Interview with Teenagers Essay Example for Free

Interview with Teenagers Essay Interviewing teenagers turned out to be rather interesting. Its very relevant the difference in my time of growing up a teen, to now. Teens these days have way more issues to worry about being that drugs, sex, and pregnancy are more tangible then the past. With media using tv, radio, magazines and music to tell teens how they need to be, its not hard to believe all the increase in teen violence, depression, and suicide. During the course of this paper I will be discussing the interview that I gave too four teen girls. Each of them came from different backgrounds and had very different, but yet the same answers to being a teen in today’s society. Jasmine Small, Ashley Leivas, Shavon McCorvey, and Emily Morales were the four teens that I chose to interview. Each of these girls comes from different backgrounds. Jasmine grew up without a father, Ashley grew up in foster care, Shavon had both parents present in her household, and Emily was taken from her mother as a child and was raised by her aunt. Just off of me knowing their background it was prevalent that the answers were going to be different and interesting in the same. In the beginning I made sure to discuss the purpose of this interview and notified them that they could stop me at any time for questions, or if the interview becomes too personal. After having done that all of the girls seemed to be relieved, and at that moment my interview began. What do you like about being a teenager was the first question asked all the girls. All of the girls agreed that having friends and having fun, and hanging out were the highlights of their youth. They all had their group of friends and all liked to go to the mall, movies, and â€Å"kick-backs† (parties). When I asked if school was significant to them they all laughed and said that they like school but it wasn’t too important to them. When asked about their dislikes they all had different answers. Jasmine answered that her dislike was going to school. She felt as if she didn’t learn anything, as if school was useless. Ashley disliked the fact that there is a lot of drama as far as people gossiping inside of school. She explained how many people perceived her as a person that likes to fight, and is promiscuous, when she is the exact opposite. She has issues that she’s dealing with and doesn’t seem to get along with other girl which is why she finds herself in a lot of altercations. Shavon’s dislike was growing up in Lancaster, she was born and raised in Los Angeles and was recently brought out here two years ago. She just wished that she had control over where she lived. Emily didn’t have an answer to this question she was having a difficult time with trying to determine what was a huge dislike. She couldn’t think of any so we moved on. Who is the most important thing in your life right now was an interesting question that I couldn’t wait to ask. Each answer was unique and heartwarming. Jasmines was her mother, she was very happy about having such a good mother who did all she could for children. She had not one bad thing to say about her mother. Ashley’s was her brother; her brother was the only biological family member that she had. She had seven other family members but all were split up in foster care in different states. Shavon’s was her sister; she was very close to her sister and shared everything with her. Emily’s was her cousin, whom she considered as a sister, she was close with her, and like Shavon, shared everything with her. They all had their individual stories on how close they were with their important person, and how they couldn’t imagine life without them. Of all the questions I believe that the question, if you could change one thing about your life what would it be and why, was the most important question. It showed that the girls all seemed to have some issues with growing up whether it be peer pressure or living without certain family members. Jasmine said that she would have her father in her life. She felt as if she had her father she would be a different person. She really wanted to have a relationship with her father. Ashley main thing she would change is to have a mother that cared and wasn’t on drugs. She said that she is very appreciative of her foster mother, but she would love to have known her real mother. Shavon’s change would be for her to move back to Los Angeles. She said that since she has moved to Lancaster everything has changed and that she is being mistreated at school. She began to explain that she left behind a lot of friends and didn’t seem to fit in. Emily, like Ashley, wanted her biological mother back. Unlike Ashley, Emily lived with her mother god enough to remember her before she was taken out her home. She remembered her mother for the good things that she did and not the drugs, like everyone else portrayed her mother as. During this interview it was very evident the issues that teens these days face. Later on in the interview we talked about peer pressure and if it affected them. They all stressed that peer pressure is hard not to fall into and that do have plenty of friends who are weak minded and whom have become pregnant or is having unprotected sex. They all are very smart and know how to say no when peer pressure arises. Being that I’m not that far in age many other the issues that they face, I did to growing up. There aren’t many differences except that everything is more prevalent as far as sex and pregnancy.

