Hybrid Assistive Limb

Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL-5) 1. Introduction. People often suffer from various disorders related to their physical health, which also include disorders of the nervous, vascular and integumentary systems, muscular and neurologic diseases. Consequently, these violations probably affect the musculoskeletal system and complicate the daily lives of these people. However, with the daily development of science and technology, doctors and inventors are trying to create some kind of device that can make life easier for people with such disabilities. To date, some examples of these developments are already invented.One of these developments is a powered exoskeleton Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL-5). Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) is a full-body suit, which was designed to help people with degenerated muscles or spinal injuries or brain disorders. Now we are going to describe appearance, functions and main characteristics of this robotic device. 2. Data and producers. The wearable-type robot â€Å"R obot Suit HAL† was created in Japan, notably by Cyberdyne, Inc. This company was founded in 2004 to exploit the work of a group of cybernetics researchers headed by Yoshiyuki Sankai, a Professor of System and Information Engineering at Tsukuba University. 4] The study about Hybrid Assistive Limb was started by professor Sankai in 1992 and lasted until 1996. The result of this hard work was HAL-1 (fig. 1), first prototype of HAL series robots. The next robot which was built with cardinally other design is HAL-3 (fig. 2). It was invented in 1999 and had been used for 6 years. Final version of HAL robot, HAL-5 (fig. 3), was discovered in 2005 and still is being developed by professor Yoshiyuki Sankai in his laboratory at University of Tsukuba. Cyberdyne Inc. has been manufacturing and is currently distributing of the HAL-5 to the residences of Japan and Europe.Figure 1. HAL-1 robot, 1996 Figure 2. HAL-3 robot, 1999 3. Functions and applications of the system HAL-5 is expected to be applied in various fields such as rehabilitation support and physical training support in medical field. Also, it can be used in a range of another non-military uses, for example, in including allowing workers to carry heavier. [4] HAL-5 helps users lift up to about 40 kg more than they normally could. To be exact, a healthy adult male, wearing this suit, can lift approximately 80 kg, roughly double what he can without it.Hybrid Assistive Limb can multiply the overall original strength of the wearer by a factor of 2 to 10. The general concept of a HAL-5 robot is simple in general. The components HAL are very easy to construct, however, the complexity of the HAL occurs primarily in its programming and way of working. Professor Sankai says that â€Å"the suit detects faint biosignals on the surface of the skin when the human brain tries to move the exoskeleton†. When the Robot Suit detects these signals, it helps the user to move.HAL-5 can operate indoors and outdoors; altho ugh, it is strongly recommended to use this suit indoors until better batteries allow more prolonged use. One of the main advantages of this robot is the ability to change between two types of control: Cybernic Voluntary Control and Cybernic Autonomous Control. By using phase switching with the autonomous control function, the healthy function of a limb could be reproduced by the HAL. Based on this capability, it appears that the HAL would be effective for use in the rehabilitation of patients suffering from loss of nervous function in a limb. 4.System design The most visible part of the HAL-5 is the exoskeletal frame, which consists of a frame made of nickel molybdenum and an aluminum alloy. Moreover, it was strengthened by a plastic casing and the metal bars, which is strapped to the body and helps the user externally. The bars run along the lateral sides of the legs and arms. Additionally, there are several electric motors act as the HAL-5’s muscles, which have to provide powered assistance to the wearer’s limbs. Currently, the total weight of the Hybrid Assistive Limb suit is 23kg, but man, wearing this device, does not feel any weight.It happens because the suit can support its own weight. Also, HAL-5 has a small pouch attached to a belt on the suit that contains a computer, Controller Unit, which controls the suit and a Wi-Fi communications system. The bindings at the shoulders take the form of backpack-like straps to attach the battery and Controller Unit. The frame also has soles, which are used to help stabilize balance, at the ends of the leg bars to eliminate the need for the user to support the weight of the suit. All of these details you can see from fig. 3, and fig. 4. Fig. 3. and Fig. 4.System architecture with sensors, battery and Controller Unit 5. Sensors and actuation mechanisms On the side of the joint nearest the corpus, two sensors are placed upon the skin. One sensor is placed over the muscle group, which causes the limb to extend, and one on the surface of muscle group, which causes the limb to flex. Each sensor consists of two electrodes which measure potential difference between them as a function of the nerve impulses, which cause the contraction of muscle fibers. These sensors first filter and then amplify the signals of passing such kind of nerve impulses.Also, the suit is powered by both nickel-metal hydride and lithium battery packs. Full charge of this battery lasts approximately for 2 hours and 40 minutes, with both the upper and lower body parts in action. Cyberdyne Inc. has announced that one part of its research is focused on increasing this time to about 5 hours. HAL-5 Speficications: | Height | 1600mm| Weight | Full Body Type: 23kg | | Lower body: 15kg| Battery | Drive Charged battery ( AC100V)| Continuous operating time | Approximately 2 hours 40 minutes| Motions Daily Activities | Standing up from a chair| Walking| | Climbing up and down stairs| | Hold and lift heavy objects up to 80k g| Cybernic Control:| Cybernic Voluntary Control| | Cybernic Autonomous Control| Indoor and outdoor| ? | 6. Conclusion In conclusion we can consider that the wearable-type robot HAL-5 is a tool with enormous potential for improving quality of life. In addition, the HAL-5’s frame can incorporate recycled materials, which can include fiberglass, certain plastics, silicon, aluminum, and steel. Such materials can also be recoverable for recycling into other products.Improvements in battery efficiency and frame weight would reduce energy requirements, and in the case of outdoor use, energy requirements could be offset by solar cells on the frame. So, the program is currently being continuing and developing. Sankai says that one of his main aims is â€Å"to create technologies that are designed for the benefit of humankind rather than for destructive purposes. † For example, he refused offers from the U. S. Department of Defense in Washington DC and the government of South K orea to work on a robot for military use. This adds more confidence in the good intentions of professor Sankai.

Nurse Patient Communication

According to the article, â€Å"Nurse-Patient Communication Barriers in Iranian Nursing† (Anoosheh et al, 2009) communication is one of the basic social needs of human beings. This article is the description of a study done to better understand the barriers that inhibit nurse-patient communication. Communication is critical in the nursing profession and can be considered a main aspect of nursing care.Patients and families count on nurses to keep them informed, help them feel connected to their physicians and other caregivers, to listen to them, to ease their anxiety, and to protect and watch over them during their healthcare experience. However, many studies (Anoosheh et al. 2009) have shown poor results in the quality of nurse –patient communication. There is the risk that nurses can become focused on tasks, physiological needs of the patient and time management at the expense of psychological needs.I am a firm believer that the psychological aspect of human beings can directly influence our physical state. I agree with the statement in the article that communication can be, â€Å"an essential part of nursing care but also as a treatment by itself† (Anoosheh et al. 2009). As I give care in my nursing practice I can improve communication by confirming patient feelings by asking questions such as, â€Å"How are you feeling today? † or â€Å"How do you feel about your upcoming procedure? †.To help patients know what to expect I can explain what care I will be performing, how long it will take and what their role may be. Another aspect that is necessary for quality patient care is collaborating with the patient by asking questions like, â€Å"What can we do better? † and, â€Å"How is the treatment working? † These patient centered questions can get patients talking about their thoughts and feelings. With a positive nurse patient relationship, there can be patient and family satisfaction and an environment that supp orts healing.

#$2 Essays - Financial Statements, Free Essays

TITLE:Financial Accounting ICOURSE: AC 101 CREDITS:3PREREQUISITE: MA 010B or MA - 010PRE or COREQUISITE: BU 101 TEXTBOOK: Accounting Principles 12th Edition, Volume 1 Weygandt, Kimmel, Kieso SUGGESTED REFERENCE SOURCE:AC 101 LibGuide INSTRUCTOR:Name: Joe Aguero CPA E-mail: [emailprotected] No.: (732) 417-0800 ext 22121 Instructor Availability: Upon request Course Description: This course is an introduction to the basic principles of financial accounting including the accounting cycle, recording and posting transactions, adjusting and closing entries, financial statements, asset valuation, and depreciation. Course Outcomes/Objectives: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: Understand and implement the Accounting Cycle including the ability to: (a) Analyze and journalize transactions, (b) Post to ledger accounts, (c) Prepare a trial balance (d) Journalize and post adjusting entries, (e) Prepare an adjusted trial balance, (f) Prepare financial statements, (g) Journalize and post closing entries, (h) Prepare a post closing trial balance. Prepare a Bank Reconciliation and understand the concept of internal and cash controls to safeguard assets and enhance the accuracy and reliability of accounting records. Account for merchandise inventory and calculate the cost of inventory on hand at the Balance Sheet date and the cost of goods sold. Account for bad debt. Calculate and understand the reasoning for the different methods of depreciation. Understand the concepts related to payroll accounting Student Evaluation Criteria: Student assessment for achieving the above objectives will be as follows: Quizzes / Tests45 % (See Notes 1 1 Cumulative Final Exam35 % H.W. 5% Attendance5% Student Project10 % (See Note 3 below) This project is comprehensive and covers the entire accounting cycle, as described in Learning Outcome #1 above. Notes to Student Evaluation Criteria: No makeup exams are given. In addition to no makeups, there will be no dropping of the lowest grade, no extra credit and no curving of test grades. The student project will be announced after the completion of Chapter 4 and must be handed in by the assigned due date which will appear on the instructions for the project. The student will be given a reasonable amount of time to complete the project (usually 2 weeks). Any student not in attendance when the project is handed out will NOT receive additional time beyond the original due date. Any student project handed in late will have one (1) out of ten (10) points deducted for each late day, or portion thereof, including weekends and holidays, before the project is graded. For example, a student hands in the project 3 days late. In this case, the maximum grade the student can receive for the project is seven (7), assuming the project is perfect. If the project is assigned a grade of 50%, then the student will receive 3.5 out of 10 points toward the final grade (50% of 7). The entire project must be typewritten. Any project not type written or partially typewritten will receive an a utomatic grade of zero. You are expected to be present at the beginning of the class period and remain in the classroom for its duration. Lateness, walking in and out of the classroom during a class session for whatever reason, absences, cell phones ringing, and any other class disruptions will not help your final grade. You are expected to bring paper, pencil and a calculator to class. None will be provided. Eating food in the classroom is forbidden. Children are not permitted in the classroom at any time. Shut off electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops, etc., during class. NOTIFICATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you have a disability, and believe you need accommodations in this class, please contactHYPERLINK "http://pccc.edu/ods"Disability Servicesstaffat 973-684-6395, or emailHYPERLINK "mailto:[emailprotected]"[emailprotected], to make an appointment.You should do so as soon as possible at the start of each semester.If you require testing accommodations, you must remind me (the instructor) one week in advance of each test. More information @HYPERLINK "http://pccc.edu/ods" t "_blank"pccc.edu/ods. Course Contents: ChapterTopic 1Accounting in Action (Discussion) 2The Recording Process 3Adjusting the Accounts 4Completion of the Accounting Cycle 5Accounting for Merchandising Operations 6Inventories 8Internal Control and Cash 9Accounting for Receivables 10Plant Assets, Natural Resources, and Intangible Assets 11Current Liabilities and Payroll Accounting Grading System: A=100 93 A-= 92 89 B+= 88 86 B= 85 83 B-= 82 79 C+= 78 76 C= 75 70 D= 69 60 F=Below 60 Homework Assignment Textbook Chapter Exercises Problems: SET A1 E1-5, E1-7, E1-11, E1-14 P1-3A, P1- 4A 2 E2-2, E2-9, E2-10, E2-14 P2-1A, P2-2A 3 E3-6, E3-7,

