Statistics Coursework Plan Essay Example for Free

Statistics Coursework Plan Essay In this project, I will be investigating how accurately students can estimate an angle size and the length of a line. I am investigating it to see if age, gender and mathematical capabilities have an effect on how accurate students can estimate a length of a line and an angle size. I will be using secondary raw data which is given to me to my teacher who has collected the data from other students. The accuracy of the data is unknown and also human errors are also likely Outliers and anomalies distort the mean of the data taking it to either of the two extremes. To avoid any Outliers or anomalies affecting the accuracy of this study, I will remove them before taking the sample size of around 80-100 students and I will be using stratified sampling so each category categorized by gender, age and maths set have a equal proportion in the sample as in the total population so the results are as accurate as possible. Any outliers which I may have missed can be eliminated by using the formula – Q1-(1.5)*(IQR) or Q3+(1.5)*(IQR). The three hypotheses I will be investigating will be: Boys estimate the lengths of a line and angle sizes better than girls. – I will be investigating this as boys tend to partake in activities which involve measuring more than girls and so are better than girls at estimating lengths of a line and angle sizes. Year 8 students estimate the angle sizes and lengths of a line better than Year 10 students. – I will be investigating this because Year 8’s may not have the pressure of other subjects yet as they do not have any real exams however Year 10 students may have been preoccupied with other thoughts and so are less accurate at estimating the lengths of a line and angle sizes. Students who are better at estimating the lengths of a line are also good at estimating the angle sizes. – I will be investigating this as students who are good at estimating one are likely to be better at estimating the other as they have good estimation and measuring skills.

