The Impact Of Pre K Reform On The Issue Of School Readiness

Summary: There are various education reforms in the United States today, however there was one reform that was looked at closely by the author of Reforming Preschool to Ready Children for Academic Achievement: A Case Study of the Impact of Pre-K Reform on the Issue of School Readiness, Christopher Brown. This article focuses on in depth research that has been done for a reform on preschools in Texas which aims to reduce the gap in education. During this research, Brown was able to look closely at the effects of the reform and how it either benefited or had no difference on the school’s growth. In order to do this he tried out the TEEM approach in these various schools in Texas. Through this process he also tried to figure out what could†¦show more content†¦Overall, the TEEM approach seemed to benefit the majority of the schools, and seemed to help build that gap between pre-k and kindergarten. Critical Analysis: The purpose of this article was to research why early childhood education workers want to make changes to a system that is very similar to the pre-k programs that are currently taking place. They wanted to see how effective other programs such as TEEM was for the students as well as the teachers. Readying children for kindergarten is the main goal of preschool educators and through Brown s research he was able to find out how effective TEEM truly was. Through this research they discovered that it was working well inside a majority of the classrooms. The teachers were able to see noticeable improvements from the students as well as with themselves. From the administration s point of view, the reform with TEEM was making noticeable differences, In all, these elementary school stakeholders saw this model of pre-K reform working because it produced students who fit their conception of school readiness.† (Brown, Christopher, n.d.). Not only was it affecting the st udents, but the principle of one of the schools really saw a change as well. It was stated in the article, â€Å"The principal likes TEEM because she sees the results

Analysis Of Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun

Lorraine Hansberry was an African-American female playwright born in Chicago in 1930. Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, has won awards such as the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play and is loosely based on events involving her own family. This play portrays a poor African-American family of five known as the Younger Family, living on the South side of Chicago in a run-down one-bedroom apartment, Its furnishings are typical and undistinguished and their primary feature now is that they have clearly had to accommodate the living of too many people for too many years—and they are tired (Hansberry 937). This quote describes just how worn down the furniture is within the apartment due to overuse, but was once chosen with†¦show more content†¦Poverty is clearly represented throughout the play and is the stem of most problems for the Youngers. Although the family is proud, they truly struggle economically and often find themselves barely ge tting by. Most of the family is made up of hardworking laborers, but at the end of the day they find themselves with shortcomings. In addition to that, coming from a poor black family means less opportunity, in comparison to a rich or poor white family. This morning, I was lookin’ in the mirror and thinking about it...I’m thirty-five years old; I been married eleven years and I got a boy who sleeps in the living room and all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people live (Hansberry, 945). This quote said by Walter to Ruth shows the awareness he has about how far from his goal of getting his family out of poverty is, meanwhile he sees white people living with leisure. Furthermore, an African American family during the time period of the play, the 1960s, would often be charged up to twice the amount that a white family would be charged, for the same exact home but in an area with other African Americans. Them houses they put up for colored in them areas wa y out all seem to cost twice as much as other houses. I did the best I could (Hansberry 980). Mama tries her best to find the best home for her family, even though it is in a white community that look down upon the Youngers race an evenShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun788 Words   |  4 Pageswork out the way you want them to. Beneatha, in A Raisin in the Sun, had many big dreams, not all easily achievable. Many of them, also never came true for her, and then some of them did. Beneatha’s character traits explain dreams, and how sometimes they dont come true. Beneathas independence, indecisiveness, and modern views of society all help describe what Lorraine Hansberry is trying to make readers think about while reading A Raisin in the Sun.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In hope that readers will think about whenRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun1322 Words   |  6 PagesIn Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha Younger is the highly motivated, opinionated daughter of Lena Younger. As a black woman attending college with intentions of becoming a doctor, she is a trailblazer character whose goals stand out among the rest. With such independent desires and arduous goals to meet, Beneatha does not dwell on her romantic life. Her focus lies in her future, not the boys who court her. Beneatha is more than willing to consider the possibility of being singleRead MoreInitial Expectation And Purposes Of Theatre845 Words   |  4 PagesPurposes of Theatre â€Å"Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun (1959) probes the racially charged politics of home ownership in post–World War II Southside Chicago† (Matthews). Before going to see this performance, I made a quick research about this play and that research formed an initial view about this performance. I have read about the play in general, a short synopsis a historical and influences upon American society and theatre. Lorraine Hansberry’s â€Å"A raisin in the Sun† is a play that tellsRead MoreEssay on Dreams Deferred in Hansberrys A Raising in the Sun1902 Words   |  8 Pagesambitious students must sacrifice another facet of their lives in order to achieve their academic goals. In A Raisin in the Sun, many of the characters must give up something important to them to achieve their own idea of success. Everybody has his or her own dreams. Although some people may have homogeneous aspirations, no two are exactly the same. Hansberrys play, A Raisin in the Sun, reflects this concept by expressing that each character’s idea of the American Dream is distinct in its own wayRead MoreA Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Essay1343 Words   |  6 PagesA Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a play that displays housing discrimination in Chicago during the 1950s. Housing discrimination was partially an effect of the Great Migration. This was an event during the 1950s that resulted in about six million African Americans â€Å"migrating† from the south to the north, Midwest, and west regions of the United States. This caused the population of black people in major northern cities to increase rapidly. They are then only able to live in certain neighborhoodsRead MoreThe Matriarchs of the House in A Raisin in the Sun by Loraine Hansberry814 Words   |  3 PagesIn A R aisin in the Sun by Loraine Hansberry, the three strong-willed women of the story have varying opinions, views, and beliefs on life. The story is set in the Southside of Chicago, Illinois. The Younger’s are an African-American family that has struggled to survive financially for many years. With a large injection of money from Mr. Younger’s death, the family struggles to make a unanimous decision on what they will use the 10,000 dollars for. The three major female characters differ in a varietyRead MoreThe Roles Of Sexism And Dreams1377 Words   |  6 Pagesonly fit for supporting roles just like their mother, Mama Lena. Debuted on Broadway in 1959, the dramatic work, A Raisin in the Sun, is composed by Lorraine Hansberry, who depicts the issues of sexism and dreams. Considering these themes, how can we explore the presence of dreams as well as the ideology of sexism that is registered in Black America? Through Walter’s quote, Hansberry’s screenplay chal lenges gender stereotypes through Walter and Beneatha while exploring Mama s domestic narrative; theseRead MoreA Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry2035 Words   |  8 PagesLorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is a remarkable play written in 1959 by an African American author about an African American family. This time period was in the early days of the modern awakening of civil rights awareness. It was a timely play challenging the then current stereotypical view of a black family by depicting a realistic portrayal of a specific black family with aspirations, hopes, dreams, dignity, and ambition as would be expected from all families regardless of race. TheRead MoreDreams Deferred in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun736 Words   |  3 Pages Lorraine Hansberry’s classic play, A Raisin in the Sun, culls its title from the infamous poem â€Å"Dream Deferred† by Langston Hughes, and both works discuss what happens to a person when their dreams -- their hopes, their aspirations, their lives -- are endlessly put on hold. For this analysis of the dreams and character of Beneatha Younger in Raisin, I would like to pull on another dreamy poem of Langston Hughes’ entitled â€Å"Dream Boogie.† Like all the characters in the play, Beneatha has dreams thatRead MoreThe American Dream By Lorraine Hansberry1570 Words   |  7 Pagesdreaming about it their whole lives? Many families struggle to even get close to the American Dream. In Lorraine Hansberry’s â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, the Younger family struggled for money, despite having numerous jobs, and a descendant living space. Being African American in the 1950’s made it difficult for the family to move up in class to achieve the Am erican Dream. In â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† by Lorraine Hansberry, the Younger’s cannot fully achieve the American Dream due to societal obstacles they experience

