Regency Plaza Essay

Regency Hotel Group (RHG) is a well reputed and successful operator in the hotel industry. They have experience on managing resources and controlling the Regency Plaza project. But they have faced several problems such as Unhappy Customers, Slow Sales Growth, Increasing Costs, Work Delays and Internal Conflicts. The reason for all those problems is poor planning. When proper planning and project management well established, Its very easy to schedule and coordinate the process. Then any problem can be identified and solved less expensively in a short time period. This would help to utilize resources economically and save up more time to finish the work successfully in the completion of the project. RHG has reputed brand name with their Good Service, Luxury and wide range of facilities given to their customers. Any distraction or delay of this project would fail the reputation of Regency Hotel Group. This report will express the importance of close relation between organization’ s strategic mission and the Project Management. Also will state to which extent the Regency Plaza project has managed and giving a good example for future Project Managers. Introduction Introduction to the company The Regency Hotel Group was located in major urban centers throughout the world & it was well-known for both its emphasis on service & the wide range of the conveniences that it offered in this hotel. They had developed all of its hotel properties in the past and now it was a mixed use project, this would be the first project & that would include condominium units. The project manager of the regency plaza was decided to build the maximum of 96 units, averaging 1,400 square feet, rather than fewer but larger units. Introduction to the report This project initially targeted toward wealthy couples in late middle age. The hotel project was not success the condominium sales were slow & the local economy appeared to be weakening & also, this project was at the back schedule & over budgeted, the cost estimating changes did not run through, the number & frequency of changes that were taking place on this project & also, lot of buyers were complain about the slower service, delaying closing & the bad workmanship. So, we have to analysis this project under these four questions. Analysis 1. Evaluate the project definition phase of the Regency Plaza project. How do the problems that emerged during the project relate to how the project definition phase was managed? During the design process, managing construction, managing marketing and in the current situation Regency Plaza project team had to face many problems and they took actions to prevent these issues. The actions taken during the project have explained below. The Design Process The Regency, KDS, the Boston Redevelopment Authority and vocal neighbourhood groups involved to the discussions for design process of condominiums. Hodgkins first challenge was number, size and type of condominium units that he could offer to the buyers. There were different ideas about number of unit. Farely suggested it should be 72 units and KDS’s view was it should be 96 units. But Hodgkins decided to build 96 units which could gain more profits. Managing construction Kelly had a huge work load to handle and because of that she divided the workload among few subcontractors. To approve the contract, project team needed subcontractors to produce a floor plan showing all the necessary things and completing time of the contract. Though this cycle took around one month, project team needed to know that they are in the right path. Marketing Hodgkins used a comprehensive marketing and service programme to introduce condominiums to the customers. They have committed to a high level of  customer service and the strategy was to customize condominiums according to the buyer’s interest. Hodgkins did not except big changes that would disrupt other condominiums owners and the guests and she hoped buyers would change their condominiums by themselves after the completion of the building. Thus she did not start discussions about the customization with buyers by thinking changes would be cut off. The current situation The condominium project became slow due to the movement of workers to the hotel area, because the hotel area needed to speed up their work to finish the project before July 15th according to the schedule. The relationship among Hodgkins and Kelly became weak during the project period due to the increase of costs and design changes. Grogan, Kelly’s project manager also became frustrated because of the increase of specialty items and unusual details. The project manager of Regency hotel, Jeff Cunningham was also behind the schedule due to lack of man power. Thus there were arguments between Cunningham and Grogan, because Grogan used more man power due to the constant changes. There was a problem of hard wood flooring and Cunningham asked Grogan to replace the flooring. But Grogan said it was Cunningham’s responsibility. This was caused to a conflict between Cunningham and Grogan. The sales of condominiums went slowly. Only 30 units out of 96 units have been pre-sold, beca use there target market was wealthy couple in late middle age. So Hodgkins wanted to gain more sales by minimizing the cost. 2. Evaluate the role of the project manager (Kris Hodgkins) in the case. What skillsdo you think are required to be the project manager for the Regency Condominium Development project? How well do you think that Kris Hodgkins meets these skill requirements? Do you think Kris Hodgkins was a good project manager? Project manager is the person who has responsibility till the project is completed with the help of the project team. Project management helps to guide the people and the process to finish the project successfully. There are some qualities that project leader should