Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The Pursuit of Happyness Essay Example for Free

The Pursuit of Happyness Essay America is a land of great hope and opportunity, but with its many benefits, there are also flaws, such as a large homeless population. The Pursuit of Happyness is a movie based on a true story about a man named Chris Gardner, and his struggle to live a happy life. Jonathan Kozol’s essay, â€Å"The Homeless and Their Children† is about Laura and her struggle to maintain a good life for herself and her family. Will Smith, as Chris Gardner, in The Pursuit of Happyness is very similar to Laura from â€Å"The Homeless and Their Children† because they both are unable to provide for themselves or for their families, and do not have a stable place to live thus, supporting Kozols picture of homelessness. Both have different causes for being homeless, but share similar effects. Chris Gardner’s story starts in 1981, in San Francisco. He is a very smart and hard worker who deeply cares about his wife, Linda, and son, Christopher. Gardner takes a chance and invests his life savings into a device called a bone-density scanner. He goes around selling these from door to door. Soon the people stop buying it, due to it being expensive. This leaves Chris on his knees, with his wife leaving him and moving to New York, with very little money, and being kicked out of his apartment. His wife tries to take her son, but Gardner refuses. He then applies for a stockbroker position at Dean Witter, but in order to get that position he has to go through training for six months without pay. At the same time, the government takes what little money he has left in his bank account for his taxes. This makes him unable to pay for the rent, leaving him and his son homeless. From this point on, Gardner goes through numerous hardships such as sleeping in a bathroom, searching for a job day by day, and finding a way to feed himself and his son. Chris does not give up at all, but rather works even harder for that one and only position, which is also being pursued by nineteen other people. In one scene, he tells his son â€Å"Hey! Dont ever let somebody tell you You cant do something. Not even me. All right†? Chris finally gets the job, goes to his son, and embraces him. In â€Å"The Homeless and Their Children,† Jonathan Kozol visits the Martinique hotel and interviews one of the homeless families. He decides to call the mother Laura. She has four children and they face many difficulties. Her oldest son has been diagnosed with lead poison, and the youngest daughter with scabies. The hospital keeps sending letters to her, but due to her illiteracy, she is not able to read them, thus preventing her from helping her children. She also has many problems with her home. Her room’s radiator is broken, and the bathroom plumbing has overflowed. Laura has four rooms in her apartment and each is more dangerous than the other one. The screws are loose in the crib; the corners of the beds are sharp and unprotected. Just by being homeless, she has enough problems, but also being illiterate only adds more. Her apartment also has big rats that come out at night and bite sometimes. Laura has gotten into many arguments with the manager of the building and complained to him about fixing the problems â€Å"Why you give my son lead poison and you didn’t care?†(Kozol, p.308) of her apartment, but he just ignores her and says that she is causing trouble for him. On Christmas, her children complain that they did not get any presents, but Laura tells them you will get something soon. Laura faces many numbers of problems each day, but she does not give up. She says â€Å"I figure: Go to church. Pray God. Ask him to help. I go on, my knees, I ask Him from my heart†. (Kozol, p. 309). Chris Gardner and Laura are similar in that they have both made wrong decisions in their lives. Gardener invested in the bone density machine, Laura, being young, got drunk with a boy, and that lead to her having a child. Laura did not believe in abortion so she kept the child however; she should n ot have had any more children since she was not capable of taking care of them by herself. Gardner on the other hand had to only worry about his one son and his son become a motivation for him to exceed in life and be a good father. Another similarity is that both individuals tried to make things better for there families. Laura did her best to read and since she could not read, she tried to understand the pictures she saw in the newspapers, grocery store etc, to help better her life. Gardner was capable of reading but he had a changed in career even though he did not poses the right education for the job that he was going for, he taught himself many things and ended up getting the job. The cause of Gardners ending up homeless was a bad financial decision. The effect of his homelessness was that he was unable to find a suitable place to operate from. He had to bounce around from motels after motels and eventually homeless shelters, which made his life more difficult. Laura ends up being homeless because she never got a chance to be educated, and then she got married very early and had kids, and this became a burden for her. The cause and effect on the society are that people can appreciate the little things they take for granted just by imagining themselves in Laura’s situation, and learn how harsh a life of a homeless person is. The society can learn from this, and thus, choose to help people like Laura by volunteering. The effect of Gardner’s story is that his patience and perseverance became an inspiration to the society. The Pursuit of Happyness portrayal of a homeless person is very similar to Kozol’s portrayal of homelessness. They both are unable to support their families, Gardner cannot find a job, due to Laura’s illiteracy she is unable to reply to the hospital or the welfare department. In this situation for both characters, many things can be done to improve their lives. First of Laura should have done something to keep her childrens father around all the time. When a family supports each other, they are successful and are able to prosper through many hardships. In case of Mr. Gardner, he should have made his early decisions carefully and through consulting family members and other who might have knowledge in the product that he was investing in. These two stories are very similar but with very different endings. In the end, people should not blame problem on themselves or others, instead they should come together and find a solution.