Does Culture Evolve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Does Culture Evolve - Essay Example In White’s opinion, human civilization has always attempted to the control over nature through culture. According to White’s perspective on the evolution of culture, the more a culture is able to harness energy from nature using efficient technology, the more evolved a culture becomes. From his point of view, both energy and technology play major roles by bringing about a much better evolvement of ideology and social organization of culture. In his article Eric Wolf, looks at culture from a very different angle when compared to White’s perspective. According to Wolf, culture evolved and progressed through trade and commerce. Wolf explains how traders traveled across the rivers and carried on fur trade along the coasts. Due to the increase in trade, there was great development in different kinds of transport which was so necessary to carry on trade across different borders. During the 18th century, traders made use of Native American middle men to deliver their pr oducts but gradually trade took on a whole new dimension by becoming more organized and sophisticated. Gradually, traders got rid of the middle men and carried on the business directly with the primary producer.

The meaning of childhood and the ideal childhood meaning

The meaning of childhood and the ideal childhood meaning What does childhood means and what would be considered an ideal childhood? The period of time between the childs birth till the child reached adulthood, its experiences and quality of those years sums up childhood. For children to develop to their optimal, they would need loving, warm and responsible caregivers, within an environment that stimulates their growth. They should be living in lives free from fear, violence and exploitation. Unfortunately, this is not always so. It was reported that 90% of the world children were born into poverty. They live in poorly sanitized areas and suffered from malnutrition. They are exposed to diseases such as malaria, polio, tuberculosis and Aids. They lived in fear of war and famine. Their life expectancy is only of 40 years (Gammage P. 2008) Millions of children suffered in poverty depriving of their many rights including health and education, protection from exploitation and harm. Childrens rights are being denied and are robbed of their childhood. On the 20 November 1989, the United Nations adopted The Convention on the Rights of the Child and ratified all countries except the United States of America and Somalia. The Convention set standards concerning children and their rights. In this essay, I will discuss about the need to protect childrens rights, the aims of the Convection on the Rights of the Child and the difference it makes to childrens lives. The need to protect children Poverty threatens all aspects of childhood, it deprives children of their chance to grow and develop to their full potential. Lives of poor children in Honduras are examples of children whose childhood are being compromised and needed help and protection. Hurricane Mitch in 1978 has caused serious damages to Honduras. Families live in poverty while the city is on the road to recovery. In order to provide basic needs like food, clothing and shelter, both parents would need to work. Young children are being left at home without adequate care. Their health and development were seriously affected. Some even resort to taking the older sibling out of school to help look after the younger ones. Similarly in Botswana, parents had to bring their children to work when faced without support from extended family or money to pay for childcare services. These children are at risks of being exposed to sudden life threatening injuries. For some parents, they engage cheaper inexperienced babysitters to mind their children. Young children were being neglected. There were also many cases of children being left alone at home w ithout any supervision or care by adults. It was not a surprise for surgeons in the hospitals to attend to children who were involved in accidents at home. In Mexico, due to the lack of affordable childcare, mothers bring their young children along to their work. Once again, these childrens lives are constantly at risks. Their health and development will be affected. Research showed that 19 percent of the working parents in Vietnam and 27 percent in Mexico, left their children alone or in the care of another child at home. A high of 48 percent of the working parents in Botswana without support left their children home alone or in the care of another child. These parents were poor and had little education had no choice as they could not afford any childcare services ( Heymann, J. 2006) Children living in poverty are exposed to diseases and malnutrition. In Africa, children live in overcrowded shacks with no running water or electricity. They live and play in alleyways that are covered with sewage and trash. Their parents cannot afford to feed them or parents themselves are ill. Due to poor diet and weaken immune systems, many African children died. Poverty increases childrens vulnerability to other dangers including violence and exploitation. Child labour and child trafficking prevails. In Asia, it was reported that there were more than a million child prostitutes. Parents who are heavily burdened with debts sold their children into the sex trade. There were also many who were kidnapped and forced into prostitution. The aims of the UNCRC In 1989, United Nation adopted the Convention on the rights of the child. It is an international treaty that defines persons aged below 18 years as children. It aims to safeguard childrens rights, welfare, interests and development. All governments have acceded to the Convention except the United States of America and Somalia. There are a total of 54 articles stating the basic human rights of all the children in the world. The right to survival; the right to physical and mental development; the right to protection from harm and the right to be involved in family, social and cultural activities are some of childrens entitlements. Since 1989, there is a significant change in the attention given to early childrens rights. Various laws and policies in countries have been reframed to accommodate the convention. In UK, laws that govern health, housing and welfare benefits have a profound impact on the childrens lives. Children are affected by laws governing the Education and employment rights. The Children Act 1989 put in place the relationship between children, parents and the state. Local authorities were given the power to look after the welfare of childrens lives and provide safeguards against poor care. The Children Act 1989 calls for the reform in child care law pertaining to child services and child protection. Children are protected from harm, with local authorities investigating their situations of risk. Other Agencies like the housing, health and education authorities were involved in assisting the local authorities with their enquiries. Inter-agency work is a distinctive UK response to protecting childr en from harm (Thomas, N. 2009). In 1999, the Sure Start Local Programme (SSLP) had most of the deprived areas in England covered. This programme was designed to provide support for families and parents. It supports good-quality play and learning experiences for children under 4 years of age. Childs health and development, including family health were looked into (Thomas, N. 2009). In recent years, the Childcare Act 2006 requires English local authorities to look after the well-being of young children and provide specific services (Thomas, N. 2009). In acceding to the UN convention, UK has made provisions for areas such as the right to a good education, to participate in cultural and recreational activities, the disable childs right to care and education. Article 12 of the UN convention states that the child has the right to express an opinion, and his voice should be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings which affects them (Thomas, N. 2009) On 2 October, 1995, Singapore acceded to the UNCRC and came into effect on 4 November 1995. Singapore is a nation without any natural resources. Our people are our only asset, children are our future, and thus their well being is our main concern. As reported in MCYS press release, there are several different government agencies with its policies which formed the Inter-ministry committee (IMC) on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. IMC serves as an inter-agency platform for deliberation and coordination of various issues concerning children. Childrens rights and interests are respected and protected. The government also take a serious view on any child abuse or ill-treatment of a child. However, in special circumstances, slight canning is permissible. Children who misbehave may also be given slight canning on the palm of the hand. Corporal punishment is prohibited especially towards females. Canning can be administered by the headmaster. Singapores education system aims to acquire not just academic knowledge, but also impart values and increase the sense of rootedness in our children. These aims are articulated in our Desired Outcomes of Education. Children with special needs are not left out. The government has implemented the Integrated Childcare Programme, helping childcare centre to equip their staff and the centres to accommodate children with special needs. The discussion above are examples to shows Singapore commitment to uphold the rights and best interests of children. Singapores vision for our children and youth is to be a confident nation full of compassion and committed to social responsibilities, yet developed strong ties with their family and community. UNRC weaknesses The United Convention on the Rights of the Child is not without its weaknesses. According to Vanessa Pupava, children viewed as priceless may not be good all the time. There may be negative consequences for both child and parents. As defined by World Health Organisation, harm to child includes physical and emotional ill-treatment, abuse, neglect and exploitation. All these would affect the mental health and development of a child. In such broad terms, raising a child would become a very problematic task for parents. Parental authority may become abusive in itself. Parents would become paranoid; parents may also become overparented (Furedi F 2002). These children would lose their freedom to play and learn about risk. In other cases, parents and educators may lose sight of their commitment towards children. They are afraid of infringing the rights of the children and may they feel that they cannot attain the ideal way of upbringing the children, in the end, they may transfer their duti es to other institutions or even specialist services (R.Roose and M.Bouverne-De Bie, 2007 p.431-443). In UK, childrens rights can sometimes be seen as problematic. Adolescents may become aggressive and demanding. Parents and teachers fear of losing control with their teens. When children are given the right to participate in decision making, it may seem to discard the traditional notions of parents control over their children (R.Roose and M.Bouverne-De Bie, 2007 p.431-443). Conclusion Best interest of the child is one of the focal point in the convention on the rights of the Child. The childs rights include protection, prevention and participation in decision-making. It would be still a long way for successful implementation of the convention as adults still hold their own perceptions of children. This concept would also have different meanings for different countries in their own context. It would require the joint efforts of all for successful implementation of the convention and tackling with the constraints and shortcomings that comes alongside with it.

Analysis of West Side Story Essay -- Film West Side Story Movie Essays

Analysis of West Side Story West Side Story came out in 1961 as a melodramatic musical that took place in New York. It takes the same theme as Shakespeare's, Romeo and Juliet, in that it is about two lovers whose relationship is not accepted by others because of conflicting backgrounds. The artistic intensions of this film are implicitly stated everywhere throughout the film. All of the dancing, singing, acting and pretend fighting was done thoroughly and very well, although the miking and mixing during the pretend fighting did not seem realistic. Specific actors, dancers, and singers were trained and taught how to perform in order to get the message across to the audience that this West Side Story is not just a film, but a theatrical, musical, choreographed, work of art. Specific messages are portrayed in different art forms such as the way the Puerto Rican women dressed compared to the American women. The Puerto Ricans had fluffier, more brightly colored dresses than did the Americans and the Puerto Rican women made their own clothes. I lived in Mexico last summer and in my opinion, their authentic style of clothing still has those same characteristics. The exception was Maria, who was also not allowed to wear a brightly colored dress with a low cut neck because she was too young, and although she claimed to be an American girl now which would make her eligible for being more free and independent, or shall we say sexy, she still had to wear a conservatively cut white dress. A characterization was pointed out about American women being able do more and be less conservative than Puerto Rican women. The musical selections and songs that were sung told a story and narrated the almost the entire film, as is expected in... ...remember hearing Bernardo telling Maria that when she is an old lady with five children then she could boss him around. That statement in itself also holds true to the stereotype these people usually have a lot of children and this was brought up again in the song, America, when Anita asks how she will get all of her cousins into a car. I would say the target audience for this film would be people who enjoy musicals, no matter their age. The time lag would only have much of an effect for younger generations who do not remember the 1960's and the discrimination and the political actions that were being taken during that time period. The film is still a classic I would say because of all of the wonderful costumes, dancing, singing, acting, and clever story telling through songs. I can definitely see why this film was a popular success then as it still is today.