have such as planning, organizing, controlling, leading, communicating, motivating and customer awareness. Planning A project manager should have a clear plan to achieve the success of the project. He should have clear objectives to motivate others to be actively involved to the project. Kris did not have any contingency plan to implement if something went wrong with the Kelly’s schedule of 32 months. Organizing Here the project manager should consider time schedules, resource allocation and required performances. He should inform job scope, tasks and responsibilities to the project team members to get the maximum result from them. She purchased required items such as elevators and marbles earlier which take long time to receive. She was well organized with labour resource when needs. There were 250 construction workers at a time on the condominium floors. But Regency plaza condominium project went slow, because they could not follow the time schedules. This affects to the budget of the whole project. Controlling There should be a management information system to exchange information among the project team and monitor and control the ongoing project all the time. The project manager should always compare actual budget over planes budget and discuss regularly progress of the project with team members. But in Regency Plaza project, there was no good relationship between Hodgkin and Kelly. They didn’t discuss about the progress regularly. Because of that they couldn’t identify the future problems. Though she did not consider the above issues, she has retained 10% pay request to show some controlling over Kelly constructions. Leading This is important to guide the team to complete the project in efficient effective manner. The team member should be encouraged and inspired to get the maximum performance. But,  Hodgkins couldn’t get the maximum use of his team, though she had a well-qualified team. She didn’t lead her team well in there was no togetherness. Therefore conflicts have being occurred. In the case Susan  Randolph, the interior designer of the Regency didn’t agree with Hodgkins and Grogan because she felt they were both focused on speed and efficiency rather than quality. There was a conflict betweenSinclaire and Hodgkins because Hodgkins asked to cut down on tom’s billable hours. As a project manager Hodgkins should her attention more to reduce conflicts. Communication Communication is the important factor in projectmanagement. Projectmanager should able to send right massage to right person effectively. If not there will be more conflicts among members and expected result will not be achieved. But, Hodgkins did not make any meeting; she just sent letters to the buyers informing packages of condominiums. Hodgkins asked Sinclaire to do changes with incomplete information. If she maintained a good relationship with buyers, she could prevent the issues and complaints of the buyers. Motivation Project manager should recognize individual’s specific skills and talents. The team members should be appreciated,recognized, encouraged and inspired to achieve the project goals. Members can be motivated by giving incentives and feedback of the performance. In this project Hodgkins shows poor motivation skills. Shecut downSinclair’s billable hours but it was not fair because forwarded designs to him were incomplete. Customer Awareness Every organization’s ultimate target is to attract more customers and to gain more profits. Therefore this project also should follow the same strategy. They tried provide individual customization but they did not consider needs and wants of the properly. As this was a big project they should have to take idea of the customers. But they fail to do so, because of that only 30 out of 96 pre-sold and that project was behind schedule and over budget. He should have done a market research to find out the interests and attitudes of the people. Kris Hodgkinshad to face many problems and conflicts as a project manager but he was unable to take right decisions at the right time. Those decisions directly affected to the final result of the project. Considering above explanations if KrisHodgkins took better decisions, project would achieve expected results. 3. Evaluate how well risk was managed in the Regency Plaza project. You should use the four stage Risk Management framework from the module in answering this question. Every project has a risk and you cannot eliminate it. Only thing you can do is reducing risk. Risk should be carefully managed to minimize the impact of it. Regency Plaza project’s main priority should be to manage the risk to achieve the success. Using four stages of risk management process, how well risk was managed in the Regency Plaza project is described. Risk identification First, risks that will directly relate to the project should be identified and the risks that will occur in the future should be foreseen. It can be related to the quality, cost, schedule and etc. In this project they did not have a good idea about the size, layout, and design of the floor plate. They might have considered more about the fool plan efficiency and room locations. Hodgkins did not care much about the buyer’s satisfaction. He did not initiate ant meeting to discuss about the customization and he sent only a letter. He thought it will reduce the changes after completion of condominiums by his marketing strategy. Risk Assessment There were many upcoming risks with condominium units. Design changes, increasing number of specialty items, increasing incomplete information and unusual details were some of the issues. It was very difficult to continue the project with these issues. So they could not follow the schedule. Risk response development After assessing risk project manager should develop a contingency plan covering all the areas to manage the risks. But she did not make any provision for the design changes and she did not have a better contingency  plan. She did not think that buyers would agree or not with the design. Thus she had to face many problems and constructions were halt. Because of all these issues the project was become behind the schedule and over budgeted. Risk response control Finally after developing a risk response, project manager has to monitor and control it. In this case, Hodgkins could not manage and response to the risks occurred during the project. She made the wrong assumptions which were caused for additional costs and time delays. 