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Essay --

"Your father will be undergoing a triple bypass surgery. There a few minutes left before the procedure takes place and he is sent to the operating room." I could hear the doctor’s footsteps walking away rapidly. Was this real? I pinched myself to make sure of it. How could I be around the people I loved most yet feel so broken and alone? At that moment the strong scent of my father’s favorite Oscar De La Renta cologne was the only thing I could smell while holding his hand. Laying so lifeless, weak and in pain, my father looked at me while tears trickled down onto his soft cheeks. All night, the aroma followed me as a shadow everywhere I went. Starting to take in the smell, I slowly began enjoying it and the comfort it brought me. As I waited anxiously, I was preparing myself for the worse. Hours passed and nothing, just a silent hospital and a closed door with no sign of anyone. Yet, the only thing there in the air surrounding me was the scent of the cologne and it wou ld be for the next few hours, days and weeks of the emotional journey ahead of me. Being a first generation Amer...

Monday, January 13, 2020

Flakes designs

1 . Tom Blake was a creative and successful surf pioneer/designer, a creative legend in the history of the sport, who almost single-handedly transformed surfing from a primitive Polynesian curiosity into a 20th century lifestyle. In the process, he was responsible for preserving much of surfing's oral history as well as resurrecting the streamlined surfboards of ancient times. Tom created the first â€Å"hollow† surfboard. At 15 feet long, 19 inches wide and 4 inches thick, it weighed less than 100 pounds an ultra light board for its time. Blake patented his â€Å"Hawaiian Hollow Surfboard† in 1930, and soon almost all racing battledores were hollow.Not only did the hollow boards work well in the surf by staying a float and creating it easier to maneuver but they were the consummate lifesaving tools. Adopted on the mainland by the American Red Cross Life Saving Division, the Hawaiian Hollow Surfboard totally revolutionized water rescue techniques in the United States an d around the world. This wasn't enough for Tom Blake as he then went on to invent ‘surf photography now known and recognized as a common thing among many he bought a 4†³xx† camera from Duke Kinkajou, created a waterproof housing for it and photographed Whisky's surfers from his paddlers.Published in National Geographic in 1935. Flake's photos not only impressed and introduced a wider audience to the Joys of surfing but also inspired two young California surfers to take up cameras: John â€Å"Doc† Ball and Don James and both became legendary surf photographers. After this he then went on to give his surfing paddlers more directional stability, Blake created (and patented) a small, keel-like fin, although the importance of this invention wasn't really appreciated until the late ‘ass when Bob Simmons, Joe Quick and others began to use them.Blake also invented the sailing surfboard, a concept that presaged the windsurfer. Besides being a freethinking innova tor and champion waterman, Blake was a visionary surfer, himself a prototype for an emerging lifestyle. Flake's passion and enthusiasm as a surfer and designer shaped the fundamental steps of our surfing life as it is today, Blake was a highly successful designer in the world of the ocean and surf crafts. Without him surfing or other waterspouts such a kite surfing or paddle boarding wouldn't be the same today.In my opinion Flake's passion and love for the water has driver him to become the most successful and creative surf designer to this day and has changed the life of many ocean enthusiasts . Whilst tom was building surfboards and ocean designs in the sass's the technology he used was not all as snazzy as some you can get your hands on to date. In saying that too handcraft and design a surfboard the basic tools and techniques work best. As with my work, Tom Blake uses wood and materials to create his innovative idea's to do with and push him to strive in what he loves most and h as passion for, Surfing and the ocean.To experiment and test ideas and designs to maximize the surfboards ability. Tom struggled at first with the production of his designs as the technology he could access was not advanced to create these rodents fast and precise. A few of the basic tools tom used to craft his hollow surfboard A. K. A the â€Å"cigar box† was: The hand plane: The bow saw: In my school project, the wooden hand board. I am using all of the same tools as tom but some slightly advanced and less time consuming such as the saber saw or Jigsaw where the bow saw was used and an electric sander where some of the sanding was done by hand.Although to shape the board I am still using a hand plane, exactly the same as Blake had used in the production of his designs including the first â€Å"fin† the hollow surfboard AKA the â€Å"cigar box†. Blake had an extraordinary skill when it came to shaping anything and a saw of any type fit in his hand perfectly. To m had an unusual sense of creating ideas from his mind and carving it out of wood perfectly. This is what helped him thrive to create such innovative designs with low technology. Tom is an inspiration of many shapers, surfers and surf photographers to this day and will always be remembered as â€Å"the man who shaped the surfing world†.Flakes designs and models he made then went on to be factory produced as he sold the rights of the design off. The machine and technology then used to create these roads, waterproof housings for camera's etc. Was then at a much higher standard and used mostly computer based and high tech machines. 