Facing challenges of change at British Airways

Facing challenges of change at British Airways Airline business is a difficult company. It has been well-known in the direction of being the mainly economical company in all over the world. Marketing executive must also be ready for action on the way to manage through the challenges of this variety of business. British Airways is one of the market influential within the airlines industry in U.K. The corporation has it huge opportunity. The airline is dedicated towards quality-service. In count, it has its aggressive advantages. British Airways has enormous opportunity of increasing and getting better of its services. In this we discuss about the various challenges of change faced by the British Airways and in what way it is approaching the procedure of change. Introduction: British Airways is one of the leading airlines in the world. This case traces the airlines history and discusses the process of turnaround during the 1980s under the leadership of Lord King and Colin Marshall.   The case also discusses the subsequent turbulent period under CEO Bob Ayling and the challenges faced, including recession, competition, terrorism and the Gulf war. The case closes with an outline of the tasks ahead of the incumbent CEO Rod Eddington. The case can be used to illustrate the importance of leadership in bringing about cultural change. Challenges faced by British Airways: The economic conditions that prevailed throughout 2009/10 were the most severe they have ever encountered. As a result of the worst recession for 60 years, their industry has faced a series of permanent structural changes that have drastically reduced their revenues in the short term and have permanently changed the economics of running a premium airline. These problems are in themselves formidable. But, in addition, British Airways faced a list of daunting challenges of its own. These included the need to: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Raise finance at a time of continuing crisis in the debt markets; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Radically reduce their historic cost base; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Change working practices; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Complete their planned merger with Iberia; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Win an acceptable anti-trust agreement to cooperate with American Airlines and Iberia on North Atlantic routes; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Tackle their  £3.7 billion pensions deficit successfully. Twelve months on, they can feel satisfied that on every one of these issues, they have either tackled or made significant progress in overcoming the challenges they faced. Permanent change They entered the recession financially strong and with their fleet replacement plans fully financed to 2013. In August 2009, they successfully raised  £350 million through a convertible bond issue, providing them with the finance to keep investing in their business and maintain their focthem on excellent service as the recession runs its course. Over the year they reduced their unit costs by 6.5 per cent. Their fuel bill fell by nearly  £600 million, accounting for a large element of this decrease. Unit costs excluding fuel also fell by 1.8 per cent. This was truly a remarkable achievement. It is hard enough to cut costs when capacity is rising; to do so when capacity is in sharp decline is very difficult indeed. Their cost base is now far more competitive, meaning they are well placed to achieve more profitable growth in the future. They successfully carried the majority of their workforce with them in making changes to working practices, including their pilots and engineers. A number of staff have left the Company on voluntary terms. They have succeeded in introducing permanent cost reductions across the airline, including reductions in crew complements. Regrettably, these changes were met by unjustified strike action by Unites cabin crew branch. BASSA misrepresented the Companys position to its members, failed to represent the views of the majority of cabin crew and has been intent on a confrontation with the airline. The vast majority of their employees recognise the need for permanent change and have shown great commitment to British Airways during this difficult year. Their relationship w ith Iberia is very strong and they have now signed a merger agreement that they know will bring real benefits to their respective customers and shareholders and protect the brands of the two airlines. If remaining technicalities are successfully dealt with, as they fully expect, the merger should be concluded by the end of 2010. Similarly, all the signs are that they can win anti-trust immunity from the THEM Department of Transportation along with regulatory approval from the EU competition authorities, to operate a joint business with American Airlines and Iberia over the North Atlantic. When in place they will be able to operate on equal terms with Skyteam and Star Alliance that already enjoy immunity. Their agreement will mean more competition not less, and greater choice for travellers on these busy routes. Finally, they are progressing with negotiations to agree a way to fund their  £3.7 billion pension deficits that satisfies the Trustees and meets their requirement that they will not have to increase their contribution to the schemes in the short term. Whilst the valuation has been agreed with the Trustees, it is currently under review by the Pensions Regulator. If they can keep the schemes open for existing members it will be a significant achievement and one that has eluded many other businesses in recent years. I hope you can see how huge an agenda of change they have tackled. In that sense, 2009/10 was a year of great achievement. Financial results Their progress is all the more remarkable at a time when all their principal business customers changed their travel olicies at the same time, turning their back on premium shorthaul travel and reducing their revenues by  £1 billion. Against that backdrop, they recorded another year of heavy losses in their business. They recorded their biggest ever half year loss of  £292 million. Early and far-reaching action on costs began to show through in the second half of the year and they were even able to post a small operating profit in the third quarter. For the year as a whole their pre-tax losses stood at  £531 million compared with a loss of  £401 million in the preceding year. They cannot afford to lose sight of the scale of their losses in the last two years, even though they came on the back of record profits in 2007/08. Their business simply will not survive long term unless they stop losing money on this scale. Dividends and executive pay The programme of change they are pursuing in the business is all about making sure they have the resources to deliver outstanding service to their customers, secure and rewarding employment to their staff and strong returns to their shareholders. Given the state of their market they have frozen pay across the airline for two years. They have once again decided it would be inappropriate to pay a dividend or executive or staff cash bonuses. Customer focus Their primary focthem must remain on their customers no matter how severe the economic conditions they face. The customer is at the very heart of their plans to build an efficient global premium airline and to achieve lasting and sustainable profitability for this business. During the year, they continued to outperform in their punctuality scores, not just at Terminal 5, but across the network. Maintaining that record has involved some magnificent work by people right across the business and they take immense pride in their achievements. Their customer service scores remain strong despite significant operational disruption. An industry in transition Consolidation will be a growing theme for their industry for the foreseeable future and they are pleased with their own progress in building new partnerships and alliances. But progress on liberalising the global industry remains painfully slow, nowhere more so than in the recent protracted Open Skies negotiations between the THEM and Europe. They had hoped that the conclusion of the EU-THEM second stage negotiations would have resulted in the immediate removal of THEM restrictions on ownership and control and the protectionist Fly America policy. Unfortunately, instead of the ambitious agreement that had been promised by both sides that would have acted as a template for further global liberalisation across other trading blocs, they have ended up with an agreement that fails to deliver a truly open market for aviation. This represents a missed opportunity to create a healthier and more efficient industry for the future. Indeed, the only hope for progress may lie in moving the issue to a more powerful arena such as the Trans Atlantic Economic Council where Europe could offer wider trade concessions, i n sectors such as agriculture, in return for progress on air transport. These restrictive ownership and control requirements that prevent cross-border airline mergers, need to be consigned to the history books and fast. Only then will they see the true benefits that normalisation of the industry can achieve as is already the case with other sectors of the global economy. Climate change As a company they have led the way in searching for real and radical ways to tackle climate change. Not only have they set ourselves industry-leading targets to cut their own emissions, they