Hotels and the Environment

HOTEL INDUSTRY AND THE ENVIRONMENT By VASUNDHARA TANWAR LITERATURE REVIEW When we talk of hotels we never think that something like that could have an impact on the environment and people would spend millions of rupees and infinite number of hours to deal with this so called impact. However this is absolutely the case. The seemingly small problem is literally taking the world by storm. So much so that national governments, hotels and even the UN are taking steps in order to find solutions to this problem.Extensive research has been done in the recent years by economists and scientists etc to come up with the most sustainable ways to run hotels since the degradation of the environment is a major concern worldwide. Papers like â€Å"An analysis of environmental management, organizational context and performance of Spanish hotels† by M. J. Alvarez which addresses the factors that determine the deployment of environmental management practices and its effects on firms’ finan cial performance have been published.Results find support for the notion that age of facilities, size, chain affiliation, stakeholder environmental pressures, and their use of operations management techniques exert a lasting influence on the degree of implementation of environmental management practices by hotel firms. Moreover, findings show a positive relationship between environmental management practices and firms’ financial performance. Various other economists in different countries have drawn similar conclusions. The United Nations environment programme also published a guide â€Å"how the hotel and tourism industry can protect the ozone layer†.Environmental Good Practice in Hotels, published by UNEP IE and the International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA), presents 15 case studies selected from the IH&RA annual Environmental Award. The case studies document environmental programmes initiated by independent hotels and international chains across the globe – in Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Action areas include environmental policy, design and construction, water, energy, waste, emissions, purchasing, staff training, and guest communication. The range of environmental initiatives featured is extensive, from simple recycling easures to water conservation using the latest technology, and from resorts built to strict environmental guidelines, to small hotels where the personal commitment of the general manager drives environmental activities. All case studies highlight the environmental and economic benefits gained by the actions taken. Also included are examples of environmental initiatives taken by national hotel associations, and a list of sources on environmental management publications and programmes in the hotel industry. These are just some examples of what is being said and done by organizations that observe what is going on.The actual participants, the hotels, are also not far behind. Many hotels hav e come up with various innovative ways to contribute to the betterment of the environment. Some of them have won various awards for this very purpose. Hotels now days strive to achieve the ECOTEL ® certification which is primarily the hallmark for environmentally sensitive hotels. One of the pioneers in such activities would be the orchid group of hotels. However, there are others that strive to achieve excellence in this cause and some have been quite successful too. INTRODUCTION Most countries rely heavily on the services sector for its growth.A major part of this sector is tourism. Tourism is one of the leading growth sectors of the economy and brings in billions of dollars for developing countries. When we talk about tourism we can hardly isolate it from talk of hotels. Hotels in a sense are synonymous with tourism and one cannot be talked about without reference to the other. The growth of the tourism industry has greatly increased the amount of stress on the environment. Now each individual has varying degrees of impact on the environment which largely depends on the personal choices made by individuals and is scattered world over. The same is true for hotels.They have an effect on the biodiversity right from its conception. This makes it imperative for us to study exactly how and where do hotels affect our environment, what can be done to reduce this impact and how aware is the current generation of hotels regarding this issue. Taking the example of India we see that as a result of increasing tourism in Goa, developers built several hotels. The hotels soon drew up to 66,000 gallons of water per day from wells and other local sources. Many of the wells and rivers the community had relied on went dry. This is a common problem in many areas where tourism runs into the limits of natural resources.With various such instances in several parts of the world today, ECOTOURISM—tourism that is nature-oriented and environmentally focused—is growing rapidly. This represents a growing market for environmentally friendly options in the tourism industry. Ecotourism aside, many in the hotel industry have recognized the negative impact their business activities have on the environment and have taken action to alleviate those impacts. Environmentally responsible business practices dovetail well with the newfound popularity of ecotourism. They harmonize tourism and environmental sustainability.This awareness has given rise to what can be called the â€Å"GREEN HOTELS†. The term â€Å"green hotels† describes hotels that strive to be more environment friendly through the efficient use of energy, water, and materials while providing quality services. Green hotels conserve and preserve by saving water, reducing energy use, and reducing solid waste. They have seen benefits such as reduced costs and liabilities, high return and low-risk investments, increased profits, and positive cash flows. Identifying these benefits and inc entives has allowed the popularity of green hotels to grow. Hotels are consistently becoming greener.The most costly and wasteful use of resources in hotels are usually in the consumption of nonrenewable energy, excessive water use, and the generation of waste. Through this paper we would try to point out the complex nature of the impact that hotels have on our environment and the steps that can be taken in order to minimize this impact as much as possible. We would also like to shed light on the work that has already been done in this field by various hotels and organizations. Many organizations have done commendable work in trying to reduce their ecological footprint and have, in some sense, become pioneers and inspiration for others.For instance, the orchid group of hotels is pretty known for the kind of work it does. IMPACTS Tourism has a fairly large environmental footprint. Hotels, being at the heart of it, shoulder the responsibility for this. The following table shows that h otels are responsible for 21% of total emissions generated by tourism industry. These just constitute one part of their impact which in reality has many layers and levels to it. The hotels have an impact on the biodiversity at each stage of its life cycle, right from planning to its closure.These impacts could be summarized as follows: At the planning stage, the most important issue in determining the level of impact that a hotel will have relates to choices about its location and design. Even the most sustainably operated hotel will have major impacts if it is built in a biodiversity-sensitive area. Choices about the materials that will be used to construct the hotel, where those materials will come from and the total physical footprint of the hotel will also influence how significant its impacts will be in the operational stage.At the construction stage, impact is determined by the size and location of the area cleared for development and where construction activities are taking p lace, the choice of construction methods, the sources and amount and type of materials, water and energy used to build the hotel, the location of temporary camps for construction workers, inadequate storage facilities for construction materials, the amount of construction waste that has to be disposed of, and other types of damage such as surface soil erosion or compaction