3. There are a huge variety of career opportunities for Blake as he offers such a high range of skill and creativity in the design world, tom has a ability to apply attention to detail also a very special skill of being able to create and design what he imagines.With toms variety of skills there are many careers and paths tom could have traveled into, things such as: Surfboard shaper -for tom this would be an underestimate of himself and his skill, UT he could easily pursue a life in shaping surfboards or surf crafts. For tom this was only a hobby side of his life to maximize the crafts for his passion of the ocean, and produce a new and improved surf craft so that everyone could enjoy the thrills of surfing and not have to carry a 200-pound board.Architecture- if tom would have liked to veer his life into a completely different outlook and way of living he would have been very successful in the architecture design as he has the ability to imagine and picture designs in his head and make them real, in architecture this is important. Tom's creativity would have successfully ordered him through things such as house design and building design. Not that tom would enjoy this, as it has nothing to do with his love of the ocean.Photography- although photography is not looked at as a very high classed career option as there are so many photographers in toms time (sass's) the idea of surf photography was pretty unknown and foreign, Toms ability to stand out from the crowd and think outside of the box would and DID help him to create a footprint in the surf photography world. The Idea of creating a waterproof housing for a camera so that he could take his Fussily camera given to him by his dad is Just the kind of innovative and different thinking photography needs!Builder- Tom being able to picture where things could go and where things could be improved and how they could be improved would drive him through and kind of building, have it be construction, furniture, houses, functional or aesthetic, tom would be successful again with his ability to see where things go and need improvements. Toms picturing mind is a key step to any construction and design/production Job. Tom was a very quite child as he had lost his mother to tuberculosis at a young age and his father had given him to distant relatives as he was coping bad with the other's death.Tom's quite persona lead to him writing down and recording most things he did. This was is important as Recording your work is an important key to the design world and without it its hard thrive in your area. Although Tom was quite he definitely spoke through his actions and designs! The nature of toms work was in many aspects impressive and enjoyable for tom as the satisfaction of being a part of the surfing world and remembered by everyone was what pushed tom. The passion of the surfing and the love of ocean were really shown through his work and designs.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Essay on The No Child Left Behind Act - 1440 Words

Initiated in 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 intended to prevent the academic failures of educational institutions and individual students, as well as bridge achievement gaps between students. This act supports the basic standards of education reform across America; desiring to improve the learning outcomes of America’s youth. No Child Left Behind has left many to criticize the outcomes of the Act itself. Questions have risen concerning the effectiveness of NCLB, as well as the implications to America’s youth. Thesis The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 should be revised to allow better accountability of student success, accountability of schools progress, and better flexibility for teachers. About â€Å"No Child Left†¦show more content†¦The problem here is simple; not all students can perform at the same academic level. To add, large scale standardized tests are the only source of understanding the academic achievements under NCLB, which are not an entirely accurate measure of a student’s performance. Additionally, the testing results are directly linked to awards or penalties of the school performance. Each state establishes their own standards, which must approved by the federal government if participating in NCLB. The tests are predominately multiple-choice style tests. The tests do not take in account their report card grades or significant individual achievements made by a student. For example, if a student is three levels below their reading grade, but increases their reading by two grades over the course of year, yet still below their current grade based on standardized testing, then that student will be categorized as a failing. It is argued th at large-scale standardized testing is creating inaccurate measurements of student progress bound by the single year focus of NCLB rules. It does account for following the student over the course of their elementary years for overall success. â€Å"Classroom-based measures of proficiency, such as research projects, classroom assessments, and homework assignments, also provide rich data regarding students’ academic progress (Cawthon, 2004).