Environmental Impact Assessment Report For Airport Project

Environmental Impact Assessment Report For Airport Project As an officer with a consultant firm located in a developing country, you are in charge of preparing an Environmental Impact Assessment Report for a new airport project in the capital city. Provide a guideline for such a report, stating important requirements that are needed. Make appropriate assumptions when necessary. Introduction Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a study to indentify, predict, evaluate, and communicate information on the environment of a proposed project and to detail out the mitigating measures prior to project approval and implementation. The EIA is essentially a planning mechanisme for preventing environmental problems due to an action. It ensures that the potential problems are foreseen and addressed at an early stage in the project planning and design. Thus this will avoid costly mistakes in project implementation, either because of the environmental damages that are likely to arise during project implementation, or because of modifications that may be required subsequently in order to make the action environmentally acceptable. The purpose of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is to investigate and assess the principal environmental concerns associated with the proposed airport. The scope of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study covers both the constructio n phase and the operational stage of the airport, investigating and analyzing The effects of aircraft noise on institutional and residential areas, particularly at night Increased traffic congestion in the airport approaches Fire hazards Ambient air quality Surface water quality Hydrogeology Impact on flora and fauna Social perception, and Emergency preparedness. This environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been prepared as an evaluation and condensation of a full environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the proposed airport in the capital city, Kolkata situated in the developing country, India prepared for the government by the consulting group, following the developing country , India governments guidelines and the methodologies described in Environmental Assessment Requirements and Environmental Review Procedures and the Environmental Guidelines for Selected Infrastructure Projects. The guideline is based on (i) the EIA, (ii) the airport project feasibility study (iii) field visits to the airport project site and local government capital, and, (iv) discussions with local government and pertinent National Government officials with environmental responsibilities. The methods used to carry out the EIA include: (i) review of available literature, (ii) meetings with National and local government officials (iii) site visits to the capital city of the proposed airport and surrounding areas, (iv) discussions with inhabitants near the site, (v) ambient noise and air quality and surface water quality sampling and testing in the field and in the laboratory, and (vi) application of professional knowledge and experience. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT The project consists of the design, financing, construction, and operation of a new airport. The proposed new airport will be located in the capital city of the developing country, which is in Kolkata in India. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT A study is conducted to identify the ambient air quality in the selected area. The daytime noise in the vicinity of the site is also surveyed. Temperature range in the proposed area is also identified. It is good to have no forests near the project site as there will not be any endangered species of flora and fauna. The population at the site has to be relocated. Besides, the water supply has to be good and the sewerage system is better to be connected to the drainage system. Finally a good source of electric power is vital. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental impacts are anticipated during both the construction stage and the operational stage. Construction Stage The daily water estimated requirement for the project should not affect the supply of water to the residents in the capital city. Earthwork, soil excavation, ground preparation, and concreting activities will further increase the TSP level. However, a comprehensive system of netting to be used as well as constant daily watering of the ground will mitigate the impact. Solid waste generated from the construction activities will be disposed of daily by garbage trucks. Employment opportunities and other sources of income for the residents of the capital city will be generated by the project. Operational Stage No significant increase in the level of TSP of the air quality within the vicinity will be generated during operation. Nevertheless, the terminal building will be fully air-conditioned and equipped with dust filtration system which that will be regularly checked and cleaned. The additional aircraft movements will increase the noise level. However, flights are normally scheduled during daytime to minimize noise disruption to settlements relatively near the airport. No breach of acceptable airport noise standards will take place. Further, the flight path of aircraft will not be over densely populated areas. The commercial operation of the airport may cause a mild migration of potential job seekers to the capital city, since jobs will be created by the project. ALTERNATIVES If the airport is not constructed there would be no effects, either positive or negative, on physical environmental factors. In addition, no adverse impact would be suffered by the adjoining city institutions. There would be, however, other significant sociological and economic losses to the city. The loss of this facility would inhibit terminal development and the economic and ensuing sociological gains, and would conflict directly with established, approved master plans and goals. The international passenger congestion would restrict the growth of terminal activities. Even without the proposed