are also strong advocates of carbon trading and believe aviation should be part of a global emissions trading scheme. The Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen in December presented the industry with an ideal opportunity to come together and make this a reality. For many reasons the outcome from the summit was disappointing not least as no reference was made to the airline industry. However, it is clear the governments of the world recognise the airline industry is taking a responsible position and is indeed ahead of its regulators in wanting to tackle climate change. The industry continues to work closely together to develop and promote its position. Its now down to the regulators and Governments to show commitment to the industry and to allow them to play their full part in contributing to the gl obal reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Economic outlook The worst of the recession seems to be over. Unemployment in the UK, for example, seems to have peaked and at lower levels than had been feared. In their own business, February saw them record the first increase in premium traffic since August 2008. But recovery is precariothem and it would be foolish to assume they are out of the woods yet. The new UK Government will be forced to make some very unpopular decisions in the weeks and months ahead. Tackling the deficit remains the biggest priority. The new coalition Government plans to make immediate cuts in the deficit, they believe this threatens real dangers, not least that increased taxes and hasty spending cuts could throttle consumer confidence and trigger a double dip recession. It is vital that the UK develops a credible, measured plan to reduce the deficit, spelling out the reductions that are needed and the timescale in which they will be achieved. With election grandstanding now out of the way, this must be a priority for the new administration. A tremendothem effort Its been an immensely difficult year for my colleagues across the business and I want to thank them for the tremendous work they have done. The spirit theyve shown in supporting the business through one of its most difficult periods has been unbelievable. Its involved a lot of hard work and considerable personal sacrifices. Their prospects Their own recovery depends very much on how fast the general economy returns to growth. They remain cautiothem on that. They expect the climb out of recession to be a relatively slow one. However, I am convinced that the work they have done over the last 18 months to restructure their cost base and the progress they have made on the challenges they faced at the start of 2009/10, mean they are a far more resilient business today. That means they can be confident about surviving through further economic uncertainty. More importantly, it means they will be in a position to achieve higher levels of sustainable profitability when conditions improve. That is very good news for their customers, their staff and their shareholders. Approaches for the variothem challenges faced by the British Airways: One of the significant ways to distinguish one airline from another is in terms of the quality of its decisions. They use operational systems to run the business and business intelligence, delivered by Business Objects query and reporting tools, to manage it. British Airways Improves Customer Relationship Management and Maximises Revenues with Information Delivered by Business Objects The airline market is fiercely competitive with strong demand for lucrative business traveller routes due to capacity restrictions at major European airports and low cost entrants offering cheaper flights for the leisure passenger. Leading UK airline British Airways, is underpinning its strategic operations with business intelligence (BI) delivered by Business Objects solutions. British Airways use BUSINESSOBJECTSà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢, the integrated query, reporting and online analytical processing tool (OLAP) to access, analyse and share information stored in British Airways data warehouse. British Airways is also currently in the process of extending the decision making process worldwide via WEBINTELLIGENCE ®, the internet BI solution from Business Objects. Strategic Decision Making British Airways is one of the worlds most successful airlines, carrying over 48 million passengers a year. Peter Blundell, Knowledge Strategy Manager, British Airways, says One of the significant ways to distinguish one airline from another is in terms of the quality of its decisions. They use operational systems to run the business and business intelligence, delivered by Business Objects query and reporting tools, to manage it. BUSINESS OBJECTS is used throughout British Airways, with dozens of applications taking information from a central data warehouse. These cover all aspects of the business from CRM applications supporting the frequent flyer programme, through yield management and revenue analysis to catering supply chain management. Blundell explains, With BUSINESS OBJECTS they have been able to provide any line manager with the capability to assess relevant business information without requiring an army of data specialists. British Airways primary challenge is to make the airline as a whole and each route profitable. This is complicated since the company is unable to change product offerings very quickly. With the capacity restrictions in many airports, routes have to be negotiated and published some six months in advance. BUSINESS OBJECTS supports their long term planning, analysing the number of flights per day, routes and aircraft types that are most appropriate, says Blundell. This drives their negotiation for capacity constrained routes. Maximising Yield Every airline has to achieve a balance between availability of higher priced business seats and filling the flight with cheaper leisure fares. British Airways is using BUSINESS OBJECTS to analyse customer behavitheir and flight sales to maximise yield on each route. The business and leisure traveller have very different needs, with the business traveller looking for frequency of flights, punctuality and good customer service, while the leisure traveller is looking for value for money. Customer service also provides an area of differentiation. British Airways promotional activity tailors offers based on customer preferences and travel history. The costs the market will bear are different on each route, at different times of the day and week and depend on the level of competition on that route. BUSINESSOBJECTS enables them to better understand booking and customer profiles and use that information to maximise yield on each flight by creating the right promotional offer to each customer group. British Airways Leads Punctuality League Two of the most successful BUSINESS OBJECTS applications have addressed punctuality and baggage handling. Analysing sources of delay, by type, route and reason has enabled British Airways to significantly improve its position in the punctuality league of European airlines. For business passengers, punctuality and efficient baggage handling are critical factors that drive the choice of airline. British Airways wanted to improve its punctuality and BUSINESS OBJECTS was part of that solution. By analysing any problems with BUSINESS OBJECTS they have become one of the top rated European airlines for punctuality. A similar analysis using BUSINESS OBJECTS to look at baggage handling enabled the company to highlight reasons for baggage failing to connect with the right flight. While there was time for passengers to make the connection it was not always possible for their luggage to make the same journey. They have overcome that problem and significantly improved our baggage handling as a re sult, says Blundell. Worldwide Business Intelligence Having created a business intelligence infrastructure that is underpinning decision making throughout the British Airways head office, the company is now looking to broaden its user base from one thousand to potentially ten thousand worldwide via its intranet. Blundell explains, They plan to use Business Objects WEBINTELLIGENCE internet BI solution to deliver the business intelligence functionality they have developed to airports and offices around the world. By leveraging the intranet and WEBINTELLIGENCE, they can deliver key business information in a cost effective manner. Using WEBINTELLIGENCE, British Airways will be able to provide local managers with secure access to the local information pertinent to their operation, underpinning the drive to maximise revenue and market share and minimise costs across specific routes. Blundell explains, British Airways business goal is to broaden the decision making ability by providing pertinent information. Empowering people to make decisions on behalf of the company leads to better customer relationships. By making information available via the intranet they can ensure improved consistent customer service worldwide. By analysing any problems with BUSINESS OBJECTS e have become one of the top rated European airlines for punctuality. Conclusion: British Airways remains cautiously optimistic about its future prospects. However, it is certain that considerably more work lies ahead if the airline is to succeed. The FSAS plan incorporated by BA resulted in considerable cost savings, and divestments also raised funds to pay off debt. The goal of the FSAS plan was to achieve a 10% operating margin and hence more recent cost cuts and job loses have been made by Willie Walsh order to accomplish this.