† The current Obama administration has indicated a planShow MoreRelatedNo Child Left Behind Act1621 Words   |  7 Pages The support for the No Child Left Behind Act plummeted down shortly after the act passed. Many people supported the act at first simply because they supported the goals of the act, once they saw the results, their opinions changed. One of the biggest arguments towards No Child Left Behind is that it is unfair. People believed the resources of difference schools were unequal, and thought the Title 1 funding that th e schools received should go to ensuring all schools had equal resources. Many peopleRead MoreThe No Child Left Behind Act1670 Words   |  7 Pages Literature Review: Every Student Succeeds Act Suzanne Hatton, BSW, LSW University of Kentucky-SW 630 Abstract This literature review seeks to explore the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015), a bipartisan reauthorization and revision to the No Child Left Behind Act (2002). The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the first law passed in fourteen years to address Reneeded changes to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Considered progressive and innovative at the time of itsRead MoreThe No Child Left Behind Act875 Words   |  4 PagesThe No Child Left Behind Act â€Å"NCLB† was a bill passed by the Senate in 2001 and signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002. It was a revision of the Elementary and Secondary Act â€Å"ESEA† of 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson. The NCLB was intended to help children in lower-income families achieve the same standard of education as children in higher income families. This was done by the federal government providing extra finances for Title I schools in exchange for a rise in academicRead MoreNo Child Left Behind Act1418 Wor ds   |  6 Pagessystematic oppression. The flowing water of oppression floods poor schools; drowning students with dreams, and giving no mercy. The only ones safe from the water are the privileged, who are oblivious to the fact that it exists. George Bush s No Child Left Behind Act, which passed in 2002, mandated annual standardized testing in math and reading. If schools received insufficient scores, they were punished or shut down. This fueled the construed concept that a school is only doing well if the students haveRead MoreThe No Child Left Behind Act Essay921 Words   |  4 Pagesuccessful at it. (Source 7) Next, the â€Å"No Child left behind Act† it was signed by President George W. Bush and it passed with bipartisan support on Jan. 8, 2002. This Act states that there will be mandated annual testing in the subject reading and math and science. In the grades 3-8 and 10th grade. It shows the Adequate Yearly Progress of each school in the system of the United States. (source 1) The biggest point of this Act is that no child is â€Å"trapped in a failing school† (source 1). That eachRead MoreThe No Child Left Behind Act2120 Words   |  9 PagesWhen President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) into law in 2002, the legislation had one goal-- to improve educational equity for all students in the United States by implementing standards for student achievement and school district and teacher performance. Before the No Child Left Behind Act, the program of study for most schools was developed and implemented by individual states and local communities†™ school boards. Proponents of the NCLB believed that lax oversightRead MoreThe No Child Left Behind Act1988 Words   |  8 PagesJanuary 8, 2002, George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law (also known as the NCLB). The No Child Left Behind Act was the latest reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, a federal education bill addressing the nation’s schools. At his signing ceremony, Bush stated, â€Å"There’s no greater challenge than to make sure that every child—and all of us on this stage mean every child, not just a few children—every single child, regardless of where they live, how they’reRead MoreThe No Child Left Behind Act1592 Words   |  7 PagesThe No Child Left Behind Act was the biggest educational step taken by president Bush and his administration. Its main goal included the increase of achievement in education and completely eliminate the gap between different racial and ethnic grou ps. Its strategies had a major focus on uplifting test scores in schools, hiring â€Å"highly qualified teachers† and deliver choices in education. Unluckily, the excessive demands of the law have not succeeded in achieving the goals that were set, and have causedRead MoreNo Child Left Behind Act1747 Words   |  7 PagesNo Child Left Behind Introduction The No Child Left Behind Act (NALB) was signed into law by the former President of the United States George Walker Bush on the 8th of January 2002. It was a congressional attempt to encourage student achievement through some reforms focused on elementary and secondary education programs in the United States. The NCLB requires that within a decade all students including those with disabilities to perform at a proficient level on their state academic evaluation testsRead MoreThe No Child Left Behind Act1124 Words   |  5 PagesChristian J. Green Dr. Shoulders NCLB and ESSA 28 February 2016 The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was authorized by and signed into law in 2002. NCLB was a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. NCLB was meant to hold schools to higher standards, enforce accountability, and close achievement gaps that had existed in education since ESEA was enacted. Nevertheless, the rigorous standards and goals set forth under NCLB were never attained. ESEA Flexibility could