CONFLICT IN NIGERIA

Muslims may be a ma-Sorority, but if so they are barely that. Islam has functioned in cultural and pop-Leticia terms to create unity in northern Nigeria. Indeed, as Nigeria moved too 12-state system in 1967 from one of four regions and then to a federal republic with 19 states in 1976, it became nieces-Sara to stress Islamic unity in the 10 northern states where two-thirds of the population was Muslim.In order to maintain the dominance of the north in national politics, Islam had to provide the glue that had disappeared tit the demise of the old Native Administrate-Zion, the regional reassurance, and the party that had ruled the north in the First Republic-the Northern Peoples' Congress. 22 When the military left power in 1979, the NP tried to appeal beyond the north. Under institutional provisions, in orders o Electra president,it had o win at least a quarter of the votes in two-thirds of the states. AT he NP could not campaign as a Muslim party and it had cost the administrative di d hath ad supported the old ruling Northern Pee-apples' Congress. But it retained the sup-port of Islamic elites in the north and it also had the support of many high-ranking officers, some but not all of 21 . Ibid. , p. 23. 22. Dudley, Introduction to Nigerian Govern-meet and Politics, p. 163. 23. In fact, She Shari did not win quite 25 percent of the vote in 12 states but in a series of contested court actions he was declared president in the 1979 elections by virtue of having won 20 percent of the vote in the twelfth state. Homo were Muslims. 24TH he NP was seen as a Muslim party in the north. With the chairman of the NP coming from the west, the president of the republic from the north, the vice press-dent from the east-an alignment us-attained in the second election of 1983- Nap's ointment zone arty traders would have been under pressure if the civilian regime had continued and the posts had to be rotated by place of origin in 1988.At the same time, as it became nieces-Sara to stress Islam in order to maintain northern unity that was under pressure from the creation of more states, Islam itself often worked to intensify fissures opened up by social and economic changes. Appeals for social Justice were made in Islamic terms. Thus, as reform and purifications pavements intentioned to proliferate,' slam s a religions ND a set of cultural symbols was not solely a force for unity in the northern states. It was interpreted variably by different social groups.Elites tried to maintain theirs eminence y manipulating do-erne and traditional institutions in the name of Islam while businessmen lilt mosques and workers made demands through Islamic terminology. At the same time, Muhammad Maria AP-pealed to fringe groups to follow him to an Islamic revival. OFF Rutherford, the 24. The Briar regime, which came in at the end of 1983, actually as had the most Muslims among its leadership of all the five military regimes since 1966-the other four being Irony's, Gown's, Moha mmedan, Bassoon's. Irons and Gown were Christians, as was Bassoon.I have focused much more on the impacts f Islam Han of Christianity n political legitimacy and the role of the state in Nigeria because Islam has been, in the north, an unofficial state religion. Moreover, the struggle to define the relationship of religion to the state has been a struggle around the role of Islamic WI n Nigeria. Thee verve napping- elation of religious symbols both to Jus-tiff the rule of elites and to challenge that rule as been a manipulation of Islamic values and symbols more than Christian ones.There is reason to believe, however, that some Christian sects provide for their followers a measure of autonomy from established authority, both reel-Sioux and secular. The development of Ladder Christianity-the praying churches such as the Christ Apostolic Church and the Cherubim and Sera-pimp in Hardbound-seems to go hand in glove with the development of values and attitudes of industriousness and busin ess. That is, the adherents of the Ladder hurdles o not appear s CEO- omicron addicts,a Thought hem ay insist on a measure of political independence from established authorities. AS o far, though, the impact of Christianity in Nigeria has been less directly cones-sequential for the struggle for political legitimacy and control of authoritative roles at central and state levels than has been the impact of Islam. Nigeria has not evolved political formulas hate explicitly Lori elision r religious theorists defined astigmatic. But there have been struggles carried out in religious terms over constitute-cantonal champions r adjudicating n-flick. Religion as been an element in the conflicts twenty ethnic-language pups.And religion provides a language, a set of values,a NDIS institution's rough which groups struggle and over which groups contend, both within and between reel-Sioux communities. 26. For a major study of the adoption of Ala-durra Christianity, see J. D. Y. Peel, Ladder:A Reli gious Movement among the Your (Loon-don: Oxford university Reese, 1968). P eel is con-current o explain he fundamental characters f a religion f industrialization the Yearbook intent as a new morality of obeying rules. Ibid. , p. 299. 60 This content

Advocacy Role paper

Advanced practice nurse's are reimbursed at a lower rate for the same services than physicians by Medicare, Medicaid and other private insurance companies. American medical association sets our scope of practice and regulations and legislation is often influenced by these recommendations. Advanced practice nurses should be consider as equal members of the healthcare provider community and receive equal reimbursement. To make these changes one must develop a plan and advocate for the profession.Advanced practice nurses are reimbursed at a lower rate, for the same services, than physicians. Medicare reimburses nurse practitioners at 85%, certified nurse midwives at 65 %, and physician assistants at 85% or less of the physician fee. The exception to the reimbursement rate is called the â€Å"incident to†. Medicare will reimburse at 100% if billed under a physician provider number. Medicaid pays 75-100% of the physician fee with the exception of some rural areas. Private insurance companies reimbursement to advanced practice nurses policies vary state to state.In an attempt to find ways to decrease cost, private insurance companies are beginning to follow Medicare's reimbursement policies. For advanced practice nurses the reimbursement policies vary according to state, company, and licensure, and are not equitable to physician reimbursement. This issue is being buried by the American Medical Association. The Affordable care Act addressed the reimbursement of physicians but APN were not mentioned. 1997 budget act is the last legislation passed that addressed reimbursement for advanced practice nurses.This act decided that advanced practice nurses are entitled to reimbursement. The legislators in Tennessee at that time voted for or against the act. This issue has not been addressed since then which could say that this is not a priority for the state. It could be the increae cost related to increased reombursement that keeps them from pushing the issue. The aff ordable Care Act addressed Medicare reimbursement but did not adress APN's specifically. The govener of Tennessee opted out of taking the money for the state. The federal govt. as to except the cost and reimburse at 100% this could have impacted advanced practice nurses in a positive way. As it stands This issue needs to be addressed with more impact especially after the affordable care and patient protection act. Nurse practitioners will be a solution of the problem and will want to be reimbursed according to care not license. Reimbursement of care provided by advanced practice nurses should equal physicians because they are providing the same service with equal or better outcomes.In a study done by Laurent, Herman, Reeves, Braspenning, ; Spinbald, â€Å"The findings suggest that appropriately trained nurses can produce as high quality care as primary care doctors and achieve as good health outcomes for patients. † Naylor and Kurtzman found that Nurse Practitioners â€Å"ou t performed physicians in easures of consultation time, patient follow-up and patient satisfaction. â€Å"(Naylor ; Kurtzman, 2010). A 2002 report to Congress by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, however, was unable to tind reliable data to discern clear ditterences in the two groups' outcomes and expenses.

Custom Essay Paper Writing (Page 15)

Custom Essay Paper Writing (Page 15) Persuasive research paper: Lead-in! Persuasive research papers are general-purpose in high school and college-level English or writing classes. The main idea of a persuasive research paper is to argue a specific side of the question. To know some statement points will be helpful for you during your writing process. Your teacher should keep you focused on the main point. But before you start creating the persuasive research paper, you first must choose an issue/problem to persuade the reader Continue reading Papers Psychology Research Papers Psychology Research: Taste of Happiness Colleges, universities, friends, parties, vacations, bright holidays first love All these pleasant and exciting things can be spoiled by papers psychology research writing. Do not let papers psychology research to become a thing, which poisons your happy college life, get rid of papers psychology research writing. 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Continue reading How to Write a Research Paper How to Write a Research Paper A research paper is not an essay that presents your own interpretation of evaluation of the argument.   While writing a research   paper, you need to integrate your personal knowledge and thoughts on specific problem with the secondary publications.   The initial aim of research paper writing is to gather enough information on specific case and critically assess it.   Thus, while writing a research paper you use your own thoughts and ideas, but also try to find out Continue reading Help Writing a Research Paper Help Writing a Research Paper Research paper advisers expect students to provide some background information about the research studies that they review. Without this information, research paper readers may be unsure about the value of the reviewed studies. Note, the lack of content development causes awkward transitions between ideas and undercuts the college research paper writer's credibility. 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Most universities have a style guide detailing formatting and presentation requirements for academic research paper writing (spacing, required sections, maximum length, etc.) which you will need to follow. Getting a copy of this early, and writing all your Continue reading Critical Analysis of a Research Paper Critical Analysis of a Research Paper: Helpful Tips Making of critical analysis of research papers may possess some difficulties for students. First of all, it is because you should not only study a research paper you have to analyze but also have at least some general knowledge about an issue that is investigated in it. Otherwise, how can you define strong and weak points of this work? Of course, to make good discussion of the issue you should be aware of this issue. Besides, when writing Continue reading First Previous 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Next Last

Mrs. Daniels Essay

Mrs. Daniels Essay Mrs. Daniels Essay Running head: THE OPERATING BUDGET The Operating Budget LaToyia N. Daniels Strayer University Abstract This learner will discuss how to operate a Budget for the Department of Juvenile Justice, and act as a budget analysis for this state agency. I will create a strategic plan for this agency as well performs a cost analysis. This paper will also discuss the mission, vision, goals and objectives of DJJ in order to familiarize the direction of this agency. In being a budget analysis I have to forecast and analyze what the challenges are in managing a budget of this stature. There will be recommendations that this agency should review regarding new initiatives and budget cuts over the next five years. Lastly the budget analysis will review the most recent budget or financial plan for their agency. introduction The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice is a multi-faceted agency that serves the state of Georgia’s offenders up to the age of 21Years old. In this department there are a total of 26 facilities that house the juvenile offenders for various crimes rather it being misdem eanor or felony crimes. There are also 92 court services offices through the entire state of Georgia. There are more than 4,000 employees that work at DJJ in the different areas whether if it is in the facility, community, education, or health services. DJJ employee’s main goals are to ensure the safety of this youth by providing supervision, planning and treatment to the youthful offenders so that they can be held accountable for their delinquent acts as well as to become productive citizens within the community in which they live. DJJ seeks to protect and serve the victims of crimes which are caused by our juvenile offenders within that community so that they can rebuild their lives in their various communities of Georgia. The Mission of DJJ is â€Å"To protect and serve the citizens of Georgia by holding young offenders accountable for their actions through the delivery of services and sanctions in appropriate settings and by supporting youth in their communities to become productive and law-abiding citizens.† The Vision of DJJ is to â€Å"OFFER HOPE AND YOUTH CHANGE† DJJ will lead the nation in preparing young people in its care to develop and sustain productive lives. The Values of DJJ is to â€Å"strive to create and sustain an agency culture that values accountability, integrity, security, superior, performance, ongoing personal growth, intellectual curiosity, innovation, teamwork, and leadership not only in our staff but also in the young people in our facilities and programs. The Goals of DJJ is to (1) create and sustain an agency culture that is cutting edge and promotes excellence. (2) Provide a continuum of high quality services for youthful offenders. (3) Provide employees opportunities to grow individually and as leaders; and (4) establish collaborative partnerships with families, neighbors, law enforcement, victims, DJJ staff and the youth themselves so that we can maximize our positive impact on youth and families. Budget Overview Georgia’s state budget for juvenile justice is $266 million in Fiscal Year 2011 and may grow to $279 million in 2012. There are almost 50,000 youths are in the system each year, either awaiting adjudication or serving their sentences-50,000 youths who represent the future workforce and citizens of Georgia (Moll and McCutchen). Georgia spends over $63,000 per year to incarcerate a juvenile offender, in which the cost to house each juvenile offender in a Youth Development Campus (YDC) or a Regional Youth Detention Center (RYDC) is $200 per day. Statistics shows that 13 percent of juvenile offenders are incarcerated in either or facility whether it being the local facility in your city (RYDC) or development campus that house violent offenders. Most of the department’s budget is securing placements for these youth by housing them in secure facility or a non-secure facility like a