Project, air pollution and noise levels will increase due to vehicular emissions, heavy traffic flow, and increase in domestic air flights. COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS Project costs include (i) civil works, (ii) other construction, (iii) equipment and its installation, and (iv) consulting engineering design and supervision. These Project costs also include the cost of mitigating all negative environmental impacts during construction and into the operating phase, which amounts to $400,000, or about 0.6 percent of the total Project base cost.For the cost item, the estimated total Project cost of $504 million was used. The total Project cost includes the total cost of relocation of PAF facilities, the schools, church, and Community center, estimated at $7 million; the cost of the Fire Prevention Plan; the cost of sewerage and drainage systems, estimated at $2 million; and such other costs as provision of a carpark building ($21 million) and road access improvements. In terms of the benefit, the stream of cashflow after debt servicing but before tax payments (because tax payments are considered as one of the benefits) was used. The internal rate of ret urn and net present value are calculated as 21 percent and $506.7 million, respectively. Facilities will also be temporarily subjected to nuisances associated with major construction, including increased noise levels, dust, heavier traffic on Andrew Avenue, and other similar effects. On a permanent basis, the traffic and noise from terminal activities will cause some disturbances. The disturbances will depend on the arrival and departure of various types of aircraft. There will be some direct costs related to the relocation of affected residences and facilities. However, the airport project will result in several beneficial impacts on both a temporary and a permanent basis. INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAM During the whole airport project cycle, monitoring of noise and of air and water quality parameters will be undertaken regularly and continuously. Regular monitoring will be undertaken to assess the effectiveness and integrity of the mitigating measures being implemented to minimize the adverse impacts of the airport project activities. Monitoring will also cover (i) performance of the facility after construction, (ii) verification of proper effluent disposal at the facility, (iii) yearly physical testing of the airport project area, (iv) proper solid waste disposal, and (v) traffic management. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT A social perception survey will be conducted for the airport project by a group of social scientists. The survey will be undertaken among the residents of the developing countrys capital city, site of the proposed airport project. The social perception survey will be carried out by taking a random sample of the residents of the capital city with the primary objectives of ascertaining awareness of the proposed airport project, eliciting from the interviewees their acceptance or non-acceptance of the airport constuction, and identifying what in their own judgment are its positive and negative effects. It is planned that, during the airport project implementation, the airport project administration, in coordination with the local government, will keep related agencies and the local population near the airport informed about the airport project, and will request their views as the project progresses. Based on consultations with the local government and local residents, the airport constr uction will begin. CONCLUSIONS The proposed airport project will definitely be to public advantage. The major benefit will be socioeconomic. The primary long-range effects on the physical environment include the relocation of several houses due to road widening, and several institutions. Finally, the residents of the capital city will be subjected to both temporary and permanent increases in noise level, which, however, in terms of level,  time of occurrence, and distribution will not cause a major impact. The construction of the proposed airport will assure optimum use of a section of unused land. Although it will result in a few limited temporary environmental adverse effects, the life expectancy of the terminals productivity will prove profitable to society on both a regional and local basis. The proposed airport development will have no significantly adverse impacts on the surrounding environment. The construction, while involving soil improvement and considerable earthwork will, use proven construction techniques and conventional earthwork methods. Potentially minor adverse impacts can readily be avoided by good site management and construction practices, particularly related to drainage system design. A simple monitoring program is needed to cover the construction phase and the first three years of operation. This will be prepared during the design phase of the project by the engineering consultants. It will then be implemented during the airport project construction by the administration assisted by the engineering consultants, and by the staff operating the airport during airport operation. The monitoring program will also be supervised. This report has been produced to inform and facilitate the request for a Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations. In accordance with the EIA regulations, only those issues which give rise to potential significant environmental effects need to be assessed in detail within the airport project. Those matters which have been identified as potentially giving rise to significant environmental effects include: Surface transport and access. Air and ground noise. Air quality. Socio-economics. Waste. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) when integrated into the existing planning and decision making structure, provides additional information towards a better decision making. Project proponent must make sure that the concept of the proposed project does not contradict any development plans, policies or any decisions of the government prior to the EIA study.