4. Given the situation that Kris Hodgkins finds herself with the Millers at the end of the case, evaluate all of the options available to her and recommend the course of action your group thinks she should take? Kris Hogkins has five options at this situation. Option one has an opportunity for Millar to make the change at a later date and no additional delays in project. But some changes such as sprinkler require closing the whole floor. Option two minimizes changes required and costs will be removed by putting unit ob hold. But Miller’s changes will incur more cost and that will reduce Millar’s interest on the condominium. There will be a risk to put unit on hold too. Option three, hiring a small general contractor has more disadvantages. It is very difficult to hire contactors for small works and labour cost will be increased. There will be conflicts between the contractors and difficult to manage. The risk will be more. But required changes can be done to satisfy both parties. Option four also not a good idea to work out. Because there are many disadvantages such as difficulty in getting bank loans without certificate of occupancy, Regency’s control over project will be reduced and the target customer pool will shri nk. Option five, Move Millers to a different unit on higher floor will buy some additional time. But there are no similar floor plates on higher floors. After evaluating all the options we can come to a conclusion that option 2 is more beneficial comparing to the other options to the project though there is a risk of selling the condominium, there is a chance of selling it, because of the time and cost spend on it by the Millers. Thus we recommend option 2 as the action that she should implement. Discussion and Conclusion After studying the given case study, they have come across many problems and also they have found better solutions for the said problems.In theDesign Process we have found some problems, we find Hodgkins idea a better suited for the process, because it brings more profit. We think Hodgkins marketing plan is effective because giving the freedom to the buyers to customize their own condo is a great marketing idea. The buyer can get exactly what they want rather than unwanted stuff. The current situation of the project is getting messy due small facts that are not taken in to account by the relevant people. We think that the man power should be increase to achieve the given dead line and as said in the case study only 30 units were pre sold. Also there are small conflicts between fellow partners so it’s a disadvantage to the firm, and some have lack of interest. However Hodgkins makes his target market by minimizing the prices. According to the case study the project manager Hodg kins is not a skilled person at her job, she fail in many areas which her decisions were effecting the final output. She was not best at her duties; even though she had a good team she did not take much use of their skills. Also she was unable to achieve her target and the expenses were high, could not achieve the deadlines. Hodgkins should have focus more on the communication skills; due to her miner mistakes her team mates had small conflicts which affect the project in a way. Overall the Hodgkins managing skills was poor during this project. We evaluated the risk assessment and responses and the project manager have not focus much on the risks, because of that the cost of building have been increase also she was unable to give what the buyers wants. Since she was not focus on the risk and once they occur she was unable to face them all. By examining the five options which are left to Hodgkins to make this project work the author thinks the option two will benefits all who are involve in the project. We would like to conclude by saying that improving Project manager’s skills and by focusin g on risks and using all the resources give the project would have been a success. If they can overcome the above problems they will be able to achieve their targets. If we were the project manager we used our skills to get the maximum output.  And also always try to get team members ideas & by using their skills performed tasks to gain best interest to the project. Try to perform all the tasks according to the plan within the budget in order to complete the project on or before the deadline. Then we establish proper communication process to communicate among all the members without occurring barriers & before starting the project made arrangements for assessing risks and establish contingency plans to overcome from them. By considering all the above factors we can recommend below facts. Project managers must aware of the potential issues that can be cause for delay a project & to reduce such kind of delays project managers must conduct audits during the usual intervals during the project. At the same time by showing sensitivity to human reactions audit should be conducted throughout the project. Without looking at the weak points and without bl aming to mistakes project managers must focus on the issues that should be resolved. All the above things can be possible when there’s a stable proper communication between all the parties those who involve in the project to complete it successfully.