Understanding Highway Hypnosis

Understanding Highway Hypnosis Have you ever driven home and arrived at your destination without remembering how you got there? No, you werent abducted by aliens or taken over by your alternate persona. You simply experienced highway hypnosis. Highway hypnosis or white line fever is a trance-like state under which a person drives a motor vehicle in a normal, safe manner yet has no recollection of having done so. Drivers experiencing highway hypnosis may zone out for short distances or hundreds of miles. The idea of highway hypnosis was first introduced in an 1921 article as road hypnotism, while the term highway hypnosis was introduced in 1963 by G.W. Williams. In the 1920s, researchers observed motorists appeared to fall asleep with their eyes open and continue to steer vehicles normally. In the 1950s, some psychologists suggested otherwise unexplained automobile accidents might be due to highway hypnosis. However, modern studies suggest there is a difference between driving while tired and automatic driving. Key Takeaways: Highway Hypnosis Highway hypnosis occurs when a person zones out while driving a motor vehicle, often driving a significant distance with no memory of having done so.Highway hypnosis is also known as automatic driving. It is not the same as fatigued driving, as a person may engage in automatic driving safely. Safety and reaction times are negatively affected by driving when tired.Ways to avoid highway hypnosis include driving during daytime, drinking a caffeinated beverage, keeping the interior of the vehicle cool, and engaging in conversation with a passenger. Highway Hypnosis Versus Fatigued Driving Highway hypnosis is an example of the phenomenon of automaticity. Automaticity is the ability to perform actions without consciously thinking about them. People perform daily activities automatically all the time, such as walking, riding a bike, or performing a learned and practiced skill, such as knitting. Once a skill is mastered, its possible to perform it while focusing on other tasks. For example, a person skilled at driving a car can plan a grocery list while driving. Because the stream of consciousness is directed at the other task, partial or complete amnesia of the time spent driving can occur. While driving on automatic may seem hazardous, automaticity may actually be superior to conscious driving for professional or skilled drivers. This is called the centipede effect after the fable of the centipedes dilemma or Humphreys law after psychologist George Humphrey. In the fable, a centipede was walking along as usual until another animal asked it how it moved with so many feet . When the centipede thought about walking, its feet became entangled. Humphrey described the phenomenon another way, No man skilled at a trade needs to put his constant attention on the routine work. If he does, the job is apt to be spoiled. In the context of driving, thinking too hard about the actions being performed may worsen the skill. For most drivers, the dull trance state they experience is really falling asleep at the wheel rather than hypnosis. While a person experiencing true highway hypnosis automatically scans the environment for threats and alerts the brain of danger, a tired driver starts to experience tunnel vision and reduced awareness of other drivers and obstacles. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fatigued driving accounts for over 100,000 collisions per year and about 1550 deaths. Drowsy driving is extremely dangerous, as it increases reaction time and impairs coordination, judgement, and memory. Numerous studies have shown sleep-deprived driving is more dangerous than driving under the influence of a 0.05% blood alcohol level. The distinction between highway hypnosis and fatigue driving is that its possible to experience automaticity while being wide awake. Driving when tired, on the other hand, can lead to falling asleep at the wheel. How to Stay Awake at the Wheel Whether youre freaked out by the idea of driving on autopilot (highway hypnosis) or are tired and trying to stay awake at the wheel, there are steps you can take to improve your focus and wakefulness. Drive in Daylight:  Driving during daylight hours helps prevent fatigue driving because people are naturally more alert under lighted conditions. Also, the scenery is more interesting/less monotonous, so its easier to remain aware of surroundings. Drink Coffee:  Drinking coffee or another caffeinated beverage helps keep you awake a few different ways. First, the caffeine blocks adenosine receptors in the brain, which fights sleepiness. The stimulant increases metabolism and directs the liver to release glucose into the bloodstream, which feeds your brain. Caffeine also acts as a diuretic, meaning youll have to stop for a bathroom break more often if you drink a lot while driving. Finally, consuming either a very hot or very cold drink will command your attention. If you prefer not to take more bathroom breaks, caffeine pills are available over the counter to provide the benefits without the additional liquid. Eat Something:  Munching on a snack gives you immediate energy and requires just enough attention to keep you on task. Have Good Posture:  Good posture maximizes blood flow throughout the body, helping to keep you in top form. Crank the A/C:  Its harder to fall asleep or into a trance if youre uncomfortable. One way to achieve this is to make the inside of the vehicle uncomfortably cold. During warm months, you can turn the air conditioner down to some arctic setting. In the winter, cracking a window helps. Listen to Music You Hate:  Music you enjoy may lull you into a relaxed state, while tunes you loathe cause irritation. Think of it as a sort of audio thumbtack, preventing you from getting too comfortable to doze off. Listen to People Talking:  Engaging in a conversation or listening to talk radio requires more concentration than listening to music. For most people, its a pleasant way to pass the time while remaining clear-headed. For drivers who seek to get into the zone, the sound may be an unwanted distraction. Stop and Take a Break:  If youre driving tired, youre dangerous to yourself and others. Sometimes the best course of action is to get off the road and get some rest! Prevent Problems:  If you know youll be driving a long distance, at night, or in poor weather, you can prevent a lot of problems by making certain youre well-rested before starting the trip. Catch a nap before trips that start later in the day. Avoid taking medications that make you drowsy, such as antihistamines or sedatives. References Peters, Robert D. Effects of Partial and Total Sleep Deprivation on Driving Performance, US Department of Transportation, February 1999.Underwood, Geoffrey D. M. (2005). Traffic and transport psychology: theory and application: proceedings of the ICTTP 2004. Elsevier. pp. 455–456.Weiten, Wayne.  Psychology Themes and Variations  (6th ed.). Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thomas Learning. p.  200Williams, G. W. (1963). Highway Hypnosis.  International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis  (103): 143–151.

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 48

Case study - Essay Example The fans who purchase the premium and the non-premium seats fail in reselling these tickets in the secondary market. Furthermore, the high pricing of the seats has led to the stadium experiencing their lowest attendance to date. The empty seats in the stadium are noticeable especially with the matches being televised. The seats closer to the pitch have a lower number of fans compared to other seats in the stadium (Mowen et al 554). The Yankee management fails to acknowledge the economic situation of a majority of their fans as they continue to enforce this pricing plan. Various factors influence the pricing of Yankee tickets. First, the post-season games such as the play-offs determine the pricing of the tickets. The presence of stars such as Derek Deter and others dictate the value of tickets in the stadium. When Derek Jeter announced he would retire from the sport, all the tickets to his last matches were sold out and ridiculous prices. The level of competition dictates the pricing of the tickets in the stadium, the tickets for the finals usually cost more than those of normal league games (Mowen et al 554). The failure to sell out all the seats in the Yankee stadium reduces the reputation of the Yankees. The reduced reputation results in low performance by the Yankee players which consequently means that the baseball enterprise will incur losses. Reduced income in contrast to the investment into the billion dollar stadium represents losses to the grand enterprise. Furthermore, the stadium requires maintenance throughout the whole baseball season and the income from the sale of seats will not cover this expense (Mowen et al 556). The financial impact of the unsold seats is great due to the stature of the world richest team. The revenue from the seats is used in the aforementioned activities and in financing other activities.

Consumer behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Consumer behavior - Essay Example There is a contrary perspective as well, which is, organization can straight way come up with marketing strategies, and then influence the consumer behaviour. That is, if the organization makes an all out ‘attack’ on the customers’ sense organs of eyes, ears and even nose, they can influence or tune the consumer’s behaviour and their buying habits. Either way, it is of paramount importance to focus on consumers’ behaviour and come up with marketing strategies, so the organization’s product or service can be made an enticing one as well as an optimally selling and successful one. In that direction, the focus will be on the British product or brand of BMW’s MINI or MINI Hatch, explaining how its marketing mix elements driven by psychological and sociological drivers has been working together to influence consumer buying behaviour, and thereby aiding it to become one of the most successful consumer products of the world. Background Mini (b randed initially as MINI, MINI Cooper and now as MINI Hatch) was originally a British automotive brand, but is now currently owned and manufactured by the German auto major, BMW Group. Due to its unique design and performance, Mini, since its launch in 1950s, became one of the most likeable and popular cars in Britain as well as throughout the world. It came under BMW’s control in 1994, when BMW purchased Minis’ then owner, Rover. However, with Rover facing massive losses at the turn of the millennium, BMW decided to sell Rover and thereby stop treating â€Å"'The English Patient†, as the struggling Rover subsidiary was nicknamed by the British Press. Even while selling off the Rover, BMW understanding the significance and potential of Mini as a brand made up its mind to hold it. They allowed Rover to sell out all the manufactured models, and when the last one was sold, the brand name 'Mini' got reverted to BMW. Under that brand name, BMW started manufacturing o f its version at Oxford plant in Cowley, United Kingdom, thereby launching what came to be one of the most successful brand plus iconic products out of UK. BMW’s MINI as an optimal PRODUCT With BMW reworking and re-branding an already successful product of Mini, it had in its hand an optimal PRODUCT, when it launched it in 2000 at the Paris Motor Show. During the launch, BMW modified the brand name as MINI Cooper, with the letters of ‘Mini’ capitalized, along the addition of the name Cooper. Both these changes were done to give it a makeover and importantly to differentiate it from the Mini was produced by Rover. This fresh avatar of MINI was unrelated to the old Mini in the technical and configuration sense, but still retained certain key, successful and iconic features like the transverse 4 cylinders, along with front-wheel-drive configuration and importantly the iconic as well as the unique "bulldog" touch. Although, they incorporated certain old features, the new MINI was an advancement or forward evolution of the old car, as many technologically advanced aspects starting from the high powered engine to various technical and non-technical aspects were featured. BMW MINI’s designer Frank Stephenson had this to say, â€Å"The MINI Cooper is not a retro design car, but an evolution of the original. It has the genes and many of the characteristics of its