The Awakening :: essays research papers

The Awakening â€Å"Edna began to feel like one who awakens gradually out of a dream, a delicious, grotesque, impossible dream, to feel again the realities oppressing into her soul.† (Pg. 42) In Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening the constant boundaries and restrictions placed on Edna Pontellier by society will lead to her struggle for freedom and her ultimate suicide. Her husband Leonce Pontellier, the current women of society, and the Grand Isle make it evident that Edna is trapped in a patriarchal society. There are constant boundaries and restrictions imposed on Edna Pontellier that ignite Edna’s struggle for freedom. Edna is a young Creole wife and mother in a high-class society. Leonce Pontellier, her husband is declared â€Å"†¦the best husband in the world†, while Edna sits and feels unsatisfied with her marriage. Edna did not respect her husband as the other women did. Leonce condemned Edna for neglecting their children. Edna’s mind was at rest concerning the present material needs of her children. Edna’s thoughts are clouded with her unhappiness, one night she awakes and sits in the night air and cries. She does not know how to explain her crying, but the reader is able to understand that it is because she is unhappy with her life. Unlike many of the women that Edna is surrounded by she does not worship her husband. In a fit of rage one night she rips her wedding ring from her finger and throws it on the floor. She tries to stomp on it, but her small heel makes not indentation. Later, Edna feels like a child, but the action holds a lot of meaning. A wedding ring is meant to bind two people together through a promise, and Edna wants out of this promise. Determined to leave the life she doesn’t want, Edna leaves her family while they are away and rents a small house. Edna lives with the knowledge that she is not a â€Å"woman-mother†. Her own husband chides her for not paying more attention to the children. Edna’s affections for her children depend on her mood, although she her state of mind always makes clear that she loves them. While talking to a close friend she attempts to explain how far she would go for the sake of her children, "I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself.

Education, Academic Intelligence, and Personal Experience Essay

Education, Academic Intelligence, and Personal Experience Education not only revolves around academic intellect, but also around experiences one comes across in life. It is clearly evident that all living creatures, with human beings being the highest form, have evolved throughout history up until now, solely by learning or being educated in order to survive. For example, from the moment a baby comes into the world, the infant tries to acquaint him or herself to the environment maybe by touching or by struggling to see the world ahead. Even in today’s society, social status is not depended solely upon one’s economic wealth, but also by the capacity of one’s intellect. The same rules apply when thinking in terms of learning in the classroom. Because the idea of being â€Å"educated† means so many things, it is hard to distinguish who is the more intelligent individual when comparing to another bright human being. As the short story titled, â€Å"The Lesson,† by Toni Cade Bambara suggests, educ ation comes in many forms; the two main forms everyone is familiar with, academic intelligence and knowledge gained from personal experiences or interactions with the rest of the world. But, the story favors knowledge being gained from personal experiences where one interacts with the world around him. Some might think that the more money people have, the more intelligent they are. Many ignorant individuals believe that social status engenders one’s educational background. Yes, for some it is true, but not for all. Education can lead to success. Many people, especially students receive higher education in hopes of succeeding in the business world. But what is success? Is it the kind of success where one feels good... ...Quite similarly, Miss Moore’s students realized that the world does not live much like â€Å"a democracy.† They commented that â€Å"equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough.† Some people ridiculously spend so much money on toys that can feed a family of six or seven. Miss Moore realizes that her students have learned an important lesson in their life without the use of school textbooks or classroom atmosphere. In conclusion, education is so powerful that it does not only revolve around academic intellect, but also around experiences one has come across in life. As the students in â€Å"The Lesson† have learned an important lesson outside of the classroom about money and their value on human life, it clearly shows that experiences can light the bulb inside the brain more so than a teacher trying to teach its students in a classroom. Education, Academic Intelligence, and Personal Experience Essay Education, Academic Intelligence, and Personal Experience Education not only revolves around academic intellect, but also around experiences one comes across in life. It is clearly evident that all living creatures, with human beings being the highest form, have evolved throughout history up until now, solely by learning or being educated in order to survive. For example, from the moment a baby comes into the world, the infant tries to acquaint him or herself to the environment maybe by touching or by struggling to see the world ahead. Even in today’s society, social status is not depended solely upon one’s economic wealth, but also by the capacity of one’s intellect. The same rules apply when thinking in terms of learning in the classroom. Because the idea of being â€Å"educated† means so many things, it is hard to distinguish who is the more intelligent individual when comparing to another bright human being. As the short story titled, â€Å"The Lesson,† by Toni Cade Bambara suggests, educ ation comes in many forms; the two main forms everyone is familiar with, academic intelligence and knowledge gained from personal experiences or interactions with the rest of the world. But, the story favors knowledge being gained from personal experiences where one interacts with the world around him. Some might think that the more money people have, the more intelligent they are. Many ignorant individuals believe that social status engenders one’s educational background. Yes, for some it is true, but not for all. Education can lead to success. Many people, especially students receive higher education in hopes of succeeding in the business world. But what is success? Is it the kind of success where one feels good... ...Quite similarly, Miss Moore’s students realized that the world does not live much like â€Å"a democracy.† They commented that â€Å"equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough.† Some people ridiculously spend so much money on toys that can feed a family of six or seven. Miss Moore realizes that her students have learned an important lesson in their life without the use of school textbooks or classroom atmosphere. In conclusion, education is so powerful that it does not only revolve around academic intellect, but also around experiences one has come across in life. As the students in â€Å"The Lesson† have learned an important lesson outside of the classroom about money and their value on human life, it clearly shows that experiences can light the bulb inside the brain more so than a teacher trying to teach its students in a classroom.