Celebrity Influences Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Celebrity Influences - Case Study Example incorporating skills such as singing, advertisements are made attractive, impacting the minds of consumers; forcing them to choose that product over its competitors. Celebrity endorsed product gets the fan base of the superstar by default due to the fans love and loyalty to the celebrity. Moreover, Celebrity advertisements gain tremendous amount of PR coverage through all forms of media, further broadening the product market. Conversely, using celebrities, at times, can exacerbate the market for a product. Fame is ephemeral. A celebrity who loses fame is only as influential as any other hired actor for advertising. Furthermore, controversial celebrities affect the credibility of the product they advocate. Celebrity images that do not complement the product such as a tennis star in a wine advertisement instill a negative reaction from consumers. Moreover, frequently, celebrity advertisements aggrandize only the celebritys popularity, overshadowing the product itself. The Beatles, even today, are famous but nobody knows about the wine they once promoted. Pepsi has experimented with a number of celebrities for its marketing. More often than not, it has suffered from tarnished celebrity images and inappropriate choices such as that of Madonna, Michael Jackson and Spears. However, it has also had successful marketing through celebrities such as Tendulkar. While celebrities do grab consumers psychologically, it is eventually the quality of the product that determines the market. Consumers today are aware of marketing tactics such as celebrity endorsements and so put emphasis on product quality. Hence, for an old brand like Pepsi, with a well established market, advertisements with celebrities are not

HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY - Essay Example 1. The lymphocytes are the most affected with Joe’s T-cell count at less than 2% of total lymphocytes, B-cells at less than 1% of total lymphocytes, and natural killer cells at 90% of total lymphocytes, whereas the normal reading should be T-cells 60-80%, B-cells 15-25%, and natural killer cells at 10-20%of total lymphocyte count. 3. No. Joe will not have normal levels of anti-bodies, as it is the B-cells that are responsible for secretion of anti-bodies, and their less than normal levels in the blood means that anti-bodies will also be on the lower side. 4. The low levels of B-cells lower the availability of anti-bodies, and the low levels of T-cells reduce the ability to fight viruses. This weakened immune system of Joe makes him susceptible to bacterial infections. 2. Other children above the age of twelve will not develop SCID. Children younger than twelve still have chances to develop SCID.. By the time any child attains the age of twelve the immune system of the body is fully developed and functional. Severe combine Immunodeficiency will demonstrate itself before the full development of the immune system. For the same reason children below the age of twelve still carry the risk of demonstrating SCID.

Business Law - solution of the specific case Essay

Business Law - solution of the specific case - Essay Example Joey suffered injuries while working in Monica's restaurant. When an employee works in an establishment it is the duty and responsibility of the owner to provide necessary safety measures to the employees. If an employee sustains any injuries while carrying out the work for the employer, the employer has got the responsibility to bear the cost of hospitalization of the injured employee and has to pay compensation in monetary or otherwise, if the question arises. As such Joey is entitled to have the above benefits. She can claim for the benefits under Worker's Compensation Insurance, because it was the duty of Monica to put her under the insurance coverage. Joey can also seek legal remedies as per The Fair Work laws, which gives her the minimum entitlements of benefits of an employee in terms of Rachel is a courier, trading under her 'own registered business name'. She is totally an independent contractor and is not a paid employee of Monica. Though she acts as a courier of Monica, she lacks the status of an employee of Monica. So Monica must consider Rachel as an independent contractor. The issue is similar to the case of: AMP Society v Allen and Chaplin (1978) 52 ALJR 407. If Monica considers Rachel as a part-time employee, she has to treat her in that status and has the responsibility to bring her under the provisions of The Fair Work Laws, and also she has to adhere to the terms and conditions of Award. And if Monica thinks that Rachel is an independent contractor, she does not have any such financial liabilities or responsibilities on Rachel. Monica has no need to worry over the conditions stipulated as per The Fair Work laws which entitle an employee to have the minimum award of pay and other conditions. 3 Qn. 2. Monica v. Phoebe Issues: Phoebe was an employee of Monica. She was engaged as chef on a contract basis. There was a written contract between them, and according to the contract, if Phoebe ceases to work under Monica, then Phoebe should not work in any hospitality industry anywhere within Adelaide for 6 months. But Phoebe violated the terms and conditions of the agreement, and joined another restaurant less than 1 km away from Monica's restaurant. Moreover, she has utilized the information obtained from her work at Monica's restaurant and used that information in the form of book of recipes, and earned monetary benefits out of it, to which Monica has also got some rights. Whether the profits of the book go to charity or others is not relevant here. What matters is that Phoebe has made a criminal (cheating) as well as a civil offence. Her actions caused pecuniary loss to Monica and damaged her business prospects. Conclusion: As such Monica can approach the Court for legal remedies and claim damages against Phoebe. 4 Qn. 3 Award and Enterprise Agreement 3. Describe and discuss the differences between an award and an enterprise agreement. Award: (http://www.youngpeopleatwork.nsw.gov.au). Award is a legal document which defines the minimal preconditions under which an employee is being employed. It addresses issues like wages, sick leave, holidays, overtime and it also sometimes sets out the basic prerequisites like maternity leave. It is the duty of the employers to follow the conditions of the

Project Outline Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project Outline - Assignment Example h and Development unit of the Property Development Department of the Government (PDDG) is working on a program called the Seismic Zone Residential Construction Improvement Program. PDDG is working to assess the effectiveness of the boxes of a particular dimension used in the foundation of buildings. For successful accomplishment of project objectives, the project team would follow a linear project management life cycle as highlighted by Wysocki (2009). In this context, project management team would interview the stakeholders and review the scope of work to identify in detail their requirements and product specifications to come up with comprehensively planned schedule and cost for client’s approval. The required number of the resources would be shared between the project and department. In this case, functional managers would be responsible for directing the required resources to the project for completion of tasks. PMBOK (2008) defines WBS as a deliverable oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work executed by the project team to achieve end project objectives and create the required deliverables. Major project deliverables are represented by upper level of WBS that are further decomposed logically until the first level is no more decomposable. Lowest level of the project WBS is called work packages which contains most of the planned work and activities required to be executed and monitored. Figure below shows the WBS for the project. The purpose of the schedule management plan is to measure the project progress during different phases. In this regard, baselines are identified and established in early parts of the project against which appropriate data is collected and measurements are taken (Mulcahy 2011). It also provides guidelines on project time estimation processes making estimates faster and accurate. During the project execution, schedule management plan is used to determine if the deviation or variance is above the allowable threshold and

Causes of Structural Failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Causes of Structural Failure - Essay Example FitzSimons names "four horsemen of engineering apocalypse" or the factors which causes structural failures: ignorance, incompetence, negligence, and avarice (Carper 10). It should be noted that almost all the aforementioned factors solely attribute failures to engineers. In this regard, it is extremely important to clarify that human errors strongly contribute to the possibility and occurrence of structural failures. Oftentimes engineers make choices which can bring harm and inefficiency in the long run. 3. Design errors involve discrepancy in "concept, lack of redundancy, failure to consider a load or combination of loads, connection details, calculation errors, misuse of computer software, detailing problems including selection of incompatible materials or assemblies which are not constructable, and failure to consider maintenance requirements and durability, and inadequate or inconsistent specification or quality of work;" Any or combination of the aforementioned factors always leads to structural failures. Take, for instance, the failure of hydroelectric project. Investigation may often conclude that this problem arise because of different factors. The failure might involve mechanical and electrical problems, couple with operational errors, design concept deficiencies, and structural errors.

W6 OM Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

W6 OM Discussion - Essay Example Several modern day project managers associate themselves with six core concepts and processes of project management. These are initiating, planning and design, executing, monitoring and controlling, closing, and project controlling and project control systems (Meredith and Shafer, 2014). These systematic processes are in place to ensure that from the beginning to the end of a project, there are critical considerations for the roles that each stakeholder can play as a way of ensuring that the project becomes integrated and well coordinated to accomplish its desired goals. There are a number of projects across the globe that are perfect examples of the utilization of the core concepts of project management and how successfully these turned out to be. The HM Revenue and Custom’s (HMRC’s) Enterprise Release (ER) project is a perfect example of how project management was employed as a means of implementing IT services in a manner that was described to be in accordance with critical timescales and having very minimal disruptions to the business and public service (The Stationery Office, 2012). Even though there were challenges along the project, using the five major processes namely initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and closing ensured that all of such challenges were overcome in due time. The Stationery Office (2012). Managing successful change: IT service transformation at HMRC. Accessed 17th April, 2014 from

Review of Patient Safety Standards for Hospitals by Joint Commision on Healthcare Essay Example for Free