The purpose of this assignment is to compare stomatal densities of the upper and lower epidermis of a leaf Essays

The purpose of this assignment is to compare stomatal densities of the upper and lower epidermis of a leaf Essays The purpose of this assignment is to compare stomatal densities of the upper and lower epidermis of a leaf Essay The purpose of this assignment is to compare stomatal densities of the upper and lower epidermis of a leaf Essay This assignment of stomata is also relevant to my AS biology course as stomata is a key factor in transpiration of plants, and transpiration and the transport of water is a major section of the syllabus. This assignment will therefore help me to understand why transpiration occurs and how the stomata affect it as stomatas activity is related to the rate of transpiration.It is said that in general, the greater the number of stomata per unit area, the greater the rate stomatal transpiration, however distribution and densities are also important.Stomata are pores in the epidermis layer, which is found in the mesophyll spongy layer of the leaf. They are found mainly in leaves, but also in stems.There are two main functions of stomata1. To allow gaseous exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen between the inside of a leaf and the surrounding atmosphere When the stomata are open, carbon dioxide diffuses into the sub-stomata air chambers and then into the intercellular spaces between mesophyl l cells. When it comes into contact with the wet surface of a cell it goes into solution and diffuses into the cytoplasm. Oxygen travels via the same route but the opposite way.2. To permit the escape of water vapour from the leaf this is the evaporation of water vapour from spaces in the mesophyll cells of the leaf otherwise known as transpiration.The diagram below shows a vertical section through a stoma.Each stoma is bordered with two semicircular guard cells whose movements due to changes in water content, control the size of the stomata by changes in their turgidity.If water is drawn into the guard cells by osmosis the cells expand and their turgidity is increased. . But they do not expand uniformly in all directions. The thick, inelastic inner wall makes them bend. The result is that the inner walls of the two guard cells draw apart from each other and the pore opens creating the stoma. Stomata and changes in turgidity can be seen very clearly under an electron microscope. (A diagram of stomata under an electron microscope is presented later on in the assignment)As noted before stomata activity affects the rate of transpiration, but now more specifically, it is the turgidity of stomata determines is the main cause of transpiration. It is thought that in normal circumstances when a stoma opens the turgidity of the guard cells is increased by their taking up water from the surrounding epidermal cells but it is also know that the turgidity of the stomata is also affected by external factors of the particular environment, such as light, wind, and humidity.During the day stomata tend to be open, this is because the guard cells of the stoma become flaccid to light. This is important as it allows gaseous change of carbon dioxide and oxygen to take place for photosynthesis of the plant. This can be investigated by means of a perometer, an instrument for measuring the resistance to the flow of air through a leaf. If you attach a perometer to a leaf and take meas urements of its resistance to airflow at intervals, you will find that there is a generally less resistance during daylight hours than at night. This is because the stomata open during the day and close at night.For wind, in still air, a highly saturated air shield builds up around the stoma. Air movement will sweep this layer away, which decreases the humidity of the stomata therefore increasing transpiration also a xeromorphic feature of some leaves is the presence of sunken stomata, the stomata grooves into the epidermis which then a high humidity can build up inside the stoma and reduce transpiration rates. An increase in temperature also has an effect as the guard cells become more flaccid thus increasing the capacity of the stoma therefore increasing transpiration rates.A main factor that affects the distribution and densities of stomata is the type of plant. There are two main types of plants, monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous.Monocotyledonous (monocot) or more modern lilii dae, have leaves that have parallel veins and therefore do not grow to a large size. Also their leaves are held vertically rather than horizontally, which affect where the stomata is distributed and thus the densities, leafs of a moncotylic nature therefore have equal stomatal densities on both upper and lower epidermis.Dicotyledonous (dicot) otherwise known as magnoliidae, has branched veins and therefore can grow very large leafs. Their leaves grow horizontally and as a result most or all of the stomata are found on the lower epidermis. This is because of the cuticle found on the upper