Friday, December 27, 2019

Academic Skills For Health Science - 1272 Words

University of Western Sydney – The College Academic Skills for Health Science Research project – part A (a literature review) Student: MINH NHUT TRIEU Student ID: 18758072 Date submitted: 16/04/16 Word counts: 1012 Nowadays, College students have been recognized at risk for the development of anxiety. According to nursing (2006), ‘anxiety is natural reactions to threatening situations. Your body has a fight or flight reaction—your heart races, you breathe faster, you sweat, and your stomach and head may ache’. Therefore, UWS College has provided students with many useful services such as counselling service, disability service, international student service, workshops and programs. Inam, Saqib and Alam (2003) believed that students experience anxiety and depression because of many reasons. Firstly, this is because the high volume of techniques to be absorbed and the requirement of academic performance. For example, the negative impacts of stress on medical students contain the weakness of functioning in laboratory performance and clinical exercise, stress-induced disorders and reducing performance. To solve this problem, learners should seek the advice of school counsellors. A research indicated that students who have been panic from the examination failure can manage pressure by improving their feelings of self-control. They can enhance those skills by having appropriate learning strategies, suitable self-instructions as well as relaxation time. In thisShow MoreRelatedmission vision Essay1074 Words   |  5 Pageshave been a nurse in the acute care setting for over 9 years and due to the changes in health care I have decided to pursue my professional goal in the part of a Family nurse practitioner; which will allow me provide advance nursing care. In order to achieve this goal, I have to advance my education, and Walden University has the capacity to provide me with information and skills required to achieving my academic goal of graduating with a degree in Family nurse practitioner. Walden University visionRead MoreSTEM Studies1033 Words   |  5 Pagesoccupations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The subject matters for these occupations vary and include the following: social science, biological science, computer science, etc. General occupations in the STEM field include but aren’t limited to: practitioners, engineers, technicians, professors. Most careers in the STEM field require a bachelor’s degree as the minimum, but there are a few that accept a high school diploma or an associate’s degree (Landivar, 2013). Academic performanceRead MoreStatement of Purpose1037 Words   |  5 Pagesanalysis of cancer, a broad group of diseases that is a significant health problem in my country, Thailand. I hope that I may understand and identify causes of genetic diseases which contribute to making people in my country live happily and healthily. Toward such aspirations, I believe that a Master’s program in biology especially in cancer biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is bound to significantly enhance my academic level. My chosen program will enable me to fulfill my desire to expandRead MoreWinston Salem State University Is A Public Institution1553 Words   |  7 Pages and academic majors. Also, it is important to have academic support, understand the college’s demographic, and familiarize oneself with campus life. 2 Winston-Salem State University students can choose from more than 40 undergraduate majors to fit their strengths like computer science to sports, from visual arts, clinical lab science to elementary education and over 10 graduate programs for both masters and doctorate. Bachelor of Science degrees are offered in Clinical Laboratory Science, ExerciseRead MoreAcademic Statement Of Purpose Of The University s Health Services Organization And Policy972 Words   |  4 PagesAcademic Statement of Purpose Our department’s Health Services Organization and Policy (H.S.O.P.) Ph.D. Program looms large in my mind because I want a career in the research of operations research and decision science. Throughout my work and studies, I realized that we no longer live in a world where we can ignore the costs of treatment. I believe health economic evaluation and comparative effectiveness research can be the key to solving these problems. Obtaining my Ph.D. degree would a transformativeRead MoreQualities Of A True Leader1161 Words   |  5 Pages The concept of leadership has been widely discussed by academics worldwide and comprehensively defined in dictionaries and encyclopedias with multiple definitions and contexts. Scholars may study leadership from various perspectives, from a managerial standpoint, an in-depth philosophical analysis of the concept and even from the psychological aspect of the discipline. Since a very young age, I’ve had the opportunity to learn and being insp ired by multiple leaders, who provided me with a solid foundationRead MoreDescription Of A Nurse Anesthetist1291 Words   |  6 Pagesadminister and maintain anesthesia, oversee recovery, and follow up on patients. Being able to know how to correctly perform these duties is a requisite for supporting patients to health thus the need for high and vigorous education. In order to become a nurse anesthetist, CRNAs-to-be must earn their bachelor’s of science degree in nursing from an