Review of Patient Safety Standards for Hospitals by Joint Commision on Healthcare Essay The safety goals outlined for hospitals are intended to stimulate greater awareness of the elements of vulnerability or risk associated between patient and worker. Ultimately, patient safety, worker health and safe practice methods can have a positive influence on saving lives, reducing risk and controlling costs. The goals attempt to outline a uniform standard. When adopted by a health care organization, a successful culture of safety that benefits everyone has an opportunity to develop. The following are the Commission’s patient safety goals with respect to hospitals. The first goal is to improve the accuracy of patient identification. Patients are given the wrong medications, taken to the wrong surgical rooms, and specimens get contaminated or mixed up. To address this issue and achieve improved accuracy, implementation of two patient identifiers attempts to reduce these errors. First, the patient should be identified reliably by their name, telephone number or other number that is person specific. The second is to verify that the treatment matches the patient. The verification of the identifiers should be done with two individuals checking the same patient or having one person identify the patient, with a second verification assisted by the addition of a technology item, like a barcode. The second goal is to improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers. Each clinical aspect of healthcare utilizes a different vocabulary. A patient may be seeing a psychiatrist, a physical therapist and a cardiologist at the same time. While each profession has a foundation of science that is designed help them communicate in a uniform manner, each clinical area will have specific language and understanding that may not translate from one specialty or discipline to another. Critical results of tests and diagnostics that are outside the normal range and indicate a life threatening situation must be communicated. Reports must be delivered and critical results given on a timely basis so the patient can be treated as soon as possible. Third, is the goal to improve the safety of using medication. Medications that are not labeled properly or medications that are similar in name or packaging can obviously lead to a 1 deadly consequence. Suggested ways to achieve this goal is to make sure all medications, and containers are labeled correctly. Some of the specific suggestions to achieve this safety goal are to adopt the use of oral unit-dose products, prefilled syringes, or premixed infusion bags when these products are available. The fourth goal is to reduce the risk of health care-associated infections. Many people are in fear of going to a hospital. They may feel at risk of getting a communicable disease. And while that is a possibility, few are aware that they may experience infections directly associated with the delivery of the medical service or treatment. The simplest and most obvious way to protect the patient from infection is to feverishly adhere to the Centers for Disease Control or World Health Organizations guidelines for hand washing. The late physician and scientist Ignaz Semmelweis would be astonished to see this method universally adopted. Although, with as much science that has since validated his pioneering work, he could be annoyed to see a lack of compliance, considering the volumes of evidence published which supports his early theory. Patients are acquiring hospital based infections at an alarming rate, according to an NBC news story which was based on data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. And a brief review of the CDC report from 2011 on rates of infections clearly shows a link between number of days in the hospital and acquired infections. The longer a patient is in the setting, the more likely it is that the patient is at risk. The likelihood of risk depends on the kind of treatment the patient receives. Risk assessment tools are essential to understanding which staff, providers, or independent practitioners need to be educated to understand the types of infections and their origins as they relate to their practice area. The families and patients must likewise be educated to understand the risks, complications and microbial hazards that are inherent to the treatment or service they are receiving. Finally, goal fifteen is for the hospital to identify safety risks inherent in its patient population. This goal is a contributing factor to why Patient Safety Coordinators and certifications to become one are becoming more popular. Particularly, the goal speaks to the population that is at risk for suicide. While this goal is stated to apply only to psychiatric hospitals and patients being treated for emotional or behavioral issues, most all hospitals have at least a small population that could fit into this category. While not every hospital has a psychiatric floor, or even a psychiatrist on call, patients that appear or make a statement that they fear harming others or themselves may be detained temporarily at the discretion of the medical staff. The terms and length varies from state to state. Georgia’s law, O. C. G. A. Â § 37-3-41 allows basically for a forty-eight hour detainment period. But, that can be extended indefinitely if the treating physician deems it necessary and appropriate based on their examination.

Survey On Different Energy Harvesting Methods

Survey On Different Energy Harvesting Methods Mubashir Hussain, Sami-Ur-Rehman Khan Telecommunication Engineering Dept FEST, Iqra University Main Campus Karachi, Pakistan Abstract This paper serves as a survey on energy harvesting from different sources and their methods presented after a brief literature review of different technical papers available in the public domain. The Process of extracting energy from our surroundings is known as energy harvesting. The energy harvesting got its origins from the water wheels and windmills. Energy can be scavenged from sources around us like, light, water, wind, heat, radio waves, mechanical vibrations etc. In the present age we need more reliable, low cost and efficient power sources for our systems. The new systems require less energy and give out great output similarly the sources are supposed to be more efficient and effective, in this paper we have presented that how the energy which is presently wasted around us due to radiations, friction or reflection can be scavenged to make them useful of our everyday use. Keywords: Energy Harvesting Networks, Different Energy Harvesting Sources, Methods for Energy Harvesting Introduction Conventional batteries are not always beneficial as they require human involvement for replacing batteries. Hence, require electrical power to make these devices functional. Therefore, consideration of alternate type of energy source to traditional batteries is required. The electrical power is required to operate these devices can be obtained by converting the light, mechanical or thermal energies available in the ambient environment. This conversion of energy available in ambient environment can produce unlimited energy for the lifetime of the electronic device. This process of extracting energy from the ambient environment and converting them into consumable electric energy is known as Energy Harvesting. Typical energies available in ambient environment are mechanical energy, solar energy, RF energy and thermal energy. Since, it is proven to be an efficient alternative to give lifelong electrical power to electronic devices, there is an increasingly volume carried out on energy ha rvesting, these days [1-10, 22-28]. Energy harvesting sources can be utilized to maximize the ability and lifetime of the devices by augmenting the usage of battery [18-20]. Electrical devices switched on by energy harvesters can be utilized to give important information on structural and operational circumstances through positioning them in unapproachable whereabouts [21]. Different Sources Used for Energy Harvesting The categorization of energy harvesting can be done on the basis of the types of energy being used to harvest energy, available in ambient environment, into electrical energy. The different yet widely used sources for energy harvesting are photovoltaic cells, thermoelectric generators, wind turbines, and mechanical vibration devices such as electromagnetic devices and piezoelectric devices [11]. Table I highlights some of the energy harvesting sources with their power generation capability [12]. Table I: Energy Harvesting Sources [12] Mechanical Vibration When a device vibrates, an inertial mass can be utilized to generate movement. This vibrational movement can then be converted into electrical energy using 3 mechanisms including piezoelectric, electrostatic and electromagnetic. Energy used here is mechanical energy. Electrostatic Energy Harvesting This type of energy harvesting mainly depends on the varying capacitance of vibration-dependent varactors (variable capacitors). Vibration causes the separation between plates of an initially charged varactor, which causes mechanical energy to be converted in electrical energy. Electrostatic generators are simple mechanical devices that produce electricity by using manual or mechanical power [13]. Roundy, et al. [31] define the categorization of the electrostatic generators into three main classes namely: in-plane, in-plane gap closing and out-of-plane gap closing, and overlap. The different electrostatic generators under the three distinguished classes are debated in various papers. Piezoelectric Materials These are the materials that convert mechanical energy, produced by applying force, pressure or vibrations, into electrical energy. These materials are able to generate electrical charge when mechanical load is applied on them. This property of piezoelectric materials is considered by the researchers to develop various piezoelectric harvesters in order to power different applications [14, 15]. The very first example of extracting electrical energy from piezoelectric materials is from the collision of leaving steel ball bearing on piezoelectric transducer [29]. 3.3 Electromagnetic Energy Harvesting Electromagnetic energy harvesting can be attained by principles of electromagnetic induction. Electromagnetic induction can be described as the method of generating voltages in an electric conductor by varying the magnetic field around it. One of the most effective ways of producing electromagnetic induction for energy harvesting is with the help of permanent magnets, a coil and a resonating cantilever beam [8]. Electromagnetic induction gives the benefit of better mechanical damping and reliability as there will not be any mechanical intercourse between any parts; therefore, no distinct voltage source is needed [30]. Photovoltaic Cells Photovoltaic cells are the devices that transform light energy into electrical energy. The form of energy harnessed is typically light energy usually received from sunlight. Usage of photovoltaic cells would be effective and efficient at places where the availability of light is guaranteed and usage of batteries and other means of power supply are not feasible or expensive. While designing sources which harvest solar energy, constituents such as accessibility of day light, periods of smoggy cloud and snow cover, effects of operation at higher latitudes, functionalities of the photovoltaic cell used, the strength of the incident light, power supply needs are to be considered [9, 16]. Thermoelectric Generators Thermoelectric generators work on the principle of thermoelectricity to generate the required electrical energy. The phenomena of generating electric current with a temperature difference and vice-versa can be named as thermoelectricity. The thermal energy here is harvested to get electrical energy to power-up electronic devices. These devices are mostly used in space and terrestrial applications. Solid-state thermoelectric generators are considered to have long life, low maintenance and high reliability. However, their usage is limited because of their low energy conversion efficiency and high costs [17]. Microwaves Energy Harvesting Recently, researchers have designed a device that is converting the lost microwaves, generated from Wi-Fi, into electrical energy. The lost microwaves are converted into electrical energy using metamaterials. Metamaterials Literature Review As we know that in today’s world, energy crisis is one of the biggest issues as the demand of energy is increasing day by day and the supply is not enough to facilitate everyone. In such shortfall of energy supply and high demand for consumption, energy harvesting is truly a magnificent approach to bridge the gap between supply and demand. Using energy harvesting networks, we can harvest the ambient energy available in surrounding such as light, heat, electromagnetic and mechanical energy and can convert them into useful energy. Though, the amount of energy being produced by energy harvesting network is low, however, it can still be used to power small and portable electronic devices including our cellular phones –one of the most important devices used for communicating, all around the world. As the researchers are doing extensive research in this field to discover new techniques to produce more and more energy from energy harvesting networks, it seems that, in coming w orld, energy harvesters would be fulfilling more than 50% of our energy requirements. The rapid demand of energy harvesting modules can be observed by the given graph over certain period of time. Key Findings Due to rapidly increasing demand of energy, it is observed that the traditional energy producing networks are not efficient enough to facilitate everyone and people are now looking for alternatives to overcome the shortfall of energy. When it comes to find alternatives of traditional energy-producing networks, energy harvesting networks are on top of the list. Energy harvesting networks are the most efficient yet low cost energy producing devices that harvest the energy available in environment and convert them into electrical energy to power up electrical devices. Previously, solar energy and mechanical energy were two of the main and only known sources that were being used to generate energy. However, after the continuous hard work and research in this field, researchers have introduced such energy harvesting networks that can harvest electromagnetic waves, as well as radio waves into electrical energy to produce energy. The recent Wi-Fi energy harvesting network developed by the s tudents of Duke University, England, can produce electrical energy up to 3.7 volts that is equivalent to the average electrical energy produced by USB –we use to charge our gadgets. Therefore, it can be said that energy harvesting networks are the only best alternatives to traditional energy producing networks to overcome the shortfall of the energy in today’s and upcoming world. Open Areas Recently, researchers have designed a device that is converting the lost microwaves, generated from Wi-Fi, into electrical energy. The lost microwaves are converted into electrical energy using metamaterials. Metamaterials are composite materials having a structure that exhibits such properties that cannot be found, usually, in natural materials, especially the property of having negative refractive index. Metamaterials are capable to capture different forms of wave’s energy and tune them into useful applications. There is no doubt at all that energy harvesting of electromagnetic and other radio waves is the future of energy harvesting networks as they are most commonly founded waves in our today’s tech-world environment –as our communication is mainly done via electromagnetic and radio waves and it would be keep going in future too. So, the Electromagnetic energy harvesting networks would be helping the people, in coming world, to power up their devices for free, anywhere, anytime, wirelessly. Conclusion Harvesting energy from the ambient environment is being considered as a valuable alternate to replace the existing power supplies for energy constraint embedded systems. Especially, the latest research done on energy harvesting of microwaves, radiated from Wi-Fi mainly, has enlightened a new hope among the researchers to identify such energy harvesting methods that can raise the amount of power generated using the power harvesters. These methods would be going to assist in placing the energy harvesters as one of the best power sources for portable power devices in the field of wireless technology. References [1] Amirtharajah R and Chandrakasan A P, â€Å"Self-powered low power signal processing,† IEEE Symposium, VLSI Circuits, Digest of Technical Papers, 1997, pp 25–26. [2] Amirtharajah R and Chandrakasan A P, â€Å"Self-powered signal processing using vibration-based power generation,† IEEE Journal of Solid-Stage Circuits, v 33 n 5, May 1998, pp 687–695. [3] Arakawa Y, Suzuki Y and Kasagi N, â€Å"Micro seismic power generator using electrets polymer film,† Power MEMS Conference, Kyoto, Japan, 2004, pp 187–190. [4] Atwood B, Warneke B and Pister K S J, â€Å"Preliminary circuits for Smart Dust,† Proceedings of Southwest Symposium, Mixed-Signal Design, 2000, pp. 87–92. [5] Cavallier B, Nouira H, Foltete E, Hirsinger L and Ballandras S, â€Å"Energy storage capacity of vibrating structure: application to a shock system,† Proceedings of Symposium on Design, Test, Integration and Packaging of MEMS/ MOEMS DTIP0, Montreux, Switzerland, 2005, pp 391–393. [6] Bayrashev A, Robbins W P and Ziaie B, â€Å"Low frequency wireless powering of micro-systems using piezoelectric magnetostrictive laminate composites,† Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 2004, v 114, pp 244-249. [7] Beeby S P, Tudor M J, Koukharenko E, White N M, O’Donnell T, Saha C, Kulkarni S and Roy S, â€Å"Micromachined silicon generator for harvesting power from vibration,† Proceedings of Transducers, Seoul, Korea, 2005, pp 780–783. [8] Beeby S P, Tudor M J and White N M, â€Å"Energy harvesting vibration sources for Microsystems applications,† Journal of Measurement Science and Technology, 2006, v 17, pp 175-195. [9] Callaway, Jr and Edgar H, Wireless Sensor Networks, Boca Raton, Florida: Auerbach Publications, CRC Press LLC, 2004. [10] Cavallier B, Berthelot P, Nouira H, Foltà ªte E, Hirsinger L and Ballandras S, â€Å"Energy harvesting using vibrating structures excited by shock,† IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, 2005. [11] Park G, Farrar C R, Todd M D, Hodgkiss W and Rosing T, â€Å"Energy Harvesting for Structural Health Monitoring Sensor Networks,† Technical Report, Los Alamos National Laboratories, LA, February 2007. [12] Atwood B, Warneke B and Pister K S J, â€Å"Smart Dust mote forerunners,† Proceedings of 14th Annual International Conference on Microelectromechanical Sytsems, 2001, pp 357–360. [13] Peano F and Tambosso T, â€Å"Design and optimisation of a MEMS electrets-based capacitive energy scavenger,† Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, 2005, v 14, pp 435–529. [14] White N M, Glynne-Jones P and Beeby S, â€Å"A novel thick-film piezoelectric micro-generator,† Smart Material Structures, August 2001, v 10, pp 850–852. [15] Williams C B and Yates R B, â€Å"Analysis of a micro-electric generator for microsystems,† in Proceedings of Solid-State Sensors and Actuator and in Eurosensors IX. Transducers, 1995, v 1, pp 369–372. [16] Raghunathan V, Kansal A, Hsu J, Friedman J and Srivastava M, â€Å"Design Considerations for Solar Energy Harvesting Wireless Embedded Systems,† Fourth IEEE/ACM International Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks, April 2005. [17] Fleurial J P, Snyder G J, Herman J A, Smart M, and Shakkottai P, Giauque P H and Nicolet M A, â€Å"Miniaturized thermoelectric power sources,† Intersorie Energy Conversion [18] Kansal A and Srivastava M B, â€Å"An Environmental Energy harvesting framework for Sensor Networks,† Proceedings of International Symposium on Low Power Electronics and Design (ISLPED ’03). ACM Press, 2003, pp 481-486. [19] Kansal A, Potter D and Srivastava M B, â€Å"Performance Aware asking for Environmentally Powered Sensor Networks,† Proceedings on the Measurement and Modeling of Computer Systems in Joint International Conference, ACM Press, 2004, pp. 223–234. [20] Kansal A and Srivastava M B, â€Å"Distributed Energy Harvesting for Energy Neutral Sensor Networks,† IEEE Pervasive Computing, v 4, January-March 2005. [21] Park G, Farrar C R, Todd M D, Hodgkiss W and Rosing T, â€Å"Energy Harvesting for Structural Health Monitoring Sensor Networks,† Technical Report, Los Alamos National Laboratories, LA, February 2007. [22] Sodano H A, Inman D J, and Park G., â€Å"A Review of Power Harvesting from Vibration Using Piezoelectric Materials,† The Shock and Vibration Digest, 2004, v 36, pp. 197–205. [23] Sodano H A, Inman D J and Park G, â€Å"Comparison of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Devices for Recharging Batteries,† Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures. 2005, v 16, pp 799-807. [24] Sodano H A, Simmers G E, Dereux R, and Inman D J, â€Å"Recharging Batteries using Energy Harvested from Thermal Gradients,† Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, January 1, 2007, v 18, pp 3 10. [25] Sterken T, Baert K, Puers R and Borghs S â€Å"Power extraction from ambient vibration,† Proceedings of 3rd Workshop on Semiconductor Sensors and Actuators, November 2002, pp 680–683. [26] Sterken T, Fiorini P, Baert K, Borghs G and Puers R, â€Å"Novel design and fabrication of a MEMS electrostatic vibration scavenger,† Power MEMS Conference, Kyoto, Japan, 2004, pp 18–21. [27] Staley M E and Flatau A B, â€Å"Characterization of energy harvesting potential of Terfenol-D and Galfenol,† Proceedings of SPIE, 2005, pp 630-640. [28] Tashiro R, Kabei N, Katayama K, Tsuboi F and Tsuchiya K, â€Å"Development of an electrostatic generator for a cardiac pacemaker that harnesses the ventricular wall motion,† Journal on Artifcial Organs, 2002, pp 239–245. [29] Umeda M, Nakamura K and Ueha S, â€Å"Analysis of the transformation of mechanical impact energy to electric energy using piezoelectric vibrator,† Japan, Journal of Applied Physics, 1996, v 35, pp 3267–3273. [30] Roundy S J, â€Å"Energy Scavenging for Wireless Sensor Nodes with a Focus on Vibration to Electricity Conversion,† Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2003. [31] Roundy S, Wright P and Pister K, â€Å"Micro-electrostatic vibration-to-electricity converters,† Proceedings, IMECE, 2002, pp 1–10.