Leone Baxter and Clem Whitaker Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leone Baxter and Clem Whitaker - Research Paper Example Leone Baxter was born November 20th, 1906 in Keslo, Washington. She was an avid reader growing up and would find a job writing for the Portland Oregonian. In her late twenties Baxter moved to Redding, California where she first entered the arena of promotions, landing a job promoting a water carnival for the Chamber of Commerce. She was successful in this position and would be promoted to the manager of the Chamber of Commerce in 1929. It was in this position that Baxter would first become involved in the political spectrum as she participated in the Central Valley Project referendum campaign. Clem Whitaker, Sr. was born May 1st, 1899. His uncle was a socialist who was very active in the American Civil Liberties Union and a friend of Upton Sinclair. He was a journalist writing for the Sacramento Bee where he became the city editor at the age of 19. In 1921, he founded the Capitol New Bureau, which provided political news to a wide variety of newspapers. His experience in these politi cal realms led him to become involved in political lobbying campaigns. His lobbying efforts would ultimately led to his involvement in the Central Valley project, where he would meet Leone Baxter and form Whitaker & Baxter, Inc. in 1933. Another prominent contributor to this organization was Clem Whitaker, Jr. ... Whitaker would never graduate, as in 1943 he ceased his education after joining the United States Army Air Corp to become a fighter pilot. After his discharge from the army in 1946 Whitaker would join his father’s firm, become a partner in the firm in 1950 and purchasing the company in 1958 ("Social Archives" web). At the time of its formation in 1933 Whitaker & Baxter Campaigns Inc. was the country’s first political management firm. While political campaigning had always been a complicated and brutal arena, it was understood that â€Å"with the changes in the 20th century media environment increased aid was needed to navigate these oftentimes-complex avenues† (Lathrop 12). This is what the company would provide. The company would go through a number of developments, but its primary activity was managing campaigns for political candidates as well as ballot measures. At other instance, the company would also manage corporate clients, contributing significantly to public relations campaigns for Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Western Pacific Railroad, and Utah Construction Company. While the company went by the broad name of Whitaker & Baxter Campaigns Inc., the organization also included under its auspices the Whitaker & Baxter Advertising Agency and the California Feature Service. The feature service built on the individuals’ newspaper experience and public relations ability as it acted as a vehicle to over three-hundred California newspapers; in these regards, it provided the papers with cartoons, articles, and editorials that advanced the company’s public relation interests. It was through innovative practices such as these that the company would come to be highly influential in the realm of public relations and campaign

The Presidency of James Polk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Presidency of James Polk - Essay Example But as these authors have revealed, such a conclusion may be questionable in the light of the events that surrounded the Presidency and Polk’s political career. By highlighting elements and aspects of the Polk Presidency that have not been as widely or as well known, these three authors have questioned whether Polk’s contribution to the United States was an entirely favorable one. Bergeron’s book has also detailed the American war in Mexico and President Polk’s role in American acquisition of territories in the southwest. This book is notable in that it highlights the covert role of the executive in manipulating the events that led to the declaration of hostilities between the United States and Mexico over disputed territories in Texas, New Mexico and California. Bergeron has discussed covert operations undertaken by President Polk, notably the annexation of new Texas territory. This operation was designed in such a manner as to incite a confrontation and thereby provide an excuse for the United States to annex the territory (Bergeron, 1987:67-70). As a part of this strategy, Commodore Robert Stockton was posted to the disputed Mexican border, in order to monitor the developments there. In May of 1845, Stockton recommended that the Texan authorities should gather their forces and challenge Mexican claims to the territory between the rivers Rio Grande and Nueces rivers. He proposed that local militia units should be called up under the command of General Sidney Sherman and armed with weapons to be covertly supplied to them by the United States Government but purportedly acquired from private sources. Stockton’s plan was supported by President Polk, but failed to go through because Anson Jones, who was the President of the Texan Republic, rejected it.

Small Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Small Business - Essay Example The college has three academic batches out of which two were in post graduation, one in under graduation with a sum total of 150 students supported with 30 teaching staff and non-teaching staff. The students have to take a ten minutes walk if they want to board any transport means, to eat, to shop anything for their stay in the campus hostel. The working hours starts at 9:30 am in the morning breaks for a lunch at 12:40pm with a break in between at 11:15am.The College has a dining hall to cater the food facilities daily for both day scholars and hostellers. The payment is done monthly to the caterers .food is served only at three times a day morning breakfast, launch and dinner. A person doesn't get any snacks or eateries in between the sessions, as there was no facility in the campus other than the dining hall. The dining hall became a profit making entity for the caterers, as there is no other option to choose for the students and the staff working in the campus. The caterers have a confined market avenue with an assured customer base and started responding to their requirements. The caterers are having monopoly in this food service as there is only having sole business entity in the campus.

Should the English language be the international language Essay

Should the English language be the international language - Essay Example English has now become the language of international communication† (Kirkpatrick 1). Today English is the official language of many international organizations like the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee. For a language to be given the status of an international language, it needs to meet certain criteria. For example, neutrality, it is important for the language to be neutral. It should be able to express many concepts as a natural language; English is considered one of the most expressive languages as it has more words than any other language. It should have flexibility, where speakers have the flexibility even to coin a new word. English as a language meets these criteria to a certain extent. English also has continuity. It is one of the only languages that come closest to meeting al the criteria, therefore closest to be an international language. Many people believe that learning to read, write, and speak English would give them a better future, with many more opportunities open to them. At a global level, knowing to communicate in English gives people more access to higher levels of the labor market, and enables people to interact at a global level. Knowing English also gives people greater access to growing technologies and therefore, provides wider access to knowledge. It is considered a necessity to know English to survive in a global community where competition is high and so is the survival rate. It is easier for a person who knows to communicate in English to survive in today’s world than for a person who does not know English. It does not matter what the accent of that person is, or whether that person is a native speaker or not. Today, it is important to know English if you wish to benefit from technological and scientific research and benefit from business contacts. English is the primary ‘lingua franca’ language today, which means it is one of the

Small Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Small Business - Essay Example The college has three academic batches out of which two were in post graduation, one in under graduation with a sum total of 150 students supported with 30 teaching staff and non-teaching staff. The students have to take a ten minutes walk if they want to board any transport means, to eat, to shop anything for their stay in the campus hostel. The working hours starts at 9:30 am in the morning breaks for a lunch at 12:40pm with a break in between at 11:15am.The College has a dining hall to cater the food facilities daily for both day scholars and hostellers. The payment is done monthly to the caterers .food is served only at three times a day morning breakfast, launch and dinner. A person doesn't get any snacks or eateries in between the sessions, as there was no facility in the campus other than the dining hall. The dining hall became a profit making entity for the caterers, as there is no other option to choose for the students and the staff working in the campus. The caterers have a confined market avenue with an assured customer base and started responding to their requirements. The caterers are having monopoly in this food service as there is only having sole business entity in the campus.

Boulder Colorado limiting new construction and population growth Essay

Boulder Colorado limiting new construction and population growth - Essay Example The differentiation of being able to pay and the willingness to pay are vastly poles apart because if a household has the ability to pay then it means that the breadwinner is earning more than the average office worker and is spending less than thirty-five percent (35%) of his or her earnings in paying for the house. Willingness to pay on the other hand means that the household is ready to comply with the payment requirements but there is no actual proof that the breadwinner has the financial resources to pay the monthly mortgages on the home aside from the simultaneous expenses needed for daily living. When these types of scenarios are taken into great consideration, it is without a doubt that urban sprawl is usually weighed down with issues regarding racial and social class discriminations (Wright Realtors). It is typical for urban sprawl to include the development of the suburban outskirts that are most often way pass the city limits. The major setbacks of this include high car de pendence, insufficient health and cultural facilities, higher per-person/ per capita costs, disorganized street plans, and pollution.