epidermis. If there was no cuticle, stomata wouldnt be necessary as gaseous exchange would be much more efficient, however, then transpiration could not be controlled. This is because a waxy cuticle reduces water loss but further control is exercised by stomata. It is estimated that about 90% of the water absorbed by the roots of the plant is lost by the leaves in transpiration.An example of a monoc ot leaf is one of a maize plant. On the table below this monocot plant is compared to a dicot leaf- an oak tree leaf.Upper epidermisLower epidermisOak leaf- dicot045000Maize leaf- monocot52006800You can clearly see that the monocot leaf has similar stomatal densities and the dicot has contrasting results.The leaf I will be studying is a dicotyledonous type so based on all of my research I predict that there will be a greater number of stomata on the lower epidermis of my leaf.The plan:The aim of this investigation is to try and count the number of stomata on both sides of the leaf and then compare the results, therefore a method has to be devised to try and view the number of stomata. Viewing a leaf under a light microscope does not allow the number of stomata to be counted, as this microscope is not powerful enough. Therefore an alternative would be to get an imprint of the leaf. This can be done by painting the upper and lower leaf with clear nail varnish and then this imprint of the stomata can be seen and counted under the light microscope.FAIR TESTTo make this experiment a fair test, I will conduct the experiment on different areas on both sides of the leaf to see if this affects the density of stomata. Also four different people will count the number of stomata, so to get an unbiased number and then to calculate an average.The stomata in the field of view will only be counted, to ensure everyone is counting the same surface area. The same magnification of x 400 (high power) will be used when viewing under the microscope.The apparatus used included:- Nail varnish- A leaf- 2 glass slides and cover slips- A light microscope- TwistersMETHOD Using the eyepiece graticule.To do this, you need to have a scale (graticule) in position in your eyepiece, so that it can be seen when you look down the microscope. The scales are usually on small circular pieces of glass or acetate.1. To insert the graticule scale in your eyepiece, remove the eyepiece lens from the mic roscope and carefully unscrew the top lens.2. If you look down into the lens body, you will see a ledge running round the sides about half way down, drop the scale into the lens body so that it rests on the ledge. Then replace the lens. N.B it doesnt matter if the scale is upside down but if it annoys you then unscrew the lens again and turn the scale over.3. When you look through the microscope, you should see the scale overlying your specimen.4. To calibrate the scale, you need to use a stage micrometer. This can be a special slide with a scale engraved on it. It usually consists of a scale 1cm long, which is divided into 100 units, each of which is 0.1mm (100 um) there is an extended line every 10th unit.To calibrate the eyepiece scale1. Place the stage micrometer on the microscope stage and hold it down with the clips.2. Using the eyepiece lens with the scale in, look through the microscope and focus it so you see both scales clearly. This is usually easier if you focus your eye on the eyepiece scale and adjust the microscope so the stage comes into focus as well.3. Move the stage micrometer carefully so that the starting units of the two scales. Note down the number of divisions along each of the two scales that this represents as these represents 1 division on the eyepiece scale.4. The equation for this is:1 division on the eyepiece scale =No. Of coincided divisions X No. of divisions on the scale micrometer scaleX 10Number of divisions on the eyepiece graticule scaleAt x100 and x400 magnification the lines on the scale will have a definite thickness. It is important to measure from one side of one scale mark to the same side of the next coinciding mark.All my procedures of stomata count were done on high power therefore 1 division on the eyepiece scale = 3.5 um.When you measure another specimen, you will already have the calibration figures so all you have to do is count how many eyepiece scale divisions your specimen covers, and multiply that by the ca libration factor for tat objective lens.Method for determining stomatal density1. Apply nail varnish onto a section of the leaf2. Allow 2 minutes for nail varnish to dry and gently peel off varnish with twisters, bringing the varnish, which has an imprint of the surface of the leaf. Nail varnish was used instead of cello tape to gather an imprint because as the varnish is liquid it can mould and fill every space around the stomata on the surface, therefore creating an accurate and clear imprint to show. Cello tape might not fill every space therefore missing out stomata, which results in an incorrect perception of the stomata densities.3. Place the peeled nail varnish onto a slide