A Woman Pouring Milk Essay -- Visual Arts Paintings Art

A Woman Pouring Milk In Ways of Seeing by John Berger, the way we have been taught to observe, learn and analyze art is criticized. Berger describes static images are an appearance that has been taken out of context, out of its original time and setting. He states that any image encompasses a way of seeing. The way we see a specific image is based on perspective. A piece of art can be interpreted in various ways; it is relative to every person. Throughout the text, Berger illustrates the different types of arts. Each one is a perfect example of the phrase â€Å"Use your own interpretation.† If looked at closely, one gets different ideas and understandings than others of the same image. Another way that paintings are interpreted or misinterpreted is through reproductions. Reproducing original pieces of art has been a large controversy as well, even a â€Å"political issue,† which is discussed by Berger. Berger places a painting by Vermeer in his book, but does not offer an explanation on the painting. He does this so we ask ourselves about the painting. The painting, â€Å"A Woman Pouring Milk†, is a simple, self-explanatory image, yet simultaneously symbolizes much more. Most of Vermeer’s work involves women performing daily chores. In his stated painting, we see how the woman is focusing intently on pouring the milk. She does not look at the artist painting her, she does not look around the room as if bored, but staring at the task. The woman is using all her eff... A Woman Pouring Milk Essay -- Visual Arts Paintings Art A Woman Pouring Milk In Ways of Seeing by John Berger, the way we have been taught to observe, learn and analyze art is criticized. Berger describes static images are an appearance that has been taken out of context, out of its original time and setting. He states that any image encompasses a way of seeing. The way we see a specific image is based on perspective. A piece of art can be interpreted in various ways; it is relative to every person. Throughout the text, Berger illustrates the different types of arts. Each one is a perfect example of the phrase â€Å"Use your own interpretation.† If looked at closely, one gets different ideas and understandings than others of the same image. Another way that paintings are interpreted or misinterpreted is through reproductions. Reproducing original pieces of art has been a large controversy as well, even a â€Å"political issue,† which is discussed by Berger. Berger places a painting by Vermeer in his book, but does not offer an explanation on the painting. He does this so we ask ourselves about the painting. The painting, â€Å"A Woman Pouring Milk†, is a simple, self-explanatory image, yet simultaneously symbolizes much more. Most of Vermeer’s work involves women performing daily chores. In his stated painting, we see how the woman is focusing intently on pouring the milk. She does not look at the artist painting her, she does not look around the room as if bored, but staring at the task. The woman is using all her eff...

Sacred Scripture :: essays research papers

The term 'Scripture' refers to the sacred writing of the Old and New Testament. Sacred Scripture are the books which 'contain the truth of God?s revelation and were composed by human authors inspired by the Holy Spirit' (CCC 105). Sacred Scripture is one of the several names denoting the inspired writings which make up the Old and New Testament. The words of the Sacred Scriptures, 'for their part proclaim the works and bring light to the mystery they contain'. The term 'Tradition' refers to the living transmission of the Gospel in the Church. ?The oral preaching of the Apostles, and the written message of salvation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are conserved and handed on as a deposit of faith through the apostolic succession in the Church? (CCC 77-78). Sacred or apostolic tradition consists of the teachings that the apostles passed on orally through their preaching. These teachings overlap with those contained in Scripture, but the mode of their transmission is different. However, Tradition generally refers to Christian teachings and practices outside of the Bible that are handed down from generation to generation. Sacred Scripture and Tradition consist of similar teachings, but these teachings are transmitted in different ways, Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit (CCC 81) while, Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit (CCC 81) Scripture and Tradition are related in Catholic Theology. They are connected to one another, ?Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single deposit of the Word of God? (CCC 97). ?Both the living Tradition and the written Scripture have their common source in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ? (CCC 75-82). Catholics view Scripture and Tradition as two sources of revelation. Revelation is the way in which God reveals his divine plan to all mankind, it is ?God?s communication of himself, by which he makes known the mystery of his divine plan? (CCC 50). God reveals himself through Sacred Scripture and Catholic Tradition. God revealed himself most fully through the Son (The Word), Jesus Christ, and there will be no further Revelation after him. However, through Scripture and Tradition, the mystery of God has been passed down through the ages.