County cork :: essays research papers

Philipps-Università ¤t Marburg  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fachbereich 10: Fremdsprachliche Philologien Institut fà ¼r Anglistik und Amerikanistik PS: The Landscape of Ireland Leitung: Madeleine Kinsella Hausarbeit von Mathias Weber County Cork County Cork The aim of this term paper is to give an overview of the county Cork, beginning with its geographical location then present some historical events that are relevant to the history of Cork and finally show the places of interest, both of the county Cork and of the city itself. The population amounts to 400,000 inhabitants according to the CSO and the principal city, Cork city, covers an area of 378 hectares with about 120,000 inhabitants. County Cork also includes 640 km of coastline with many beaches, steep cliffs, making the importance of the sea play an even greater importance since Cork has one the principal harbor of Ireland. It connects Ireland to France (Roscoff, Le Havre) and the United Kingdom (Swansea). Until the sixties it used to be the starting point of many steamers for America and also the departure point of three million Irishmen who emigrated to the “new world'; in the 19th. This port has in fact contributed a lot to the economic and commercial development of Cork and the whole of Ireland. The climate is also largely influenced by the ocean: soft, wet and windy thus allowing a great variety in flora and fauna. Cork derives from the Irish ‘Corcah Mor Mumham’ and means the ‘great Marsh of Munster’ and refers to the fact that the center of Cork city is built on islands, surrounded by the River Lee, which were marshy and prone to episodes of flooding. Some of the waterways between the islands were built over to form some of the main streets of present day Cork. The oblong shape of the city center island, bounded by the north and south channel of the Lee give Cork much of its physical charm. Spencer even immortalized the unusual topography of the city when he wrote:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “The spreading Lee that like an island fayre   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   encloseth Cork with his divided flood'; Even tough a few prehistoric artifacts have been found, the monastery of Cork represents one of the earliest evidence of human settlement in this region. As said earlier the sea played an important role in the history of Cork as the first foreign known settlers came using maritime means: the Vikings frequently raided isolated monasteries. An attack by the Vikings is reported to have taken place around Cork in 802; they raided the abbey and the settlement nearby.

Hallstead Jewelers Case Study

Submitted by Yellow Team Eunice King Ronda Klassen Joshua Krupnick Larry McCraw Ronald Mills BUS 5431 Managerial Accounting Professor Nancy Shoemake April 18, 2010 1. 0Summary Hallstead Jewelers was one of the largest jewelry and gift stores in the United States for 83 years. Customers came from throughout the region to buy from extensive collections in each department. Any gift from Hallstead’s had an extra cache attached to it as they were known for having the best. Even though the principal retail shopping areas shifted two blocks west, Hallstead’s reputation and selection still brought in customers. In 1999 however, sales became stagnate and profits were starting to slip. The owners (two sisters, Gretchen and Michaela) made several changes in an effort to revitalize the store back to its full glory. The largest decision they made was to move the stores location, expanding it by 50% more space and selling staff. This move resulted in a five-year lease as well as extensive and expensive renovations. They also made some changes in product offerings and offered more sales potential at the cost of minor reductions in margins. During the year it took to complete the Hallstead’s renovation the industry started showing major changes toward internet based jewelry sales. Tiffany & Company, a business with an origin much like Hallstead Jewelers, grew into an international powerhouse. At the same time, a start-up internet seller, Blue Nile, became the second largest diamond seller in the U. S. While Hallstead’s was growing their fixed costs by doubling their rent payments, Tiffany and Blue Nile were increasing their revenue with â€Å"virtual† storefronts allowing them to increase sales with very little increase in expense. In an effort to explore ideas in strategy that would return the business to profitability, the sisters compiled some questions for their accountant to analyze using some additional operating statistics. The following answers will take a deeper look into the mechanics of the business and provide Gretchen and Michaela with recommendations to get their business back on track. 2. Changes in Breakeven and Margin of Safety The following table shows that while the breakeven in both sales dollars and number of sales tickets has continued to rise from 2003, to 2004, and to 2006, the margin of safety has decreased over the same period of time. What caused this change? 3. 0Reduction in Price One idea the consultant had was to reduce prices to bring i n more customers. The following table illustrates that by reducing prices 10% and increasing sales to 7,500 tickets, the company’s operating income significantly decreases, losing an additional $580K over the previous year’s income/loss. Breakeven in sales tickets is 9,337 – an increase of 1,832 from the previous year. Breakeven in sales dollars increases $1. 