with the imprint side up, add 1 drop of water and apply cover slip on top.Then the stomata are ready to be calculated.RESULTSEyepiece graticule calibration calculations.I found that 3.5 micrometers coincided with every graticule division to give 1 division of the eyepiece graticule. To calculate one divisi on on the eyepiece scale I followed to following equation:Therefore if I followed the equation:Field or areaStomata count of 4 peopleAverage117, 17, 20, 1817 + 17 + 20 + 18 / 4= 18211, 11, 11, 1211320, 19, 19, 2020Total average stomata count18, 11, 20 / 316RESULTS OF STOMATA DENSITY COUNTS. My groups results.Lower epidermis stomata count.Field or areaStomata count of 4 peopleAverage10, 0, 0, 00 + 0 + 0 + 0 / 4= 020, 0, 0, 0030, 0, 0, 00Total average stomata count0, 0, 0, / 30Upper epidermis stomata count.Now the average stomata count of both sides of the leaf have been calculated, I can now calculate the stomata density as numbers of stomata per cm2.To do this I first needed to calculate the area of the field view in cm2.This answer will then be used in the calculation of the radii of the field of view to calculate stomata per cm2.CALCULATIONS OF STOMATAL DENSITY AS NUMBERS OF STOMATA / CMà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½The formulae to calculating the area of acircle isr = 45 x 3.5r = 157.51000r = 0.15 7510= 0.01575? X (0.01575) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½= 0.000779310.0007793= 1283.21283.2 x =After I calculated how many stomata per cmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ where in my field of view, I gathered the calculated results from the other groups constructed a table.GroupNo. Of stomata per cmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ on the upper epidermisNo. Of stomata per cmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ on the lower epidermis113537958Mine020, 5313010, 266442811, 5495021, 1736054057245815, 641807699921656561053221, 814AVERAGE49912, 769The graph below shows the comparison of the average upper and lower epidermis data for the whole 10 groups.The graphs below show my results for the comparison of stomata per cm2.The Chi squared test.This is a simple statistical test, which looks at the difference between observed and expected values as data and then relates them to a probability level. This makes it possible to identify how likely it is that the values are significantly different or similar.The formula for the chi squared test is as follows:The ? is the Gree k O is the observed valueletter Chi. E is the expected valueThe top part of the formula for ?à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ considers the size of the difference between the observed and expected values. This difference could be either positive or negative. To avoid the mathematical problems associated with negative values, the difference is squared.The bottom part of the formula relates the size of the difference to the magnitude of the number involved. The sigma ? sum symbol is required because there is not just one pair of observed and expected values but several (in this case 2)From background research, I found out that the expected values of percentage stomata densities for the upper and lower epidermis on a monocot leaf is:Upper 7%Lower 93%My observed values wereUpper 4% 499/ (total) 13268 x 100 = 3.8% to nearest integer 4%Lower 96% 12769/ 13268 x 100 = 96.2% = 96%UpperLowerE = 700O = 499E = 9300O = 12769O E = -201O E = 3469(O E) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ = 40401(O E) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ =12033961(O E) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 40401=E 700= 57.71(O E) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 12033961=E 9300= 1293.97? = 57.71 + 1293.97 = 1351.69?à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ = 1351.69There is one more thing that needs to be added to the chi squared test, which is the degree of freedom.This relates a critical value to your chi squared values to show if there is a significant difference in the densities of stomata on the upper and lower epidermis or if it was just by chance.The degree of freedom is calculated = the number of categories minus oneIn this case it is 2 1 = 1.The critical value at one degree of freedom according to a standard calculated table of chi squared results is 3.84.If your chi ?à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ value is greater than or equal to the critical value then there is a significant difference between the observed and expected values.As you can see my chi ?