caused by construction activities or disruption of natural water flows and drainage patterns.In the operational stage, a hotel's impact comes mainly from the energy, water, food and other resources that are consumed in running the hotel, by the solid and liquid wastes it produces, by the way its grounds are managed, and by the direct impacts of its guests. In addition, regular renovation and replacement of furniture, appliances and facilities can cause impacts through purchasing choices and increased waste generation.Using energy and water more efficiently, using organic and sustainably produced food, reducing, tr eating and disposing of waste appropriately, making sustainable purchasing decisions and managing gardens with natural-style plantings can all help a hotel to reduce its adverse impacts on biodiversity. Similarly, a hotel's relationship with host communities not only affects the sustainable operations of the hotel but also the use of environmental resources by communities themselves. At the closure stage, a hotel's impacts come from the disposal of materials removed from the hotel to refurbish it, convert it for other uses, or demolish it, nd from the work involved in these activities. It may be possible to reuse and recycle some materials, but there may also be some toxic materials, particularly from older buildings, which will require careful handling and management. A responsible hotel operator should also foresee supporting activities of ecological restoration as required. Responsible siting and design, the effective management of energy and water consumption, and the proper dis posal of wastewater and solid waste are important challenges for any hotel hoping to improve the sustainability of its operations.Now even though a hotel has environmental impact through different stages of its lifecycle the most easily cited and the longest running impact that they have is at their operational stage since once a hotel has been built, it stays in the business for very many years under normal circumstances. The day to day running has impacts which are a lot times ignored in the overall picture. This mostly becomes the case because individually, hotels do not have a significant impact on the environment. Collectively however, they can be very wasteful and use huge amount of resources.It has been estimated that seventy-five percent of hotels’ environmental impacts can be directly related to excessive consumption. This is wasteful in terms of resources and creates unnecessary operational costs. The three key areas of environmental impact are energy, water, and wa ste. Energy – Excessive energy use is extremely costly and with minor adjustments, it can lead to massive cost savings. According to Gossling et. al. (2005), â€Å"the average energy consumption per bed per night in hotels might be in the order of 130 Mega joules.Hotels generally use more energy per visitor that local residents, as they have energy intense facilities, such as bars, restaurants, and pools, and have more spacious rooms. Studies have determined that a hotel emits an average 20. 6 kg of carbon dioxide per night. Waste – A study conducted by Bohdanowicz(2005) also indentified that hotels are not only resource intensive and that waste generation is on e of the most visible effects on the environment. One estimate identified that â€Å"an average hotel produces in excess of one kilogram of waste per guest per day†.Approximately thirty percent of waste in hotels can be diverted through reuse and recycling. Water  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Tourists and residents alike require a clean and dependable supply of water for survival including drinking, cooking and cleansing. However, water is integral to the amenities usually expected by tourists, such as swimming pools, landscaped gardens, and golf courses. Water also supports industries such as agriculture that support the tourism industry (Pigram, 1995). Thus, tourists demand more water than local resident s on a per capita basis (Essex, Kent ; Newnham, 2004).It has been estimated by Salen (1995) that 15,000 cubic meters of water would typically supply 100 rural farmers for three years and 100 urban families for two years, yet only supply 100 luxury hotel guests for less than two months (Holden, 2000). In dryer regions, tourists' water consumption can amount to 440 liters a day per tourist, which is almost double the average amount of water used by residents in Spain (UNEP, 2008). In destinations that do not have the required infrastructure and systems to manage these impacts, severe degradation of the environment can occur.The following table summarizes the environmental impact of the day to day workings of any hotel Service/Activity| Description| Main Environmental Impacts| Administration| Hotel management Reception of clients| Energy, water and materials (mainly paper) Generation of waste and hazardous waste (toner cartridges)| Technical Services| Equipment for producing hot water and heating Air conditioning Lighting Swimming pools Green areas Mice and insect extermination Repairs and maintenance| Energy and water consumption Consumption and generation of a wide range of hazardous products Air and soil emissionsGeneration of waste water Pesticides use| Restaurant/bar| Breakfast, lunch, dinner Beverages and snacks| Energy, water and raw materials consumption Packaging waste Organic waste| Kitchen| Food conservation Food preparation Dish washing| Consumption of energy and water Packaging waste Oil waste Organic waste Generation of odours| Room Use| Use by guests Products fo r guests' use Housekeeping| Energy, water and raw materials consumption Use of hazardous products Generation of waste packaging Generation of waste water| Laundry| Washing and ironing of guest clothesWashing and ironing of hotel linens| Consumption of energy and water Use of hazardous cleaning products Generation of waste water  | (Graci, 2009) This gives us a clear enough picture of the ecological impacts of hotels. Thus it becomes imperative that each hotel recognizes them and takes initiative to curb these impacts. With the growth of the tourism sector all over the world and with more and more hotels coming up each day these small things become issues of epic proportions when looked at collectively. In a time when our environment is in a very fragile condition one can’t ignore such a situation.The sooner hotels realize this the better it would be. However, these issues were not even brought to light till very recently. The annual hospitality consultants’ conferenc e in 2007 did not even mention any of the environmental issues that plagued hotels in their top 10 problems of the industry. BEST PRACTICES There are many green practices that hotels can implement and they also help save unnecessary costs. There can be many ways in which a hotel can reduce its footprint. Some of them can be: * Not discharging waste in water bodies – prevents pollution. * Recycling Use of compact fluorescent lights – saves energy. * Reuse of linens – saves water, detergent, energy and greenhouse gases. * Low-flow shower systems – saves water and energy. * Local products – save transportation costs. * Installation of green roofs – saves energy. * Installation of solar heaters or other renewable energy source – saves energy. These points are just a brief outline to what can really be done in order to go green. The possibilities as such are endless. There are some more sophisticated and cost heavy methods that can also be undertaken. BENEFITS OF GOING GREENCost benefits Financial savings are one of the most significant factors that influence the implementation of environmental initiatives in a hotel. This is especially evident for hotel businesses that operate in a highly competitive market and where the cost of energy, water and waste disposal are high. Hotel operators that can maximize their efficiency and reduce waste will be more cost-effective than their competitors. Hotels also use large amounts of energy to keep guests cool in hot temperatures, and equally large amounts of energy to keep them warm during the winter.In some destinations, hotels place an additional, sometimes unsustainable demand on local water resources and generate large quantities of food and packaging waste. Despite