Risk Assessment Information Security - Click Now to Get Solution

Questions: What are the countermeasures to those threats, and how do they fit within the Situational Crime Prevention framework? How does the current law help or hinder your countermeasures? Are there any proposals for laws that would assist? Is your problem of international scope and, if so, how? Answers: 1. Introduction A "Penetration test" can survey both the IT confirmation and the protection of the organization where the IT structures are organized. If the "Penetration tester" researches the IT affirmation, the target is to get or change detectable data orchestrated significant in the associations system. In the same course, in dissecting the certified affirmation of the spot where the IT program is masterminded, the objective of the "Penetration test" is to pick up a specific resource, for instance, a convenient machine or a papers. Physical and electronic "Penetration tests" can be ran with open mechanical improvement strategies, where the power is permitted to use taking in and support from the pros to present the strike. In electronic "Penetration tests" the nature of a worker is determined finally, by making phone concerns or passing on fake mail that attract the pro to uncover key purposes of investment (P. Finn, 2007). These assessments can be arranged in a moral route and inside the honest to goodness obstructions. Regardless, learning the nature of a worker against open imaginative improvement in a genuine "Penetration test" is quick and single individual. Exactly when the expert goes into the organization of the association and straight compares with the workers, she either misleads the worker, endeavouring to acquire more experiences about the target, or cravings the pro to help her, allowing the master inside a secured range or giving the power a confirmation. The nonappearance of any electronic method in the coordinated effort with the pros makes the relationship between the "Penetration tester" and the expert astonishing, especially if the worker is requested to break association standards (Soghoian, 2008). There are three essential repercussions from individual relationship between the master and the worker. Above all else, the worker may be impacted by expecting to pick between servings a partner and part the association principles. Second, the power may not cure the master charmingly. At long last, when helping the "Penetration tester" to get into a secured spot, the worker drops the place stock in from the people who live in the guaranteed spot. Case in point, workers may stop relying upon the associate when they make sense of she let a thief into their office. To turn away great and legitimate effects, associations may maintain a strategic distance from honest to goodness "Penetration testing" with open mechanical improvement, making themselves unacquainted with strikes where the adversary uses non-modernized expects to strike the framework. Figure 1: Penetration Testing (Clone Systems, 2015) 2. Requirements A "Penetration test" will fulfil several subtle elements to be useful for the association. Regardless, the "Penetration test" needs to be guaranteed, since it mirrors a strike drove by an authentic assailant. Second, in the midst of the dismember everything masters need to be dealt with deference. The experts will not be urged, feel obnoxious nor be at risk in the midst of the transmission analyse, in light of the way that they may get puzzled with the association, become disillusioned or even start claim. Arranging a "Penetration test" is astonishing the best quality between the clashing points of interest. If the quality is not gotten, the separate power either not completely evaluate the protection of the association or may hurt the workers. We recommend two methods for using a "Penetration test" using social creative improvement. Both frameworks strike a substitute soundness between the particulars, and their utilization is for unique circumstances. Both systems survey the security of an association by breaking down that it is so tricky to get obligation regarding predefined resource. The methods can be used to evaluate the security of the association, by uncovering two sorts of protection weaknesses: messes up in execution of deliberate and genuine manages by masters and nonappearance of portrayed certification principles from the control. In the first situation, the evaluations will concentrate on how well the workers take after the protection standards of the association and how suitable the current genuine security directs are. In the second condition, the standard focus of the evaluations is to find and control openings in the current controls rather than in their execution. For example, a dismember can concentrate on how well the certification discussing plan is required by workers or can concentrate on misusing the unlucky deficiency of a testament analysing plan to pick up the accentuation on resource. 3. Penetration testing and security "Penetration testing" can open to what level the protection of IT techniques is remained up to by strikes by online software engineers, rolls, etc., and whether the preparatory characteristics in position are at this moment prepared for guaranteeing IT security. For a better picture of the risks than IT security, this region starts with a completion of the current risks, elucidating the most generally perceived criminal information and wide methods for doing combating IT techniques. This is trailed by a short record of standard IT preparatory characteristics, some of which can be investigated with "Penetration tests". Taking everything into account, the procedure of making "Penetration tests" is depicted. 3.1. Risks A joined study by the CSI and the FBI found that in 2001 the associations solicited had persevering ordinary drops from US $4.5m from inconspicuous components robbery in this way system criminal development. Guilty parties can have a mixture of purposes for undertaking strikes on IT business locales. The genuine cheat classes and their expectations are described underneath. In the media, the outflow "developer" is used to make reference to any person who trespasses into other IT frameworks without assent. Then again, a predominant qualification is oftentimes made "hackers" and "script kiddies". While "software engineers" are considered as being probably minded designers who focus on protection issues in IT frameworks for inventive reasons, "saltines" are individuals with criminal imperativeness who control deformities of IT routines to get unlawful purposes of investment, open thought or admiration (Greenlees, 2009). "Script kiddies" are for the most part intruders lost all around establishment purposes of investment and prodded by premium who transcendently prompt strike gadgets downloadable from the web against irrelevant or predominant targets. Saltines having favoured bits of knowledge about the association they are fighting are known as "insiders". Accomplices are frequently bewildered experts of an association who use their purposes of enthusiasm of internal matters to damage that association. The peril showed by insiders is particularly extraordinary because they are familiar with the mechanical and business work places and may ponder present deficiencies (R. Willison, 2009). Despite the classes delineated above, business covert work moreover shows an honest to goodness risk. The purpose of business reconnaissance is to get purposes of enthusiasm of business traps, for instance, important imaginative styles, procedures and musings that aid in getting an edge against their adversaries and to use such inconspicuous components for individual point of interest. 3.2. Schedules There are a couple of systems for changing or harming IT frameworks and of masterminding a strike on IT methodologies (Allsopp, 2009). 3.2.1. Framework based attacks Framework based attacks are strikes on structure parts, systems and ventures using system method attributes. This kind of strike uses weaknesses or deficiencies in programming and segments to get prepared or complete strikes. Framework based strikes fuse space checking, IP parodying, breathing in, period enlisting, Dos strikes, shield surge and structure gathering strikes, and likewise all other ill-use of inadequacies in living up to expectations system, application systems and system strategies. 3.2.2. Social outlining Social mechanical improvement strikes are attempts to control individuals with favoured purposes of enthusiasm to make them reveal security-related unpretentious components, for instance, security passwords to the enemy. Case in point, an enemy could imagine to be an IT worker of an association and framework a clueless customer into uncovering his structure security mystery word. The mixed pack of conceivable strike circumstances is especially wide with this procedure. In its most prominent sense, open mechanical change can besides cover circumstances in which security fitting purposes of venture is procured through coercion (Barrett, 200356-64). 3.2.3. Circumvention of honest to goodness efforts to establish safety There can be no IT protection without the genuine security of the mechanical work places. On the off chance that certified preparatory tricks can be gotten there before and genuine get to strategies obtained, it is normally simply an issue of time before a strike on or modification of saved undertakings and information can take position. An outline is the unlawful access into the system centre of an association and the transfer of a hard drive on which private information are saved. This characterization in like manner contains the checking of waste for records with delicate security-related information. Figure 2: Methodologies of penetration testing (Random Storm, 2015) 4. Measurement of Security Exercises to upgrade IT certification are required to fight the risks portrayed beforehand. In any case, 100% security cannot be satisfied. Business measurements, for instance, IT affirmation association and increasing standards, and mechanical measures, for instance, openness administers, security and flame dividers, are used to set up a certain level of IT protection (S. Turpe, 2009). As per the association IT protection approach, all such measures are depicted in an IT security imagined that is genuine for the entire association. If the association being assessed is not able to present a security thought or protection standards, it is sketchy whether "Penetration testing" is paramount, especially when the IT scene is caught. In such cases, IT affirmation could likely be enhanced much more satisfactorily by first making and applying a fitting security thought. Figure 3: Services of penetration testing (HESPERUS INDOSEC, 2015) 4.1. Designing of "Penetration tests" Nowadays, there are a variety of free programming and master weaknesses pursuers, the lion's share of which have an updatable data wellspring of known programming and parts weaknesses. These sources are a helpful system for perceiving deficiencies in the routines being investigated and subsequently of recognizing the risks dazzled. Conventionally, the unobtrusive components offered by such sources embodies a mechanical information of the weaknesses besides gives controls in the matter of how to empty a drowsiness by changing outlines settings. Additionally, a monstrous mixture of free programming hotspots for undertaking or masterminding strikes on online machine structures and systems can be found on the web. 4.2. Procedures of "Penetration testing" The method for "Penetration testing" will make after the strides delineated underneath. Examination bits of knowledge about the accentuation on structure: Computers that can be utilized over the web must have a formal IP oversee. Viably open data source give bits of knowledge about the IP oversee maintains a strategic distance from administered to an association. Range focus on techniques for organizations on offer: An attempt is made to perform an opening take a gander at of the systems being dissected, open openings being an evidence of the ventures allocated to them. Perceive techniques and applications: The titles and rendition of working structure and tasks in the accentuation on methodology can be seen by "fingerprinting". Asking about Vulnerabilities: Details about weaknesses of specific working system and activities can be analysed enough using the purposes of investment accumulated. Abusing vulnerabilities: Recognized weaknesses can be used to get unlawful openness the undertaking or to get arranged further strikes. The top quality and estimation of a "Penetration test" relies on basically on the level to which the test serves the client's fiscal condition, i.e. how an incredible piece of the analysers tries and sources are helped on discovering deficiencies related to the IT business locales and how imaginative the analysers system is. This method can't be secured in the fundamental information above, which is the reason there are titanic mixtures in the high top nature of "Penetration testing" as an organization. 5. Arrangement of "Penetration testing" This zone delineates the possible beginning components and openness programs for a transmission separate, the IT security and security exercises that can be broke down, and how the assessments vary from standard IT security sentiments and IT surveys (Finn, 1995). 5.1. Starting stages and channels of "Penetration tests" Regular beginning segments or variables of strike for a "Penetration test" are fire dividers, RAS accessibility components (e.g. zones, evacuated updating accessibility centres), web servers, and Wi-Fi techniques. Given their role as an entryway between the web and the association system, fire dividers are clear focuses for strike attempts and beginning components for "Penetration tests". Several web servers that offer advantages that are available on the outside, for instance, email, FTP and DNS, will be incorporated in the explorer, as will ordinary work stations. Web servers have a risky prospective because of their different tricks and the making weaknesses. 5.2. Measurement of testable IT security A "Penetration test can look at sensible IT preparatory idiosyncrasies, for instance, security passwords, and physical exercises, for instance, openness control strategies. Reliably simply sensible manages are examined as this can ordinarily be brought out hardly through the structure which puts aside a couple of minutes consuming, and in light of the way that the likelihood of strikes on sensible IT regulates is thought to be far higher. 5.3. "Penetration testing", IT security Review, IT Audit Unauthorised persons intend to accessibility secured information or perniciously impact information methods. Differentiated and "Penetration testing", the focus of security surveys and IT audits is to regularly separate the IT work places as to its closeness, execution, execution, and so on. They are not by any stretch of the imagination centred at discovering delicate variables. Case in point, a "Penetration test" does reject attesting whether in the occasion of portions information can be saved with a progressive fortification; it simply assessments whether such information can be utilized. Figure 4: Penetration testing stages (Emsecure, 2015) 6. Targets of "Penetration testing" For an influential "Penetration test" that fits the client's objectives, the obvious essentialness of aims is fundamental. If targets can't be satisfied or can't be gained suitably, the power will prompt the client in the organizing stage and recommend substitute schedules, for instance, an IT review or IT confirmation speaking with organizations (D.B. Cornish, 2003). Client ends of the line that can be satisfied by "Penetration testing" can be separated into four groupings: Upgrading protection of mechanical structures Perceiving vulnerabilities Having IT protection affirmed by an outside outcast Upgrading security of business and labourers base The consequence of a "Penetration test" will be better than a rundown of current issues; preferably it will in like manner recommend particular choices for their clearing. Underneath the four target social occasions are said, with representations. 6.1. Upgrading technical systems security Several" "Penetration tests" are requested with the inspiration driving helping the affirmation of mechanical frameworks. The evaluations are confined to mechanical frameworks, for instance, fire dividers, web servers, switches, and so on, with business and specialists work places not being clearly examined. One delineation is a "Penetration test" to particularly check whether illegal third events have the limit accessibility techniques inside the association's LAN from the web. Possible explore results or results are unnecessary start firewall framework openings or temperamental variants of online undertakings and working structure. 6.2. Recognizing Vulnerabilities In examination to the following three targets, recognition is the authentic inspiration driving the research. For example, before mixing two LANs in the mix of an association joining, the new LAN can be broke down to see whether it is possible to experience it from outside. If this could be conceivable in the transmission separate, move must be taken to secure the customer interface before the solidifying, or the two structures will not be mixed at all. A "Penetration test" can moreover be performed to secure affirmation from an alternate external surface third celebration. It is imperative that a "Penetration test" simply ever shows the circumstances at a particular time and can't thus make clarifications about the period of affirmation that are fair to goodness later on. Client information in a web store or other online framework. 6.3. Security upgrade of organizations and individuals Differentiated from examining the mechanical work places, a "Penetration test" can in like manner separate the business and delegates business locales, to watch uplifting methodologies, for example, with the opportunity and forcefulness of the assessments being upgraded separated. Open mechanical progression methods, for instance, asking security passwords through phone, can be associated with evaluate the period of fundamental protection thought and the force of certification guidelines and customer contracts (Baumrind, 1985). Figure 5: Attacks and test methods (Secure State, 2015) 7. Conclusion As the schedules used by potential assailants quickly become more imaginative and new imperfections in present ventures and IT frameworks are revealed pretty much consistent, one single "Penetration test" can't deliver a disclosure about the period of security of the examined methods that will be genuine for the long run. In uncommon cases, an alternate security proviso may suggest that a capable strike could happen not long after a "Penetration test" has been carried out. Nevertheless, this not the scarcest bit infers that "Penetration tests" are inadequate. Comprehensive "Penetration testing" is no affirmation that a capable strike won't happen, then again it does widely reduce the likelihood of a practical strike. As an aftereffect of the speedy rate of changes in IT, the impact of a "Penetration test" is very short-span lived. The more regularly Penetration testing" is with a particular finished objective to decrease the likelihood of an influential strike to a stage that is fitting for the association. "Penetration test" can't substitute the standard system security examinations. It is not also a choice for a regular arrangement of security, and so on. An approval or information move down thought, case in point, must be examined viably and adequately in distinctive ways. A "Penetration test" things saw evaluation strategies and analyses the new risks. References Allsopp, W. (2009). Unauthorised Access: Physical Penetration Testing For IT Security Teams. In W. Allsopp, Planning your physical penetration test (pp. 11-28). USA: Wiley. Barrett, N. (200356-64). Penetration testing and social engineering hacking the weakest link. Information Security Technical Report. Baumrind, D. (1985). Research using intentional deception. Ethical issues revisited. The American psychologist, 165-174. Clone Systems. (2015, January). Penetration Testing Service. Retrieved from clone-systems.com: https://www.clone-systems.com/penetration-testing.html B. Cornish, R. C. (2003). Opportunities, precipitators and criminal decisions: A reply to Wortleys critique of situational crime prevention. Crime Prevention Studies, 4196. (2015). Penetration Testing. Retrieved from emsecure.wordpress.com: https://emsecure.wordpress.com/penetration-testing/ Finn, P. (1995). Research Ethics: Cases and Materials. In P. Finn, The ethics of deception in research (pp. 87118). Indiana: Indiana University Press. Greenlees, C. (2009). An intruders tale-[it security]. Engineering Technology, 55-57. HESPERUS INDOSEC. (2015). Services. Retrieved from hesperusindosec.wordpress.com: https://hesperusindosec.wordpress.com/services/ Finn, M. J. (2007). Designing ethical phishing experiments. Technology and Society Magazine, IEEE, 4658. Willison, M. S. (2009). Overcoming the insider: reducing employee computer crime through situational crime prevention. Communications of the ACM, 133-137. Random Storm. (2015). Penetration Testing Services. Retrieved from randomstorm.com: https://www.randomstorm.com/services/penetration-testing/ Turpe, J. E. (2009). Testing production systems safely: Common precautions in penetration testing. Testing: Academic and Industrial Conference (pp. 205209). USA: IEEE Computer Society. Secure State. (2015). Physical Attack Penetration. Retrieved from securestate.com: https://www.securestate.com/Services/Profiling/Pages/Physical-Attack-and-Penetration.aspx Soghoian, C. (2008). Legal risks for phishing researchers. eCrime Researchers Summit, 111.