à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ value is way above the critical value so there is a significant difference between my observed and expected values.The diagram below shows an image of stomata.From the book of where I received this image I measured the stomata to be 11 mm long. To calculate the magnification of this image youSize of image / actual size= X100DISCUSSIONThe conclusions I can gather from my results are that there is a higher percentage density of stomata on the lower epidermis and on the higher epidermis. You can see from my graphs that the lower epidermis had a density of 12769 stomata/cm2, which contained 96% of the stomata counted and the upper had a density of 499 stomata/cm2 , which contained 4% of all the stomata counted. This therefore proves my prediction correct.These results have also proved biological significance based on my research in the introduction. My results have proven that with a monocot leaf there is a higher stomata density percentage on the lower epidermis as these leaves are horizontally held and not vertically, a cuticle would have formed on the upper epidermis. This would affect the stomata density, as the main function of stomata gaseo us exchange, would be disturbed by the cuticle, so the stomata are located on the lower epidermis to prevent excessive water loss, as they have no waxy cuticle to protect them, also monocot leaves are relatively thin so the exchange of CO2 and O2 can occur relatively quickly and easily through the stomata of the lower epidermis.The sources of error in my investigation could have been:The micrometer scale took a lot of time to focus on the eye, and kept on disappearing so it was hard to take an accurate measurement of anything underneath the microscope, also the scales can be badly and easily scratched making taking accurate measurements difficult.I would perform tests on leaves of which I know the name of so I can do background research of the leaf so I can make a precise prediction of stomata densities.Different people counted the number of stomata an error could have occurred if someone did not know what stomata looked like or became subjective on if or they did not look in the s ame field of view. To try and overcome this error everyone was shown what stomata looked like before the investigation.Although magnification was kept constant someone may have adjusted it. When peeling the nail varnish, it was difficult to peel it off completely with the twisters and was a chance of mixing up slides.Another similar experiment, which could be carried out, is using cobalt thiocyanate. In the anhydrous state cobalt thiocyanate is blue, but when hydrated it turns pink. A piece of cobalt thiocyanate paper is placed on each side of a leaf and sandwiched between two glass slides clamped together, and then a stop watch is to measure the time it takes for the cobalt thiocyanate to go pink as this indicates that water has escaped out of the leaf which would be through the stomata. The time varies in which the colour change takes place depending on the temperature and humidity. Generally at room temperature the pink colour develops more rapidly on the lower epidermis of the l eaf than upper surface, the reason being there are more stomata placed on the lower epidermis.Further investigations to do with the topic are to carry out tests on a greater variation of leaves, of different shapes, sizes, thickness and leaves (maybe dicot leaves) from different habitats to see what affect this would have on the densities of stomata on a leaf.

Ghost Soldiers essays

Ghost Soldiers essays Hampton Sides, the author of Ghost Soldiers, did an amazing job detailing the special operation to rescue the prisoners of war at the Cabanataun camp. The Cabanataun camp was a Japanese prisoner of war camp. Sides tells two stories throughout the book, he tells the story of the prisoners of war and then he accounts in detail, the story of the men who were performing a special operation to rescue the prisoners of war. The stories that are told in Side's book are absolutely heart-wrenching and also heart-warming. One side of the book discusses the cruelty that man will inflict upon another man. The other side discusses the risks that man will take to help another man. The story begins with the raid that occurred at Puerto Princesa Prison Camp. On December 14, 1944. American prisoners of war were ambushed by Japanese troops, they tortured these men, beat them and set them on fire among other torture tactics. Out of all of the POWs only 11 survived. Fortunately these men were able to give the United States the heads up on the Japanese treatment of POWs. Luckily for the POWs at Cabanatuan, this was not the first time that POWs had been tortured in Japan, and there were men who were able to rescue the tortured. It all began on April 4, 1942. Major General Edward King went to surrender to the Japanese, they were not faring well, food supplies were scarce and the soldiers were suffering from health issues. King knew that they could not continue. He therefore went to talk to the General Hommu about surrendering. He did this without the consent from officials. He sacrificed himself rather then lead 78,000 soldiers to their death. Not only were there American Soldiers but the Filipinos were fighting along side the United States. When he got to the headquarters to talk to General Hommu, he met with Colonel Motoo Nakeyuma, who was filling in for Hommu. King presented some requests and Motoo denied them. King knew no matter wh ...