the setup costs and the possible lengthy return on investment associated with environmental initiatives, the economic benefits usually outweigh the cost of implementation. Starting with projects that are less ca pital intensive – such as retrofitting light bulbs, energy metering, and training staff to be conscious of energy use – can lead to substantial cost savings. Competitive advantageGreen programs can provide a competitive advantage to leaders as long as green activities continue to be voluntary. Over time, however, green practices in the hospitality industry will become a baseline requirement, particularly as the cost of non-renewable energy continues to rise, regulatory pressure increases, and consumers become more demanding. Therefore, hotels with business models that revolve around green practices will have the strongest opportunity to achieve a competitive advantage by being ahead of the emerging sustainability curve. Employee retentionEmployees are identified as one of the greatest benefits of going green. Employees, like hotel guests, are increasingly sophisticated and â€Å"tuned† into current thinking in society and are far more likely to identify with an employer whose principles and practices are aligned with their values. Environmental programs have proved to be an effective means of generating enthusiasm and motivating staff to work as a team to achieve a common purpose. Many hotel companies use environmental programs as a staff incentive – the financial savings earned are translated into cash or other rewards such as in-house events or trips.Employee turnover rate in the hotel sector is relatively high therefore increasing the retention rate will also save the business money in training of new staff. Customer loyalty There has been a shift in the expectations and demands of consumers. The typical hotel guest of today is more sophisticated and to varying degrees is likely to be concerned about environmental issues such as recycling bottles, cans and paper at home as well as making greener lifestyle choices, such as organic food or fuel-efficient vehicles.Many guests however, make their decision to stay at a hotel facility based on location, amenities, and service. The implementation of environmental initiatives may play a smaller role in a guest's choice of a property. The influence from customers however occurs when their level of awareness increases and they come to expect environmental practices such as recycling. Despite first-time guests basing their decisions on location, amenities and service, customer loyalty may increase once they have experienced a hotel which has demonstrated a level of environmental commitment.Regulatory compliance Hotels must anticipate future regulatory changes and implement initiatives to mitigate the possible costly effects of emerging regulation. Savvy businesses are aware that regulations do not have to be a negative restraint on their daily operations – in fact, they can offer opportunities to gain an advantage over competitors. Some environmental regulations are good for economic competition as they stimulate innovation that can offset the cost of complianc e. By implementing measures in the face of societal and egulatory pressures, unexpected, but substantial cost savings as well as potential new areas of profit may be found. The hotel industry worldwide is increasingly being regulated for waste, water, energy use and greenhouse gas emission. Being aware of pending rule changes will allow you to adopt measures in advance, and avoid potentially higher future costs which may be associated with compliance. Risk management Risk minimization is now viewed as increasingly intertwined with good corporate social responsibility and governance.Managing risk is as much about minimizing the potential damage from decisions and actions taken from within a company as it is about managing external exposure. Traditionally, a hotel's risk management strategy has been focused on health and safety concerns around food and water, pest infestation, fire or water damage, outbreaks of disease, and guest security and safety. In recent years however, environme ntal and social issues are emerging as a key risk issue for the lodging sector. Environmental risks include: * Water and land contamination. * Air and noise pollution. Supply chain environmental practices. * Waste management. Environmental risks also have an impact on the cost of capital for businesses of various types and sizes, and may affect the value of a company over the long term. In addition, the investment community is increasingly regarding excellence in environmental management and performance as an indication of the quality and aptitude of management in general. Some insurance companies and lenders are beginning to selectively adjust their rates based on environmental criteria stipulated by ethical funds.Companies that integrate the environment into their business decisions and reduce their environmental risk and potential liabilities are in a better position to secure investment and reduce their financial and reputational market exposure (Graci and Dodds, 2009). Cause it 's the right thing to do! Beyond regulation and compliance, many environmental and social initiatives are voluntary. Whether driven by cost savings or a principled strategy, the hotel industry is recognizing the environment, the community and their human capital as a valuable resource to be protected.Long-term business sustainability will depend on this. Many hotels have implemented social initiatives and corporate social responsibility (CSR) into their regular day-to-day practices. Corporate social responsibility in the hotel industry ideally exists in human resources management, the local community, and through promoting and practicing environmental initiatives and is heavily influenced by internal and external forces. CSR has been widely expanding throughout the hotel industry, mainly to prove that corporate unethical behavior is no longer a problem.Thus, hotels are embarking on being ethical through social initiatives by protecting and supporting communities, their human resourc es, and by implementing environmental initiatives. Many international and local hotels are becoming involved in corporate social responsibility in order to extend their brand knowledge to different types of audiences, to gain employee retention and improved competitive advantage, and lastly because it is â€Å"the right thing to do†. Sixty-five percent of the top 100 companies in the world employ some sort of corporate social responsibility statement featured on their websites.Several multinational companies have gained a very negative brand reputation based on their past unethical practices. Larger companies have been criticized as being the main culprit in releasing excess greenhouse emissions, climate change, environmental devastation, and unfair treatment of employees. Due to such criticisms and negative publicity, many businesses have increased the focus on corporate social responsibility. HIGH ACHIEVERS When it comes to hotels that are environmentally sustainable the fi rst name that comes to mind is the Orchid group of hotels.The Orchid  became Asia's first Five Star hotel to win the ECOTEL ® certification shortly after opening in May of 1997 and today (January 2011) is the only Hotel in the World to win over  80  international / national awards in 13 years from inception. Under the management of  The Orchid  Owner Vithal Kamat, the hotel has earned more environmental accolades than any other hotel in the world. With this latest achievement,  The Orchid  becomes one of only six hotels in the world to maintain top-level, â€Å"five-globe,† ECOTEL ®-Certification. Though orchid group is a pioneer in environmentally friendly hotels, others ave also done substantial work. The fern group of hotels in India being one of them. The Uppal in New Delhi, Seasons in Pune etc are other ecotel hotels. Various international hotels are also actively involved in such projects that put environmental sustainability at its fore. In conclusion it can be said that though environmental sustainability is big problem that is plaguing the hospitality industry, it’s still not too late to correct the situation. References * www. uneptie. org * http://www. concepthospitality. com * Accor 2010, ‘Child Protection'.Retrieved February 04, 2010 from  http://www. accor. com/en/sustainable-development/ego-priorities/child-protection. html * Alexander, S 2002, Green Hotels: Opportunities and Resources for Success. Portland: Zero Waste Alliance. * Bohdanowicz, P 2005, ‘European Hoteliers' Environmental Attitudes: Greening the Business, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 188-204. * Bohdanowicz, P 2006, ‘Environmental Awareness and Initiatives in the Swedish and Polish Hotel Industries – Survey Results' International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 662-668. * Bohdanowicz, P. and Zientara, P. 2008, ‘Corporate Social Responsibility in Hospit ality: Issues and Implications. A Case Study of Scandic' Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 271-293. * Brebbia, C. A. and Pineda, F. D. 2004, Sustainable Tourism. WIT Press, Boston. * Claver- Cortes, E. , Molina-Azorin, J. F. Pereira-Moliner, J. , Lopez-Gamero, M. D. 2007, ‘Environmental Strategies and Their Impact on Hotel Performance' Journal of Sustainable Tourism. , vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 663-679. * Dodds, R. 005, Barriers to the Implementation of Sustainable Tourism Policy in Destinations. University of Surrey School of Management, Surrey. * Essex, S. , Kent, M. , ; Newnham, R. 2004, ‘Tourism development in Mallorca: Is water supply a constraint? ‘ Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol 12, no. 1, pp. 4-28. * Fairmont Hotel and Resorts 2001, The Green Partnership Guide. A Practical Guide to Greening your Hotel, 2nd edition, Toronto * Fairmont Hotels and Resorts 2008, Corporate Responsibility. Retrieved February 04, 2010, fromhttp://w ww. fairmont. com/EN_FA/AboutFairmont/enviroment/Awards/CorporateEn

Being Too Skinny †A Personal Essay

Being Too Skinny – A Personal Essay Free Online Research Papers To have healthy body, fair skin, sharp features and cuteness- key elements towards which boys used to open their responses for girls, when I was in 9th grade in late 80s. â€Å"Dating† wasn’t openly allowed and common at that time in Indian culture but the idea was there of liking some one and sneaking around secretly. None of the above elements were in my account though- combination of very thin body, average look, and wheatish skin- that was ME. I had few ideas to create new skin and little bit beautiful face with make up but I was totally empty when had to deal with my skinniness eighty pound, butt less, skinny and full of visible bones containing body. Many times my closest friend Neel had expressed her feeling saying â€Å"Dolly, You got to put some extra kgs fat on your bones or else you will have to dig out for stick figure husband†, which insisted me to realize the reality of being extremely skinny. I used to be nervous sometime thinking about my tiny body but being very studios and sincere student- studies, future goals had caught me tightly enough so my thiness didn’t bother me much at that time though all of my girl friends had boyfriends secretly which made me feel bit uns uccessful for not catching any boy’s eye on me. Some three years ran over and final year of school came up. l. One day when I reached at school Neel-my best friend jumped towards me with mixed feeling of anger, surprising and happiness â€Å"Dolly, what have I heard about you I didn’t expect this from you, I ‘m your closest friend and you even didn’t care to tell me about all these, I’m so mad at you†. I some how felt scared as I had little idea about what might be in her mind but I ask her with act of knowing nothing about the situation â€Å" Neel, What happened, what have you heard about me?, just calm down and let’s talk†- Then I settled down the issue with her anyways. The secret was hidden in my chest successfully since last two years disclosed suddenly that day in school some other scattered comments spilled on me that day â€Å"Dolly, What is going on? Is it really true? â€Å", â€Å"Dolly, wow you have made a history†. Yes, world came to know the biggest secret o f my life that I had an affair with most eligible, desirable and hot favorite boy in our batch- Annie, who is currently known as my dear husband. Many students including me had one question – Why he chose me? , the skinniest girl in the school though he was able to get any damn beautiful girl around him? My fatless body became a topic and always teased , whenever family and friends got an opportunity. My dearest uncle- Jaimy said to me once â€Å"It seemed that hollow matchstick was flying in the air, when you were dancing†. We all were attending my cousin’s pre- wedding dance party and uncle Jaimy made a big confusion – Was his comment on my dancing skills or my skinny body? People are so crucial some time that they make comment which doesn’t have straight meaning. I spent enough time in my life to scrutinize people’s attitude towards me of being so bony when I was in India during my 20’s. I was landed recently from India, totally unaware of body structures of white and black people It was first day at work in USA at near by convenient store, surrounded by black people’s residents. My vision was so surprised by seeing each customer coming and leaving that store, every one was so called â€Å"healthy†-guys were showing off puffed muscles by tattooing them and each female looked like a factory of lump sum fat. I wondered â€Å"what must be the difference between my size and their, I was wearing one size so I guess they must be belong to 16-18 or 20? ,do they need to customize the size? as I had never seen such kind of giant clothes in my home country. That day went by and I got chance to develop some happiness of being skinny. My skinny body was worth of many great comments that day like â€Å" Hey pretty girl, you are so lucky to have this kind of body , you don’t have to check calories count on back of every food wrapper† , â€Å" hey be autiful, can we switch our bodies as I ‘m carrying huge one and have been dreaming about skinny one like yours? God, I was so happy that night which made me to ask that secretive question to my husband Annie- Why he chose me? , He laughed at me, hugged me real tight and said â€Å" Dolly, I love you so much all it matters so go to sleep and I will reveal that secret some other time†. That was the day when I felt happiness of being slim because I was liked and loved the way I was, none compromised made. But some how I middle of that night I felt â€Å" there would me nice If I can put up little more weight and make myself more beautiful though I don’t want to be a giant or huge one.† I had new goal of my life -to make more fat tissues for myself. I started eating cheese and butter with each bite of my day, gained few pounds on my bones which helped me to feel beautiful without any make up but specially India people around me never stopped bothering me about my skinniness .I was introduced to one of our community member through my friend Sheetal recently â€Å" Hey , this is Dolly-one of my good friend, I was talking about†. That lady carrying 150 pound on her bones looked at me and said â€Å"Hey Dolly, you are lot skinnier than Sheetal desctibed you earlier, do me a favor –can you take few pounds from me?† I was shocked after getting this kind of comment at first introduction. I was confused about her concern, was she complaining about her being so fat or about me being so flat by idea of giving up some pounds to me. I was little bit angry as she pointed out my characteristic at first sight. Anyways I smiled at her and replied humorously that â€Å"I do get that offer many times†. I could take pr ide of being the way I was when I was surrounded by American people but it sucked when I had to face my own community. Many years went by I had always got comments, complements, humors and advices. I was passing through my mid thirties. One incident made me to think about my lanky characteristic. I was in my English class; teacher had asked us to write an essay on â€Å"impact of any personal characteristic on our life†. I decided â€Å"my thinness† without any further thinking. When we classmates and teacher discussed our thoughts and topic of the essay teacher made a comment about my topic â€Å"You are so lucky to be like this thin as you will get reward in your 40s†. It wasn’t a huge complement but yes, I never thought what it would be in my 40s before. She certainly opened new thoughts for me of being skinny. Well, because of essay I had to dig out my past experience and outcomes of being svelte. The same night I was discussing about my English class assignment with my husband and he laughed at me and said â€Å" you have been always so concern about your body, now l eave it alone and enjoy your life† I picked up his mood and asked him to go out for dinner as it was our 9th wedding anniversary. â€Å"Hey honey, today is the day you can tell me your little secret, it’s a perfect time, please tell me what made you to marry me?