in the process so that the change is successful. It is also important to categorise your stakeholders according to their power and interest involving the change. There are some aspects regarding stakeholders and the change process that should be taken into consideration. Differentiating and grouping employees and deciding how to deal with different types, planning communication in both directions and also looking after the interests off all individuals. There are mainly four types of stakeholders, blockers, sponsors, champions and sleepers Green (2007). Blocker have high power but low level of commitment, while the sponsors have high power and high commitment. Also Champions have high energy and high commitment while sleppers have both low power and low commitment to change. For a successful change it is important to identify the stakeholders with high power and commitment. British Airways has a number of stakeholders who have various interests in the business and from whom the company expects different things. There have been conflicts between these stakeholders due to their differing interests as well as formations of coalitions. It can be observed that most stakeholders have an interest in the organisation performing well. In the above context it is important that the stakeholders are analysed according to the power and commitment grid so that change can be successful. Planning the change The change process must be planned and it is advisable to use models of change and also consider the impacts of resistance to change. Two different change models are discussed in the following section, namely the Mckinsey 7-S model and Lewins Model. The basic principle of the model is that there are seven internal aspects of an organization that need to be aligned if it is to be successful. The 7S model can be used in a wide variety of situations such as improving the performance of the company. The McKinsey 7S model contains seven interdependent factors which are categorised as hard or soft elements. Hard elements are strategy, structure, systems and soft elements are shared values, skills, style and staff. The Hard elements are easier to identify and influence while the soft elements are more difficult to manage but equally important for a successful transformation. The model depicts the interdependencies of these elements in terms of how a change in one element affects the others. According to the model the seven elements must be aligned. In the case of BA, the model can be used to identify what needs to be realigned to improve performance during other changes in the company. What ever the change is this model can be used to understand the interrelationships. Further it can be used to analyse the current position, proposed position and identify the gaps between the two. It is also necessary to adjust these elements to make sure the company works effectively. Now lets examine Lewins change model. According to Lewin, there are three stages of change in an organisation which are unfreezing, movement, and refreezing. Unfreezing Stage accordingly, the first step for BA is to unfreeze present pattern of behaviour to manage resistance. In this stage change did make an impact on individual level due to the implementation of Downsizing of Workforce policy to restructure the organisation. This policy reduced hierarchy, and allowed worked to be carried out easily thus improving performance. (Shibata., K., 1993) The downsizing was achieved through compassion. BA also introduced training programs such as Putting People First to help line managers and workers understand the change and the requirements of the industry. Movement Stage The second stage of Lewins Model is movement. During this stage BA used tactics and programs to bring the vision of the top management and line employees. In support a number of new systems where implemented. (Goodstein., D., L. Burke, W., W., 1991) Refreezing Stage In the refreezing stage the company stabilized changes by establishing systems that can establish behavioural pattern in the organisation. A new performance appraisal system based on behaviour and results was introduced to encourage customer service. (Goodstein., D., L. Burke, W., W., 1991) Resistance to change It is not easy for an organisation change its structure and business processes since any change may lead to some level of resistance by the employees. One of the main causes for resistance is the fear of the unknown and loss of what is familiar. There are four reasons of resistance from employee to organisational change including 1) Parochial self-interest, 2) Misunderstanding and lack of trust, 3) Contradictory assessments, and 4) Low tolerance for change. (Buchanan D. Huczynski A., 2004) BA tried to change behaviour by changing the management style from authoritative to participative. BA wished employees participate more in management decision but since this was unfamiliar employers would fall back to the old patterns. A tactic that was used in BA to manage resistance to change was the HR policy which included training guidelines. Such an HR policy is important in making the employees understand and react positively to change. There is also an example where resistance to change hindered the organisations goals and objectives. In an attempt to cut down cost can compete with low cost airlines BA tried implementing a new payment system and also hiring workers for lower salaries. This created insecurity among the employees which ended in a strike that cost the company in millions in 2000. Therefore handling resistance and the HR aspects of the company is vital to a successful change process.

Hesiod’s Theogony :: Hesiod’s Theogony

Hesiod’s Theogony Hesiod writes his Theogony within the context of the nascent polis, which informs his conception of the Greek pantheon. The generations of gods that he portrays begin with the elements of nature and move steadily toward fully anthropomorphic figures, which represent elements corresponding to the experience of the city-state. In Hesiod’s time, the polis was led by a king, or kings, and the rule of Zeus that Hesiod portrays serves as an example of royal rule for them. Toward the end of the Theogony Zeus is urged by the other gods to be king, to rule the other immortals, and to follow the advice of Gaia. And so he apportions honors among them (881-5). Hesiod suggests that royal power results from the assent of the ruled, that it entails the right to rule, but that that rule must be tempered by recognition of the significance of nature, earth, which provides society’s livelihood. Zeus swallows the goddess Metis (890), just as a king must gain intelligence. Then he marries Themis, right, who bears good rule (Eunomia), justice (Dike) and peace (Eirene) (901-2), all necessary elements for a prosperous city-state. Eurynome (straight law) bears him the Graces (Charites), which are necessary elements for trade and social interaction. Zeus’ marriages to Demeter, Leto and Hera yield the gods and goddeses familiar to the Greek world, Persephone, Apollo, Artemis, Hebe, Ares and Eileithyia, and he himself eventually bears Athena (912-24). These are not elements of good rule, but simply the gods of the Greek polis. Demeter and Persephone are worshipped for agriculture, Apollo for his oracular shrine, Artemis for the wilderness and young women, Ares for war. Poseidon as sea god is apart from the polis, but he sires the fearsome Triton (931). Likewise, Ares’ children Phobos and Deimos, two aspects of fear, delineate realms beyond the proper bounds of the polis. Maia bears for Zeus Hermes (938-9), who as herald of the gods moves between realms, between one polis and another. The story of succession that arrives at the rule of Zeus moves from the undifferentiated Sky (Ouranos), through Kronos to Zeus, who himself must withstand the challenges of both Prometheus and Typhoeus.