Micro Strip Patch Antenna

Micro Strip Patch Antenna Chapter 1 Introduction The project which we have chosen to do as our final year project for the under graduate program involves the characterization of micro strip patch antenna. In this project we have carried out simulations of different types of antennas, which include dipole, monopole and patch. The purpose of designing all of these is to gain knowledge and experience in the designing of antennas for different purposes by using commercially available CEM. The frequency band, which we have chosen as our relevant band, is the GSM-900 band, which is of wide use in the cellular network. The purpose of choosing this band is to gain valuable knowledge of this frequency band. Antennas are a fundamental part of every system in which wireless or free space is the medium of communication. Basically, an antenna is a transducer and is designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic waves. It is a transducer as it converts radio frequency electrical currents into electromagnetic waves. Common applications of antennas include radio, television broadcasting, point-to-point radio communication, wireless networks and radar. A detailed study of antennas is discussed in chapter two and chapter three of this report. The CEM softwares that we have used for the designing include XFDTD ® provided by Remcom Inc. and CST Microwave Studio ®, which is a full wave, 3-Dimensional, Electromagnetic simulation software and CST Microwave Studio ®. XFDTD ® utilizes a numerical electromagnetic code for antenna design, that is, the finite difference time domain technique (FDTD). Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) is a popular computational electrodynamics modeling technique. The first antenna structure modeled is the dipole. A dipole antenna consists of two conductors on the same axis with a source at the center. It is also modeled in XFDTD ® by following the procedure provided by the software and mentioned in the Appendix. The results are verified by comparing with analytical papers of (lambda/2) dipole. After completing this, the next goal is to model the micro strip (patch) antenna which is one of the main focuses of this project. It comprises of a metallic patch bonded to a dielectric substrate with a metal layer bonded to the opposite side of the substrate forming a ground plane. This metal layer is very thin. Hence, it can be fabricated very easily using printed circuit techniques. Therefore, they are inexpensive to manufacture and are easily integrate able with microwave integrated circuits. The software modeling is carried out in XFDTD ® and on CST Microwave Studio ®. The verification of the results with the experimental results obtained leads to the final phase and the conclusion of the project. 1.1 Purpose The purpose of this project is to gain knowledge and experience about computational electromagnetic, as it applies to antenna design. It was also our sole purpose to gain experience in fabrication and experimental characterization of micro strip patch antennas. To achieve these objectives we used two commercially available CEM softwares, XFDTD ® and CST Microwave Studio ®, to design a micro strip patch antenna for 900 MHz. We also gained experimental experience by characterizing the return loss of this patch antenna using the vector network analyzer. 1.2 Project Scope 1.2.1 Description We will study some basic types of antennas; extending basic knowledge of antenna to complex antenna designs such as micro strip patch antennas and also modeled them on antenna design and simulation software. This report has been divided into a number of chapters each discussing a different stage of the project. They are briefly described below: Chapter 2 describes the fundamentals of antennas and thoroughly discusses the theory of fundamental parameters and quantities of antenna. In this chapter the basic concept of an antenna is discussed and its working is explained. Some critical performance parameters of antennas are also discussed. Finally, some common types of antennas are also discussed for understanding purposes. Chapter 3 discusses the important characteristics of antennas as radiators of electromagnetic energy. These characteristics are normally considered in the far field as the antenna pattern or radiation pattern of an antenna is the three-dimensional plot of its radiation at far field. It also discusses the types of antenna patterns in detail. Some important mathematical equations are also solved in this chapter for the better understanding of how an antenna works. Chapter 4 discusses in detail the modeling of the half wave dipole and micro strip patch antenna using XFDTD ®. It describes the modeling of the antenna, the feeding, and the resultant plots obtained. Furthermore it concludes with comparison of the results obtained with the simulations already available in the software. Chapter 5 discusses the theory, calculations involved and the fabrication of the micro strip (patch) antenna in detail. The calculations for the dimensions of the rectangular patch in detail are in this chapter. Also, this chapter describes the results obtained through simulation of the model on the software CST Microwave Studio ®. Chapter 6 discusses conclusions drawn from the whole project. Chapter 2 Antenna Fundamentals In this chapter, the basic concept of an antenna is discussed and its working is explained. Next, some critical performance parameters of antennas are discussed. Finally, some common types of antennas are introduced. The treatment for these is taken from the reference [4], [6] and [9]. 2.1 Introduction Antenna is a metallic structure designed for radiating and receiving electromagnetic  energy. An antenna acts as a transitional structure between the guiding devices (e.g. waveguide,  transmission line) and the free space. The official IEEE definition of an antenna as given by  Stutzman and Thiele [9] is as follows:   â€Å"That part of a transmitting or receiving system that is designed to radiate or receive electromagnetic waves†. 2.2 How an Antenna radiates? In order to understand how an antenna radiates, we have to first know how radiation occurs. A  conducting wire radiates because of time-varying current or an acceleration or deceleration of charge. If there is no motion of charges in a wire, no radiation will occur, since no flow of current occurs. Radiation will not occur even if charges are moving with uniform or constant velocity along a straight wire. Also, charges moving with uniform velocity along a curved or bent wire will produce radiation. If charge is oscillating with time, then radiation will occur even along a straight wire as explained by Balanis [4]. The radiation pattern from an antenna can be further understood by considering a voltage source connected to a two-conductor transmission line. When a sinusoidal voltage source is applied across the transmission line, an electric field is generated which is sinusoidal in nature. The bunching of the electric lines of force can indicate the magnitude of this electric field. The free electrons on the conductors are forcefully displaced by the electric lines of force and the motion of these charges causes the flow of current, which leads to the creation of a magnetic field. Due to time varying electric and magnetic fields, electromagnetic waves are created which travel between the conductors. When these waves approach open space, connecting the open ends of the electric lines forms free space waves. As the sinusoidal source continuously creates electric disturbance, electromagnetic waves are generated continuously and these travel through the transmission line, the antenna and are radiated into the free space. 2.3 Near and Far Field Regions The field patterns of an antenna, change with distance and are associated with two types of energy radiating and reactive energy. Hence, the space surrounding an antenna can be divided into three regions. Figure 2.1: Field regions around an antenna The three regions that are depicted in above figure are described as: 2.3.1 Reactive Near-Field Region: In this region the reactive field dominates. The reactive energy oscillates towards and away from the antenna, thus appearing as reactance. In this region, energy is stored and no energy is dissipated. The outermost boundary for this region is at a distance ÃŽ » (2.1) where R1is the distance from antenna surface, D is the largest dimension of the antenna and ÃŽ » is the wavelength. 2.3.2 Radiating Near-Field Region: This region also called Fresnel region lies between the reactive near-field region and the far field region. In this region, the angular field distribution is a function of the distance from the antenna. reactive fields are smaller in this field as compared to the reactive near-field region and the radiation fields dominate. The outermost boundary for this region is at a distance (2.2) where R2is the distance from the antenna surface. 2.3.3 Far-Field Region: The region beyond is the far field region also called Fraunhofer region. The angular field distribution is not dependent on the distance from the antenna in this region. In this region, the reactive fields are absent and only the radiation fields exist and the power density varies as the inverse square of the radial distance in this region. 2.4 The Hertzian Dipole A hertzian dipole or infinitesimal dipole, which is a piece of straight wire whose length L and diameter are both very small, compared to one wavelength. A uniform current I is assumed to flow along its length. Although such a current element does not exist in real life, it serves as a building block from which the field of a practical antenna can be calculated (Sadiku [6]). Consider the hertzian dipole shown in figure. We assume that it is located at the origin of a coordinate system and that it carries a uniform current. i.e. I=IË ³ cosωt. The retarded magnetic vector potential at the field point, due to dipole is given by (2.3) Where [I] is the retarded current given by (2.4) Where ÃŽ ²=ω/u=2Ï€/ÃŽ », and u=1/ the current is said to be retarded at point under consideration because there is a propagation time delay r/u or phase delay. By substitution we may also write A in phasor form as t(2.5) Transforming this vector in Cartesian to spherical coordinates yields Where But (2.6) We find the E field using (2.7) (2.8) Where, A close observation of the field equations reveals that we have terms varying as The 1/ term is called the electrostatic field since it corresponds to the field of an electric dipole. This term dominates over other terms in a region very close to the hertzian dipole. The is called the inductive field, and it is predictable from the from the Biot Savart law. The term is important only at near field, that is, at distances close to the current element. The 1/r term is called the far field or radiation field because it is the only term that remains at the far zone, that is, at a point very far from the current element. Here, we are mainly concerned with the far field or radiation zone (ÃŽ ²r˃˃1), where the terms in can be neglected in favor of the 1/r term. Thus at far field, (2.9) The radiation terms of and are in time phase and orthogonal just as the fields of a uniform plane wave. The near and far zone fields are determined respectively to be the in equalities We define the boundary between the near and far zones by the value of r given by . where d is the largest dimension of the antenna. The time average power density is obtained as ) (2.10) Substitution yields time average radiated power as But And hence above equation becomes If free space is the medium of propagation, ÃŽ ·=120 and (2.11) This power is equivalent to the power dissipated in a fictitious resistance by current That is, (2.12) Where is the root mean square value of I. From above equations we obtain Or (2.13) The resistance is a characteristic property of the hertzian dipole antenna and is called its radiation resistance. We observe that it requires antennas with large radiation resistances to deliver large amounts of power to space. The above equation for is for a hertzian dipole in free space. 2.5 Half Wave Dipole Antenna The Half Wave dipole is named after the fact that its length is half of the wavelength i.e. . It is excited through a thin wire fed at the midpoint by a voltage source connected to the antenna via a transmission line. The radiated electromagnetic field due to a dipole can be obtained if we consider it as a chain of hertzian dipoles (Sadiku [6]). ÃŽ »/2 I z x y I Figure 2.3: Half Wave Dipole The magnetic Vector potential P due to length dl of the dipole carrying a phasor current is (2.14) We have assumed a sinusoidal current distribution because the current must vanish at the ends of the dipole. Also note that the actual current distribution on an antenna is not precisely known. It can be determined by using Maxwells equations subject to the boundary conditions on the antenna by a mathematically complex procedure. The sinusoidal current assumption approximates the distribution obtained by solving the boundary value problem and is commonly used. O Y X Z Figure 2.4. Magnetic field at point o If r >> à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å", then Hence we can substitute in the denominator of the first equation where the magnitude of the distance is needed. In the numerator for the phase term, the difference between ÃŽ ² and ÃŽ ² is significant, so we will replace by . We maintain the cosine term in the exponent while neglecting it in the denominator because the exponent involves the phase constant while the denominator does not. So, (2.15) Using the following integrating equation, Applying this equation gives on (2.15) Since and the above equation becomes, Using identity = 2cos x, we obtain (2.16) We use in conjunction with the fact that to obtain electric and magnetic fields at far zone as (2.17) The radiation term of and are in time phase and orthogonal. We can obtain the time-average power density as (2.18) The time average radiated power can be determined as In the previous equations has been substituted assuming free space as the medium of propagation. The last equation can be written as Changing the variables, and using partial fractions reduces the above equation to Replacing with in the first integrand with in the second results in (2.19) Solving the previous equation of yields value of . The radiation resistance for the half wave dipole antenna is readily obtained from the following equation and comes out to be. (2.20) Chapter 3 Antenna Characteristics In the previous chapter we have discussed the basics of antennas and the elementary types of antennas. Now we will discuss the important characteristics of antennas as radiators of electromagnetic energy. These characteristics are normally considered in the far field and are as follows. And have been treated from the references [4], [6] and [9]. 