† we both were enjoying our romantic dinner at my favorite restaurant ‘P.F. Changs’, I hold his hand and gave him soft look . He replied â€Å" Dolly, you have always thought that your bones don’t have enough fat but when we were in school many boys were mad for you as you were most sophisticated, reliable, loyal and sincere girl but no one ever dare to come to you because of your straightforwardness. One more thing Dolly, if you remember I was also a thin boy so I always dreamed about thin girl like you. Finally I decided to take that risk and asked for your companionship for life time†. I cried and thank god of â€Å"being thin†. Research Papers on Being Too Skinny - A Personal EssayStandardized TestingPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Spring and AutumnHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayHip-Hop is ArtEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Hockey GameThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsMind Travel

Why you need to stop researching and start writing - Emphasis

Why you need to stop researching and start writing Why you need to stop researching and start writing Theres no getting away from it: research is addictive. And theres a good reason for that – were all hard-wired to search. Its a survival mechanism, programmed into us by evolution. As hunter-gatherers on the savannah, we needed something that would shake us from our slumber; that would make us get off our fur-clad backsides and look for food or shelter. As you need both to live, this was undeniably a positive trait. And so those ancestors who happened to get a kick out of finding things survived, while those who could take or leave the wildebeest-tracking or shelter-finding starved or risked attack at dawn. As a result, we all became programmed to look. That kick you get when you find something new is actually a surge in the production of the feel-good hormone dopamine. And where once it was useful, these days it can actually be a real handicap. Thats because we get a dopamine rush not just from finding food or shelter, but from finding information. And information is everywhere. We dont even need to find it: it finds us. In todays always-on, smartphone-dominated world, it can sometimes feel like information hunts or even haunts us. But we still have our original programming in place. We still want information. And our tech-connected world provides it in spades. We look, we find, we feel good (for a moment, at least), and we look for more. This positive feedback loop is a recipe for addiction. And addicts are what millions of us are. Dopamine compresses time. It makes an hour seem like a few minutes. (Time really does fly when youre having fun.) As Clay Johnson says in his book, The Information Diet, A quick check of email when we get home can often end up in evenings entirely lost to LCD screens. It actually takes energy to avoid information, because resisting the urge to search means overcoming millions of years of evolution. And when information is all around us, avoiding it can be exhausting. And so we come to writing – or, more specifically, not writing, because were still researching. When youve been given free licence to go hunting for facts, its going to be hard to stop – especially if youre an information junkie already. If youre researching a report, every new little nugget of data, every intriguing fact, gives you a (perhaps subconscious) frisson of pleasure and spurs you on to look for more. Research is also a safe place. As long as youre looking, your report is still perfect. As long as youre still searching, you dont have to face the terrifying prospect of being crippled by writers block. In the end, research itself can become another displacement activity. At some point, there will come a time when you have to stop researching and start writing. What you need to do to overcome this is start to stack the odds in your favour again. So here are five ways to do exactly that: 1. Set a time limit on your research A project without a deadline is a hobby. If it is a hobby, then great. But if youre being paid to find information, then at some point youre going to have to report back. Staying in research mode forever is pointless, so set a time limit. Put a date in your calendar or – for more regular, smaller projects – give yourself just a day or two, or even just a few hours. Then start writing. 2. Use placeholders in what you write It can actually be profitable to write with small gaps in your knowledge. I wrote this piece in 45 minutes, but I was only able to do that because I didnt allow myself time to look up the name of the author of the book I mentioned above. Instead, I just wrote [insert name of author] and carried on writing. You can come back and fill in the gaps later. 3. Read offline The internet is one giant warren of research rabbit holes that lead you to distracting websites (and usually, I find, to social media or endless news sites). Its all too easy to disappear down one while fact-finding, and to be gone for hours. Apps like Pocket  and Evernote overcome this. Pocket, for example, lets you send information (articles, videos and images) to an app that you read offline (on any platform), in a layout that looks more like a book and without distracting menus. It also lets you tag the items you add to it, as does Evernote. Its a real boon to effective research. 4. Get some sleep Burning the midnight oil could actually be working against you. It takes immense willpower to stay super-focused and – ultimately – to stop researching. And your brain needs to be on top form in order to connect ideas and get writing. No amount of coffee will push ideas quickly enough around a brain fogged by tiredness. 5. Practise information hygiene Wean yourself off your information addiction by limiting how much information can chase you. Every smartphone or computer notification is a distraction that you need energy to ignore. (The author Kathy Sierra calls them cognitive leaks.) If you give in to them, youll reinforce your addiction to research. If you dont, youll leach away energy – energy that would be much better spent writing. Ive got a confession: Im an information addict too. I love that dopamine rush. In fact, one of lifes more old-school pleasures for me is to visit a university library. I love the heady aroma of centuries of accumulated knowledge. But thats generally not why you research. You do it not just to discover, but to share. And if you dont share it, no one will ever know that you discovered it in the first place. So, stop researching, and start writing. Image credit: Pet Greens Live Catnip