Women in Arizona Politics Essay -- Females Arizona Political Science E

Women in Arizona Politics Women in Arizona politics have come a long way during the twentieth century. At the beginning of the century, women were just fighting for the right to vote with the suffrage movement. As we approach the dawn of a new century, women in Arizona hold five of the top offices in the state, including Governor Jane Hull. Throughout this chronological discussion, I will be continually drawing on three major points. First, the accomplishments of many women who have made an impact in Arizona politics. Second, the political offices being sought and won by women showed steady increases. Third, the number of women seeking political offices showed steady increases. These will be my three main methods in showing that Arizona women made significant progress in the political arena during the twentieth century. I. The Fight For Suffrage To understand the progress made by women in the 1900’s, one must understand that the suffrage movement was an ongoing struggle from the time Arizona was granted territorial status in 1863. Josephine Hughes was a principal figure in the new Arizona women’s suffrage movement. Ms. Hughes resigned her position as president of Arizona’s Women’s Christian Temperance Union in order to establish the first Arizona Suffrage Association. Even though women’s suffrage didn’t garner enough votes during the first Constitutional Convention in 1891, Josephine Hughes laid the tracks for other women to follow, and is considered a pioneer in the Arizona women’s suffrage movement (Kelly 7). Women’s fight for suffrage in Arizona continued in 1910 with the second Constitutional Convention. The National American Women’s Suffrage Association sent organizers and money in... .... However, I feel that the best way to measure the political progress of Arizona women during the twentieth century can be summed up in the following four words, from suffrage to Governor. Think about that for a second. When the century began, women in Arizona were just fighting for the basic right to vote. As we close out the twentieth century, a woman is governing the entire state of Arizona. To call this progress anything less than tremendous would be the understatement of the century. Works Cited Kelly, Rita Mae. Women And the Arizona Political Process. Maryland: University Press of America, Inc., 1988. Simpson, Claudette. "Frances Munds and Arizona's History of Suffrage." Charlotte Hall Museum. March 22, 1998. April 6, 1999. <http://www.prescottaz.com/pdc/dayarc/32298.htm> <http://www.governor.state.az.us/news/indexbio.html>