Josh Hutcherson free essay sample

Josh Hutcherson Not Afraid to Be Himself Many celebrities to this day are recognized for their scandalous acts and wrong doings. Not many people stay true to themselves in todays society, even less are willing to donate their time and money to help others that need it. Josh Hutcherson is one of these people in others eyes, he has always been himself either on set of a movie or at home with his loved ones. As a child he had to deal with the lose of both of his uncles, they died from AIDS during the height of the epidemic. They were n their early thirties, in great shape, but unfortunately they were taken away from us too soon. Both passed away at about the time I was born. (Hutcherson). Though he didnt get a chance to meet his uncles, he saw how this affected the rest of his family and from that point on he wanted to make sure that they wouldnt die in vain. We will write a custom essay sample on Josh Hutcherson or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Josh Hutcherson is a hero to many for his desire to help others, always staying true to himself, and donating his time and money to charities. Josh Hutcherson was born in Union, Kentucky as an only child and at the age of four his ounger brother was born. Shortly after he started to become interested in acting and being on television, his parents figured it was just a phase like most children would have. Over the years his fascination with acting grew stronger to his mothers surprise and she eventually decided to help him pursue his goal so at the age of nine josh and his family moved to California. After getting settled down josh started auditioning for roles and landed very few, very minor parts. But with his determination he landed a role in ER in 2003 ( Anonymous , 2012) . From that point on joshs acting areer took off and he starred in many TV shows and some small movies. After â€Å"Bridge to Terabithia† was released he was a highly regarded actor and many studios wanted him to fill in roles. He quickly made friends that had the same lifestyle and views as himself, one of the most prominent was Avan Jogia. Avan founded the organization called SBNN (Straight But Not Narrow). Avan, an actor, musician, writer, and big picture thinker. His idea, his passion and his voice started it all. Seeing the hardships young adults face, both in and out of school, ignited his desire to take a stand against ullying. (anonymous) Josh knew he wanted to be a part of something great and became a part of the group and helped spread the message. Actors today are usually fake and doing what their name implies, acting. Yet, some do stay true to their ways and dont let all the fame and attention sway them. Hutcherson is a perfect example of this. You can see that even in his movies the roles he plays are true to his own personality, some stars that have worked with him on set have said that even offstage he has the same nice, boyish charm that his characters have in movies. Ever since he was nine and started acting he has always been himself even tho most studios and sponsors want him to act fake and perfect he wants to always stay true to himself and not ever put on an act just to please someone else. Being yourself with all of the stress and publicity is an extraordinarily large task and many fail to do so. But Hutcherson is one of the few that have rose above the others and proved himself as a strong idividual As a small child Hutcherson had a very strong personality and always spoke his mind, this characteristic has stuck with him his whole life and he is still the same way to this day. So when something wasnt right, Hutcherson would not hesitate to speak up. Because of the death of his uncles to AIDS and how they were treated for being homosexuals he hated when someone treated anyone like they didnt matter. He hated bullying and whenever he hears about it or witnesses it, he feels the strong need to do something. Hutcherson clearly expresses his feelings towards gays being bullied for who they like, Josh Hutcherson received the Van Guard award at the GLAAD Media Awards for his help to stop gay bullying( Giannotta, 2012) . Helping others that are being bullied or that need someone there or him have just been natural to Hutcherson. Because of Hutcherson family history with homosexuality he had very strong views on gay rights and equality of all people. He decided to join his friend Avan Jogia and his organization â€Å"Straight But Not Narrow†, this was a group dedicated to opening the eyes of others to the fact that we shouldnt care who a person dates, its ab out the persons personality and actions(Jogia, 2011) . He became the main advocate for the group and has been the most active member since the start. But Hutcherson has done more deeds outside of SBNN as well. On June 3, 2012 Hutcherson took place in a charity celebrity picnic where many popular stars and actors come together and throw a picnic. This even has raised more than $33 million since 1989 to fund pediatric AIDS research and the Foundation’s international medical programs to prevent new HIV infections in babies and to keep HIV-positive mothers alive through lifesaving treatment (anonymous, 2012). Hutcherson has done a lot of things to help kids and even adults in need since his career took of, making him a hero to many people who know of the actors deeds.