47 million to a total of $13. 12 million needed. 4. 0Elimination of Sales Commissions Another idea that Gretchen had was to eliminate sales commissions even though both her Grandfather and Father insisted that commissions were one of the reasons for their success in the past. The figure below illustrates that the elimination of sales commission greatly affects operating income. By eliminating the sales commission in a projection of the three previously reported years, we can see that operating income is in the positive for all three periods. Although Gretchen’s father and grandfather perceived commission to give them a competitive edge, calculations prove that the commission payments are definitely hurting Halstead’s bottom line. Further consideration should be given to eliminate them if possible. 5. 0Advertising Michaela felt that a bigger store could benefit from greater advertising and suggested that advertising be increased by $200,000. If advertising expenses were increased by $200,000, the breakeven point in both sales dollars and sales tickets would increase. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, Hallstead spent $257,000 on advertising. If this were increased to $457,000, the breakeven point would be as follows: Breakeven in sales tickets = Breakeven sales dollars / Average sales tickets 7,805 = $12,120,525. 73 / $1,553 Breakeven in sales dollars = Total Fixed Costs / Contribution margin ratio $12,120,525. 73 = $5,211,000 / 0. 430 The affect of the increases in advertising expenditures on the breakeven point in sales dollars would be an increase from $11,655,335. 72 to $12,120,525. 73, a difference of $465,190. 01. It would probably be a good idea for Hallstead Jewelers to try the increase in advertising. Although the company is currently struggling with a negative operating income, the increase in breakeven dollars is relatively nominal. Competition from much larger companies, such as Tiffany & Company, as well as internet jewelry sales from companies such as Blue Nile has taken some of their business. Perhaps some of this increased advertising budget should be spent on expanding their business to the internet and advertising there; allowing Hallstead to compete more directly with Blue Nile and boost sales. Increased advertising may also help bring in more customers who are not yet aware of the company’s new Washington St. location and larger renovated store. 6. 0Average Sales Tickets The following overview takes a look at how much the average sales ticket would have to increase to breakeven if the fixed cost remained the same in 2007 as it was in 2006. Average sales ticket for 2006 is $1,553 @ 6,897 tickets for an Operating loss of $406,000. †¢# of tickets x Average sales ticket = Sales revenue †¢6,897 tickets x $1,553 = $10,711,041 †¢Average ticket sale dollar amount needed to break even = Sales revenue needed to break even / # of sales tickets for 2006 †¢Average ticket sale dollar amount needed to break even = (Fixed Cost / Contribution Margin Ratio) / # of sales tickets for 2006 †¢Average ticket sale dollar amount needed to break even = ($5,011,000 / 0. 43) / 6,897 †¢Average ticket sale dollar amount needed to break even = $1689. 2 †¢Average sales ticket increase to break-even = Average ticket sale needed to break even – Average sales ticket for 2006 †¢Average sales ticket increase to break-even = $1690 – $1,553 = $137 By reducing prices 10% and increasing sales to 7,500 tickets, the company’s operating income significantly decreases, losing an additional $580K over the previous year’s income/loss. Breakeven in sales tickets is 9,337 – an increase of 1,832 from the previous year. Breakeven in sales dollars raises $1. 47 million to a total of $13. 12 million needed. 7. 0Recommendations In our analysis of Hallstead Jewelers we found that Income was steadily declining and the move to the new location, with increased fixed costs, resulted in a loss for 2006. We implemented several options to see what variances would occur. A consultant recommended a 10% reduction in prices which would lead to an increase in sales. We showed this to be a bad idea as operating income significantly decreased with the price reduction. Another idea was to eliminate sales commission. Eliminating sales commission greatly enhanced operating income and resulted in positive operating income for all three years. Michaela suggested increasing the advertising budget by $200,000. Increasing the advertising budget increased the breakeven in sales dollars by $465,190; if increasing the advertising budget results in increased sales it would be justifiable. Based on our analysis of Hallstead Jewelers we would recommend that they discontinue the practice of paying sales commissions. Although Gretchen’s father and grandfather perceived sales commission to give them a competitive edge and drive sales, calculations prove that the commission payments are definitely hurting Halstead’s bottom line. Elimination of sales commission in 2006 would have resulted in $1,215,184 less in breakeven sales dollars. The company's name and reputation should be asset enough to drive Hallstead Jewelers sales. In addition, we would recommend Hallstead Jewelers use $200,000 from the elimination of the sales commissions and apply it to increasing the advertisement budget combating stiff competition from large retailers such as Tiffany and Company and the internet business, Blue Nile. The increased advertising budget should be assessed on an annual basis to validate its effectiveness. Works Cited Jiambalvo, James. Managerial Accounting 4th ed. New Jersey: John Wiley, 2010. â€Å"Break-Even Analysis. † Wikipedia Online http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Break_even_analysis. (11 APR. 2010) â€Å"Contribution Margin. † Wikipedia Online http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Contribution_margin. (10 APR. 2010)