A Comparative Analysis of The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness Essay

The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness, two of Joseph Conrad’s more well-known novellas, share striking similarities in theme, plot, character development, and symbolism. Each novella presents a seafaring first-person narrator who struggles psychologically with the concept of darkness and other deep themes. â€Å"Heart of Darkness is one of literature’s most somber fictions. It explores the fundamental questions about human nature: the capacity for evil, the necessity of restraint, the effects of isolation, and the necessity of relinquishing pride to achieve spiritual salvation† (Haskin). Conrad explores his major theme of human duality in both of his works. Character doubling is a key element to both works, and this tool allows Conrad to explore good and evil. The Secret Sharer’s Captain refers to Leggatt as his double frequently, and Leggatt â€Å"must have looked exactly as I [the Captain] used to look† (Conrad, The Secret Sharer 13). The Captain becomes obsessed with his doppelgà ¤nger, who he pulls up on deck in the Gulf of Siam, despite the fact that Leggatt explains that he has murdered a man on the Sephora, his previous ship. Doubling, in the physical and moral sense, is found throughout â€Å"The Secret Sharer.† The young captain and Leggatt are so similar that they seem to be twins, an identification that Conrad clearly intends the reader to take in more than one sense. Both men feel themselves to be outcasts — Leggatt actually so, because of his crime, the captain, psychologically, because of his newness to the ship and its crew. Leggatt can be regarded as the alter ego of the captain, perhaps a reflection of the darker, even criminal, aspects of the captain’s personality. Some readers have argued that Leggatt does n... ... any case, both novellas, whose titles have much significance, explore humankind’s capacity for evil. Conrad’s The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness quite obviously explore the same themes, using very similar plots. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. "Heart of Darkness." 1899. Project Gutenberg. Web. February 2012. —. "The Secret Sharer." 1912. Electronic Text Center. Web. February 2012. Haskin, Wayne E. "Heart of Darkness." Masterplots 4. (November 2010): 1-4. Literary Reference Center. Web. 25 March 2012. Perel, Zivah. "Transforming the Hero: Joseph Conrad's Reconfiguring of Masculine Identity in "The Secret Sharer"." Conradiana 36.1-2. (Spring/Summer 2004): 112-129. Literary Reference Center. Web. 25 March 2012. Witkoski, Michael. "The Secret Sharer." Magill's Survey of World Literature. (January 2009): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 25 March 2012. A Comparative Analysis of The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness Essay The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness, two of Joseph Conrad’s more well-known novellas, share striking similarities in theme, plot, character development, and symbolism. Each novella presents a seafaring first-person narrator who struggles psychologically with the concept of darkness and other deep themes. â€Å"Heart of Darkness is one of literature’s most somber fictions. It explores the fundamental questions about human nature: the capacity for evil, the necessity of restraint, the effects of isolation, and the necessity of relinquishing pride to achieve spiritual salvation† (Haskin). Conrad explores his major theme of human duality in both of his works. Character doubling is a key element to both works, and this tool allows Conrad to explore good and evil. The Secret Sharer’s Captain refers to Leggatt as his double frequently, and Leggatt â€Å"must have looked exactly as I [the Captain] used to look† (Conrad, The Secret Sharer 13). The Captain becomes obsessed with his doppelgà ¤nger, who he pulls up on deck in the Gulf of Siam, despite the fact that Leggatt explains that he has murdered a man on the Sephora, his previous ship. Doubling, in the physical and moral sense, is found throughout â€Å"The Secret Sharer.† The young captain and Leggatt are so similar that they seem to be twins, an identification that Conrad clearly intends the reader to take in more than one sense. Both men feel themselves to be outcasts — Leggatt actually so, because of his crime, the captain, psychologically, because of his newness to the ship and its crew. Leggatt can be regarded as the alter ego of the captain, perhaps a reflection of the darker, even criminal, aspects of the captain’s personality. Some readers have argued that Leggatt does n... ... any case, both novellas, whose titles have much significance, explore humankind’s capacity for evil. Conrad’s The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness quite obviously explore the same themes, using very similar plots. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. "Heart of Darkness." 1899. Project Gutenberg. Web. February 2012. —. "The Secret Sharer." 1912. Electronic Text Center. Web. February 2012. Haskin, Wayne E. "Heart of Darkness." Masterplots 4. (November 2010): 1-4. Literary Reference Center. Web. 25 March 2012. Perel, Zivah. "Transforming the Hero: Joseph Conrad's Reconfiguring of Masculine Identity in "The Secret Sharer"." Conradiana 36.1-2. (Spring/Summer 2004): 112-129. Literary Reference Center. Web. 25 March 2012. Witkoski, Michael. "The Secret Sharer." Magill's Survey of World Literature. (January 2009): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 25 March 2012.

Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot Essay -- Waiting for Godot Essays

Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot In Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett asks what it is that we are really doing on Earth. He feels that God plays a key role in the solution to the human condition, however, since we do not truly know if God exists, life it would seem is simply a quest to search for an alternate explanation. Most of the time we attempt to distract ourselves from the issue and try desperately to bring some sort of meaning into our life while silently waiting for someone or something to come and give us an answer. According to Beckett, the definition of human existence is waiting to ascertain if the possibility of salvation with a possible God exists, or if all that lies ahead is darkness; he feels that all other aspects of life are insignificant and essentially can be reduced to nothing. These ideas are illustrated in a play where time seems to be irrelevant, nothing of importance ever happens, and the main characters are left waiting for someone who may or may not ever come. At the very beginning, Beckett hints at his proposal to the solution to the human condition. Vladimir tells the ignorant Estragon the story from the Bible of the two thieves that were crucified at the same time as Jesus. Apparently, one of the thieves believed in God, the other did not--the one who believed was saved. In Vladimir's opinion, this is not that bad a deal: "One of the thieves was saved. (Pause.) It's a reasonable percentage" (8). It seems that according to the story, reward or punishment is handed out depending on behavior (or at least belief). Vladimir's thoughts are somewhat parallel to those of the French philosopher Pascal who rationalized that given the possible outcomes, one is better to bet that God exists. However, ... ...after waiting so long and nothing positive ever happens (besides a few leaves on a tree) that even the persistence of the 'conscious' seems to begin to fade as well. Beckett poses some interesting questions. If all we are doing on Earth is waiting--waiting for answers whose meanings we may never comprehend--is anything that we do significant at all? As humans, it seems that in a sense we do, somewhere in us, realize our condition. However, we try to remain ignorant of it. We look for distractions; we look for something that seems to have meaning just so the absolute absurdity of our life remains masked. We search for answers--answers that may or may not ever come. In our continued waiting nonetheless, it seems our situation continues to become more hopeless.   Works Cited Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. Trans. Samuel Beckett. New York: Grove Press, 1982. Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot Essay -- Waiting for Godot Essays Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot In Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett asks what it is that we are really doing on Earth. He feels that God plays a key role in the solution to the human condition, however, since we do not truly know if God exists, life it would seem is simply a quest to search for an alternate explanation. Most of the time we attempt to distract ourselves from the issue and try desperately to bring some sort of meaning into our life while silently waiting for someone or something to come and give us an answer. According to Beckett, the definition of human existence is waiting to ascertain if the possibility of salvation with a possible God exists, or if all that lies ahead is darkness; he feels that all other aspects of life are insignificant and essentially can be reduced to nothing. These ideas are illustrated in a play where time seems to be irrelevant, nothing of importance ever happens, and the main characters are left waiting for someone who may or may not ever come. At the very beginning, Beckett hints at his proposal to the solution to the human condition. Vladimir tells the ignorant Estragon the story from the Bible of the two thieves that were crucified at the same time as Jesus. Apparently, one of the thieves believed in God, the other did not--the one who believed was saved. In Vladimir's opinion, this is not that bad a deal: "One of the thieves was saved. (Pause.) It's a reasonable percentage" (8). It seems that according to the story, reward or punishment is handed out depending on behavior (or at least belief). Vladimir's thoughts are somewhat parallel to those of the French philosopher Pascal who rationalized that given the possible outcomes, one is better to bet that God exists. However, ... ...after waiting so long and nothing positive ever happens (besides a few leaves on a tree) that even the persistence of the 'conscious' seems to begin to fade as well. Beckett poses some interesting questions. If all we are doing on Earth is waiting--waiting for answers whose meanings we may never comprehend--is anything that we do significant at all? As humans, it seems that in a sense we do, somewhere in us, realize our condition. However, we try to remain ignorant of it. We look for distractions; we look for something that seems to have meaning just so the absolute absurdity of our life remains masked. We search for answers--answers that may or may not ever come. In our continued waiting nonetheless, it seems our situation continues to become more hopeless.   Works Cited Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. Trans. Samuel Beckett. New York: Grove Press, 1982.