Poetry Analyze Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Poetry Analyze - Essay Example The poem has a whole bunch of ideas concerning parenthood and the roles of both the parents in bringing up a home. It tells a story of a complete family comprising a father, a mother and children. The mother is a homemaker and takes care of her family by doing home chores such as cleaning the diapers and ensuring her children are safe. The dad on the other hand works to provide for the family, it be evidenced by the fact that it is in the evening that we are introduced to her husband who probably is from work. She tends to the needs of her husband as said in the second last stanza of the poem, â€Å"later that night when Thomas rolled over and lurched into her.† From the last two stanzas, the poem introduces the relationship of a couple in parenthood. These two people are in very different situations. One goes to work to provide for the family, the other takes care of the family by looking after the kids. In all these occurrences, we see the way roles are divided in the running of family affairs. The situation of the woman is that which makes her selflessly dedicate herself to her roles as a mother. Despite the fact that she needs time for herself, she has no freedom at all to be herself in the family; she puts her family first in line and only gets the pleasure of resting for an hour. The rest of the time, she is a mother and a wife. This shows her dedication to parenthood. From the last two stanzas, we see the way the woman is submissive to Thomas by taking care of his needs as a husband. Thomas does not notice how tired the wife has been from the day’s activities. She does not complain about it to her husband instead she does what she wants her to do. This portrays Thomas as a man who is not caring about his wife because we are shown from the last stanza that â€Å"Thomas rolled and lurched into into her, she would open her eyes and think of the place that was hers for an hour.† This means that as a wife she is withdrawn

The Achievement of Success in an Individuals Life Personal Statement - 5

The Achievement of Success in an Individuals Life - Personal Statement Example I chose the difficult path because I understood that education and knowledge serve to be important in the life of a person. I put in all my strength to cope up with the educational requirements of the university and I was assisted by my faculty members, who understood my problem and were highly supportive. English is not my first language and I did not hold much expertise in the language. I got enrolled in an English University where English was the medium of education. The lectures were delivered in English and English was the language used for communication with the teachers as well as the other students. The books were in English as well. My English language skills were not very good and it was a very difficult phase for me. This was because my writing, reading as well as communication skills were not up to the mark and I had to put in much hard work to cope with my studies. I found it difficult to take down notes during the lectures. This was because I had to pay full attention t owards listening to the teacher to understand the lecture and if I started taking notes, I used to lag behind in the lecture. Note taking was also an issue as I could not spell words properly and my writing speed was not up to the mark as well. I could not understand the normally used abbreviations as I was not familiar with them and had not used them before. The text was also difficult for me to comprehend with and I could not analyze the meanings of the readings assigned to me properly. Therefore, it was a very difficult situation for me and I needed a lot of guidance and help to overcome this problem. I did not know if I would ever be able to complete my education and achieve my degree from the university. But after thinking about my problem, I became determined that a person had to sacrifice and learn for becoming successful in his life. I decreased my leisure time and devoted my time to my education and learning. I organized myself and managed my time so that I could give the m aximum time to my studies. I bought a pocket dictionary for myself so that I could look up for words and understand them instantly. I installed English learning software in my laptop as well so that I could learn the proper pronunciation of words as well and so that I could learn proper sentences and their meanings. I asked my friends to communicate with me in English and correct me where I got wrong. I kept a fixed time for reading a newspaper article every day and to understand all the words in the article. I also worked towards the improvement of my writing skills by copying newspaper articles every day for up to one hour. I implemented these strategies as a part of my schedule and I made sure that I did not skip any of these activities. These were my personal steps to achieve success in my education. Teachers serve to be as true guides in the life of a person. This was proved by the assistance that was provided to me by my teachers to overcome my problem.  

Why I want to attend a particular law school Essay

Why I want to attend a particular law school - Essay Example To begin with, I am convinced that I am an excellent match for the Harvard Law School Program on International Financial Systems (PIFS), since the program has been instrumental at inculcating exchange of ideas as well as research on capital markets, financial regulation, and international financial systems. With my Bachelor’s degree in Finance, and my keen interest towards the international law realms, I have undoubtedly looked into a number of law schools and found that Harvard Law School’s PIF, being run by acclaimed professor Hal Scott is an exceptional blueprint, which offers a more comprehensive study of international finance than any other law school. It gives me more reason to be genuinely excited about the possibility of participating in Harvard Law School’s global international legal studies outside the classroom. Specifically, the international learning possibilities afforded by attending the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland appear sizeable when I contemplate such measures. My personal commitment towards improving the conditions in Tanzania and east Africa, as discussed in my personal statement, would greatly be facilitated by my studies of the World Trade Organization law and the United Nations law, besides international finance and economics. Harvard Law School has a universal appeal to an individual who is looking to attend a law school, as well as to any organization or agency, which is looking to hire the sharpest legal minds. I would be most pleased and honored to be a part of the Harvard Law School’s younger demographics, with decades ahead of me to hone my legal skills and to become a scholar in a field that will only continue to grow and develop as international expertise in the

a suitable function of construction industry

a suitable function of construction industry Introduction Until 1958 when the construction industry began to be formulated following rules, construction businesses had suffered a poor reputation due to wrong practices of the past. The construction industry was known as an area of illegality and corruption. Accordingly, it is no exaggeration to say that for Korea’s construction industry, the past six decades were characterized by a war against illegality and corruption. Ironically, the response to this was the introduction of the American type of construction system. In addition, it is notable that competition has been introduced for construction project bidding. To be sure, there were limitations in rooting out illegality and corruption. Through these efforts, however, the nation could establish a modernized delivering system for construction projects over the year. Additionally, it is not too much to say that policy and system were formulated. In meanwhile, large-scale construction accidents frequently occurred due to dishonest work , which will happen in the process of industrialization. In April 2002, the South Korea government announced that it will work more closely with non-governmental actors in the fight against corruption. The government procurement agency announced the introduction of an ombudsman system and a clean procurement committee in an effort to break ties between the government and its contractors. The corruption law also established an anti corruption commission, with a specific mandate to investigate cases involving high rank officials. Before the commission was launched in January 2002, however, its first chairman resigned because of his suspected involvement in a major corruption. Like this, corruption is occurring by human selfishness. There were many accidents through human errors and misdeeds. Sampoong Department Store is one of the examples. On 29 June 1995, a department store building in Seoul suddenly collapsed. It was only five years old and killed 502 people and injured 937 people. The structural collapse of the Sampoong Department Store was not an isolated deviation but a clear omen of deeper problems within society. In the Sampoong collapse, bribery of