Hypocrites Essay -- Plagiarism Research Essays

Hypocrites In the beginning stages of this research paper, I had no clue what to write regarding the topic of plagiarism. I began my first paragraph in class just as everyone else did. Yet, I could not help but feel that this essay was going to be immensely boring if I were to continue writing on the act of plagiarism itself. My paper demanded the extra spark that would capture my audience in order to make them feel privileged to read my astounding research paper. So I became determined to start my research before my introduction paragraph. I knew so little about plagiarism that I had to start researching immediately. I was undeniably bored when I began a fun search and stumbled upon multiple articles of preachers and pastors who have been accused or even charged with stealing other pastors sermons. Sometimes, the thieves went as far as cutting and pasting the sermon or article directly to their own sermons. Now, borrowing or stealing has been on every persons thoughts ever since written language came into existence Plagiarism has been present in our history for numerous years. However, plagiarism had not been a vast issue among many people until the human race decided to claim copyrights of their own ideas. I am sure, however, that someone else probably thought the exact same idea before that person or at the same time s/he did, but did not get the opportunity to copyright the idea. The pursuance of ones ideas has become a mad rush to claim the idea on paper and send it to a copyright/patent office as soon as possible. The process of stealing ones ideas goes as far back as written language and then even farther. Peter W. Morgan, owner of The Idler: A Web Periodical, wrote, even before the development of written langu... ... Capeloto, Alexa. Rectors ethics are questioned. Detroit Free Press 01 March 2002 http://www.freep.com/news/ locoak/church1_20020301.htm(01 Dec. 2003) Mattingly, Terry. Plagiarism and the pulpit. Terry Mattingly on Religion http://tmatt.gospelcom.net/ column/2003/06/25/(01 Dec. 2003) Reynolds, Glenn H., Peter W. Morgan. Chapter Five: A Plague of Originality The Idler: A Web Periodical: 23 Jan. 2002. http://www.the-idler.com/ (01 Dec. 2003) Smith, Peter. Plagiarism in the pulpit not new, but Internet makes it easier to do, and catch. The Courier-Journal 21 July 2002. http://www.courierjournal.com/localnews/2002/07/21/ke072102s245442.htm (01 Dec. 2003) The Student Bible, New International Version. Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996. Twister. Dir. Jan de Bont. Per. Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures, 1996.

Consumer Behavior Research Project

| |Consumer Behavior Research Project 2011 | | |[pic] | |6-12-2011 |Engaging in environmental responsibility increases the profitability of a company. | | | | Consumer Behavior Research Project 2011 Engaging in environmental responsibility increases the profitability of a company. INTRODUCTION More and more people are becoming aware of the importance of taking care of our environment. Almost everybody has heard about environmental problems (likely) caused by human consumption. In order to stop the constant decline in natural resources and the excessive demand of consumers, things need to change. Business has to change their philosophies into a focus on not harming human and ecosystems (Hofstra, 2011). But in our ‘free market economy’ companies need to be able to make a profit or at least break-even from a change, before they will embrace it. That is why this research papers answers the question: Can a company increase their profitability by engaging in environmental responsibility? To answer this question, the following problem statement was formulated: Engaging in environmental responsibility increases the profitability of a company. Two sub questions need to be answered first: 1. Do consumers want eco-friendly products? 2. Do customers act upon their environmental believes? 3. Is there empirical evidence of increased profits by engaging in environmental responsibility? The first two sub questions are questions that must be answered positively for the hypothesis to hold. Without consumers willing to purchase products from environmentally responsible companies, there is no way that companies can make extra profit from engaging in environmental responsibility. Although a positive answer on the first two questions is a condition for the hypothesis to hold, it is still no conclusive evidence that engaging in environmental responsibility will increase profits. For conclusive evidence empirical proof is needed, which will be provided in the third sub question. The expectation is that engaging in environmental responsibility will increase the profitability of a company. Methodology of the research The first two sub-questions will be answered by examining the results of the provided questionnaire (among 24 respondents by e-mail). Several statistical tests will be used to determine the significance of outcomes and the relationship between several variables. In order to research the third sub-question of the research project, to test whether firms make more profits when they engage in an environmental responsibility, a literature study will be provided to review studies that look at the market value of firms. Due to the limited amount of time and resources for this research project, the use of existing science and literature is required to give a useful insight into the problem statement. These sources will provide an overview of the profitability of firms that are engaged in environmental responsibility. Theoretical background Our research considers 2 backgrounds. First, to research consumers, that is, the demand for environmentally responsible produced products, the assumption is made that consumers are aware of the impact consuming has on the environment. Recent years, media has reported frequently about environmental changes induced by mass consumptions and its corresponding mass production. Furthermore, more products use labels to signify they are produced in an eco-friendly manner. Also companies actively try to build their ‘green’ image with marketing. Therefore this research assumes that people are aware of harming the environment by consuming. For the supply side of our research, the standard economic theory (SET) is used. One of the aspects of this theory states that firms are profit-maximizing. Firms will only involve in certain activities such as environmentally responsible producing, when it pay-offs in terms of profits. When it does not improve a firm’s profit, it will abandon it. According to SET, when this research shows that environmentally responsible producing results in larger profits, firms will adopt it. Research findings Do consumers prefer environmentally responsible produced products? Are consumers aware of environmental problems? The first four questions of the survey correspond with this question. But before the data from the survey can be used for analysis, an internal consistency reliability analysis is necessary. Such an analysis will tell us whether or not the data is useful and reliable. Reliability is important, because in the absence of reliability it is impossible to have any validity associated with the scores of a scale. Conducting and interpreting the internal consistency reliability analysis can be done through Cronbach's alpha. The following questions in the survey correspond with whether or not the respondent thinks the environment is important: -Q1: An increasing amount of consumers recognizes the relevance of taking care about â€Å"mother earth† considering the design, production and disposing of the purchased products. Do you agree or disagree? -Q2: What is your opinion about the statement? â€Å"Caring about the flora (vegetation) is important† -Q3: What is your opinion about the statement? â€Å"Caring about the fauna (animals) is important† Q7A: Do you consider yourself as a person who is striving to be a more ‘eco-friendly’ consumer? Higher values of Cronbach’s alpha are more desirable. As a rule of thumb a lot of professionals require a reliability of 0. 70 or higher before using an instrument (See Appendix, Figure 1). Using SPSS an alpha value of 0. 878 is obtained, which is considered very high (See Appendix, Figure 2). This means the test results are internally consistent and reliable. The data needs to be normally distributed to use a parametric test; otherwise we will have to use the non-parametric test. Both the Kolmogorov-Smirnov as the Shapiro-Wilk test of normality, tells us the data (Q1,2,3,7A) is not normally distributed (See Appendix, Figure 3). A good non-parametric test is the ‘one sample chi square test’. To use this test the data needs to be simplified to agree and disagree. Running the chi square test on the first three questions, results in a significant positive outcome for all three questions (See Appendix, Figure 4). Looking at the percentages of people that responded positively, it’s very clear in general a significant majority of people care about the environment (Q1: 75%, Q2: 95,8% Q3: 87,5%). Also 95. 8% of the respondents indicated that they are aware of environmental problems caused by human consumption. (See Appendix, Figure 5) When asking respondent’s why they think taking care of the environment is important, a common answer is ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Biodiversity’. In short: The vast majority of people is aware of environmental problems and thinks taking care of the environment is important because of ‘sustainability’ and ‘biodiversity’. Are consumers convinced buying products from environmentally responsible companies will offer a solution for environmental problems? Questions 6A and 6B are both questions indicating that the consumer believes buying products from environmentally responsible companies will have benefits for the environment, if answered positively. A ‘one sample chi square test’ on both of these questions tell us that a significant majority answered these questions positively (See Appendix, Figure 6). This means that consumers think that companies need to pay attention to the environmental impact of their activities. The industry and the shop chains have to change their methods of production and selling of the products. By looking at the way people answered the questions, one can say that consumers almost demand companies to be environmentally responsible. Not only do they want companies to meet the legal requirements (with regard to the environment), but they want companies to really examine and optimize their production process in order to minimize the use of energy, pollution and waste. From our research it is very clear that consumers are aware of environmental problems and want to do something about it. They also believe that the environment will benefit from companies that produce and sell products in an environmentally responsible manner. This is why they are not only willing to buy products from environmentally responsible companies, but are almost demanding companies to be environmentally responsible. Do consumers act upon their environmental believes? In the previous question, we have found that consumers prefer environmentally responsible produced products. However this does not necessarily have to mean that consumers act upon this. First of all we have to know if consumers belief that they (the consumers) are responsible for making a chance and buy eco-friendly products. This is what Q6C asked our respondents. The result of the ‘one sample chi square test’ is that a significant majority of the respondents think that consumers are responsible to make a change in purchasing ‘eco-friendly’ products (See Appendix, Figure 6). So now we know that not only do people believe companies should produce in an environmental responsible manner, but that they also believe consumers are responsible to buy the products of those companies. As it is common knowledge that people don’t always do what they think others should do, let’s take this research a step further and take a look at how the individuals themselves behave. Question 7A answers this perfectly, by asking: â€Å"Do you consider yourself as a person who is striving to be a more ‘eco-friendly’ consumer? † This time a ‘one sample chi square test’ tells us nothing, because there is no significant majority of people who agree or disagree. The ‘one sample chi square test’ is therefore not of use this time. A ‘Related-Samples Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test’ is useful in this case; this test measures the differences between the answers on question 6C and 7A and then tests if the media between them equals zero (not significant). The result of this test is a rejection of the null hypothesis (H = 0 ? Median of differences between Q6C and Q7A equals zero. ). A closer look at the results tells us that people don’t do what they think others should do (See Appendix, Figure 7). This result is very interesting, and in laymen’s terms means that a majority of the people claims that ‘consumers are responsible to make a change in purchasing ‘eco-friendly’ products’ but do not ‘consider themself as a person who is striving to be a more ‘eco-friendly’ consumer’. To make matters worse the same test between Q6A and Q7B also leads to a rejection of the null hypothesis (See Appendix, Figure 8). Meaning that a majority of the people think consumers are responsible to purchase ‘eco-friendly’ products, but not purchase them themselves or talk about environmental issues with friends. What do these findings mean for the answer on the question if people act upon their environmental believes? Even though our results are not directly in favor of a positive answer on this question, we can make some nuances. Because when looking at the descriptive statistics and frequencies we can obtain that still 37. 5% of the consumers strives to be a more ‘eco-friendly’ consumer (vs. 29,2% not & 33,3% don’t know). (See Appendix, Figure 9). In short, not all consumers how see the importance of ‘eco-friendly’ products, act upon this. Sometimes they do not act upon it, even if they believe consumers are responsible for making chances and buying eco-friendly products. But there are still a lot of people who do act upon it and strive to be more ‘eco-friendly’ consumers. Now we have a positive answer on the first two sub-questions, the conditions for the hypotheses to hold are met. There is demand for products from environmentally responsible companies. However, this is still no conclusive evidence that engaging in environmental responsibility will increase profits. For that, some empirical proof is needed. Is there empirical evidence of increased profits by engaging in environmental responsibility? In order to give a reliable conclusion about the third question of our problem statement, Is there empirical evidence of increased profits by engaging in environmental responsibility? , already existing literature was used. But before something meaningful can be said about increased profits, the term environmental responsibility(ER) and also increased profits itself need to be defined. In the literature studied, the ISO14000 standard was used to signify ER. The use of this standard, or certificate, is to[1] . Recognize and manage the environmental impact of a firm’s activities, products and services. 2. Give the firm support to constantly improve their impact on the environment. 3. Give a firm the methods to set environmental goals and methods how to achieve these goals. Among these methods to reach these environmental goals are management sys tems that take into account the environment and also the use of product labels. Beside the certificate for ER, increased profits also needs to be defined. This can be done by looking at the market value of a firm. The market value of a firm represents the book value plus expected future earnings[2]. The book value consists of all assets on the balance sheet of the firm[3]. An increase in the market value of a firm will show that a firm has become more worth, because its assets have increased in value, for example its current assets has risen. Another possible increase in market value is by a change in expected future profits. For instance, the disclosure of forecasted profits by the board of the firm can increase market value. What does the empirical evidence reveals about environmental responsible firms? The study that was used compares the market value of 156 Egyptian firms over 3 years, between 2003 and 2005. Of the examined firms, 84 of them did have an ISO14000 certificate; the other 72 firms did not have a certificate. Next, the research looks at the contribution of such an ISO14000 certificate, the dependent variable, to the market value, the independent variable. Being environmental responsible as a firm, has a positive and significant impact on the market value[4]. Thereby, the research concludes that the firms, who do have the ISO14000 certificate, have increased their market value. In other words, the research found that applying ER to your firm is positively reflected in your market value and, on average, does not lower your market value. 5] Discusion Survey The first obvious shortcoming of the survey is the low number of respondents (24). With such a low number of respondents, statistical test are not very reliable. Most of the respondents fell into the same age group, meaning that the survey is not a good representation of the population. Also a lot of respondents were irritate d by the large amount of open questions, which could lead to rushed answers. Literature Study Now we have seen that the practice of ER is profitable, we will look at the shortcomings of this research and its results. The first downside of the research, from a company's perspective, is the fact that we do not know by how much ER is profitable. Indeed, the goal of the firm is to maximize shareholders value as much as possible, mainly in order to attract new and reward current shareholders. However, we do not know to what extent engaging in ER is more (or less) beneficial in comparison to firms that do not produce with the environment in mind. Firms will only engage massively in ER when it will maximize shareholders value more than when they do not apply ER to their firm. This research does not provide conclusive results on this topic. Another downside of the research is that it only focuses on Egyptian firms. A study that takes firms of other countries into consideration will provide a better conclusion. Although Egypt has a free market economy, a research conducted in the West with positive results regarding to profits due to engaging in ER, will inspire Western firms more than the same outcomes in Egypt. Furthermore, the small period the research evaluates, 3 years, is subject to market fluctuations. It could be that the general stock market, where the market value of a firm is based upon, improved during these examined 3 years. On to other hand, the environmental business is changing constantly. A research that examines a period longer than 3 years needs to account for increased legislation regarding waste and pollution, which would increase the difficulty of the research. Lastly, we also face the limitation of why firm profits increase by involving in ER. Having concluded that engaging in ER is profitable is step 1, why engaging in ER is profitable, is the next step. Is it because firms that practice ER are selling more? Do these firms sell more because they can sell their products for a lower price? Or do they sell more because customers or businesses who purchase these products or services perceive more value because these creations are produced responsibly? Or do profit increase because firms have smaller expenses to produce the same amount of products or services? Are those lower expenses the result of economies of scope or economies of scale? All those questions are beyond the scope of this research should be answered with future research. Conclusions This research tried to answer the question whether or not engaging in environmental responsibility can increase the profits of a company. After finding that consumers really prefer environmentally responsible produced products in the first sub-question, the second sub-question asked if they also act upon this. The answer was somewhat interesting because a lot of respondents believed the consumer is responsible for eco-friendly consuming, but at the same time didn’t strive to be ‘eco-friendly’ consumers themselves. Nevertheless a lot of consumers do strive to be ‘eco-friendly’ customer. It is beyond the scope of the research to look at the reasons don’t do what they want other to do, but is interesting for further research. After concluding there is a demand for environmentally responsible produced products, the research continued by looking at empirical proof for supply these environmentally responsible produced products. Knowing those consumers are willing to buy, there is possibility for firms to supply these environmentally responsible produced products. However, firms will only produce and provide these products when this is more profitable than their current supply. In order to determine whether it actually pays off for a firm to provide environmentally responsible produced products, a literature study looked at this. The literature study provided empirical proof that firms engaging in environmental responsibility have an increase in profit or market value. This conclusion is somewhat positive because there is a positive relation between producing environmentally responsible produced products and the market value of a firm. However, the literature study did not give insight into whether applying environmental responsibility to a firm outperforms firms that do not practice environmental responsibility. This leaves room for future research to examine to what extent engaging in environmental responsibility is beneficial for a firm’s profits. References Books Frank, Robert H. 2008. Microeconomics and Behavior. Europe: McGraw-Hill Education. Blackwell, Roger D. , Miniard, Paul W. , Engel, James F. 2006. Consumer behavior. Mason: Thomson/South-Western. Papers Wahba, H. 2008. â€Å"Does the market value corporate environmental responsibility? An empirical examination,† Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 15: 89–99. Appendix Figure 1 |Cronbach's alpha |Internal consistency | |? ? . |Excellent | |. 9 ; ? ? . 8 |Good | |. 8 ; ? ? . 7 |Acceptable | |. 7 ; ? ? . 6 |Questionable | |. ; ? ? . 5 |Poor | |. 5 ; ? |Unacceptable | Figure 2 |Reliability Statistics | |Cronbach's Alpha |Cronbach's Alpha Based|N of Items | | |on Standardized Items | | |. 878 |. 889 |4 | Figure 3 Tests of Normality | | |Kolmogorov-Smirnova |Shapiro-Wilk | | | Figure 4 |Test Statistics | | |Q1 |Q2 |Q3 | |Chi-Square |10. 714a |20. 167b |18. 182c | |df |1 |1 |1 | |Asymp. Sig. |. 001 |. 000 |. 000 | | | Figure 5 Q1 | | |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |Valid | | |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |Valid | | |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |Valid | | |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |Valid | | |Q6A |Q6C | |Chi-Square |14,727a |11,842b | |df |1 |1 | |Asymp. Sig. |,000 |,001 | | | Figure 7 [pic] Figure 8 [pic] Figure 9 [pic] ———————– [1] http://www. iso. org/iso/iso_14000_essentials [2] http://www. investopedia. com/terms/m/marketvalue. asp#axzz1fUqMwWqQ [3] [pic]()*+,-. 78S†¹ Z? oaIA oA†? n[AH