Economics: Keynes vs. Hayek Essay -- Keynes vs. Hayek, 2014

The past few years the United States has seen some rough economic times.   The unemployment rate is extremely high and many people have lost their homes and businesses.   Because there are so many factors in an economy, it is hard to find the right people to blame.   The protest group â€Å"Occupy Wall Street† has come to the conclusion that corporations are making us poor through taking advantage of us and the governmental system.  Ã‚   The share of income going to the top one percent of Americans has increased dramatically over the past few years and â€Å"Occupy Wall Street† is outraged.   They are calling for increased governmental regulation so that the lower quintile Americans can gain some equality (Cesca).     I wonder who is actually at fault.   Is it actually this top one percent who have been hurting us or some other factor?   Maybe the government has created the problem. A good way to approach it is to take a step back and look at the philosophy of economics.   From learning about classical economic theory, modern dilemmas, specifically â€Å"Occupy Wall Street,† may be easier to solve.   There are two main theories on economics and how a society should run.   The classical theory is that of the British economist, John Maynard Keynes.  Ã‚   The other, less popular theory is from the Austrian economist, Friedrich August Hayek.   These two highly respected economists did most of their important work in the mid-20th  century. (Cochran and Glahe 69). John Maynard Keynes classical approach to economics and the business cycle has dominated society, especially the United States.   His idea was that government intervention was necessary in a properly functioning economy.   Ã‚  One economic author, John Edward King, claimed of the theory that: Keynes believed tha... ...itical Economy  26.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (1994): 69-94. Print.    Papola, John. â€Å"Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Round Two† – YouTube.  YouTube –   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Broadcast Yourself.  Web. 29 Oct. 2011.    Friedman, Milton.  Capitalism and Freedom.  [Chicago]: University of Chicago, 1962.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Print    King, J. E. â€Å"Keynes and ‘Psychology’.†Ã‚  Economic Papers: A Journal of Applied   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Economics and Policy  29.1 (2010): 1-12. Print.    Maiello, Michael. â€Å"Keynes vs. Hayek Debate Rages With OWS and Tea Party.†Ã‚  The Daily Beast. 29 Oct. 2011. Web. 06 Nov. 2011    Roberts, Russ. â€Å"Occupy Wall Street and Washington’s History of Financial Bailouts | Foreign   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Affairs.†Ã‚  Home | Foreign Affairs. 21 Oct. 2011. Web. 06 Nov. 2011.      Rosenberg, Alex. â€Å"Rosenberg on the Nature of Economics.† Interview. Audio blog post.  EconTalk. ITunes, 26 Sept. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.