accredited nursing school. This typically takes four years. Then after obtaining this degree, graduates must gain their registered nursing license to workRead MoreBecoming A Medical Doctor While For Sciences861 Words   |  4 Pagesparticular occupation for which one is trained. As a teenager, I discovered that I have passion for helping people. When I got to college, I decided to pursue a career in one of the following fields; health sciences, sciences, and education. For health sciences, I chose t o become a medical doctor while for sciences, I chose to be an organic chemist and for education I decided to be a chemistry professor. Each of these careers is unique and has its educational requirements and targeted audience. With theRead MoreSt. Cloud University : A Public Higher Learning Institution989 Words   |  4 Pagesthe National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Every department boasts specialized accreditation. For example, all College of Science and Engineering teaching programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The School of Computing, Engineering and Environment’s Bachelor of Sciences in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering are accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and TechnologyRead MoreSensorimotor And Neurophysiological Basis Of Human Movement Studies1556 Words   |  7 Pagesan early career researcher in motor control (PhD completed 8 years ago). My work has been published in premier, peer-reviewed, international journals including the prestigious Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B (IF 5.68), Psychological Science (IF 4.54), Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception Performance (IF 2.4), Journal of Physiology (IF 5.03), Acta Physiologica (IF 4.38), Journal of Neurophysiology (IF 3.30), Psychophysiology (IF 2.98), and Neuroscience (IF 3.23). I have

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Relationships And Culture Of Early 19th Century America...

Long Essay: Relationships of Vulnerable Groups to the Identity and Culture of Early 19th-Century America and their Ramifications Back in the early 1800s, the United States of America had been a country associated with the promise of liberty, autonomy from tyrannical rule, and the unalienable rights specified in the formative Declaration of Independence - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As a consequence of the formation of the country and its promises, several diverse groups had flocked to the new world to enjoy new lives of prosperity, success, and guaranteed justice. Some of these groups, in particular, had been somewhat vulnerable during the time period, given the context of the simultaneous events, including various†¦show more content†¦In light of King George III’s tyrannical rule and consistent ignorance of colonists’ unalienable rights, the Americans had then decided that they would revamp such rule in favor of a libertarian nation separate from tyranny. Americans ubiquitously felt that they had become freer, although still not completely so, considering the pervasion of slavery, a major constriction of liberty and the rights of all citizens, as specified in the Declaration of Independence, to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In the nineteenth century, considerably after the Revolutionary War, the citizens began to set out to achieve their goals and fulfill their earnest passions and desires in the primes of their lifetimes. In this way, the movement of the collective American identity holds much in common with the European Enlightenment, whereupon the people had advanced their ways of life in aspects critical to prosperity and a generally positive bonding. It had not been solely the identity of the American people, but also their culture, which had related to the somewhat vulnerable groups of the time period. Post-Enlightenment, in the nineteenth century, the United States and its people had adapted t o the reform movements, developing a much higher-level, more advanced culture involved in such finer aspects of societal progress as literature, the numerous

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Retail Sectors Oil and Gas

Question: Demonstrate the ability to analyse the factors affecting the present size and structure of the current oil and gas retail sectors and the impact of the rising price of oil. Answer: Introduction: Petroleum industry plays a very important role in the proper functioning of the economy. The UK retail market of the petroleum industry has about more the 200 companies that are into production, distribution, refining and marketing of the products. The filling stations selling fuels are covered under the retail market aspect. A major shakeout has taken place in the retail sector in the past twenty-five years, and this has led to the reduction in the filling stations from 18000 to 8591 by the end of the year 2014. There is competitiveness among the retail firms who only concentrate on the large volumes in the sites having shops and modern facilities. Factors affecting the current structure of the uks retail industry: The factors that are seen to affect the UKs retail industry are grouped under four crucial areas. The information is collected from the consumers, competitors, suppliers and government who affects the petrol filling business. Needs of Consumers: Price and convenience are the two important factors that a consumer considers while choosing PFS. By convenience, we mean the nearest location to the consumers. It is seen that a few customers are willing to travel to get fuel at a cheaper rate. The situation of the customers will lead to the extent to which the factors can have an influence on