Literary Criticism Quotes and Explanation Essay

â€Å"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. † -Gene Fowler Fowler conveys that writing is a difficult, exacting task. The purpose of writing is to put our thoughts into words, and to make our words move our readers. Many writers are frustrated by their inability to put their thoughts onto paper. I have always had a difficult time writing. I find that I have good ideas, but that putting my thoughts into words is challenging. I find this problem in all kinds of writing, even projects I enjoyed like a short story we wrote in the 7th grade. I enjoy reading science fiction; it is the most interesting to me. I have always had a hard time picturing what I am reading in my head, but science fiction is easier to visualize. I dislike non-fiction the most because I find it uninteresting. â€Å"Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars. † -G. Flaubert Flaubert’s message is that human speech is imperfect and inelegant. Many people strive to speak fluently but aspects of their speech like word choice and grammar are imprecise. One way to express yourself when words do not work is body language. For example, if somebody doesn’t understand that you are trying to be sarcastic you can use body language to convey your message. You can also express yourself through art, like paintings or music. Some people also try to express themselves through the way that they dress. One advantage to using these methods is that you do not have to say anything but people can simply interpret your message. This can also act as a disadvantage because they might interpret it the wrong way.

Myth of sisyphus

How was the text borrowed from other texts, and with what effects? How has he borrowed from other texts and to what effects? Introduction: Thesis: Campus has borrowed philosophical ideas from other writers which has influenced his interpretation for the existence of an individual mostly described within his works with The Myth of Sisyphus as well as his other well known novels. Prominent in Europe in the 19th and 20th century Existentialism is defined by the slogan Existence precedes Essence.This meaner: We have no predetermined nature or essence that controls what we are, what we do, or hat is valuable for us. We are radically free to act independently of determination by outside influences. We create our own human nature through these free choices. We also create our values through these choices. Paragraph 1: Transition statement: These prominent ideas have been analyzed in various texts to specifically Justify a philosopher's interpretation for the life of an individual. This part icular theme can be seen Through the comparison between Myth of Sisyphus and Dostoevsky works.Though they both believe in the existence of an individual that the society rejects and hat is the existentialist, there are many other instances which makes these two philosophers unique from one another. The Possessed (sometimes translated as The Devils). KRILL Campus says that this suicide, however, is not an act of despair, but a creative act in which Krill hopes, in a sense, to â€Å"become God. † His suicide is essentially an attempt to sacrifice himself and to show the world the absurd freedom that we all have, so that those that follow him might be able to live more freely.Though Dostoevsky wrestled with absurd themes, he ultimately placed his faith in God. In this sense, Campus concludes, he is more of an existentialist than an absurdist. Campus was able to Justify his thinking of suicide and his strong held belief in a life without a god. Paragraph 2: Transition Statement: Focusing on the ideas of faith and the genuine happiness gained from acceptance of it, The Myth of Sisyphus explores it with connection to the story of Oedipus.In accepting their fate, Sisyphus and Oedipus have abandoned hope, and so their fate does not seem horrible to them. On the contrary, they have finally found the only genuine happiness. Oedipus becomes a tragic figure only when he becomes aware that he has killed his father and married his mother. He also remarks that both Sisyphus and Oedipus are ultimately happy, that they â€Å"conclude that all is well. † Sisyphus: He knows that he will struggle forever and he knows that this struggle will get him nowhere.This awareness is precisely the same awareness that an absurd man has in this life. The above point also relates to Oedipus where he knows that being acceptable for his his situations and faith, his point of view for society will change and will learn to decide his own faith. Redeem of choice- being able understan d that only you control your own life. Campus identifies Sisyphus as the archetypal absurd hero, both for his behavior on earth and for his punishment in the underworld. He displays scorn for the gods, a hatred of death, and a passion for life. Going against Dostoevsky ideas on faith and religion Paragraph 3: Transition Statement: The futility of ones life is an evident theme in Homer's and Camas's interpretation for The Myth of Sisyphus. Both homer and Campus address the futility of Sisyphus labor. Futile punishment dead to their unnecessary and extreme punishment Campus also emphasizes this idea in his interpretation for the myth of Sisyphus. Working as a highwayman, Sisyphus had been condemned to a punishments for his ‘immoral' acts.He was punished for the letting out the secret of a misdeed that was done by the Greek god Jupiter. Jupiter wrongdoings for abducting Ageing was of less concern than Sisyphus act of telling; hence, Sisyphus was punishment with a futile labor of rolling a rock up a hill. The futility of this punishment is that the rock will eventually roll down and Sisyphus would have to start again. These events show the absurdist of the society through the extremes present in both the texts.This very idea has influenced Camas's writing and has been evident in his novel â€Å"The outsider† In the novel The Outsider , Muralist is punished for his unmindful murder of an Arab; however, society does not seem to punish him for that. Due to his reticent and emotionless personality, Muralist is rather punished for his supposedly inhumane reaction towards the death of his own mother. Most of the witnesses had not been there during the murder at all. They were all present only during the funeral and could only talk about that particular event.Due to the high emphasis on his mother's death, Muralist was given a death penalty as the society rejected his individualism. This tells us the absurdity of their punishment as they were both completely unjust. They both are happy at the end and accept their fates. Conclusion: Through the different philosophical ideas present in the above texts, we see how writers have mold deed Camas's thinking which are evident in his works of literature. Sisyphus: He displays scorn for the gods, a hatred of death, and a passion for life.Dostoevsky and Campus show contrast in their manner of thinking about individualism. Being Russians- from religious; French- didn't matter. Dostoevsky ultimately concludes that we cannot live without faith, while Campus believes that we can. Muralist abhorrent towards anyone who tries to change his views on god- Muralist agitated but remains and stands strong for his point of view even though society punches him with it to the ground. Overall, most of the philosophical ideas of Campus are present within in works of literature are influenced by the great writers of philosophy in the 19th and 20th century.