3.1 Antenna Patterns The Antenna Pattern or Radiation Pattern of an antenna is the three-dimensional plot of its radiation at far field. There are two types of Radiation Patterns of antennas. The Field and the Power Pattern. 3.1.1 Field Pattern When the amplitude of the E-field is plotted, it is called the Field Pattern or the Voltage Pattern. A three dimensional plot of an antenna pattern is avoided by plotting separately the normalized versus for a constant which is called an E-Plane pattern or vertical pattern and the normalized versus for called the H-plane pattern or horizontal pattern. The normalization of is with respect to the maximum value of the so that the maximum value of the normalized is unity as explained by Sadiku [6]. For Example, for the hertzian Dipole, the normalized comes out to be, (3.1) Which is independent of From this equation we can obtain the E-plane pattern as the polar pattern of by varying from 0 to 180 degrees. This plot will be symmetric about the z-axis. For the H-plane pattern we set so that , which is a circle of radius 1. 3.1.2 Power Pattern When the square of the amplitude of E is plotted, it is called the power pattern. A plot of the time-average power, for a fixed distance r is the power pattern of the antenna. It is obtained by plotting separately versus for constant and versus for constant. The normalized power pattern for the hertzian dipole is obtained from the equation. (3.2) 3.2 Radiation Intensity The Radiation intensity of an antenna is defined as (3.3) Using the above equation, the total average power radiated can be expressed as (3.4) (3.5) Where dÃŽ ©= is the differential solid angle in steradian (sr). The radiation intensity is measured in watts per steradian (W/sr). The average value of is the total radiated power divided by ; that is, (3.6) 3.3 Directive Gain The directive gain of an antenna is a measure of the concentration of the radiated power in a particular direction It can also be regarded as the ability of the antenna to direct radiated power in a given direction. It is usually obtained as the ratio of radiation intensity in a given direction to the average radiation intensity, that is (3.7) may also be expressed in terms of directive gain as (3.8) The directive gain depends on antenna pattern. For the hertzian dipole as well as for the half wave dipole is maximum at and minimum at . Hence they radiate power in a direction broadside to their length. For an isotropic antenna, . However, such an antenna is not in reality but an ideality. The directivity D of an antenna is the ratio of the maximum radiation intensity to the average radiation intensity. D is also the maximum directive gain So, (3.9) Or, (3.10) For an isotropic antenna, D=1, which is the smallest value that D can have. For the hertzian dipole, as derived in equation (3.7) For half wave dipole, Where, ÃŽ ·=120 and (3.11) 3.4 Bandwidth (Impedance Bandwidth) By definition Bandwidth of an antenna is the difference between the highest and the lowest operational frequency of the antenna. Mathematically, (3.12) If this ratio is 10 to 1, then the antenna I classified as a broadband antenna. Another definition for Bandwidth is: Where, . 3.5 Gain We define that G is the actual gain in power over an ideal isotropic radiator when both are fed with same power. The reference for gain is the input power, not the radiated power. This efficiency is defined as the ratio of the radiated power () to the input power (). The input power is transformed into radiated power and surface wave power while a small portion is dissipated due to conductor and dielectric losses of the materials used. The power gain of the antenna as (3.13) The ratio of the power gain in any specified direction to the directive gain in that direction is referred to as the radiation efficiency of the antenna i.e. (3.14) Antenna gain can also be specified using the total efficiency instead of the radiation efficiency only. This total efficiency is a combination of the radiation efficiency and efficiency linked to the impedance matching of the antenna. Hence, from equation 3.14 (3.14(a)) 3.6 Polarization The definition for polarization can be quoted from Balanis [4] as: â€Å"Polarization of a radiated wave can be expressed as â€Å"that property of an electromagnetic wave describing the time-varying direction and relative magnitude of the electric field vector; specifically, the figure traced as a function of time by the extremity of the vector at a fixed location in space, and in the sense in which it is traced, as observed along the direction of propagation.† Polarization then is the curve traced by the end point of the arrow representing the instantaneous electric field. The field must be observed along the direction of propagation.† 3.7 Return Loss The Return Loss (RL) is the parameter which indicates the amount of power that is lost to or consumed by the load and is not reflected back as waves are reflected which leads to the formation of standing waves. This occurs when the transmitter and antenna impedance do not match. Hence, the RL is a parameter to indicate how well the matching between the transmitter and antenna has taken place. The RL is given as: (3.15) For perfect matching between the antenna and transmitter, RL = ∞ and Γ = 0 which means no power is being reflected back, whereas a Γ = 1 has a RL = 0 dB, which implies that all incident power is reflected. For practical applications a RL of -9.54 dB is acceptable. Chapter 4 Modeling of Half-Wave Dipole Micro Strip Patch Antenna Using XFDTD ® 4.1 Introduction For the purpose of modeling and simulation of antennas we have used modeling softwares, which are widely used in industries. These softwares are specially used for the purpose of electromagnetic (EM) modeling, which refers to the process of modeling the interaction of electromagnetic fields with physical objects and the environment. The first such software brought into use is XFDTD ®. It is a three-dimensional full wave electromagnetic solver based on the finite difference time domain method. It is fully three-dimensional.   Complex CAD ® objects can be imported into XFDTD ® and combining and editing can be done within XFDTD ® using the internal graphical editor. It is a powerful software which offers a lot of options to its users. This software has been initially used for modeling of basic antennas to get familiarity with interface and working of the software. Dipole is one of such basic antennas with a simple structure; as the name suggests dipole antenna consists of two wires on the same axis with a source applied at the center point. In this chapter, we begin with the analysis of a half-wave dipole antenna by derivation of field equations and the MATLAB ® plot. After the analysis the modeling is done using XFDTD ®. Finally, all the results are matched by plotting the data in MATLAB ®. 4.2 Derivation of Vector Magnetic Potential We begin with the derivation done in chapter 2 for of the radiated fields for a half-wave dipole antenna in equation 3.11 which gives us the following expression for (4.11) 4.2.1 MATLAB ® Plots of Half Wave Dipole Antenna The expression can be plotted in MATLAB ® using the following code clear all; theta = [0:360]*pi/180; F = cos((pi/2)*cos(theta))./(0.0000001 + sin(theta)); Pn = F./max(F); Pn=abs(Pn); title (POLAR PLOT OF HALF WAVE DIPOLE ) polar(0,1); hold on; polar (theta,Pn,r); The MATLAB ® generated plot of normalized electric field for half-wave dipole for above code is as follows Figure 4.1: MATLAB ® plot for Normalized Electric Field 4.3 Modeling of Half Wave Dipole Using XFDTD ® 4.3.1 Introduction XFDTD ® is a full wave, 3D, Electromagnetic Analysis Software. XFDTD ® used solid, dimension based modeling to create geometries. To create geometry, library objects and editing functions may be used. Modeling of half-wave dipole antenna was carried out in XFDTD ® to test the softwares capability of generating far field radiation pattern. And also to get in depth knowledge of XFDTD ® before using it for the modeling of patch antennas, which is the foremost objective of this project. 4.3.2 Validity of Model As in the previous section the electromagnetic theory of half-wave dipole was studied and its mathematical equations for normalized radiated field was derived and plotted. This plot will be our reference plot while doing the modeling of half-wave dipole. 4.3.3 Modeling of Half Wave Dipole As we know the length of a half-wave dipole antenna should be half the wavelength of the operating carrier wave frequency. Thus the dipole modeled in XFDTD ® has the following specifications: Length of 30cm Frequency used 1 GHz Thin wire was used to create the dipole Source was attached in the middle Figure below shows the geometry of dipole being modeled in XFDTD ®. Figure 4.2: XFDTD ® geometry of Half-Wave Dipole 4.3.4 Results The far fields of dipole antenna were calculated by XFDTD ® and plots were obtained for far field versus both Phi and Theta, as shown in Figure 4.3 Figure 4.4. The results matched with the theoretically established results. Figure 4.3: Far Field vs. Theta Figure 4.4: Far Field vs. Phi 4.3.5 Plotting XFDTD ® Results in MATLAB ® The data for far fields from XFDTD ® was exported and matched with the theoretical results in MATLAB ® for the purpose of confirming the results. Help was taken from the XFDTD ® reference manual to learn how to export far field data. The XFDTD ® file was copied and the extension was changed to ‘.dat and name was changed to ‘XFTDT.dat Next this file was read by MATLAB ® using the MATLAB ® code provided [angle1, a1, c1, d1, e1] = textread(XFDTD.dat,%f %f %f %f %f, 361); angle1=angle1*pi/180; q=find(c1 c1(q)=-9; c1=c1+9; m=max(c1); c1=c1./m; polar(angle1,c1,g) The MATLAB ® result is shown n figure below. Figure 4.8: XFDTD ® radiation pattern in MATLAB ® The experimentally produced curve qualitatively matches with our theoretical calculations. The shape of the curve is similar to the theoretical description, whereas the scale is different. For the purpose of confirming this result, the data of this curve is also exported into MATLAB ® to be compared with previously simulated results. 4.4 Modeling of Micro Strip Patch Antenna Using XFDTD ® 4.4.1 Introduction After gaining confidence on the design of dipole antenna by comparing its results with the simulations and the results obtained from MATLAB ®, we use the same computational software for the modeling of micro strip patch antenna. 4.4.2 Validity of Model For the modeling of micro strip patch antenna, a paper of IEEE â€Å"Application of Three-Dimensional Finite-Difference Time Domain Method of the Analysis of Planar Micro strip Circuits† is reproduced. This paper is used as a reference so that the results could be compared in order to check the validity. The result of our exercise confirms the results of the IEEE paper; this takes us to design a micro strip antenna of our desired parameters. This training will help us gain the expertise over the computational software, which can be used for the modeling of multiple different antennas. 4.4.3 Modeling of Micro Strip Patch Antenna The antenna is designed for the frequency range from 0 GHz (dc) to 20 GHz. The dimensions used for the antenna centers it at 7.8 GHz. Although its results at the higher frequencies are also examined for the accuracy, the parameters for the antenna are given below: Duroid substrate is used with =2.2 Thickness is 1/32 inch=0.794mm Length = 12.45mm Width = 16mm Transmission line feed is used and is placed at 2.09mm away from the left corner. With these specifications the center frequency comes out to be 7.8 GHz and this can be verified from the link www.emtalk.com/mpaclac.php Figure 4.5 shows the geometry of micro strip patch modeled in XFDTD ®. Figure 4.5 Geometry of the micro strip patch antenna 4.4.4 Results The S11 plot of micro strip patch antenna was calculated by XFDTD ®, as shown in Figure 4.6 Figure 4.7 is the plot of the IEEE paper. This gives us the comparison between the two. Figure 4.6 obtained from the XFDTD ® Figure 4.7: Results of S11 parameters from published IEEE Papers Chapter 5 Micro Strip Antennas 5.1 Introduction These days there are many commercial applications, such as mobile radio and wireless communication, where size, weight, cost, performance, ease of installation, and aerodynamic profiles are constraints and low profile antennas may be required. To meet these requirements micro strip antennas can be used. These are low profile antennas and are conformable to planar and non-planar surfaces. These are simple and inexpensive to manufacture using modern printed circuit technology. They are also mechanically robust and can be mounted on rigid surfaces. In addition, micro strip antennas are very versatile in terms of resonant frequency, polarization, pattern and impedance as explained by Balanis [4]. 5.1.1 Basic Characteristics Micro strip antennas consist of a very thin metallic strip or patch placed a small fraction of a wavelength above a ground plane. The micro strip patch is designed so its pattern maximum is normal to the patch hence making it a broadside radiator. This is accomplished by properly choosing the mode or field configuration of excitation beneath the patch. End-fire radiation can also be accomplished by judicious mode selection. For a rectangular patch, the length L of the element is usually . The conducting micro strip or patch and the ground plane are separated by the substrate (Balanis [4]). There are numerous substrates that can be used for the design of micro strip antennas and their dielectric constants are usually in the range of . The substrate that we are using in our designs has a value of 4.6. Often micro strip antennas are also referred to as patch antennas. The radiating elements and the feed lines are usually photo etched on the dielectric substrate. The radiating patch may be square, rectangular, thin strip, circular, elliptical, triangular or any other configuration. Arrays of micro strip elements with single or multiple feeds are used to achieve greater directivities. 5.1.2 Feeding Methods There are numerous methods that can be used to feed micro strip antennas. The four most common and popular are the micro strip line, coaxial probe, aperture coupling and proximity coupling. In our designs we have selected coaxial probe as our method of feeding the Micro strip antenna. Following is a brief explanation of coaxial feeding as explained by Balanis [4]. Coaxial-line feeds, where the inner conductor of the coax is attached to the radiation patch while the outer conductor is connected to the ground plane are widely used. The coaxial probe feed is also easy to fabricate and match, and it has low spurious radiation. However is has narrow bandwidth and it is more difficult to model. 5.2 Rectangular Patch The rectangular patch is one of the most widely used configurations of Micro strip antennas. It is very easy to analyze using either the transmission line model or the cavity model, which have higher accuracy for thin substrates as explained by Balanis [4]. In our desig