Environmental factors effecting motor skill development Essay

Child development is defined as to how a child ables itself to complete more difficult tasks as they grow in age. Development is often confused with growth, which refers to a child’s tendency to grow bigger in size. Parents can become concerned easily when a child’s developmental skills take longer then the â€Å"normal† or when pressures of milestones are not satisfied â€Å"on time†. Developmental milestones are functioning tasks or skills that should occur at specific ages. Observing what specific environmental factors influence the development of motor skills in the infant and toddler stages and how that compares to my findings of the children I personally documented, is what will be discussed. I searched for other scholars who have current information and academic research of similar topics finding information that was both, similar as to my own research concluding a main point that the environment of these children have an effect on how they will lea rn. A common topic that has been analyzed in these journals is Gross motor skill development. It is a specific factor that plays a crucial role in the child’s overall development and of course combined with the environment in which the child is confined to has a profound effect to the development of these motor skills (newton 2008) . The aim of this study was focusing on the two main environmental factors affecting children motor development. Looking over the articles it reveals that there are many particular factors within the family details such as socioeconomic status, mother’s educational level, relationships with family and the existence of siblings can also affect a child’s motor ability, Preschools also have became an infuencial part of development for all children but also can be a detriment to a child’s development by not attending, due to the simple fact that nowadays large amounts of time children spend at them so by not having a child go through li fe with preschool would set them back as far as motor development goes. The social-cultural background where a child is brought up from, creates specific demands for his/her motor behavior. Read more: Influences that affect children’s development essay This thought can go with the fact that movement programs are very important for the development as well, such as physical education, especially if the social-cultural environment that the child is in does not require them to be very active. If the child is not pushed or has no motivation to do these  obstacles, that are often taken for granted, then can cause a long term even life altering issue down the road. These are all the â€Å"social norms† nowadays with children. It is becoming incredibly competitive to get into colleges and other type of educational programs and it all starts from these crucial infant years where all these environmental factors that the family contributes too have a say in what a child will be like as it develops. Many of these environments are expected and often not over looked or analyzed by parents due to the reason that the child is so young that these things don’t have an impact on them yet. That is false, the first five years of a child’s life are the most important in developing these motor skills for the rest of their life, and that is a fact that is not looked at close enough by parents. This is a huge developmental problem that has been happening for ever and now that there is studies and documentation proving that this here is correct, it needs to be and is being put into action. All of the environmental factors have some way played a role in the children I observed lives but because of the limited length of paper I will discuss the two most obvious influences. This purpose of this paper is to document the environment that infants and toddlers are in and describe how these environmental factors have affected them. To begin I observed a toddler and an infant but both of the same family. The two children are different ages but similar environments and upbringings. I observed the children in there home environment looking at the situation as a Mother-child interaction first then I observed the sibling vs sibling interactions that the children tended to take a like too. I continued to follow the children on and off for two weeks at different locations and got the opportunity to observe the toddler and infant in both of these settings. At each observation site I sat with a notepad and jotted down how they interacted under these three circumstances and noted of the surroundings environments each time I observed. At the end I had a lot of notes and information to choose from, but the way that I chose what information to use was by organizing my no tes into my three main cases then divided them into infant and toddler. All the situations that most frequently happened for each child i used as conclusive information and discarded the minor details. The majority of the two weeks of observing the infant under these two cases my evidence appeared to be quite on point with other researchers studies. To begin, the mother-infant relationship (parent-child). WIthin my study I found when playing with each other the infant was much more responsive to this one on one play then a group of people. What I noticed was the child did not do as much looking and observing like statistics show or as he did in the other cases. seven out of fifteen times the mother demonstrated what I wanted the infant to do, that involved a motor skill, most of the time picking up a block or a toy car, the child attempted the action after watching the mother demonstrate. What I noticed of those fifteen times all seven of the successful tries were because it was right in front of him. if it was far away he would try with a different object that was closest to him and wouldn’t even notice that he was using a different toy. As for the toddler he payed much closer attention but on the contrary of his fifteen attempts he actually cared that he used the same exact object as his mom. For him I used a test involving throwing of a ball. His mother would throw the ball using different styles such as over the head, two hand, one had, and under arm. Eight of the fifteen attempts the toddler successfully mimicked the motor skill of which hand to use and the style in which the mom threw it, which was very surprising in this case for the reason that this usually does not develop until five or six years of age. The next case I observed was the sibling vs sibling. typically we think of the mother to be seen as the leader to specific child development. However, when the child has siblings the situation becomes much more influenced. (circirelli 1975). A child’s position in the family or sex even of the sibling has a huge influence on the interactions they have. The environment used was once again the home setting but the family has there own jungle gym outside in the backyard. I used this play set to see if these sibling influences can play a role in development of specific skills . Studies have shown that, irrespective of the age difference among the children of the family, the elder siblings lead the youngers’ behaviour (circirelli 1975) and those in turn imitate elders’ movements (abramovitch et al. 1979: Lamb 1978). As I continued my research outside I watched and studied how they  were interacting. The younger infant, surprisingly can walk at his age of sixteen mont hs old. There was a set of stairs that the toddler was walking up to get to the top of the gym and eventually slide down the slide to only continue the process over and over again. The infant continued to watch and observe for about fifteen minutes with no signs of him motivated to make a move or give it a try. To our surprise the infant began pointing and mumbling as if he wanted to make an attempt. He was brought over to the play set, climbing up the steps and eventually we got him to go down the slide. He held his hands on the railings same position as where she did as if he was copying her techniques exact and the influence of his big sister took effect. This whole process took about twenty- twenty five minutes but once he tried it one time, the infant, like his toddler sister continued to doing the routine using similar if not the same route. All in all he was hesitant, the infant waited, studied, and then slowly analyzed the process as he did it for his first time, and then continued to go on with the process as his big sister had been. The infant and the toddler both have demonstrated there developing gross motor skills. These skills are coordinated with many other parts of the body such as the legs and arms and the ability to notice what one is doing and mimic the other is all part of the development of the these physical abilities of large body movements ( Berger, 2009). Reference section 1.) kambas, A. (2009). environmental factors affecting preschoolers motor development. 2.) Infants learn about objects from statistics and people. By: Wu, Rachel, Gopnik, Alison, Richardson, Daniel C., Kirkham, Natasha Z., Developmental Psychology, 00121649, 20110901, Vol. 47, Issue 5 3.) Research Institute MOVE, Faculty of Human Movement Sciences, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 4.)nicholson, T. (2010, june 2). What can a one year old do?. Retrieved from http://t-nicholson.suite101.com/what-can-a-one-year-old-do-a244085 5.)Developmental Science; Nov2009, Vol. 12 Issue 6, p1060-1069, 10p, 3 Charts, 4 Graphs