Report dominos pizza free essay sample

Analysis of the current Dominos ecommerce and marketing strategy from an external standpoint identified missed opportunities and prospective areas for improvement relating to their ecommerce structure. Specifically it was identified that Dominos had the potential to leverage the established business structures of eBay and utilise them with speed and efficiency to create an innovative solution to fill a gap in the market place. Utilisation of an eBay store would grant Dominos first mover advantage in an extremely competitive industry with high buyer power that is heavily dominated by discounting offers. This innovation can target not only existing customers but also actively engage in the pursuit of a new customer base. In a marketplace dominated by traditional bricks and mortar business structures the online store allows Dominos to market to a wider consumer base and generate a point of difference. With comparatively low overall financial outlay, a successfully established online business that customers are directed towards and the ability to harness the proven business structures of eBay, the Dominos eBay Store is capable of meeting the market in rapid succession following approval. We will write a custom essay sample on Report dominos pizza or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Table of Contents Contents Introduction The purpose of this report is to present and critique the potential of Domino’s pizza establishing an eBay store in order to increase overall customer awareness of brand and generate income. An assumption is made that eBay would be conducive to a partnership of this nature and that non-monetary vouchers for foodstuffs does not breach the limitations of eBay listing guidelines. Without direct access to Dominos marketing strategy and brand research conducted by the Dominos group the report is limited to review of strategy and business operations from an external perspective. It is identified that the Pizza Industry specifically and the Fast Food Industry as a larger whole is highly competitive. Dominos currently enjoys large market share and positive representation of brand, however incremental evolution of the business is required in order to ensure stability in this volatile marketplace before growth can be considered. The process of analysing the potential of this innovation was multi-faceted and considered the existing marketing and ecommerce strategies of Dominos. Clearly establishing the gap in the Market in light of the Industry standard practice, competitor activity and customer expectations reveals that value perception of the Dominos brand can be positively impacted from both a customer and business perspective. Moving from the industry standard traditional bricks and mortar business structure to the dynamic online marketplace would grant Dominos first mover advantage in a marketplace that all direct competitors are yet to capture. Utilisation of the exiting information structures within the business limits business transformation requirements and significantly mitigates both financial outlay and time investment required to implement the innovation. Inclusion of a Rich Picture in the Appendices visually highlights the incorporation of the innovation into the Dominos ecommerce strategy. History Currently Dominos, via the letterbox and newspaper insertion of vouchers, invests heavily on residentially centralised marketing localised to the immediate vicinity of the franchise outlets. Although geographically targeted to those residence with the most convenient access to the stores there is little manner in which to track customer engagement and follow through. This method of distribution also limits customer exposure to the frequency the store engages in the circulation campaign. Existing Dominos electronic marketing populates the majority of its clientele database with data entered directly by the customer engaging with the online ordering interface (Image 1). Severely limited in scope it requires the customer to both be already committed to purchasing from Dominos and amicable to receiving electronic marketing. Further, this method of data collection requires Dominos to trust that the information being entered by the Customer is complete and accurate with limited ramifications on the Customer for inaccurate or incomplete information. Image 1 – Dominos Customer Interface Market Gap Analysis Overview Currently eBay has millions of daily users and unique domains within 8 countries in the Asia Pacific Region that Dominos already has a recognized presence in. See Appendix 1 (EBay 2014) and Appendix 2 (Dominos 2014). By partnering up with an established and successful ecommerce business and utilising a focused marketing strategy Dominos, with an already established presence in the majority of countries in this region, is presented with a portal for advertising and brand exposure in addition to the ability to sell voucher deals. Existing strategy is geared towards the evening dinner market and is utilised predominately by customers who ring up or go online to order when they are hungry. This innovation creates a limitless potential for exposure to new customers and an exponential sales increase via creating the option of purchasing a voucher at any time to utilise at their convenience. Marketplace Background Dominos online sales currently make up 15% of their profit margin with a growing trend and is forecast to become accountable for more than 50% of their profit margin. (Dominos 2013, p.8) Examination of the pizza industry with Porters Five Forces reveals High buyer power, threat of substitute products and rivalry, Medium threat of new entrants and Low supplier power (Appendix 3). This highly competitive and volatile marketplace makes it essential to create a point of difference and establish and maximise perceived brand value. Immediate Benefits With society become increasingly mobile and demanding of ins tant gratification (Muther 2013) Dominos needs to be able to meet and embrace this emerging culture. Successfully harnessing the clicks and mortar (Baltzan et al.2010, pg. 123) structure of an EBay store would allow Dominos to leverage what could effectively be described as a Customer to Customer relationship in a Business to Customer (Baltzan et al. 2010, pg. 125) interface. The EBay store would feature all the benefits of a pureplay (Baltzan et al. 2010, pg. 125) business whilst deferring the majority of hosting and data management costs to EBay. With the online store able to host multiple auctions the customer is able to access an auction at their convenience and leisure irrespective of time of day or location. A customer currently residing outside the established distribution catchment of vouchers could conceivably purchase a voucher for a store in a town that they were visiting in a week at 11. 00pm at night. Dominos would also benefit from increased accuracy and completion of their clientele database as it is in the Customers best interest to ensure that shipping details, a mandatory requirement for any EBay account, and email addresses, required to create an EBay account, are up to date (Image 2). Image 2 – eBay registration requirements Value perception Customer Given that value perception is the perceived value that a customer rates a good or service, â€Å"it is therefore vitally important for a company to use a customer focused strategy to obtain a competitive advantage over its competitors by making the target market value your good or service higher than your competitors†( Rahikka et al. 2011, p. 359). By implementing eBay as a Business to Consumer portal it targets a much larger consumer base. It also empowers existing customers. This enables customers to bid on bargains at their leisure. With this new option of buying discounted pizza in advance it gives the consumers new options for buying pizza deals and using them at their convenience. This new business strategy will change the customer perception of Domino’s Pizza from a bricks and mortar fast food outlet that provides a quick service when you’re feeling hungry to an online fast food outlet that can be brought any time of the day in advance at discounted prices. Business Incorporating a business partner such as eBay grants Dominos instant access to millions of new customers, in the established eBay customers. It also gives them more access to their existing customers as their existing customer base are known to be regular eBay users (Domino’s 2013). The benefits of this are increased brand exposure using eBay as a portal to advertise their products and brand names. The new customer base generated from this will result in increased traffic to their website which promotes the brand name and creates growth for the business. With this proposed innovation the company will be the first to utilise an already successful business with a huge customer base. It also creates a larger awareness by people bidding on their deals at different times of the day not just when their hungry. The innovation also creates pre-sales, a significant advantage for Dominos as they can secure payments weeks in advance opening up potential investment funding opportunities which no other competitor in the industry have been able to secure. This grants Domino’s another first to market advantage in line with their digital advancement strategy (Domino’s 2013). A value chain analysis in light of the balanced scorecard (IntraFocusUK 2012) of the innovation reveals that the perception of an increased level of personal interaction as Dominos engages directly, rather than anonymously, with the customer would assist in a positively accumulated switching cost via both increased brand loyalty and customer perception. It will also give Domino’s pizza a competitive advantage over competing fast food companies for the short term until rival competitors replicate similar strategies. Information and Communication Technology Strategies As this collaboration with EBay is the first within a vast and already successful environment, having a clear strategy is imperative to ensure it is successful. This introduction does not change the existing business process rather it works as an additional tool to enhance customer engagement, loyalty and awareness. A key focus within the innovation will be on customer relationship management (CRM). Taylor (2010, p. 1) defines CRM as a process by which businesses seek to exploit information relating to

Reagan Essays - United States Presidential Inaugurations

Reagan Essays - United States Presidential Inaugurations Reagan I am going to talk of controversial things. I make no apology for this. It's time we asked ourselves if we still know the freedoms intended for us by the Founding Fathers. James Madison said, We base all our experiments on the capacity of mankind for self government. This idea? that government was beholden to the people, that it had no other source of power is still the newest, most unique idea in all the long history of man's relation to man. This is the issue of this election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves. You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream-the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. Regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would sacrifice freedom for security have embarked on this downward path. Plutarch warned, The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits. The Founding Fathers knew a government can't control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing. Public servants say, always with the best of intentions, What greater service we could render if only we had a little more money and a little more power. But the truth is that outside of its legitimate function, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector. Yet any time you and I question the schemes of the do-gooders, we're denounced as being opposed to their humanitarian goals. It seems impossible to legitimately debate their solutions with the assumption that all of us share the desire to help the less fortunate. They tell us we're always against, never for anything. We are for a provision that destitution should not follow unemployment by reason of old age, and to that end we have accepted Social Security as a step toward meeting the problem. However, we are against those entrusted with this program when they practice deception regarding its fiscal shortcomings, when they charge that any criticism of the program means that we want to end payments.... We are for aiding our allies by sharing our material blessings with nations which share our fundamental beliefs, but we are against doling out money government to government, creating bureaucracy, if not socialism, all over the world. We need true tax reform that will at least make a start toward I restoring for our children the American Dream that wealth is denied to no one, that each individual has the right to fly as high as his strength and ability will take him.... But we can not have such reform while our tax policy is engineered by people who view the tax as a means of achieving changes in our social structure.... Have we the courage and the will to face up to the immorality and discrimination of the progressive tax, and demand a return to traditional proportionate taxation? . . . Today in our country the tax collector's share is 37 cents of -very dollar earned. Freedom has never been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp. Are you willing to spend time studying the issues, making yourself aware, and then conveying that information to family and friends? Will you resist the temptation to get a government handout for your community? Realize that the doctor's fight against socialized medicine is your fight. We can't socialize the doctors without socializing the patients. Recognize that government invasion of public power is eventually an assault upon your own business. If some among you fear taking a stand because you are afraid of reprisals from customers, clients, or even government, recognize that you are just feeding the crocodile hoping

Investigation on Whether Nokia Should Quit the UK Essay

Investigation on Whether Nokia Should Quit the UK - Essay Example The main research objective is find out whether it would be viable to minimize expansion of the Nokia brand in the U.K market. Nokia as evident from the analysis has been experiencing a decline it its market share in the named market. Competition has stifled with other companies providing equal or better quality mobile handsets. Handsets are now a requirement for a majority of people. Statistics has shown a decline in number of handsets purchased and an ever increasing number of smartphones acquired. It is a technologically changing world that can be attributed to this trend. People want the best, and since it is affordable, they can get it. Nokia holds a high popularity of mobile phone manufacturing companies in the world. It had the biggest market share of mobile users, but this is changing. This research focuses on finding out changes in the performance of Nokia and if it is a viable idea for to withdraw itself from the U.K market. In trying to answer this, several factors have to be investigated on the reasons that have led to this aftermath in the Nokia Company. 1.2: Research objectives. The research problems highlight the areas of importance in this study. They seek to encompass the most crucial factors involved in this project. They revolve around the Nokia Mobile statistics. They are, to determine the factors behind the decline of Nokia smartphone market share, changing trends in the mobile market, to identify measures to be taken against this issue and know if it is wise to leave the U.K market or not. 1.3: Research questions What are the reasons for declining market share in U.K, how can it be controlled and what are the appropriate ways to control it. 1.4: Statement of problem Factors influencing Nokia mobile market share the U.K and factors influencing changes in the mobile market in U.K 2.0: LITERATURE REVIEW In recent times, with the advancement of technology, operating systems became one of the major determinants of a company’s performance in the market. With the need for faster and efficient mobile systems, there has been competition on who provides the best operating system customers prefer in the U.K. Apple has the most popular OS scooping a share of 42%, Blackberry with 36% and android with a share of 12%. It is surprising because Nokia, known for its popularity and with the changing trends and stiff competition, stands to make its way to the top or quit the smartphone market for better standing mobile companies. This research focuses on finding out what appropriate measure to take, whether quit or continue in the race of attracting customers to use their smartphones. In trying to investigate this, it has to identify the gap existing the company and the competitors. Strategies used in pricing, promotion, quality provision and the 4ps of marketing have a large part in determining the performance of a company’s products. For example, while price may not be a substantial factor to consider because of affordab ility in the current market of smartphones it is still pertinent to know that is the crucial factor customers consider for any product. They may want to operate in the market with the highest margins. This can only be realistic in a monopolistic market where they are the sole suppliers of a product. That is why the Nokia Company have to identify what strategy to use to maintain their share, increase it or exit the market. They should

Comparison of Southeast Asian and Northeast Asian Art Essay

Comparison of Southeast Asian and Northeast Asian Art - Essay Example The greatest difference in style and perception has been induced by religion, history and the philosophies. The Southeast Asian artworks are a genuine product of Hinduism and Buddhist doctrines drawing from Indian traditions, whereas China, Japan and Korea draw largely from Buddhist and Chinese influences. Again both bear testimony to art production and patronage entertained with social and cultural demands. Cultural interconnections between these two regions are vivid and yet their art signifies an extended cultural code that encloses all the underlying spiritual beliefs of the regions religion-philosophic mind that embed the interrelation of mythology, symbol and spiritual thoughts. The advent of Buddhism introduced sculpture, painting, and architecture of a more religious nature. In China, the figures of Buddha and bodhisattvas became the primary source of influence, although the major route was India, which bore the seat of influence till the 6 th century A.D. The distinction was markedly perfected during the T'ang Dynasty that became more dramatic and restrained by the 7th century that gave way to Major sites of Buddhist art in cave temples include Donghuang, Lung-men, Yun-kang, Mai-chi-shan, and Ping-ling-ssu. Buddhist sculpture in the Ming dynasty became miniature in style made of jade, ivory, and glass, of exquisite craftsmanship but was devoid of any further experimentation and inspiration. The art of figure painting in the T'ang dynasty (618-906) and landscape painting in the Sung dynasty became very prominent. With the coming of the Yuan dynasty (1260-1368) both landscape painting and human painting concentrated more on brushstroke. Brushwork was also done on bamboo and surface painting with a variety of brushwork became an important aspect of still-life painting. Painting during this period became more sophisticated and a part of the leisure culture. Under the Ch'ing dynasty (1644-1912) the applied arts became very technical till the 19th cent., after which with the coming of the communists in the twentieth century art became a product of graphical propaganda. Shih-T'ao and Chu Ta were artists of great creativity. But little or no experimentation in painting marks this period. What is remarkable with Chinese painting is that it has maintained a single characteristic all through history-the extravagant detailing and obsession with the brushstroke. Paintings bore dry or wet-brush technique, with an incredible variety ranging from swirling patterns to staccato dots.1 And thus one inevitably arrives at the highest artwork that the Chinese generated through calligraphy and paintings on ceramics that reached a high perfection in the S 'ung Dynasty. Though calligraphy was part of painting, literature and inscriptions, calligraphy is indebted to Wang Hsi-chih (c.303-361) and his son, who made brushwork the biggest legacy in Chinese art. Chinese architecture also had major impact on Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan. Unlike Western structure it stresses the visual impact of the width of the buildings rather than its height and depth though Pagodas are a rare exception to this rule. But asymmetry has been part of Chinese art which let the scrolls and also its gardens become a wandering maze of surprises and unique symbolisms. Incase of symbolism, the Chinese also have the greatest and enduring symbols of the