Good vs Evil :: essays papers

Good vs Evil The ill-begotten town of Vec is in shambles. The churches have all been burned, and Satan's reign has spread to the top-land through the desire and meddling of five young men. The men call themselves the Satanic Cult of the Spirit. They, alone, are Satan's army brought from the bowels of the Nether regions to take arms against goodness and all that is holy in the world that exists today. The cult ritually performs seances to conjure the demon for further instructions. The body of lead clansmen Brom has been decided the cradle for Satan's spirit as the other members, representatives of the four elementals, form an inverted pentacle with "the spirit" Brom at the zenith. Meanwhile, in the town of Eladamri, the forces of good, led by Master Barrin, prepare for the coming battle. "Noble prophets and oracles, we must now rise for the battle of all ages. You have lived for the love of our Lord, will you now not die for it? We must be strong in our faith to conjure the spirit necessary to defeat the growing evils of Vec. The evil inside the men grows stronger by the hour and we must hold fast. Our belief shall be the lance that pierces the evil of Vec and frees the four men from their satanic shackles." With a dramatic ending to the resounding applause received, Barrin stepped away from the podium and back to his chambers for more meditation. Suddenly, a knock. "Master Barrin, it is I, sir DiTerlizzi. Might I have a word?" "Certainly, certainly...Please, do come in!" And with a little hesitance, DiTerlizzi rushed into the room panting and took a seat. "Sir, word has been spread that one of the oracles envisioned the image of Satan in one of his dreams. It was said Satan has spoken to him stating that he will come to our sitting and ‘flay the skin from the flesh of the townsmen and then flesh from bone scraping [our] bones dry, And still [we] will not have suffered enough for betraying [him].' Might I remind you of the old proverb sir that ‘ The bonds of loyalty can tie one to the grave.' Maybe our belief is to be the destruction of our kind." "Fear not young DiTerlizzi, one tends to overlook the previous prophecy given by the oracle that ‘There shall be vast shout and then a vaster silence. Good vs Evil :: essays papers Good vs Evil The ill-begotten town of Vec is in shambles. The churches have all been burned, and Satan's reign has spread to the top-land through the desire and meddling of five young men. The men call themselves the Satanic Cult of the Spirit. They, alone, are Satan's army brought from the bowels of the Nether regions to take arms against goodness and all that is holy in the world that exists today. The cult ritually performs seances to conjure the demon for further instructions. The body of lead clansmen Brom has been decided the cradle for Satan's spirit as the other members, representatives of the four elementals, form an inverted pentacle with "the spirit" Brom at the zenith. Meanwhile, in the town of Eladamri, the forces of good, led by Master Barrin, prepare for the coming battle. "Noble prophets and oracles, we must now rise for the battle of all ages. You have lived for the love of our Lord, will you now not die for it? We must be strong in our faith to conjure the spirit necessary to defeat the growing evils of Vec. The evil inside the men grows stronger by the hour and we must hold fast. Our belief shall be the lance that pierces the evil of Vec and frees the four men from their satanic shackles." With a dramatic ending to the resounding applause received, Barrin stepped away from the podium and back to his chambers for more meditation. Suddenly, a knock. "Master Barrin, it is I, sir DiTerlizzi. Might I have a word?" "Certainly, certainly...Please, do come in!" And with a little hesitance, DiTerlizzi rushed into the room panting and took a seat. "Sir, word has been spread that one of the oracles envisioned the image of Satan in one of his dreams. It was said Satan has spoken to him stating that he will come to our sitting and ‘flay the skin from the flesh of the townsmen and then flesh from bone scraping [our] bones dry, And still [we] will not have suffered enough for betraying [him].' Might I remind you of the old proverb sir that ‘ The bonds of loyalty can tie one to the grave.' Maybe our belief is to be the destruction of our kind." "Fear not young DiTerlizzi, one tends to overlook the previous prophecy given by the oracle that ‘There shall be vast shout and then a vaster silence.

5.7 Liter Supersport :: English Literature Essays

5.7 Liter Supersport Finally! Almost there. I’ve been in this pick-up truck driving to work for the past 20 minutes, yet it seems like hours and hours have passed. It’s really hot outside and this old truck doesn’t even have air conditioning. Anyways, the reason why I’m riding in this broke down pick-up truck is because my dad is giving me a ride to work, his liquor store. Now I already know what everyone is probably thinking, â€Å"18 year-old guy without a car, still having daddy take you everywhere.† Well, not anymore because I’m meeting this â€Å"gentlemen† for a test-drive on his really nice car. â€Å"O.K. dad, you don’t have to slow down before even getting in the parking lot. I know you’re just trying to delay the task at hand, huh† â€Å"Shut up Sunny, your ass could wait a few more seconds can’t it †¦and one more thing, don’t act so desperate in front of the guy, O.K.? Make him want to sell you the car, not you desperately wanting it.† This right here is very typical of my dad to try giving me advice. He does it every chance he gets. So just like every other situation, I give him my usual reply. †Aright pops; quit trippin’; I got this, aight?† My dad just laughs pulling into a parking spot right in front of our liquor store. It’s in a pretty rough area. The area has been known for its weekly shootings by the local gang-members. To the side of the store I notice the car out of the corner of my eye. It looks just like the picture I saw on the internet. I get out of the truck faster then Marion Jones sprinting so I can have a better look at the fine piece of machinery. My dad goes into the store to look for the guy. From just looking at the car, my heart is melting. I could stare at this car for days. A 2001 Chevy SuperSport Camaro, a Corvette powered sports-car that was going to be mine. I’ve been researching this car for the last three years, and now I finally have earned the opportunity to buy this car. Now what was it my dad was telling me? Oh that’s right, to not let him see me drooling over the car. I know that Jim told me he wants to sell his car for twenty-eight thousand five hundred dollars, but it seems a little steep.