them (Andrews and Gateley, 2015). With more PFS availability, the focus of the consumers is seen to move towards price. A location gets more crucial for the customers when there are lesser options of PFS during their time of driving. A market survey conducted in UK in 2012, where about 1000 consumers over the age of sixteen have more focus on the price now than they had in the previous year. A question was also asked on the conveniences of filling fuel. The percentages of people agreeing to the statement that they look out for the convenient location to shopping for fuel rather than shopping around for lesser priced fuels w as low in 2012 (Van Vactor, 2010). This shows that the consumers mainly think about the price of the fuel, and they can take a step to search for cheaper oils in their nearest locations. The result when surveyed varied in Wales, East Anglia and Britain (Evans, 2007). A survey on the motorist in Ireland was conducted by the Consumer Council where the result showed that the 82 percentages respondents changed their driving behaviour due to the fuel price increase. They also said that they are always searching for the best price in fuel. The consumers also consider the other privileges that are offered by the PFS. These benefits are shopping, loyalty card offering and car wash facility. Bond with the fuel suppliers: Fuel to the PFS retailers are supplied by the fuel suppliers who are independent and oil company supply divisions (Falola and Genova, 2005). The relation with the suppliers if fuel is important it shows what prices the PFS retailers pay for the petroleum products. The price is paid in terms of Platts Plus. This means a global yardstick of prices is published daily for the petroleum product that is quoted in the terms of the US dollars. The charges that are taken extra by the suppliers of fuel over the quoted price are described as the plus element. Competition Levels: The consumers are getting more sensitive to prices even though the customers hold d some brand loyalty. Price competition is generally affected by the following factors: 1. The time and distance that is needed to arrive at the alternative PFS. 2. The size and the number of the PFS in a particular geographical area. 3. The various companies that operate the PFS in a particular geographical area. The reason for the increase in the competitive prices is due to the growth of the hypermarket in the petroleum retail market of UK. This has led to a fierce competition among the owners of PFS with the ones who are operating the hypermarkets. The PFS owners they need to face the hypermarkets basis retail prices (Giannakidis et al., n.d.). This has led to the gross margins to reduce. The gross margins have reduced, which is a percentage of the retail price over the fifteen years for the dealers who are independent. Regulations and Government policies: The business of the PFS is also affected by the government regulation and policies. It also helps in the investment and behavioural needs. The drivers related to the government can be classified into fiscal drivers, standards of safety and environmental policies and regulation. The fiscal drivers are the taxes like fuel duty, rates in business and corporation taxes that affects the business of PFS. The business rates are assessed on a five-year basis by the Valuation Office Agency. The assessment by the VOA is based on the performance of the PFS The final prices of retails accounts for 60 percentages of VAT and fuel duty. impact of rising oil prices on uks retail petroleum industry: The global economic performance is significantly dependent on the prices of fuel. There is a shift in the terms of trade, and also there is a transfer of income from the oil importing country to the oil exporting country (Aderoju, 2015). Oil prices increase in also affected by the increase in the prices of gas. The macroeconomic influence is affected with the rise in the prices of oil. Due to higher earnings from exports the oil exporting nations are facing a rise in the real income (Powering the UK The role of the power and gas sector in the wider economy, 2015). There is a negative impact on the importing countries of oil with the oil price increase. To keep their local economy running, they need more energy supplies. The increased oil prices have led to the increase in the production. This also caused the product prices to increase (PwC, 2015). Inflation happens to make the consumers life tougher around the world. The emerging economies are affected severely due to flat wages and the accelerated rate of spending. The national statistics of UK has shown the factory gate prices of UK increased to the highest levels during November 2009 due high oil prices. During this year, inflation rose for the month of November to January and value added tax was at 17.5 percentages during the month of February (Haerens, 2010) . The Bank of England predicted that pressures of inflation would occur more promptly. To stimulate the growth of the economy, the government reduced the value added taxes by 15 percentages. The rise in oil prices led to decrease in the exports of oil by the UK retail petroleum sector. The first quarter of 2010 saw an increase in the prices of oil from 80 dollars to 90 dollars. The major recessions in the countries like United States, United Kingdom and Europe is mainly due to the rises in the crude oil prices (Maugeri, 2006). Potential of technological change in the recent decade: The oil industrys future depends on the perpetual technological improvement. The international oil industries are also not in a position to accept the new technology. The 3D seismic mapping was used by the Exxon Company in the year 1967 for the