Global Citizenship †Towards a Definition

Global Citizenship – Towards a Definition Taso G. Lagos Copyright protected under Taso G. Lagos. Permission to cite should be directed to the author. Abstract: Global protest activity is on the rise. Demonstrations in Seattle in 1999, Genoa in 2001 and in dozens of other sites brought activists together from around the world and localized global issues in unprecedented ways. These and other activities suggest the possibility of an emerging global citizenry. Individuals from a wide variety of nations, both in the North and South, move across boundaries for different activities and reasons.This transnational activity is facilitated by the growing ease of travel and by communication fostered by the Internet and telephony. While it is hard to quantify these numbers, or to give global citizens a legally defined political status, these qualifications do not obviate the existence and influence of transnational activists seeking new institutional forms in an interdependent world. We e xamine global citizens as active political, social, environmental or economic agents in an interdependent world in which new institutional forms beyond nations are beginning to emerge.Introduction: By itself, citizenship has certain legal and democratic overtones. Conceptually, it is wrapped up in rights and obligations, and in owing allegiance to a sovereign state whose power is retained by the citizenry but with rights that are shared by all members of that state. We distinguish â€Å"citizen† from â€Å"national† or â€Å"subject,† the latter two implying protection of a state. Citizenship, as it has come down to us via the ancient Greeks and Romans, via the Enlightenment, and the American and French Revolutions, is tied into the emergence of members of a polity with specified privileges and duties.To speak of a â€Å"citizen† is thus to speak of individuals with distinct relationships to the state, along with the social status and power these relation ships imply. The lift the citizen concept into the global sphere presents difficulties, not least of which is that global citizens are not legal members in good standing with a sovereign state. More importantly, there are no recognizable privileges and duties associated with the concept that would envelop global citizenship with the status and power (in an ideal world) currently associated with national citizenship.Since modern nation-states are the repositories and main expression of citizenship, discussion of global citizenship necessarily dictates an existence outside the body politic as we know it. If we follow Preston’s (1997) model of citizenship (â€Å"who belongs to the polity, how the members of the polity in general are regarded and how they exercise power†), then global citizenship cannot be expressed in any legal sense. It is, however, expressed in other ways that may have a significant and profound impact on the development of civic engagement and citizen- state relations.Three examples are worth mentioning. Since January 1, 2000, negotiations amongst WTO member states regarding the movement of professionals to and from member countries has taken place, under the General Agreement on Trade in Services, Article XIX. While this does not signal de facto recognition of trans-national citizens, it may indicate halting steps toward it. This is all the more significant given that around the globe there is greater and easier movement of goods than human beings.The European Community has taken halting steps to change this: it allows the free movement of its peoples to live, work, pay taxes and, significantly, to vote in other member states. Habermas (1994) notes this as a utilitarian model that may have greater implications than merely for Europeans; it is possible the model may be expanded in other regions of the world, or to the entire world itself. The ability of a Spaniard to pick up and move to Germany and be a â€Å"citizen† there indicates that notions of ties a country of origin may weaken.The Spaniard may be quite happy living in Germany and not wish to go back to Spain. Is she still a Spaniard, a German, or now a global citizen? Finally, there is the rising tide of individuals with more than one passport. Where once the U. S. State Department frowned on its citizens carrying more than one passport, the reality is that today that it is turning a blind eye. (In war, this may change). Many immigrants to the U. S. in the 1990s, a decade that saw the largest influx of newcomers to the state, came to work but still retained their old passports.While many immigrants permanently stay in the U. S. , many others either go back to the old country, or travel back and forth. If not global citizens, what label do we give them? T. H. Marshall (1949), in his classic study on citizenship, noted that citizenship as it arose in Western liberal democracies has both positive and negative connotations. In the positive sense, citizenship is an expression of activism on the part of citizens; in its negative quality, it is the freedom from bureaucratic control and intervention.If his theory is true, where does global citizenship fit into it? Very nicely it would seem. A visible expression of global citizenship is the many global activists who debuted spectacularly at the Battle in Seattle. These protestors continue to carry on in other venues, such as at meetings for the World Bank and the IMF, and most recently at the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City. Other activists fight for environmental protection, human rights to the impoverished and the unrepresented, and for restrictions on the use of nuclear power and nuclear weapons.Freedom from bureaucratic intervention seems to be a hallmark of global citizenship; the lack of a world body to sanction and protect these citizens also means to a certain degree freedom from bureaucratic control. To return to our Spaniard, how much control does Spain exercise o ver her when she lives in Germany? Towards a Definition: Since global citizens are not recognized legally, their existence may be best represented as â€Å"associatively. † 1. Global citizenship is less defined by legal sanction than by â€Å"associational† status that is different from national citizenship.Since there is no global bureaucracy to give sanction and protect global citizens, and despite intriguing models suggested by the EU, global citizenship remains the purview of individuals to live, work and play within trans-national norms and status that defy national boundaries and sovereignty. Assocational status in this realm does double duty. It serves to explain a unique characteristic of global citizenship while it also expresses that particular lighthouse of post-modernity known as â€Å"lifestyle politics. (Giddens, 1991, Bennett, 2000, et al) Steenbergen (1994) so far comes closest to explaining this relationship between global citizenry and lifestyle poli tics as more â€Å"sociological† in composition. Rather than a technical definition of a citizen â€Å"on his or her relationship to the state (p. 2), Steenbergen suggests that the global citizen represents a more wholistic version: you choose where you work, live or play, and therefore are not tied down to your land of birth. The greater number of choices offered by modern life (from consumer roducts to politics) lies at the root of lifestyle politics. (Franck, 1999) As Falk (1994) put it, in global citizenship there is the rudimentary institutional construction of arenas and allegiance — what many persons are really identifying with– as no longer bounded by or centred upon the formal relationship that an individual has to his or her own territorial society as embodied in the form of a state. Traditional citizenship is being challenged and remoulded by the important activism associated with this trans-national political and social evolution. 1994: 138) Traditi onal ties between citizen and the state are withering, and are replaced by more fragmented loyalties that explain lifestyle politics. Notions of ties between citizen and state that arose in the aftermath of the American and French Revolution, and the creation of the modern state after the 18th century no longer hold sway. It is not by coincidence, for example, that the first to receive the enfranchisement were adult males who also happened to serve in American and French armies. (Kaspersen, 1998) The citizen army today is replaced by the professional army, and a central cog in the bonds between state and citizen removed.Voting turnout decreases, and the public has low regard for politicians. With such loose ties between citizen and state, does the emergence of global citizenship seem farfetched? Many of newly emerging global citizens are actively engaged in global efforts – whether in business ventures, environmentalism, concern for nuclear weapons, health or immigration prob lems. Rather than citizenship, being the result of rights and obligations granted by a central authority, the lack of such authority gives primacy to the global citizens themselves: not a top-down but a down-up scenario. . While various types of global citizens exist, a common thread to their emergence is their base in grassroots activism. We may identify different types of global citizens, yet many of these categories are best summarized by their emergence despite a lack of any global governing body. It is as if they have spontaneously erupted of their own volition. Falk (1994) identified five categories of global citizens which he named as, †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ global reformers elite global business people global environmental managers politically conscious regionalists trans-national activistsWith the exception of global business people, the other categories have grassroots activism at their core. i If the Battle in Seattle is an applicable demonstration, these activists are responsible for their own activism rather than â€Å"granted† by an institution. This earmarks global citizenship as qualitatively different from the national variety, where rights and obligations came (even when fought and protested for) at the behest and generosity of the state. With global citizenship, individuals exercise communicational and organizational tools such as the Internet to make themselves global citizens.No government sanctioned this development. None, it seems, could. Jacobson (1996) noted this fracture of the state as dispenser of citizen rights and obligations, although he sees the decline of overall citizenship as a result. Keck and Sikkink (1998) on the other hand, regard such global activism as a possible new engine of civic engagement. These global activists, or â€Å"cosmopolitan community of individuals† (p. 213) as they call them, transcend national borders and skillfully use pressure tactics against both government and private corporations that make them viable actors on the merging global public sphere. A striking example of this pressure is the well-publicized anti-sweatshop campaign against Nike. Literally dozens of websites are devoted to exposing Nike’s labor practices in manufacturing shoes in overseas factories. In 1996, with the aid of Global Exchange, a humanitarian organization that later helped to organize the Battle in Seattle, Nike’s labor practices became the subject of increasing mainstream media attention. In the process, Nike was linked to sweatshop labor, a label it has tried to shed ever since.Is the Internet central in the development of these emerging global activists? The Internet and other technologies such as the cell phone play an instrumental role in the development of global activists, as do easy and cheap air travel and the wide use and acceptance of credit cards. But there are other forces at work: decline in civic engagement, rise of lifestyle politics, homogen ization of products, conglomeration in media systems and communicational tools that let us know more about each other than ever before.Add to the mix the rising concern for universal human rights and for trans-global problems such as environmental degradation and global warming, the result is a landscape that tends to be more global than national. This is not the first time in the history of our civilization that society has been â€Å"internationalized,† but never has it been easier for average citizen to express herself in this globalized fashion – by the clothes she wears, soda she drinks, music she listens to (e. g. â€Å"world music†) and vacation land she visits.It is increasingly obvious that our identities, as Lie and Servaes (2000) and Scammell (2001) suggest, are tied to our roles as citizens. Scammell’s â€Å"citizen-consumers† vote with their purchases and are engaged in their communities to the extent they have the freedom to shop. Eng agement, in this modern sense, is as audience members at a play clapping at the high points of drama. Can we say this is true of global citizenship? The evidence is scanty to make such judgment; if global activists are replaced by global citizens-consumers the sea change will be complete. 