inspectors was rampant. No one raised any alarm when a huge, unauthorized air-conditioner was erected on the roof of the building which caused enormous cracks in the walls. A probe revealed that the building’s owners sacked contractors who had complained that planned design changes were unsafe. The new contractor, a subsidiary of the store, had no objections. In this accident, at the same time, South Korea’s construction industry had been attacked by man-made disasters even before the Sampoong Department Store tragedy. In this paper, the main reasons of the collapse and evaluation of this collapse will be briefly described. Background The Sampoong building had two wings, with one housing the department store and the other sports and leisure facilities. The wing that collapsed was the one housing the department store. It was built by Sampoong Construction and Industry Company and completed in November 1989. An addition to the building was completed in October 1994. The building housed 556 departments with 681 employees. It stood 27.6 meters high and sat on a 29,008-square-meter.The four underground floors consisted of a parking place and an electricity control room. Three of the collapsed building’s floors which comprised the department store was operated by Sampoong Construction Company whose engineering ranks 858th among the nation’s construction firms. If it was careful, the warning signs that could have prevented the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store came as early as 15days before the accident. At that time, a restaurateur on the fifth floor reported a crack on the ceiling of the building to management. But, management’s response was lukewarm, and management took no action. Then, 5 days before, a customer who had entered the same restaurant to get something to eat after some routine weekend shopping, was showered with a water leak from the ceiling of the restaurant. Three days before the collapse, a report of a gas leak again went unheeded by the department store management. On the day of the collapse, June 29, the signs that should have set off alarm bells appeared before opening hours in the restaurants on the fifth floor. Around 9:30 a.m., the floor of the restaurant cracked open slightly. An environmental technician reported the incident to the management. Top executives of the department store stopped by an hour later, mumbling something about seeking professional assessment. Between 11a.m to 12p.m, neighbouring restaurants were experiencing water leaks from ceilings and cracks in the floors. Only at this point did the management close off the fifth floor, while the other floors continued with business as usual. Sometimes after 1 p.m., a breakdown of air conditioning and gas services as well as a power failure occurred throughout the department store. The management met around 3 p.m. for an emergency meeting without notifying the employees and shoppers of the situation. When things were at their worst, the executives of the department management lef t the building, consequently leaving many employees and shoppers still inside. At 6p.m. on 29 June, the centre of the building collapsed, similar to a controlled implosion, in 20 seconds. Customers were concentrated in the basement and in the fifth floor restaurant. The customers and employees had no time to escape. Some survivors were found in the wreckage, and one was brought out 17 days after the collapse. The overall death toll was 502. Corruption The main issues addressed in this paper are corruption, frequent design change and maintenance repair in South Korea. The first section of this paper will examine corruption in the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store. This report was delivered by Seoul District Prosecutors Office, entitled The Final White Book of Finding out the Real Truth of the Collapse of the Sampoong Department Store. The public was outraged. In particular, the news that the senior executives had fled the building without warning others was disturbing. The report on the collapse, as well as earlier structural and construction failures, suggested a widespread pattern of corruption in the country’s construction business. A government survey of high-rise structures found 14% were unsafe and needed to be rebuilt, 84% required repairs, and only 2% met standards. Joon Lee, the chairman of Sampoong, and his son Han-Sang Lee, were convicted and sent to prison for 10 and half years and 7 years, respectively. Twelve local building officials were found guilty of taking bribes of as much as $17,000 for approving changes and providing a provisional use certificate. The cause of the Sampoong collapse, then, was not a technical issue as much as outright fraud. The Korean construction industry, protected by government regulation from outside competition, had become complacent. Bribes were used to get around the usual government checks and balances that serve to protect public safety. Relationship problem between the architects and builders In the design planning process, relationship and communication between architectural designers and structural designers are important. Generally, if their relationship and communication are in discord some construction works, it can bring out accidents such as Sampoong Department Store collapse. This paragraph begins by laying out the theoretical dimensions of the research and looks at how design problems occurred in this collapse. In recent years, the subject of the design quality has become one of the important issues in the domestic construction industry. However, important design processes are made by judgement of the architect without the rational communication and information sharing among the related participants. Therefore, the objective of this research suggests the constitution plan of design error management system not only for systematizing types about the design error in construction projects but also for analyzing the primary factors of design error to embody the actual condition of trouble between architects and builders. Normally, in South Korea, builders think know-how is more important but architects think that beauty of art and quality what contractor ordered, are more important so that there were lack of communication of information and a narrow sense between architects and builders. Relationship and communication problem between architectural designers and Structural designers Generally, design drawings are distributed, such as architectural design drawing, structural design drawing, mechanical facility design drawing, electric facility design drawing and engineering design drawing. Structural calculations need to be correct in order to ensure the safety of the building and structural design drawing with structural calculations need to be written exactly and used on-site. Mechanical facility and electric facility design drafts are written considering the calculations which were reviewed in advance about facility capacity or standards according to the structure calculations in the structure design drawings which include the safety of a building and standards. In the process of structural design planning which affected the most important reason of the collapse, architectural designer and structural designers decided the scale of a building, stories, appearance and use in the early architecture plan and then on a basic structure plan like pitch of columns or structure style. The architectural designer writes the architectural design draft first, and the structure designer carries out structure calculations according to all conditions given in the architecture blueprint which the architectural designer wrote. In many cases, however, architectural designers distribute structural design drafts which are calculations made by structural designers. As the result, structural designers are different with structural draft authors, so that structural designers’ design can be changed by authors who may make fatal errors. In this accident, it the relationship and communication between architectural designers (architect) and structural designers (structural experts) was not adequate, and their communication was only call and memoranda, so that they had not exchanged information. Thus, structural calculations, structural drafts and construction