Starting middle school essay Essay Example for Free

Starting middle school essay Essay The night before middle school, I had mixed feelings. I was kind of nervous but excited at the same time about starting middle school. I had spent the day with my best friend, Mindy, swimming in her backyard. Afterwards, I came home and packed my school supplies in my backpack and ate dinner. I had a hard time sleeping that night because so many things were racing through my head. I worried if I would have any classes with my friends and if I would have nice teachers. I woke up early the next morning and I was still feeling a little nervous but also really excited! When I got to school, I met up with all my friends and compared our schedules. My classes were math, P. E. , reading, core, rotation/ communications, and science. My favorite teachers were Mrs. Latz, Ms. McHale, and Mr. Yu because they were really nice and they made their classes interesting and fun! My favorite classes were the ones taught by my favorite teachers. I found my classes just fine but I was always rushed to get to class on time. It was especially hard when I had to go from one end of campus to the other. Also, at brunch, I only had ten minutes and the bathroom lines were so long, that I didn’t get to eat my snack. At lunch, I only had thirty minutes to eat and I hardly had enough time to go to the bathroom because the lines were still long! I’m sure it will get easier after a couple of days. I had hoped that I would have some classes with my best friends. I also expected to see some kind of bullying on the first day. I definitely thought I would have some mean teachers. However, none of my best friends were in any of my classes. I never saw any bullying all day. I was relieved when I had no mean teachers. Middle school is completely different from elementary, but I think like it. Unlike elementary, middle school has seven different classes and teachers. There is a pool, a gymnasium, and there are definitely more kids. Thankfully, my first day of middle school went pretty well. I think it is going to be a great year! By: Rachel Gieseke PM Core, 9/2/11.

Main Features Of The Indian Hotel Industry Tourism Essay

Main Features Of The Indian Hotel Industry Tourism Essay The major players in the Indian hotel industry can be broadly classified into private players and public players. The major private players include Indian Hotels Company limited, East India Hotels Limited (The Oberoi group), Asian Hotels and ITC Hotels. ITDC and Hotel Corporation of India are the major public sector players.   Sector Outlook Hotel industry depends largely upon the foreign tourist arrivals further classified into business travelers (around 65% of the total foreign tourists) and leisure travelers. The following figures show that business as well as the leisure travelers (both domestic and international) formed major clientele for hotels in 2004. Over the last two years, the hotel industry has seen higher growth rates due to greater number of tourist arrivals, higher occupancy rate (being around 75% in FY06) and significant increase in average room rate (ARR). The major factors contributing to this growth include stable economic and political conditions, booming service industry, FDI inflow, infrastructure development, emphasis on tourism by the central as well as state governments and tax rationalization initiatives to bring down the tax rates in line with the international levels. Some of the main features of the Indian hotel industry include the following:  · The industry is more dependent on metropolitan cities as they account for 75% to 80% of the revenues, with Delhi and Mumbai being on top.    · The average room rate (ARR) and occupancy rate (OC) are the two most critical factors that determine profitability. ARR depends on location, brand image, star rating, quality of facilities and services offered. The occupancy rate depends on other seasonal factors.    · India is an ideal destination for tourists. Approximately 4.4 million tourists visit India every year. Thus the growth prospects are very high.    · In the hotel sector, a number of multinationals have strengthened their presence. Players like Four Seasons are also likely to enter the Indian market in the near future. Moreover, Indian hotel chains are also expanding internationally. A combination of all these factors could result in a strong emergence of budget hotels, which could potentially lower the cost of travel and related costs. The industry can be classified into four segments:  · 5 Star and 5 Star Deluxe. These are mainly situated in the business districts of metro cities and cater to business travelers and foreign tourists. These are considered to be very expensive. These account for about 30% of the industry.    · Heritage Hotels. These are characterized by less capital expenditure and greater affordability and include running hotels in palaces, castles, forts, hunting lodges, etc.    · Budget Hotels:  Budget hotels cater mainly to domestic travelers who favor reasonably priced accommodations with limited luxury. These are characterized by special seasonal offers and good services.    · Unclassified:  These are low-priced motels spread throughout the country. A low-pricing policy is their only selling point. This segment accounts for about 19 % of the industry. Trends In Hospitality Sector Trends that will shape the future of hospitality sector are: 1. Low Cost Carriers 2. Budget Hotels 3. Service Apartments 4. Technology 5. Loyalty Travel 1. Low cost carriers:  Travelers in general are more price sensitive to airfare than they are to hotel room rates. Often a low airfare will stimulate demand for travel even if hotel prices are increasing. LCCs are a good option for business travelers, as they have advantages like low costs, more options and connectivity. 2. Budget hotels:  More than 50 per cent of occupancy of a majority of hotels comes from the business travel segment. The average room rate (ARR) realized from business travelers is normally higher than from leisure travelers. Heightened demand and the healthy occupancy rates have resulted in an increase in the number of budget hotels. Some of the new players entering into this category of hotels include Hometel, Kamfotel, Courtyard by Marriott, Country Inns Suites, Ibis and Fairfield Inn.   3. Service apartments:  The concept of service apartments, though a recent phenomenon in India, is an established global concept. Villas in Spain, flats in the UK and apartment complexes in the US have all created a viable market for those who want more than just a room in a hotel. Service apartments are the latest trend in accommodation, offering the comfort and convenience of a home without the hassles of having to maintain or look after it. Ideally suited for medium-to-long staying guests, service apartments are a natural choice for corporate employees or expatriates relocating to a particular city, non-resident Indians visiting the country for long spells and foreigners visiting the city for long durations.   4. Technology:  Travel and technology have become inseparable. Technology is making its own advances with high-tech video conferencing facilities, web cameras and virtual reality mode of conferencing. On-line bookings, e-ticketing, Wi-Fi Internet connectivity, easy access to information, etc. are just a few areas where technology has completely changed the the way we travel.   5. Loyalty travel:Today, airline-credit card company tie-ups have brought a whole range of benefits to the travelers. These include insurance cover, upgrades, free tickets, access to executive lounges, and a host of other goodies. ITC Hotels Limited ITC Hotels:  · ITC Hotel Maurya Sheraton Towers, New Delhi  · ITC Hotel Grand Maratha Sheraton Towers, Mumbai  · ITC Hotel Sonar Bangla Sheraton Towers,Kolkata  · WelcomHotel Mughal Sheraton, Agra  · WelcomHeritage ( These hotels are spread over all over india and are currently operating in Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu Kashmir, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Karnataka.) MARKET CAPITALIZATION   Month High Low Average July 2006 69470.81 61622.49 65132.68 August 2006 71935.59 63162.11 66907.27 September 2006 71616.29 68235.51 69865.82 October 2006 73136.79 69172.79 70595.60 November 2006 71870.11 66984.82 69353.40 December 2006 71557.75 63306.15 67001.52 Key Stats Ratios Quarterly Annual   (2006) Annual   (TTM) Net Profit Margin 21.70% Operating Margin 31.32% EBITD Margin 34.70% Return on Average Assets 18.35% Return on Average Equity 26.75% RECRUITMENT POLICY: The potential candidates who are looking forward to build their career in ITC Hotels should possess several qualities like integrity, intellectual rigor, a will do attitude, team skills, ability to think strategically, high energy, creativity and leadership. For  entry level, ITC relies on campus recruitments and visits various management and engineering institutes. Some of the institutes include IITs, IIMs, FMS, XLRI, etc. ITC also provides  summer internships.  The internships are for a total of 8 weeks during April July every year. For middle level opportunities, advertisements are placed on the company website and the interested and eligible candidates are invited to apply on-line. The middle management level provides opportunities in Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Logistics and many more. Indian Hotels Company The Indian Hotels Company (IHC) is the parent company of Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. It was founded by Jamsetji N. Tata on December16, 1903. Currently the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces comprises 57 hotels at 40 locations across India. Additional 18 hotels are also being operated around the globe. During fiscal year 2006, the total number of hotels owned or managed by the Company was 75. The Taj hotels are categorized as luxury, leisure and business hotels. The Taj Luxury Hotels offer a wide range of luxurious suites with modern fitness centres, rejuvenating spas, and well-equipped banquet and meeting facilities. The Taj Leisure Hotels offer a complete holiday package that can be enjoyed with the whole family. It provides exciting activities ranging from sports, culture, environment, adventure, music, and entertainment. The Taj Business Hotels provide the finest standards of hospitality, which helps the business trips to be productive. They offer well-appointed rooms, telecommunication facilities, efficient service, specialty restaurants and lively bars, well-equipped business centres, and other conference facilities. Management: Chairman: Mr. Ratan N Tata Managing Director CEO: Mr. Raymond Bickson Chief Operating Officer, Leisure Hotels: Ms. Jyoti Narang Chief Operating Officer, Luxury Hotels: Mr. Abhijit Mukerji Chief Operating Officer, Business Hotels: Mr. Jamshed S. Daboo Vice President-Legal Company secretary: Dev Bajpai Chief Financial Officer: Mr. Anil P Goel   Financial Data   Key Stats Ratios Quarterly   (Mar 04) Annual   (2006) Annual   (TTM) Net Profit Margin 4.86% 11.93% 5.03% Operating Margin 8.24% 16.75% 7.77% EBITD Margin 29.11% 23.33% Return on Average Assets 5.32% Return on Average Equity 15.48% Market Capitalization in last 6 months (Rs.crores) Month High Low Average July 2006 6983.18 5883.71 6640.63 August 2006 7536.56 6745.18 7229.90 September 2006 8093.45 7482.83 7835.64 October 2006 8576.75 7911.81 8146.62 November 2006 9046.91 8080.31 8681.29 December 2006 9444.76 8400.55 9001.56 Four new hotels in Bangalore: Taj Group invests Rs.1,000 crore The Taj Group of Hotels will invest about Rs 1,000 crore for constructing four new hotels in Bangalore. It has submitted an Expression of Interest to Delhi Airport International Limited (DAIL). The company has also submitted an Expression of Interest for building a top-class hotel in the airport vicinity. Besides the company has been allocated a site at Greater Noida for building a hotel, while it is keen on entering into a management contract for a hotel in Gurgaon. The Group was also eyeing to enter hotel business overseas like Maldives, Mauritius, Colombo, Boston and Sydney. The Group is also planning to explore seven more locations in Mumbai and increase its total room capacity to 2,000 in the commercial capital in the next five years. This expansion of its budget hotels will generate numerous jobs in the industry. The group has also taken up the renovation and management of Rail Yatri Niwas, the well-known Delhi budget hotel owned by the railways, on a 15-year lease. As part of the deal with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which currently runs it, the Taj group will renovate the Yatri Niwas and add food courts within the complex. The makeover will be done on a redesign-operate-manage-transfer basis. The hotel will be run under the Taj groups budget hotel brand, Ginger, which has hotels in Mysore, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Haridwar and Bhubaneshwar. Taj group of hotels will upgrade all four Rail Yatri Niwas hotels located in Delhi, Howrah, Ranchi and Puri.   The Oberoi Group (EIH) The Oberoi Group was founded in 1934 by Late Rai Bahadur M S Oberoi. The group owns and/or manages 32 hotels with 3,193 rooms under names of Oberoi Hotels Resorts and Trident Hilton, a luxury backwater cruiser in Kerala and Oberoi Flight Services, a division of EIH that provides commercial in-flight catering and operates airport lounges and restaurants. It has branches in five countries, situated in two continents (Asia and Africa). The chain operates the following hotels and resorts in India: The Oberoi, New Delhi Oberoi, Mumbai, Maharashtra The Oberoi, Banglore, Karnataka The Oberoi Amarvilas, Uttar Pradesh The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata, West Bengal The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, Rajasthan The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Rajasthan Wildflower Hall, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh The Oberoi Cecil, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh The Oberoi Motor Vessel Vrinda, Kerela. The other businesses of EIH include:  · Mercury Car Rentals  · Corporate Air Charters  · EIH Press  · Mercury Travels  · Flight Catering   MARKET CAPITALIZATION   Key Stats Ratios Annual   (2006) Net Profit Margin 22.32% Operating Margin 30.45% EBITD Margin 48.13% Return on Average Assets 8.81% Return on Average Equity 21.09% The market capitalization of EIH as on march 21, 2007 was Rs. 3,748.74 cr. Oberoi Group ventures into Middle East hospitality industry Oberoi Group will run two hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to tap the growing Middle East tourism market. Oberoi will manage a city hotel as well as one resort property in the UAE capital. The company has also signed an agreement for a hotel in Dubai, which is part of a 800- million-dirham property project being developed by Rani International. The companys development plans are focused on the Middle East and Asia. It has 32 hotels in five countries and is planning to open new properties in several locations, including Marrakesh, Muscat, Maldives, Cambodia and Thailand. It is also planning to launch its luxury cruiser on the Nile, The Oberoi Zahra, in October this year with an idea to redefine the paradigm of luxury on Nile. The Oberoi Zahra, Luxury Nile Cruiser comes with 25 luxury suites and two Grand suites. The Grand suites have their own private decks and outdoor Jacuzzis. With the Indian economy growing fast, Oberoi is also looking at a number of new sites in India cities, including Hyderabad, Pune, Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai. It currently has 11 brand hotels in India. Oberoi was also ranked ninth among the top 10 leading chains, hotels, resorts and spas across the world, according to the 2007/2008 Worlds Top Hotels, Resorts and Spas survey report released by Zagat Surveys.   Radisson Hotels Resorts Radisson Hotels Resorts: Radisson hotels are a worldwide chain of 435 hotels with a total of 102,000 guest rooms, in 61 countries. The first Radisson Hotel was built in 1909 and was purchased by Curt Carlson in 1962 and is still owned by his Carlson Companies. Radisson Hotels International is a fully owned subsidiary of the Carlson Hospitality Worldwide, which is one of the major operating groups of Carlson Companies Inc.Carlson Hospitality brands include Regent International Hotels, Radisson Hotels Worldwide, Country Inns and Suites by Carlson, Park Hospitality, Carlson Vacation Ownership, and Carlson Lifestyle Living. Carlson companies also include the Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Carlson Leisure Group, Carlson Marketing Group and a worldwide marketing services company. With more than 1520 hotel, resort, restaurant and cruise ship operations in 79 countries, Carlson Companies provide employment to 190,000 people in more than 140 countries.   Scope Of Hospitality Sector In 2003-04 the hospitality industry contributed only 2% of the GDP. However, it is projected to grow at a rate of 8.8% between 2007-16, which would place India as the second-fastest growing tourism market in the world. This year the number of tourists visiting India is estimated to have touched the figure of 4.4 million. With this huge figure, India is becoming the hottest tourist destination. The arrival of foreign tourists has shown a compounded annual growth of 6 per cent over the past 10 years. Besides, travel and tourism is the second highest foreign exchange earner for India. Moreover, it is also estimated that the tourism sector will account for nearly 5.3 per cent of GDP and 5.4 per cent of total employment. GDP Employment Visitor Export Personal TT Capital Investment Govt. Expenditure Outlook for 2006 7.80% 1.40% 10.90% 6.90 % 8.30% 7.70% Outlook for 2007-2016 6.60% 1.00% 7.80% 6.70% 7.80% 6.60% Future of hospitality sector: To boost up the growth of tourism in India, the government has proposed to invest Rs. 520 crore in 2007-2008. Tourism in expected to grow further over the next few years due to the changes taking place on the demand and supply sides. The factors that will account for the further growth of tourism will include the following:  · Change in standards of living  · More disposable income  · Better education  · Long leisure time  · Aging population   Owing to growth of tourism sector, infrastructure will improve, competition will increase, new products will come into markets and better services will be provided. Due to the rapid growth in tourism, the hotel industry is also booming. Many international players like Le Meridien and Accor are heading towards Indian markets to expand their business. With governments full support in developing infrastructure, increase in demand, open sky policies and increased competition, the hospitality industry is getting consolidated and has many more opportunities to grow further. Challenges For Hospitality Industry 1.Shortage of skilled employees:One of the greatest challenges plaguing the hospitality industry is the unavailability of quality workforce in different skill levels. The hospitality industry has failed to retain good professionals. 2.Retaining quality workforce:Retention of the workforce through training and development in the hotel industry is a problem and attrition levels are too high. One of the reasons for this is unattractive wage packages. Though there is boom in the service sector, most of the hotel management graduates are joining other sectors like retail and aviation. 3. Shortage of rooms:  The hotel industry is facing heavy shortage of rooms. It is estimated that the current requirement is of 1,50,000 rooms. Though the new investment plan would add 53,000 rooms by 2011, the shortage will still persist.   4. Intense competition and image of India:  The industry is witnessing heightened competition with the arrival of new players, new products and new systems. The competition from neighboring countries and negative perceptions about Indian tourism product constrains the growth of tourism. The image of India as a country overrun by poverty, political instability, safety concerns and diseases also harms the tourism industry.   5. Customer expectations:  As India is emerging as a destination on the global travel map, expectations of customers are rising. The companies have to focus on customer loyalty and repeat purchases.   6. Manual back-end:  Though most reputed chains have IT enabled systems for property management, reservations, etc., almost all the data which actually make the company work are filled in manual log books or are simply not tracked.   7. Human resource development:  Some of the services required in the tourism and hotel industries are highly personalized, and no amount of automation can substitute for personal service providers. India is focusing more on white collar jobs than blue collar jobs. The shortage of blue collar employees will pose various threats to the industry.