3. Global citizens may redefine ties between civic engagement and geography.The town hall meetings of New England and other regions of the U. S. seem increasingly supplanted by â€Å"electronic spheres† not limited by space and time. This heralds a potentially startling new mechanism in participatory democracy. If we return to the Spaniard living in Germany, what can we say about the geography of community? An output of modernity is greater and greater choice placed upon the individual; the social networks and systems that suited hundreds if not thousands of generations are breaking down in favor of personal choice and individual responsibility.No longer do we entirely rely on the social bul warks of the past: the family, the community, the nation. Life is continually being â€Å"personalized. † Can the Spaniard still be called one while living in Germany? Absentee ballots opened up the way for expatriates to vote while living in another country. The Internet may carry this several steps further. Voting is not limited by time or space: you can be anywhere in the world and still make voting decisions back home. Most of our nation’s history has been bound up in equating geography with sovereignty. It did matter where you lived, worked, played.Since travel was expensive and cumbersome, our lives were tied to geography. No longer can we entirely make this claim. Thompson (1996), writing in the Stanford Law Review, suggests that we can do away with residency and voting in local elections. Frug (1996) even suggests that alienation in the way we regard our geography already creates a disconnect between it and sovereignty. If we are not entirely â€Å"home† at home, do boundaries make any difference anymore? This is not just an academic question, but one rife with rich and disheartening social and political possibilities. Global citizens float within, outside and through these boundaries.The implications seem significant. Many elements seem to spawn global citizenship, but one is noteworthy in this discussion: the continuous tension that globalization has unleashed between various forces local, national and global. An interesting paradox of globalization is while the world is being internationalized at the same time it’s also being localized. The world shrinks as the local community (village, town, city) takes on greater and greater importance. Mosco (1999) noted this feature and saw the growing importance of â€Å"technopoles,† or high-technologized city-states that hark back to classical Greece.If this trend is true, and I believe it is, then it seems global citizens are the glue that may hold these separate entities t ogether. Put another way, global citizens are people that can travel within these various layers or boundaries and somehow still make sense of the world. 4. Any rights and obligations accorded to the global citizen come from the citizens themselves, growing public favor for â€Å"universal rights,† the rise of people migrating around the world, and an increasing tendency to standardize citizenship.Difference may exist on the cultural level, but in bureaucracies, increasing favor is placed on uniformity. Efficiency and utilitarianism lie at the core of capitalism; naturally a world that lives under its aegis replicates these tendencies. Postal agreements, civil air travel and other inter-governmental agreements are but one small example of standardization that is increasingly moving into the arena of citizenship. The concern is raised that global citizenship may be closer to a â€Å"consumer† model than a legal one. The lack of a world body puts the initiative upon glob al citizens themselves to create rights nd obligations. Rights and obligations as they arose at the formation of nation-states (e. g. the right to vote and obligation to serve in time of war) are at the verge of being expanded. So new concepts that accord certain â€Å"human rights† which arose in the 20th century are increasingly being universalized across nations and governments. This is the result of many factors, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948, the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust and growing sentiments towards legitimizing marginalized peoples (e. . pre-industrialized peoples found in the jungles of Brazil and Borneo). Couple this with growing awareness of our species’ impact on the environment, and there is the rising feeling that citizen rights may extend to include the right to dignity and self-determination. If national citizenship does not foster these new rights, then global citizenship seems more accessible to them. One cannot overestimate the importance of the rise of human rights discourse within the radar of public opinion. What are the rights and obligations of human beings trapped in conflicts?Or, incarcerated as part of â€Å"ethnic cleansing? † Equally striking, are the pre-industrialized tribes newly discovered by scientists living in the depths of dense jungle? Leary (1999), Heater (1999) and Babcock (1994) tend to equate these rights with the rise of global citizenship as normative associations, indicating a national citizenship model that is more closed and a global citizenship one that is more flexible and inclusive. If true, this places a strain in the relationship between national and global citizenship.Boli (1998) tends to see this strain as mutually beneficial, whereas Leary (1999) and McNeely (1998) regard the rupture between the two systems as merely evolutionary rather than combative. Like much of social change, changing scopes of modern citizenshi p tend to be played out in both large and minute spheres. Habermas (1994) tends to place global citizenship in a larger, social context, arguing that nation-states can be central engines of citizenship but culture can also be a powerful spurt.He regards the formation of the â€Å"European citizen† as a kind of natural epiphany of governmental conglomeration within the forces of globalization, only remotely alluding to the corporate conglomeration that has been both the recipient and cause of worldwide economic expansion. Others, including Iyer (2000) see globalization and global citizens as direct descendents of global standardization, which he notes, for instance, in the growing homogeneity of airports. Standardization and modernity have worked together for the past few centuries.Ellul (1964), Mumford (1963) and other scholars attack this as a form of oppression, in the same vein that Barber (1996) saw the proliferation of carbon-copy fast-food chains around the globe. Why n ot a set of basic citizen rights followed the world over? 5. Global citizenship may be the indirect result of Pax Americana. The 20th century, as well as the 21st, may be a time dominated by the United States. America’s domination of the WTO, IMF, World Bank and other global institutions creates feelings of imperialism among lesser nations.Cross national cooperation to counter American dominance may result in more global citizens. If economic, environmental, political and social factors push towards more global citizenry, we must also within this camp consider the ramifications of the post cold war world, or realpolitik. Modifying Marshall’s metaphor, we may ask if global citizenship is not a response to the changing factors and response against American domination? In the corporate world, conglomeration leads to larger and larger companies who merge to effectively work against other mega corporations. The evolution of the â€Å"UnitedStates of Europe† (in theor y if not in practice) is in a similar vein; a reaction to the dominating power of the U. S. Other regional alliances may yet emerge. Within such trans-national ties may emerge greater acceptance of one another’s citizens, emulating the European model which Habermas, Bellamy (2000), and others so favor. These alliances may provide the bureaucratic backbone to make global citizenry about more than just lifestyles or personal politics. This development would also change the definition of national citizenry; global citizens may come to favor their status over those who have no such designation.Worse, there may emerge two tracks of citizenship: national and global, with the latter being more prestigious. Along with greater separation between rich and poor, educated and not, there would also be those relegated to living out their entire lives in one land, compared to those who freely travel to many. The darker aspects of this are not hard to miss. Clarke’s (1996) contention that citizenship tends to be more exclusive than inclusive would be borne out. Rather than McNeely’s (1998) flexible citizenship, or Preston’s (1997) multiple loyalty model, we get two separate tracks of citizenship that respond to prestige, wealth and power.Global citizens may be so favored that nations fight to attract them to their land, similar to today’s fight for corporate sites. Conclusion: To concretize what appears an amorphous concept – global citizenship – presents dangers, not least of which is the tendency towards speculation. Spending some time at an airport, especially one of the many airline frequent flyer lounges, reveals that global citizens exist and are a growing number. Within my own Greek immigrant community in Seattle, for example, there are several Greeks who split the year living between Greece and the U.S. I am hard pressed to call them either Greeks or Americans, since they do not fit neatly into either category (not that most ever do). Higher living standards than ever before in civilization’s history allow these dualities to exist. Increasingly, we put them into the camp of global citizenship. Capitalism, and the consumeristic child it has spawned, is particularly good at offering choices, and global citizenship may simply be another facet of this tendency, or what Bennett (unpublished, 2001) and other allude to as lifestyle politics.Any discussion on global citizenship thus must take into account the changing political climate of a globalized world. Scholars have already noted the emerging power struggle between corporations and global activists who increasingly see the nexus of de facto governance taking place more and more within the corporate world (and as mediated by communication technologies like the Internet) and not in the halls of representative government. Hence, the tendency on the part of activists to promote rallies and events like the protests at WTO, as more effective means of citizen participation and democratic accountability.The rise of security concerns as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11 have curiously both grown the importance of national states as well fostered more internationalism. U. S. President George W. Bush who during his election had difficulty remembering the names of heads of states has suddenly transformed into an internationalist with deep concerns for the affairs of other states. While this may be a temporary event with political overtones, the events of 9/11 suggest that the world has become more international than ever before.Whether global citizenship will follow in its wake is problematical. It is simply too early to tell. The role that global citizenship plays in this changing political landscape is a murky one. Yet the fact that there is a growing body of global citizens and their influence is increasingly felt on the world’s political stage indicates the need to observe and study these individuals in e arnest. The attempt to begin developing a definition of global citizenship is a small step towards understanding their presence and influence better. iA case can be made to add academics, sports and artists in categories, but I shy away from this since their overall numbers tend to be small, if not limited. The world it seems can only support so many traveling artists and sport stars, and so a ceiling may be placed on their populations. Also, some concern is raised here regarding other globalists, such as those working for the UN, for example, but again, I tend to shy away from their categorization since their numbers can never expand beyond a limited population (given the resources of the organization, etc. . But with Falk’s categories, in theory, their numbers are limitless and therefore more tenable to categorize. Bibliography Babcock, Rainer, Transnational Citizenship (1994: Edward Elgar, Aldershot, England) Bauman, Zygmunt, Intimations of Postmodernity (1992: Routledge, London) Bellamy, Richard, â€Å"Citizenship beyond the nation state: the case of Europe,† from Political Theory in Transition, edited by Noel O’Sullivan (2000: Routledge, London) Bennett, W.Lance, News: the Politics of Illusion (1996: Longman, New York) Bennett, W. Lance, â€Å"Consumerism and Global Citizenship: Lifestyle Politics, Permanent Campaigns, and International Regimes of Democratic Accountability. † Unpublished paper presented at the International Seminar on Political Consumerism, Stockholm University, May 30, 2001.Best, Steven & Kellner, Douglas, The Postmodern Turn (1997: Guilford Press, New York) Boli, John, â€Å"Rights and Rules: Constituting World Citizens† in Public Rights, Public Rules: Constituting Citizens in the World Polity and National Policy, edited by Connie L McNeely (1998: Garland, New York) Clarke, Paul Berry, Deep Citizenship ( 1996: Pluto Press, London) Eriksen, Erik & Weigard, Jarle, â€Å"The End of Citizenship: New Roles Challenging the Political Order† in The Demands of CitizenshipI, edited by Catriona McKinnon & Iain Hampsher-Monk (2000: Continuum, London) Falk, Richard, â€Å"The Making of Global Citizenship† in The Condition of Citizenship, edited by Bart van Steenbergen (1994: Sage Publications, London) Franck, Thomas M. , The Empowered Self: Law and Society in the Age of Individualism (1999: Oxford University Press, Oxford)) Habermas, Jurgen, â€Å"Citizenship and National Identity† in The Condition of Citizenship, edited by Bart van Steenbergen (1994: Sage Publications, London) Heater, Derek, What is Citizenship? 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