drafts were different. Design problems There were many structural and architectural problems in the Sampoong Department Store collapse. This paragraph will describe problems of use change and flat slab systems in the problems. Firstly, construction of the Sampoong Department Store was a flat slab system. The flat slab system can be defined as a construction method that builds safely several columns established in the upper part inside of the building. However, the weak point of this system is many columns. So, this flat slab system is insufficient to department store buildings because if there are lots of columns in the building, the space will be narrow. So, structural designers removed block walls for the purpose of making wide clearances to sell products and punched a passage for an escalator. Also, size and shape of uplift column was changed. In flat slab system, the column is very important but structural designers of Sampoong Department Store had neglected design load calculus. Moreover, even though the fifth floor was made, column size was lessened 25% (79cm to 58cm) for appearance and even columns located near the escalator were lessened more. Secondly, the use of the Sampoong Department Store was four stories office building at first and this building was approved as a four stories building. However, owners of the building wanted to change to a department store building and the owners referred it to Woosung Construction Company. Constructors and managers of Woosung Co. opposed that because it needed more columns and thicker columns. Thereupon, the head of the Sampoong group changed Construction Company to own Sampoong Construction Company. Lastly, the five stories Sampoong Department Store were built without reinforcement of uplift columns by the company. The most serious problem was the fifth floor. The fifth floor was the restaurant area and the interior was composed of a Korean floor heater for a luxury Korean traditional restaurant so that, 30cm concrete was added for the Korean floor heater. Also, heavy kitchen equipment was needed. As the result, the whole building collapsed when these added loads affected columns. Maintenance problems This paragraph explains the maintenance of collapse of this Sampoong Department store. Sampoong made significant changes to the structure. The most important was the conversion of the original use as an office block to that of a department store. Other changes included changing the upper floor from a roller-skating rink to a traditional Korean restaurant. Stricter standards had to be met for fire, air conditioning and evacuation. Although the structure apparently met all building code requirements, the revised design was radically different from the original. This accident was a man-made disaster that the government official allowed haughty businessman who brought out blind money as a result and the building company built it. Conclusion The construction work of Sampoong Department store was started on July 1987 and opened on December 1st 1989 with Temporary Use Permit and operated for 5 years. Unlike a normal building framework using beam and column, its structure system uses Flat Slab structure so that the floor slab supports the column by itself without any beam. In a flat Slab structure, one column can stand the same amount of stress so that the collapse of one column can cause progressive collapse which can be them the entire building. Investigating the present state of collapse was analyzed minutely and based on this analysis, the design, construction work, and maintenance of this building was discovered as the direct and indirect cause of collapse. As a result, the collapse of this building was brought from a flaw in design, unreliable construction work, and maintenance problems interacting with each other for long term. A brief summary is the following. Firstly, the one that influenced collapse the most is the maintenance problem. Changing design and use, without any approval, causing additional overweight to be added and also cutting structures left the whole building structure with low durability. Secondly, in the process of construction work, managing the work and superintendence was negligent which caused part of the collapse. Thirdly, inappropriate construction and structure plan caused progressive collapse. Moreover, neglecting safety diagnosis on the long term cracks and sinking process and insufficient managing of crucial moments like right before the collapse brought about a disastrous accident. Finally, those causes, which continued for 5 years, gave no security and safety, and at the end, around the fifth floor, the roof slab was destroyed and the adjoining slab destroyed, which caused progressive collapse. A building can maintain safe conditions through fine design, construction work/supervision and appropriate maintenance. However, if a domestic construction system does not include a structure expert who puts safety first anywhere in the process of design, construction work/supervision and maintenance, there will be major problems. According to the law for architect, article 4 clause 1 and clause 2, designing and supervision of construction can only be done by an architect, and blocks the structure expert from designing and supervising the construction from the beginning. In addition, the law for architect article 2 clause 2 states that structure expert has subordinate relationship with architect, so that structure expert is not at the position where he can take responsible for the safety. Such a system cannot be found in developed countries except in Korea. For example, America does not limit the construction right to either architect or structure expert and Germany gives right to design structure only to structure expert. Also, Japan and Singapore structure expert takes care of structure design. Especially in Germany and other EU, client or representative picks ‘safety coordinator’ who takes charge of every process from beginning to the end, such as consulting and superintendence. To look at design, construction work/supervision and maintenance of Sampoong department store closely, structure expert was never in the responsible position so that he did not finish his work with responsibility. Moreover, the current domestic system had no coordinator who could point out faulty structure design and construction so that an architect who was responsible for construction asked the structure expert only for structural calculations and used them on the structure layout. When use and design were changed, the architect only asked the structure expert orally or in memo form and not with any official document. It seemed that structure expert was legally only in an assistant position which made it harder to ask for formal documents and the structural expert also did not have any obligation to be responsible for the structure problem since they are only an assistant. Recently constructions with size over fixed standard or for special needs are required to have affixing a seal of structure expert on the structure layout. However this is only the action of affixing a seal from the structural expert, it does not mean that they are responsible for construction like in other developed countries. In Korea, the current system does not have any way to prove the faulty safe the issues from in the process of design, approval, and construction/supervision like Germany or EU. In the deliberation for a Construction Permit, structure field is handled but it’s only 10 or 20 minutes which is impossible time to point out any problem in the structure and examine an entire complex design perfectly so that the Construction Permit is only a formal document to avoid responsibility. In conclusion, although common administrative regulations should be softened in order to solve inconvenience of the people and the vitalization of market, strengthening the regulations to protect the nation and their property is a global trend. To take this into consideration, experts who can take care of their work with responsibility and specialty is essential and needed on every step in the process of design, construction/supervision, and maintenance in order to prevent the reappearance of such a disaster like the collapse of the Sampoong department store.