Mousetrap Car Essay

The purpose of this project is to determine the effect the size of an automobile’s wheel radius will have on that vehicle’s performance. To determine this, the distance a car travels when tested with the same propulsion force but different wheel diameter is measured. We expect that there will be an optimum size that should be utilized in order to achieve maximum efficiency. A larger or smaller wheel size should change the distance that the car will travel. The cars we will test will be made of common and inexpensive materials. The design of the cars will consist of simple wheel and axel setups and a lever; two simple machines that can be used to cause forward movement. The means of propulsion for our cars will be spring-loaded mousetrap with a length of string that connects to the axel supporting the wheels being tested. As the trap is set the lever will pull the line and thus rotate the axel causing movement. The size of the wheel should have a direct relationship with the distance that the car will travel. Small wheels will require more revolutions to move the same distance while large wheels will require more torque to make them begin to turn. The goal of the project is to find the most efficient use of the energy provided by the mousetrap for both speed and distance by adjusting the size of the wheel. A mousetrap car is a combination of two simple machines designed to operate much like a gas-powered car. However, a mousetrap is used instead of an internal combustion engine for the motor. The most common design involves positioning the mousetrap on the chassis of the cars and attaching an extended lever on the trap to one of the car’s axles by using a length of string. The end of the string on the mousetrap is tied to the arm of the trap while the opposite end is wound around the axle. When the mousetrap is â€Å"loaded,† potential energy is stored. The pulling force of the arm turns the potential energy into kinetic energy, causing the wheels to turn and boosting the vehicle. The mousetrap will provide a limited amount energy that the car can use as propulsion force that causes forward movement. The length of the string connecting the lever on the trap to the axel will remain constant through out the duration of the experiment. This will ensure that each of the wheel sizes will receive the same amount of energy. The wheels will also be made of the same material so that each will have the same traction, be about the same weight, and attach to the axel in a similar fashion. Since the radius is directly proportional to the circumference, larger diameter will obviously have larger circumferences. This is important because the circumference the part that actually touches the track. The larger the circumference of the wheel is as compared to the radius of the axel, the more mechanical advantage the wheel will have. Mechanical advantage is a phenomenon that increases the efficiency of a simple machine. Engineers try to design cars that make the most of this force when designing cars and other motor vehicles. A circumference of five inches will travel 25 inches in five revolutions while a circumference of three inches will travel only 15 inches with the same number of revolutions. The larger wheels seem to make more efficient use of the revolutions provided by the springing mousetrap. However the larger diameter also requires more energy to make them revolve. The energy required to turn an axel is known as torque. The more torque an engine (or a mousetrap) can provide, the faster the car will accelerate. Acceleration is also important to the efficiency of the mousetrap car. The faster a car can accelerate, the more momentum it can build up. Momentum is a force that keeps moving objects moving in the same general direction and force until some outside force acts upon the object. Momentum will conserve the energy from the mousetrap while providing thrust. If the wheels are too small, the axels will have to revolve more times to build up any significant momentum. If they are too large, they will require much more torque, which would reduce the amount of energy available to turn the axel once momentum is built up. Friction also plays a major role in the performance of mousetrap-powered cars. Friction between the car’s wheels and the surface it is traveling on is beneficial to the operation of the vehicle. This traction helps the wheels to propel the cars across further distances and at greater speeds. However, friction can also occur between the axles and the cars, which can be detrimental to performance. To combat this, lubricants are used on the axels where they are in contact with the chassis of the car. Also, more mass involved with the rotation of the axels will cause more friction. Therefore, heavier cars will be much less successful than vehicles using much lighter materials due to the amount of friction and inertia, which will not allow the car to travel as far or as fast under the same conditions. Methods The design used in the testing phases of the experiment consisted of thin pieces of plywood for the chassis and axel supports while 3/16-inch dowel rods were used for axels. The wheels were made of three sizes of circular pieces of foam board supported by a slice of a cardboard tube. A standard sized mousetrap was secured to the chassis and a 3-inch length of copper pipe was used to lengthen the lever to provide more mechanical advantage. A two-feet length of nylon string was secured to the copper pipe and the rear axel. The wheels were attached to the axels with rubber cement. The various larger sizes were designed to fit over the smallest ones that were attached to the axels. A single front wheel was used throughout the experiment Tests were ran to determine how far the car would travel and how fast they traveled a distance of five and feet. Each wheel size was tested three times and the results were then averaged: |Wheel size |Distance |Speed (5 feet/ 10 feet) | |2.25 inches |11 feet, four inches |1.45sec. / 2.4sec. | |4.75 inches |16 feet, 11 inches |2.1 sec. / 3.05 sec. | |7.00 inches |18 feet, two inches |3.6 sec. /4.42 sec. | Results Our results show two distinct characteristics. The larger wheels traveled a significant amount further than the smaller wheel sizes. However the smaller wheels were capable of quicker acceleration than the larger wheels. Since the wheels all had about the same amount of mass, the amount of friction did not increase of decrease enough to effect the results significantly. The wheel sizes could thus be adjusted depending upon the type of race the car was involved in; distance, in which the largest wheels would be used, or speed, in which the smallest wheels would be used. Experience in the design and function of the mousetrap cars would help us to design an even more efficient vehicle. Two layers of foam board would probably be used to cause the wheels to be more level and stable. Also, a longer lever would likely be attached to the existing lever on the mousetrap so that more advantage is achieved.