exploration process. This was extremely dependent on the power of computing and cost reduction outside the industry. The seismic surveys were seen as a common practice in the United States and the Gulf of Mexico (McCage, 2007). There was a dramatic improvement in the productivity due to horizontal drilling. This drilling process was only due to the controllable steering from the surface and technology in evaluating the characteristic of a reservoir during the time of drilling. This technology can be beneficial for increasing the production of petroleum fuel. The technology of fracturing has also played a remarkable effect. This can be a potential technology in the future. The fracturing technology has a long history. It was experimented first by Amoco on reservoir basis. The Barnett shale with the help of the government support initiated the fracturing via horizontal wells. The slow adoption of technology may also result due to risk aversion on applying it to large projects (Nakaya, 2006) . The other factors that lead to slow penetration of technology were depletion of fields, economics and management practices of reservoirs. Before the application of any technology, a proper research and development are required. The small companies are seen to have a more aggressive approach. This was clear with the Mitchell Energy role in the development of hydro racking in shale gas. The government of the country should support development and research on the exploration of oil and gas of United Kingdom. As new exploration remains unsuccessful with the diffusion of new technology the budget for research has also lessened (Oilandgasinnovation.com, 2015). The immediate effect of this was the increase in the oil prices. The leading oil companies established their centres of research linked to their core business in an area with technical specialities (OFFSHORE OIL GAS SECTOR STRATEGY, 2015). In case of venture investment, a fraction of it is devoted to energy technology and among this hydro carbon related technology accounts for a small portion. Some money is also spent on the minerals and mining industry for supporting it. The mineral company that comes in mind is the Simbol Materials that produces lithium. The petroleum retailers can install the Smart Pos systems developed by petro soft that was designed to make the process of transaction more efficient. The features include electronic journal, drawers for cash with a drawl; the data can be accessed and processed online in the system. There is also demo for the first time users of the system. The qwickserve software by Petro soft is an innovative hardware technology used in the food services industry. These systems are also used in the UKs retail petroleum industrys food division. This helps in accuracy and a worthwhile experience for the retailers and the customers. The features that the software holds are self-services ordering, management of menu and recipe, customization of a menu, reporting, etc. The benefits the retailer is going to have after the installation is customer empowerment, increased up selling opportunities, expanding promotional opportunities, reduces errors due to entry of data, data entry time is reduced, improved menu pricing accuracy and helps increase in inventory. The C- store office feature of Petro soft will help in the management of inventory of the multi-store and single retail operators. The future proofing f the oil industry: Preparation is to be made by the industry to face the critical and uncertainties of the industry. More the 66 percentages of the company are seen to benefit from the oil field pilots that are digital, the improved performance and cost reduced the benefit. The security of people, the physical data is already seen to realise. Effective leadership, a good culture of business and adopting the right technologies such as cloud and wireless is required to future proof the digital oilfield technologies. The risks can be mitigated with management of the complex big data (Oil and Gas UK -the voice of the offshore industry, 2015). The functions in the oilfield are seen to achieve rapid advancement through the digital technologies. The work forces are better connected with the wireless systems. More than 75 percentages of the company are using this technology (study-of-the-uk-petroleum-retail-market, 2015). The workers working isolated areas are given mobile devices that have location-enabled fe atures. There is a clear case of adoption of digital technology in the oil fields in the remote of places. The organization that has adopted technological changes has experienced reduction in costs, better management process and smoother flow of information. There may arise a further investment of 360 million dollar in technologies related to the oil fields in the coming years. This is indicated by the projections in the industry. Conclusion: The UKs oil retail industry is seen booming in recent times. Due to the uncertainties in the global prices of oil, the oil industry will have some effect. If the industries adopt technology, the exploration of oil and gas becomes more convenient and comfortable. The factors that are affecting the structure of the industry must be analyzed in detail. As the needs of the consumers affect the sale of fuel so their decisions are to be taken into consideration by the retailers. Government policies and the tax structure of the country can also have a significant effect on the exploration oil. References Aderoju, A. (2015). TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY: A CONSIDERATION OF THE NODAL SEISMIC SYSTEM. Hamburg: Anchor Academic Publishing. Andrews, M. and Gateley, J. (2015). 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