Water Balance Essay

According to Gildemeister, Berkeley is a west-coast Mediterranean climate (distinct wet and dry seasons). In the late spring and early fall, strong offshore winds of sinking air typically develop, bringing heat and dryness to the area. In the spring, this is not usually a problem as vegetation is still moist from winter rains, but extreme dryness prevails by the fall. The warmest and driest months are typically June through September, with the highest temperatures occurring in September. Mid-summer (July-August) is often a bit cooler due to the sea breezes and fog which are normally most strongly developed then (Gildemeister, 2004, p.109).Gildemeister also mentions the main controlling factor over the characteristics of the Mediterranean climate is the alternating influence of the subtropical high in summer and Westerlies during the winter (p. 111). During the summer, the subtropical high has expanded to its largest extent and most pole ward position, exerting its influence on subtro pical west coasts between 30o and 40o N and S latitude. Subsiding air from the high creates stable atmospheric conditions when coupled with cold ocean currents along these coastsTerre Haute has a mid-latitude continental climate. Ritter explains that rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest months of the year are May and June. The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 87. 30 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 17. 70 degrees Fahrenheit Polar-type air masses collide with tropical type air masses causing uplift of the less dense and moister tropical air resulting in precipitation.Colliding along the polar front, these air masses turn and swirl into large extra-tropical cyclones steered by the polar front jet stream lying high in the troposphere. These huge systems generally work their way across the surface in a west to east fashion, embedded in the dominate wind flow of the westerly wind belt (Ritter, The Physical Environment). Potential evapo-transpiration is the amount of water that would be evaporated under an optimal set of conditions, among which is an unlimited supply of water. In other words, it would be the water needed for evaporation and transpiration given the local environmental conditions.One of the most important factors that determine water demand is solar radiation. As energy input increases the demand for water, especially from plants increases. Regardless if there is, or isn't, any water in the soil, a plant still demands water. If it doesn't have access to water, the plant will likely wither and die. Between April and October, potential evapo-transpiration significantly exceeds precipitation in Berkeley whereas except July & August potential evapo-transpiration marginally exceeds precipitation in Terre Haute.

Informal Leadership Essay

The employees with the largest amount of status in the informal organization usually become its informal leader. Some of the advantages of informal leadership are that the informal leader is someone within an organization or work unit who, by virtue of how he or she is perceived by his peers (or others in the organization) is seen as worthy of paying attention to, or following. The major thing that distinguishes an informal leader from a formal one is that the informal leader does not hold a position of power or formal authority over those that choose to follow him or her. The ability for an informal leader to influence or lead others rests on the ability of that person to evoke respect, confidence, and trust in others, and it is not uncommon for an informal leader to not intentionally try to lead. Informal leaders can be exceedingly valuable to organizations, and to the success of formal leaders, or, if informal leaders do not support the formal leaders and their agendas and vision, they can function as barriers in the organization. The reasons for the drawbacks in informal leadership are because informal standards: personal goals and interests of workers differ from official organizational goals, also, informal communication: changes of communication routes within an enterprise due to personal relations between coworkers. In an informal group: certain groups of coworkers have the same interests, or (for example) the same origin. The informal leaders: due to charisma and general popularity, certain members of the organization win more influence than originally intended. There are different interests and preferences of coworkers as well as different status of coworkers. Lastly, the work requirements are difficult and their conditions of work are unpleasant. On balance, I feel that informal leadership is good for the organization because it plays several useful roles for a work unit. For example, the informal leader is expected to model and explain the key norms (informal standards of behavior) of the informal group for new members. If someone fails to comply with the groups norms, the informal leader will most likely play a dominant role in applying various forms and degrees of pressure or punishment to the individual to induce the desired behavior in the future.