Competitive Landscape in Commercial Real Estate

Home  » Property Types  » Retail  » Clash of the Titans: Regional Mall REITs Fight for Limited Outlet Development Opportunities Clash of the Titans: Regional Mall REITs Fight for Limited Outlet Development Opportunities May 9, 2012 12:54 PM, By Elaine Misonzhnik, Senior Associate Editor In the fall of 2010 executives with Taubman Centers Inc. , a Bloomfield Hills, Mich. -based regional mall REIT, began talking about the REIT’s new avenue for growth: outlet centers. Article Tools ? Latest NewsMore Latest News Taubman had recently completed the conversion of its Great Lakes Crossing property in Auburn Hills, Mich. , a 1. 35-million-sq. -ft. enclosed regional mall, into Great Lakes Crossing Outlets. Taubman was able to sign up many tenants that were not present elsewhere in Michigan, including Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Disney Store Outlet and Rainforest Cafe. Great Lakes Crossing Outlets was attracting both local shoppers and Canadians from across the Detroit River. As a result, the center’s sales per sq. ft. umbers rose significantly, company officials said during earnings calls. The success in Auburn Hills helped convince Taubman’s management to capitalize on additional outlet center opportunities. Besides, in a market saturated with fortress malls and lifestyle centers, outlet centers represented one of the last opportunities for ground-up construction. Robert S. Taubman, the REIT’s chairman, president and CEO, laid out a goal of developing from five to 10 outlet centers in the span of a decade. Among the first such undertakings Taubman pursued was a site in Manvel, Texas, near Houston.The site seemed a good fit for Taubman’s target outlet center sales level of at least $400 per sq. ft. The median household income in Manvel is $65,864 a year, more than $15,000 higher than the median household income for the state as a whole. In addition, the town’s proximity to Houston would give Taubman access to 2 million po tential shoppers. Taubman’s Texas ambitions, however, did not pan out. Both Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, a Greensboro, N. C. -based REIT that specializes in outlet center development, and Simon PropertyGroup, the largest retail landlord in the country in both the regional mall and outlet center arenas, had laid claims to outlet center development sites in nearby Texas City, just 22 miles away. According to brokers familiar with the market, the greater Houston area could not support two, let alone three, outlet centers. In June 2011, Simon and Tanger took a decisive step to win the market by announcing that they would partner to build a 350,000-sq. -ft. joint development in Texas City under Tanger’s brand name. It marked the first joint venture development partnership in Tanger’s history.Ultimately, the two firms decided to work together on one large outlet center rather than spend money fighting each other, says Michael Rodenas, principal with Rodenas Consulti ng, a national consulting firm that specializes in shopping centers and malls. As a result, Taubman quietly retreated from the market. In July 2011, while discussing the company’s earnings for the second quarter, Robert Taubman admitted to analysts that outlets constitute â€Å"a very competitive space. It’s a very competitive world out there in development generally. † He reiterated the company’s commitment to investing in outlet centers both in U.S. and in Asia, but refused to discuss the Texas project. The Houston saga wasn’t the only time Taubman and Simon came to loggerheads in the outlet space. In early April, Simon and Taubman each issued press releases about competing outlet center projects in Chesterfield, Mo. , another market where trade area demographics seem to dictate that only one outlet development can succeed. On Apr. 3, Simon revealed that Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th agreed to anchor its St. Louis Premium Outlets, an outlet center sl ated to contain at least 350,000 sq. ft. of space. (St.Louis Premium Outlets is a product of a joint venture between Simon, Woodmont Outlets and EWB Development LLC, all experienced outlet center developers. ) Two days later, Taubman announced it broke ground for Taubman Prestige Outlets Chesterfield, a 450,000-sq. -ft. center. Taubman’s press release noted that it had firm commitments from a number of tenants, but did not identify any retailers by name. It is likely that only one of those two centers will get built in Chesterfield. â€Å"We’ve said publicly, I think, Simon has said publicly that there is only going to be one project built in St.Louis,† Robert Taubman said during the firm’s first quarter earnings call. â€Å"We are way ahead, on a much better site with much better access, much better visibility. †¦ So to us it’s very clear as to which project is going to be built. † Most industry sources, however, are putting their mone y on Simon because of the firm’s size, its existing network of relationships in the outlet center industry and the fact that it has already bagged a major tenant. The large regional mall players, including Simon, Taubman, Macerich Co. CBL & Associates Properties and others, have all made overtures to enter the outlet space. But with limited opportunities for development and an existing group of experienced landlords already competing there, these battles—competing press releases, wars of words and unconventional partnerships— are likely to continue to play out repeatedly throughout the country. CBL & Associates recently invested in The Outlet Shoppes in El Paso (Texas). Last spring, both Simon and Tanger announced outlet center projects in the town of Halton Hills, a suburb of Toronto.Tanger has since moved its project further away and will build it as an outlet addition to Heartland Town Centre, one of Canada’s largest power centers. Simon, meanwhile, st arted construction on its original site in Halton Hills in April. And in the Chicago area, Macerich and AWE Talisman have announced plans to build a $200 million, 528,000-sq. -ft. outlet center in Rosemont while Craig Realty Group, a privately held outlet center developer, has ambitions to develop Chicagoland Outlets at Country Club Hills, a 408,500-sq. -ft. project.Simon Property Group declined to comment for this article. Tanger, Taubman, Macerich and Craig Realty Group, meanwhile, did not respond to calls for comments. â€Å"The problem is—as we saw when developers started to roll out lifestyle centers—that everyone goes after the same markets,† says Jeff Green, president of Jeff Green Partners, a Phoenix-based consulting firm. â€Å"And many times the newer folks to the outlet industry are going to find that it’s a much harder industry to get into when there are relationships that have been in place for so many years. † In certain isolated inst ances, uch as the one near Houston, two big developers might form joint ventures because one of them holds a better site while the other wields more power with retailers. Such examples, however, will be few and far between, according to Richard Hauer, managing director of business restructuring services at BDO, a New York City-based consulting firm. â€Å"Let me put it this way: Neither Simon nor Taubman is going to build a second-rate outlet mall,† he says. â€Å"So if the first guy can get Coach and Polo and Saks and a few of those names that every outlet mall really wants, you’ll see the other guy back down. Mass appeal The reasons the outlet sector has suddenly become overcrowded are easy to trace. During the downturn, outlet center sales rose while mall sales fell or remained flat because shoppers were suddenly attracted to outlets’ value proposition. What’s more, as these centers moved closer to urban areas and proved that they can work in close pr oximity to regional malls, the number of markets that could support new projects increased. With limited opportunity for growth elsewhere, regional mall REITs began to focus on the outlet sector.Real estate owners that want to gain market share in a new property segment typically have two avenues for growth: either through acquisition of multiple assets or another operating company or though development. But when Simon bought Prime Outlets Inc. in 2010 it snapped up the last big privately-held outlet center operator in the market. Today, â€Å"no private guy controls 20 or 30 centers that could be sold,† says Gerard Mason, executive managing director with Savills LLC. What’s more, there is a wide spread on yields between development and investment.For instance, CBL & Associates, a Chattanooga, Tenn. -based REIT, recently invested more than $108 million to provide financing for two outlet centers developed by Horizon Group Properties, a Rosemont, Ill. -based outlet cent er developer. (CBL has also partnered with Horizon on groundup projects in Oklahoma City and Woodstock, Ga. ) But CBL CEO Stephen Lebovitz admits that development projects offer double-digit returns while investing in existing centers brings returns in the 8 percent range. I would expect that our growth will be mainly through new development,† he says. At the same time, Lebovitz notes that the number of markets in the U. S. that would meet CBL’s development criteria, including a trade area of approximately a million people, a sizeable tourist base and lack of existing competition, is limited. One high-ranking industry source says that for developers targeting outlet center sales on par with Simon’s levels, which average about $550 per sq. ft. , there are maybe 10 untapped markets left that fit the necessary trade area characteristics.For developers targeting Tanger’s sales levels, which currently average $371 per sq. ft. , there are about 40 untapped marke ts. â€Å"But there aren’t 100,† the anonymous source notes. By the end of the 2012, there will be 187 outlet centers containing 71 million sq. ft. , according to Value Retail News, a publication that covers the outlet industry. Linda Humphers, editor-in-chief of Value Retail News, estimates that in the long term, the country may be able to support another 250 centers, but that would include conversions.Occasionally, a developer will be able to find a site in an offbeat location that nobody else has thought about, says Gerard Mason. But for the most part, all the REITs are looking at the same markets, and in many cases, at the same piece of land. â€Å"There is clearly room for growth in the sector—every major metro area can certainly support outlet retail,† says Michael P. Glimcher, CEO of Glimcher Realty Trust, a Columbus, Ohiobased regional mall REIT that also owns outlet centers in Elizabeth, N. J. and Auburn, Wash. I just think the reality is there a re a lot of people in that category and only a small percentage of what’s being announced will actually get built,† Glimcher says. Bloodless war When it comes to handling competition on new developments the big retail REITs have acquired a reputation for being ruthless, employing tactics such as funding community opposition groups to derail each others’ projects, says Patrick Fox, president of Saint Consulting Group, a firm that specializes in zoning and land-use battles. These are mature markets, they are largely over-built and the battle for market share is tremendous,† he notes. But unlike large regional malls that tend to be located in major urban areas, outlet centers don’t normally inspire the same kind of opposition from local residents, according to James Schutter, senior managing director with Newmark Knight Frank Retail, a retail real estate services firm. In fact, many communities want to see outlet centers built because of the tremendous amount of sales tax revenue they bring in. The real battle in outlets’ case is for tenant commitments.Although the outlet industry doesn’t have anchors in the same sense that the regional mall industry does, there are certain key stores that are necessary to attract shoppers and that the rest of outlet retailers follow, notes Hauer. These include Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, Coach and Polo, as well as Neiman Marcus Last Call and Nordstrom Rack. About a decade ago, Hauer tried to develop an outlet center near Syracuse, N. Y. When he started negotiating with potential tenants the answer was â€Å"if you can get Polo, we’ll sign. Otherwise, we are not interested. †When there are two developers competing to build a center in a market that can support only one project it becomes a race to be the first to announce leases with major tenants. The developers try to convince expanding retailers that their center is the one that’s going to happen by putting out announcements about land permits and ground-breakings. Ultimately, however, it’s the line-up of tenants that determines whose center gets built. â€Å"Developers announce that they will put together a mall [all the time], they don’t always make it happen,† says Schutter. If you’ve got this tenant and this tenant and this tenant coming, the other guys in the marketplace say, ‘Let’s go into this project. ’† â€Å"A ground-breaking is not as strong as being able to announce a strong anchor tenant,† Fox adds. So how do those key retailers decide who to go with when the choice is between Simon and Tanger, or Simon and Taubman or Macerich and Craig Realty Group? After Taubman converted its Great Lakes Crossing project into an outlet center, sales rose significantly.Having the best site certainly makes a difference, which is why Simon may be willing to partner with Tanger if Tanger has secured a better location, according to Mic hael Rodenas. When the projects are in the same trade area, the choice might come down to seemingly small differences like which side of the highway the center will be located on or which zip codes in a given area are missing from the retailer’s customer base. But in the outlet industry, having existing relationships with a potential landlord is also very important, according to Hauer, Green,Lebovitz and others. And in this, Simon, which controls the largest mall portfolio and the largest outlet center portfolio in the country, has a tremendous advantage. That might not come into play as much in the Simon/Tanger relationship because the two REITs specialize in slightly different projects, but it will likely loom large in any battle between Simon and other regional mall REITs. â€Å"If you [as a tenant] get Simon angry with you on the outlet side, they can be angry with you on the traditional retail side also,† says Green. Let’s just say that in that case the dev eloper has a large hammer, a larger hammer than any mall-only developer would have. † That’s why most retail industry insiders feel that while Taubman and the other regional mall REITs will eventually be able to build a handful of outlet centers, they will not be able to break into the business in the big way they had imagined. â€Å"The outlet mall industry is kind of a closed world,† says Schutter. Sidebar: Eastern Promises While U. S. retail REIT executives try to build up their outlet portfolios at home, most of them realize that growth opportunities here are limited.So in recent months they’ve been announcing outlet center projects elsewhere in the world, including Canada, Brazil, Japan, China, South Korea and Malaysia. In April, Simon signed a deal with BR Malls Participacoes S. A. to develop outlet centers in Brazil, with the first project scheduled to be built in Sao Paulo by 2013 and started construction on Phase I of Shisui Premium Outlets, a 234 ,000-sq. -ft. outlet center in Shisui, Japan. Both Simon and Tanger have been working on outlet centers in Canada, including Simon’s 500,000-sq. ft. Toronto Premium Outlets in Halton Hills and Tanger’s 312,000-sq. -ft. outlet addition to Heartland Town Centre in Mississauga. And Taubman executives have told analysts they are looking to build outlet centers in Asia, where Taubman already has offices in Hong Kong and Seoul, South Korea. â€Å"In the U. S. , you are not going to see outlet centers double in number,† says Gerard Mason, executive managing director with Savills LLC, a global real estate services firm. â€Å"That’s why Simon is in Brazil and China.In Brazil they might be able to do 15 outlet centers because their middle class is just emerging and they need shopping centers. † —E. M. Sidebar: Mini-Malls With the increase in outlet centers’ popularity, the concept has evolved to represent something different than a small colle ction of factory stores in the middle of nowhere. In the 1980s and 1990s, the rule of thumb was that an outlet center had to be located at least 70 miles away from the closest phone line, jokes one broker. Today, if a shopper goes to Central New Jersey, â€Å"you have the Freehold Raceway Mall [a 1. -million-sq. -ft. superregional center] and then 10 to 15 minutes away, there is an outlet mall,† according to Richard Hauer. Today’s outlet centers have grown larger, sometimes containing up to 450,000 sq. ft. or 500,000 sq. ft. of space, whereas the outlet centers of yesterday tended to average 150,000 sq. ft. The tenant line-up has changed from manufacturers to big retail chains, many of which, including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Gap, J. Crew and Aeropostale, have established off-price and outlet divisions.Plus, outlet centers now feature mall-like amenities, such as food courts, restaurants and movie theaters, because people are staying on the properties longer than they used to, notes Michael Rodenas. And when CBL & Associates Properties and Horizon Group Properties were working on the plan for The Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City, a 350,000-sq. -ft. center that opened last summer, CBL marked land around the property for the addition of restaurants and hotel facilities. â€Å"We feel it adds critical mass,† says Stephen Lebovitz. —E. M.