Internet Advantages And Disadvantages Essay

Advantages: 1) Information on almost every subject imaginable.  2) Powerful search engines  3) Ability to do research from your home versus research libraries. 4) Information at various levels of study. Everything from scholarly articles to ones directed at children. 5) Message boards where people can discuss ideas on any topic. Ability to get wide range of opinions. People can find others that have a similar interest in whatever they are interested in. 6) The internet provides the ability of emails. Free mail service to anyone in the country. 7) Platform for products like SKYPE, which allow for holding a video conference with anyone in the world who also has access. 8) Friendships and love connections have been made over the internet by people involved in love/passion over similar interests. 9) Things such as Yahoo Answers and other sites where kids can have readily available help for homework. 10) News, of all kinds is available almost instantaneously. Commentary, on that news, from every conceivable viewpoint is also available. Disadvantages: 1) There is a lot of wrong information on the internet. Anyone can post anything, and much of it is garbage. 2) There are predators that hang out on the internet waiting to get unsuspecting people in dangerous situations. 3) Some people are getting addicted to the internet and thus causing problems with their interactions of friends and loved ones. 4) Pornography that can get in the hands of young children too easily. 5) Easy to waste a lot of time on the internet. You can start surfing, and then realize far more time has passed than you realized. Internet and television together of added to the more sedentary lifestyles of people which further exacerbates the obesity problem. 6) Internet has a lot of â€Å"cheater† sites. People can buy essays and pass them off as their own far more easily than they used to be able to do. 7) There are a lot of unscrupulous businesses that have sprung up on the internet to take advantage of people. 8) Hackers can create viruses that can get in to your personal computer and ruin valuable data. 9) Hackers can use the internet for identity theft. 10) It can be quite depressing to be on the internet and realize just how  uneducated so many people have become in today’s society. -Advantages- -Data- and information-rich, including a range of media -Anyone can publish online (tripod.com and other hosting sites) -Learners can become researchers because of easier access to data -Search engines that are fast and powerful -Easy to use -Smaller, faster, cheaper all the time -Ability to link to people and places immediately -Global dissemination of information -Motivation for students in sharing their work online with the world Advantages FASTER COMMUNICATION The foremost target of Internet has always been speedy communication and it has excelled way beyond the expectations. Newer innovations are only going to make it faster and more reliable. Now, you can communicate in a fraction of second with a person who is sitting in the other part of the world. For more personal and interactive communication, you can avail the facilities of chat services, video conferencing and so on. Besides, there are plenty of messenger services in offering. With the help of such services, it has become very easy to establish a kind of global friendship where you can share your thoughts and explore other cultures. INFORMATION RESOURCES Information is probably the biggest advantage that Internet offers. Internet is a virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The search engines like Google, Yahoo are at your service on the Internet. There is a huge amount of information available on the Internet for just about every subject known to man, ranging from government law and services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support, the list is simply endless. Students and children are among the top users who surf the Internet for research. Today, it is almost required that students should use it for research or the purpose of gathering resources. Even teachers have started giving assignments that require extensive research on the Internet. Besides, you can have an access to latest researches in the field of medicine, technology and so on. Numerous web sites such as America’s Doctor also allow  you to tal k to the doctors online. ENTERTAINMENT Entertainment is another popular raison d’à ªtre why many people prefer to surf the Internet. In fact, the Internet has become quite successful in trapping the multifaceted entertainment industry. Downloading games or just surfing the celebrity websites are some of the uses people have discovered. Even celebrities are using the Internet effectively for promotional campaigns. Besides, there are numerous games that can be downloaded for free. The industry of online gaming has tasted dramatic and phenomenal attention by game lovers. SOCIAL NETWORKING One cannot imagine an online life without Facebook or Twitter. Social networking has become so popular amongst youth that it might one day replace physical networking. It has evolved as a great medium to connect with millions of people with similar interests. Apart from finding long-lost friends, you can also look for job, business opportunities on forums, communities etc. Besides, there are chat rooms where users can meet new and interesting people. Some of them may even end up finding their life partners. ONLINE SERVICES The Internet has made life very convenient. With numerous online services you can now perform all your transactions online. You can book tickets for a movie, transfer funds, pay utility bills, taxes etc., right from your home. Some travel websites even plan an Itinerary as per your preferences and take care of airline tickets, hotel reservations etc . E-COMMERCE The concept of e-commerce is used for any type of commercial maneuvering or business deals that involves the transfer of information across the globe via the Internet. It has become a phenomenon associated with any kind of shopping, business deal etc. You name a service, and e-commerce with its giant tentacles engulfing every single product and service will make it available at your doorstep. Websites such as eBay allow you to even bid for homes, buy, sell or auction stuff online. Disadvantages THEFT OF PERSONAL INFORMATION If you use the Internet for online banking, social networking or other services, you may risk a theft to your personal information such as name, address, credit card number etc. Unscrupulous people can access this information through unsecured connections or by planting software and then use your personal details for their benefit. Needless to say, this may land you in serious trouble. SPAMMING Spamming refers to sending unwanted e-mails in bulk, which provide no purpose and needlessly obstruct the entire system. Such illegal activities can be very frustrating for you as it makes your Internet slower and less reliable. VIRUS THREAT Internet users are often plagued by virus attacks on their systems. Virus programs are inconspicuous and may get activated if you click a seemingly harmless link. Computers connected to the Internet are very prone to targeted virus attacks and may end up crashing. PORNOGRAPHY Pornography is perhaps the biggest disadvantage of the Internet. Internet allows you to access and download millions of pornographic photos, videos and other X-rated stuff. Such unrestricted access to porn can be detrimental for children and teenagers. It can even play a havoc in marital and social lives of adults. SOCIAL DISCONNECT Thanks to the Internet, people now only meet on social networks. More and more people are getting engulfed in virtual world and drifting apart from their friends and family. Even children prefer to play online games rather than going out and mingling with other kids. This may hamper a healthy social development in children. Thus, the Internet has the potential to make your life simple and convenient, as well as wreak havoc in your life. Its influence is mostly dictated by the choices you make while you are online. With clever use, you can manage to harness its unlimited potential.