Artificial Intelligence for Speech Recognition Essay

ABSTRACT: When you dial the telephone number of a big company, you are likely to hear the sonorous voice of a cultured lady who responds to your call with great courtesy saying â€Å"welcome to company X. Please give me the extension number you want† .You pronounces the extension number, your name, and the name of the person you want to contact. If the called person accepts the call, the connection is given quickly. This is artificial intelligence where an automatic call-handling system is used without employing any telephone operator. Artificial Intelligence (AI) involves two basic ideas. First, it involves studying the thought processes of human beings. Second, it deals with representing those processes via machines (computers, robots, etc).AI is the behavior of a machine, which, if performed by a human being, would be called intelligent. It makes machines smarter and more useful, is less expensive than natural intelligence. Natural Language Processing (NLP) refers to Artificial Intelligence methods of Communicating with a computer in a natural language like English. The main objective of a NLP program is to understand input and initiate action. The input words are scanned and matched against internally stored known words. Identification of a keyword causes some action to be taken. In this way, one can communicate with computer in one’s language. One of the main application of AI is speech recognition system is that it lets user do other works simultaneously. The speech recognition process is performed by a software component known as the speech recognition engine. A speech recognition system is a type of software that allows the user to have their spoken words converted into written text in a computer application such as a word processor or spreadsheet. The computer can also be controlled by the use of spoken commands. As we can’t design electronic device which recognizes everyone’s voice, based on that it is divided into speaker dependency and speaker independency. The working of the system involves ADC, comparison of this binary version with the stored words. The limitations for this are: must be completely trained by the user, most successful for those competent in the art of dictation. It is applicable in blue eyes technology, telephone applications like travel booking, financial account information, in military for controlling of weapons. By considering all the above factors it differs from other technologies as it produce written text from the user’s dictation, without using, or with only minimal use of, a traditional keyboard and mouse. This is an obvious benefit to many people who, for any number of reasons, do not find it easy to use a keyboard, or whose spelling and literacy skills would benefit from seeing occur. Speech recognition will revolutionize the way people conduct business over the Web and will, ultimately, differentiate world-class ebusinesses the Web, decreases fatigue and created its own path across various fields. INTRODUCTION: Evidence of Artificial Intelligence folklore can be traced back to ancient Egypt, but with the development of the electronic computer in 1941, the technology finally became available to create machine intelligence. The term artificial intelligence was first coined in 1956, at the Dartmouth conference, and since then Artificial Intelligence has expanded because of the theories and principles developed by its dedicated researchers. Artificial intelligence, also known as machine intelligence, is defined as intelligence exhibited by anything manufactured (i.e. artificial) by humans or other sentient beings or systems (should such things ever exist on Earth or elsewhere). With the popularity of the AI computer growing, the interest of the public has also grown. Applications for the Apple Macintosh and IBM compatible computer, such as voice and character recognition have become available. Also AI technology has made steadying camcorders simple using fuzzy logic. With a greater demand for A I-related technology, new advancements are becoming available. Inevitably Artificial Intelligence has, and will continue to affecting our lives. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Effort to develop computer-based systems: that behave like humans: learn languages ï‚ § accomplish physical tasks use a perceptual apparatus With the development of practical techniques based on AI research, advocates of AI have argued that opponents of AI have repeatedly changed their position on tasks such as computer chess or speech recognition that were previously regarded as â€Å"intelligent† in order to deny the accomplishments of AI. They point out that this moving of the goalposts effectively defines â€Å"intelligence† as â€Å"whatever humans can do that machines cannot†. A speech recognition system is a type of software that allows the user to have their spoken words converted into written text in a computer application such as a word processor or spreadsheet. The computer can also