Battle of Petersburg in the Civil War

Battle of Petersburg in the Civil War The Battle of Petersburg was part of the American Civil War (1861-1865) and was fought between June 9, 1864 and April 2, 1865. In the wake of his defeat at the Battle of Cold Harbor in early June 1864, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant continued pressing south towards the Confederate capital at Richmond. Departing Cold Harbor on June 12, his men stole a march on General Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia and crossed the James River on a large pontoon bridge. This maneuver led Lee to become concerned that he might be forced into a siege at Richmond. This was not Grants intention, as the Union leader sought to capture the vital city of Petersburg. Located south of Richmond, Petersburg was a strategic crossroads and railroad hub which supplied the capital and Lees army. Its loss would make would Richmond indefensible (Map). Armies Commanders Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. GrantMajor General George G. Meade67,000 increasing to 125,000 men Confederate General Robert E. Leeapprox. 52,000 men Smith and Butler Move Aware of Petersburgs importance, Major General Benjamin Butler, commanding Union forces at Bermuda Hundred, attempted an attack on the city on June 9. Crossing the Appomattox River, his men assault the citys outermost defenses known as the Dimmock Line. These attacks were halted by Confederate forces under General P.G.T. Beauregard and Butler withdrew. On June 14, with the Army of the Potomac nearing Petersburg, Grant instructed Butler to dispatch Major General William F. Baldy Smiths XVIII Corps to attack the city. Crossing the river, Smiths advance was delayed through the day on the 15th, though he finally moved to attack the Dimmock Line that evening. Possessing 16,500 men, Smith was able to overwhelm Brigadier General Henry Wises Confederates along the northeastern portion of the Dimmock Line. Falling back, Wises men occupied a weaker line along Harrisons Creek. With night setting in, Smith halted with intention of resuming his attack at dawn. First Assaults That evening, Beauregard, whose call for reinforcements had been ignored by Lee, stripped his defenses at Bermuda Hundred to reinforce Petersburg, increasing his forces there to around 14,000. Unaware of this, Butler remained idle rather than threatening Richmond. Despite this, Beauregard remained badly outnumbered as Grants columns began arriving on the field increasing Union strength to over 50,000. Attacking late in the day with the XVIII, II, and IX Corps, Grants men slowly pushed the Confederates back. Fighting continued on 17th with the Confederates defending tenaciously and preventing a Union breakthrough. As the fighting raged, Beauregards engineers began building a new line of fortifications closer the city and Lee began marching to the fighting. Attacks on June 18 gained some ground but were halted at the new line with heavy losses. Unable to advance, the commander of the Army of the Potomac, Major General George G. Meade, ordered his troops to dig in opposite the Confederates. In four days of fighting, Union losses totaled 1,688 killed, 8,513 wounded, 1,185 missing or captured, while the Confederates lost around 200 killed, 2,900 wounded, 900 missing or captured Moving Against the Railroads Having been stopped by the Confederate defenses, Grant began making plans for severing the three open railroads leading into Petersburg. While one ran north to Richmond, the other two, the Weldon Petersburg and Southside, were open to attack. The closest, the Weldon, ran south to North Carolina and provided a connection to the open port of Wilmington. As a first step, Grant planned a large cavalry raid to attack both railroads, while ordering the II and VI Corps to march on the Weldon. Advancing with their men, Major Generals David Birney and Horatio Wright encountered Confederate troops on June 21. The next two days saw them fight the Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road which resulted in over 2,900 Union casualties and around 572 Confederate. An inconclusive engagement, it saw the Confederates retain possession of the railroad, but Union forces extend their siege lines. As Lees army was significantly smaller, any need lengthen his lines correspondingly weakened the whole. Wilson-Kautz Raid As Union forces were failing in their efforts to seize the Weldon Railroad, a cavalry force led by Brigadier Generals James H. Wilson and August Kautz circled south of Petersburg to strike at the railroads. Burning stock and tearing up around 60 miles of track, the raiders fought battles at Staunton River Bridge, Sappony Church, and Reams Station. In the wake of this last fight, they found themselves unable to breakthrough to return to the Union lines. As a result, the Wilson-Kautz raiders were forced to burn their wagons and destroy their guns before fleeing north. Returning to the Union lines on July 1, the raiders lost 1,445 men (approx. 25% of the command). A New Plan As Union forces operated against the railroads, efforts of a different sort were underway to break the deadlock in front of Petersburg. Among the units in the Union trenches was the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry of Major General Ambrose Burnsides IX Corps. Composed largely of former coal miners, the men of the 48th devised a plan for breaking through the Confederate lines. Observing that the closest Confederate fortification, Elliotts Salient, was a mere 400 feet from their position, the men of the 48th believed that a mine could be run from their lines under the enemy earthworks. Once complete, this mine could be packed with enough explosives to open a hole in the Confederate lines. The Battle of the Crater This idea was seized upon by their commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Henry Pleasants. A mining engineer by trade, Pleasants approached Burnside with the plan arguing that the explosion would take the Confederates by surprise and would allow Union troops to rush in to take the city. Approved by Grant and Burnside, planning moved forward and construction of the mine began. Anticipating the attack to occur on July 30, Grant ordered Major General Winfield S. Hancocks II Corps and two divisions of Major General Philip Sheridans Cavalry Corps north across the James to the Union position at Deep Bottom. From this position, they were to advance against Richmond with the goal of drawing Confederate troops away from Petersburg. If this was not practicable, then Hancock was to pin the Confederates while Sheridan raided around the city. Attacking on July 27 and 28, Hancock and Sheridan fought an inconclusive action but one which succeeded in pulling Confederate troops from Petersburg. Having achieved his objective, Grant suspended operations on the evening of July 28. At 4:45 AM on July 30, the charge in the mine was detonated killing at least 278 Confederate soldiers and creating a crater 170 feet long, 60-80 feet wide, and 30 feet deep. Advancing, the Union attack soon bogged down as last-minute changes to the plan and a rapid Confederate response doomed it to failure. By 1:00 PM the fighting in the area ended and Union forces suffered 3,793 killed, wounded, and captured, while the Confederates incurred around 1,500. For his part in the attacks failure, Burnside was sacked by Grant and command of IX Corps passed to Major General John G. Parke. The Fighting Continues While the two sides were fighting in the vicinity of Petersburg, Confederate forces under Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early were successfully campaigning in the Shenandoah Valley. Advancing from the valley, he won the Battle of Monocacy on July 9 and menaced Washington on July 11-12. Retreating, he burned Chambersburg, PA on July 30. Earlys actions forced Grant to send VI Corps to Washington to bolster its defenses. Concerned that Grant might move to crush Early, Lee shifted two divisions to Culpeper, VA where they would be in position to support either front. Mistakenly believing that this movement had greatly weakened the Richmond defenses, Grant ordered II and X Corps to attack again at Deep Bottom on August 14. In six days of fighting, little was achieved other than forcing Lee to further strengthen the Richmond defenses. To end the threat posed by Early, Sheridan was dispatched to the valley to head up Union operations. Closing the Weldon Railroad While the fighting was raging at Deep Bottom, Grant ordered Major General Gouverneur K. Warrens V Corps to advance against the Weldon Railroad. Moving out on August 18, they reached the railroad at Globe Tavern around 9:00 AM. Attacked by Confederate forces, Warrens men fought a back and forth battle for three days. When it ended, Warren had succeeded in holding a position astride the railroad and had linked his fortifications with the main Union line near the Jerusalem Plank Road. The Union victory forced Lees men to offload supplies from the railroad at Stony Creek and bring them to Petersburg by wagon via the Boydton Plank Road. Wishing to permanently damage the Weldon Railroad, Grant ordered Hancocks tired II Corps to Reams Station to destroy the tracks. Arriving on August 22 and 23, they effectively destroyed the railroad to within two miles of Reams Station. Seeing the Union presence as a threat to his line of retreat, Lee ordered Major General A.P. Hill south to defeat Hancock. Attacking on August 25, Hills men succeeded in forcing Hancock to retreat after a protracted fight. Through a tactical reverse, Grant was pleased with the operation as the railroad had been put out of commission leaving the Southside as the only track running into Petersburg. (Map). Fighting in the Fall On September 16, while Grant was absent meeting with Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley, Major General Wade Hampton led the Confederate cavalry on a successful raid against the Union rear. Dubbed the Beefsteak Raid, his men escaped with 2,486 head of cattle. Returning, Grant mounted another operation in later September intending to strike at both ends of Lees position. The first part saw Butlers Army of the James attack north of the James at Chaffins Farm on September 29-30. Though he had some initial success, he was soon contained by the Confederates. South of Petersburg, elements of V and IX Corps, supported by cavalry, successfully extended the Union line to the area of Peebles and Pegrams Farms by October 2. In an effort to relieve pressure north of the James, Lee attacked the Union positions there on October 7. The resulting Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads saw his men repulsed forcing him to fall back. Continuing his trend of striking both flanks simultaneously, Grant sent Butler forward again on October 27-28. Fighting the Battle of Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road, Butler faired no better than Lee earlier in the month. At the other end of the line, Hancock moved west with a mixed force in an attempt to cut the Boydton Plank Road. Though his men gained the road on October 27, subsequent Confederate counterattacks forced him to fall back. As a result, the road remained open for Lee throughout the winter (Map). The End Nears With the setback at Boydton Plank Road, fighting began to quiet as winter approached. The re-election of President Abraham Lincoln in November ensured that the war would be prosecuted to the end. On February 5, 1865, offensive operations resumed with Brigadier General David Greggs cavalry division moving out to strike Confederate supply trains on the Boydton Plank Road. To protect the raid, Warrens corps crossed Hatchers Run and established a blocking position on the Vaughan Road with elements of II Corps in support. Here they repulsed a Confederate attack late in the day. Following Greggs return the following day, Warren pushed up the road and was assaulted near Dabneys Mill. Though his advance was halted, Warren succeeded in further extending the Union line to Hatchers Run. Lees Last Gamble By early March 1865, over eight months in the trenches around Petersburg had begun to wreck Lees army. Plagued by disease, desertion, and a chronic lack of supplies, his force had dropped to around 50,000. Already outnumbered 2.5-to-1, he faced the daunting prospect of another 50,000 Union troops arriving as Sheridan concluded operations in the valley. Desperately needing to change the equation before Grant assaulted his lines, Lee asked Major General John B. Gordon to plan an attack on the Union lines with the goal of reaching Grants headquarters area at City Point. Gordon began preparations and at 4:15 AM on March 25, the lead elements began moving against Fort Stedman in the northern part of the Union line. Striking hard, they overwhelmed the defenders and soon had taken Fort Stedman as well as several nearby batteries opening a 1000-foot breach in the Union position. Responding to the crisis, Parke ordered Brigadier General John F. Hartranfts division to seal the gap. In tight fighting, Hartranfts men succeeded in isolating Gordons attack by 7:30 AM. Supported by a vast number of Union guns, they counterattacked and drove the Confederates back to their own lines. Suffering around 4,000 casualties, the failure of the Confederate effort at Fort Stedman effectively doomed Lees ability to hold the city. Five Forks Sensing Lee was weak, Grant ordered the newly returned Sheridan to attempt a move around the Confederate right flank to the west of Petersburg. To counter this move, Lee dispatched 9,200 men under Major General George Pickett to defend the vital crossroads of Five Forks and the Southside Railroad, with orders to hold them at all hazards. On March 31, Sheridans force encountered Picketts lines and moved to attack. After some initial confusion, Sheridans men routed the Confederates at the Battle of Five Forks, inflicting 2,950 casualties. Pickett, who was away at a shad bake when the fighting started, was relieved of his command by Lee. With the Southside Railroad cut, Lee lost his best line of retreat. The following morning, seeing no other options, Lee informed President Jefferson Davis that both Petersburg and Richmond must be evacuated (Map). The Fall of Petersburg This coincided with Grant ordering a massive offensive against the majority of the Confederate lines. Moving forward early on April 2, Parkes IX Corps struck Fort Mahone and the lines around the Jerusalem Plank Road. In bitter fighting, they overwhelmed the defenders and held on against strong counterattacks by Gordons men. To the south, Wrights VI Corps shattered the Boydton Line allowing Major General John Gibbons XXIV Corps to exploit the breach. Advancing, Gibbons men fought a protracted battle for Forts Gregg and Whitworth. Though they captured both, the delay allowed Lieutenant General James Longstreet to bring troops down from Richmond. To the west, Major General Andrew Humphreys, now commanding II Corps, broke through the Hatchers Run Line and pushed back Confederate forces under Major General Henry Heth. Though he was having success, he was ordered to advance on the city by Meade. Doing so, he left a division to deal with Heth. By late afternoon, Union forces had forced the Confederates into Petersburgs inner defenses but had worn themselves out in the process. That evening, as Grant planned a final assault for the following day, Lee began evacuating the city (Map). Aftermath Retreating west, Lee hoped to resupply and join with General Joseph Johnstons forces in North Carolina. As Confederate forces departed, Union troops entered both Petersburg and Richmond on April 3. Closely pursued by Grants forces, Lees army began to disintegrate. After a week of retreating, Lee finally met with Grant at Appomattox Court House and surrendered his army on April 9, 1865. Lees surrender effectively ended the Civil War in the East.