be controlled by the use of spoken commands. Speech recognition software can be installed on a personal computer of appropriate specification. The user speaks into a microphone (a headphone microphone is usually supplied with the product). The software generally requires an initial training and enrolment process in order to teach the software to recognize the voice of the user. A voice profile is then produced that is unique to that individual. This procedure also helps the user to learn how to speak to a computer. WORKING: The user speaks to the computer through a microphone, which in turn, identifies the meaning of the words and sends it to NLP device for further processing. Once recognized, the words can be used in a variety of applications like display, robotics, Commands to computers, and dictation .The word recognizer is a speech recognition system that identifies individual words. Following are a few of the basic terms and concepts that are fundamental to speech recognition. Utterances Pronunciations Grammar Accuracy The speech quality varies from person to person. The grammar used by the speaker and accepted by the system, noise level, noise type, position of the microphone, and speed and manner of the user ¶s speech are some factors that may affect the quality of the speech recognition. The computer must be trained to the voice of that particular individual. Such a system is called Speaker-dependent system. Speaker-independent system can be used by anybody, and can recognize any voice, even though the characteristics vary widely from one speaker to another. SPEECH DEPENDENT WORD RECOGNIER: The normal speech has a frequency range of 200 Hz to 7KHz. Recognizing a telephone call is more difficult as it has bandwidth limitations of 300Hz to 3.3KHz.As explained earlier the spoken words are processed by the filters and ADCs. The binary representation of each of these words becomes a template or standard against which the future words are compared. These templates are stored in the memory. Once the storing process is completed, the system can go into its active mode and is capable of identifying the spoken words. As each word is spoken, it is converted into binary equivalent and stored in RAM. The computer then starts searching and compares the binary input pattern with the templates. It is to be noted that even if the same speaker talks the same text, there are always slight variations in amplitude or loudness of the signal, pitch, frequency difference, time gap etc.Due to this reason there is never a perfect match between the template and the binary input word. The pattern matching process therefore uses statistical techniques and is designed to look for the best fit. The values of binary input words are subtracted from the corresponding values in the templates. If both the values are same, the difference is zero and there is perfect match. If not the subtraction produces some difference or error. the smaller the error the better the match. SPEECH INDEPENDENT WORD RECOGNIZER: The search process takes a considerable amount of time, as the CPU has to make many comparisons before recognition occurs. This necessitates use of very high-speed processors. A Large RAM is also required as even though a spoken word may last only a few hundred milliseconds, but the same is translated into many thousands of digital words. It is important to note that alignment of words and speeds as well as elongate different parts of the same word. This is important for the speaker- independent recognizers. APPLICATIONS: HEALTH CARE: Speech recognition is used to enable deaf people to understand the spoken word via speech to text conversion, which is very helpful. Speech recognition is especially useful for people who have difficulty using their hands, ranging from mild repetitive stress injuries to involved disabilities that preclude using conventional computer input devices. (HAND FREE COMPUTING). MILITARY: speech recognizers have been operated successfully in fighter aircraft with applications including: setting radio frequencies, commanding an autopilot system, setting steer-point coordinates and weapons release parameters, and controlling flight displays. TRAINING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS: Training for military (or civilian) air traffic controllers (ATC) represents an excellent application for speech recognition systems. TELEPHONY: Speech is used mostly as a part of User Interface, for creating pre-defined or custom speech commands. LIMITATIONS:   It needs to be completely tailored to the user and trained by the user. It is often set up on one machine, and so can create difficulties for a user who Works from many locations, for example from school and home. It depends on the user having the desire to produce text and be able to invest the Time, training and perseverance necessary to achieve it. It is most successful for those competent in the art of dictation CONCLUSION: Speech recognition had prevailed and achieved tremendous results in different field’s .I t made our interactions with the computer easier than earlier. This technology had reduced the difference between human-to-human and human-to-machine interaction. FUTURE TRENDS: It would yield better results: When it was made noise resistant. Understand our emotions User friendly as accent of a machine differs from human’s It must be portable to use irrespective of the device. REFERENCES: www.seminoron .com www.edu.org www.ibm .com www.dragonsys.com