The Kingdom of Mali and the Splendor of Medieval Africa

The Kingdom of Mali and the Splendor of Medieval Africa Because the world has another faceOpen your eyesAngelique Kidjo1 As an amateur medievalist, I have become keenly aware of how the history of Europe in the middle ages is often misunderstood or dismissed by otherwise intelligent, educated individuals. The medieval era of those nations outside of Europe is doubly ignored, first for its disreputable time frame (the dark ages), and then for its apparent lack of direct impact on modern western society. Africa in the Middle Ages Such is the case with Africa in the middle ages, a fascinating field of study that suffers from the further insult of racism. With the unavoidable exception of Egypt, the history of Africa before the incursion of Europeans has in the past been dismissed, erroneously and at times deliberately, as inconsequential to the development of modern society. Fortunately, some scholars are working to correct this grave error. The study of medieval African societies has value, not only because we can learn from all civilizations in all time frames, but because these societies reflected and influenced a myriad of cultures that, due to the Diaspora that began in the 16th century, have spread throughout the modern world. The Kingdom of Mali One of these fascinating and near-forgotten societies is the medieval Kingdom of Mali, which thrived as a dominant power in west Africa from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century. Founded by the Mande-speaking Mandinka2 people, early Mali  was governed by a council of caste-leaders who chose a ​mansa to rule. In time, the position of mansa evolved into a more powerful role similar to a king or emperor. According to tradition, Mali was suffering from a fearful drought when a visitor told the king, Mansa Barmandana, that the drought would break if he converted to Islam. This he did, and as predicted the drought did end. Other Mandinkans followed the kings lead and converted as well, but the mansa did not force a conversion, and many retained their Mandinkan beliefs. This religious freedom would remain throughout the centuries to come as Mali emerged as a powerful state. The man primarily responsible for Malis rise to prominence is Sundiata Keita. Although his life and deeds have taken on legendary proportions, Sundiata was no myth but a talented military leader. He led a successful rebellion against the oppressive rule of Sumanguru, the Susu leader who had taken control of the Ghanaian  Empire. After the Susu downfall, Sundiata laid claim to the lucrative gold and salt trade that had been so significant to Ghanaian prosperity. As Mansa, he established a cultural exchange system whereby the sons and daughters of prominent leaders would spend time in foreign courts, thus promoting understanding and a better chance of peace among nations. Upon Sundiatas death in 1255 his son, Wali, not only continued his work but made great strides in agricultural development. Under Mansa Walis rule, competition was encouraged among trading centers such as Timbuktu and Jenne, strengthening their economic positions and allowing them to develop into important centers of culture. Mansa Musa Next to Sundiata, the most well-known and possibly the greatest ruler of Mali was Mansa Musa. During his 25-year reign, Musa doubled the territory of the Malian Empire and tripled its trade. Because he was a devout Muslim, Musa made a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, astonishing the peoples he visited with his wealth and generosity. So much gold did Musa introduce into circulation in the middle east that it took about a dozen years for the economy to recover. Gold was not the only form of Malian riches. Early Mandinka society venerated creative arts, and this did not change as Islamic influences helped to shape Mali. Education was also highly valued; Timbuktu was a significant center of learning with several prestigious schools. This intriguing blend of economic wealth, cultural diversity, artistic endeavors and higher learning resulted in a splendid society to rival any contemporary European nation. Malian society had its drawbacks, yet it is important to view these aspects in their historical setting. Slavery  was an integral part of the economy at a time when the institution had declined (yet still existed) in Europe; but the European serf was rarely better off than a slave, bound by law to the land. By todays standards, justice could be harsh in Africa, but no harsher than European medieval punishments. Women had very few rights, but such was certainly true in Europe as well, and Malian women, just like European women, were at times able to participate in business (a fact that disturbed and surprised Muslim chroniclers). War was not unknown on either continent just as today. After the death of Mansa Musa, the Kingdom of Mali went into a slow decline. For another century its civilization held sway in West Africa until Songhay established itself as a dominant force in the 1400s. Traces of medieval Malis greatness still remain, but those traces are fast disappearing as the unscrupulous plunder the archaeological remains of the regions wealth. Mali is just one of many African societies whose past deserves a closer look. We hope to see more scholars explore this long-ignored field of study, and more of us open our eyes to the splendor of Medieval Africa. Notes 1 Angelique Kidjo is a singer and songwriter from Bà ©nin who mixes African rhythms with western sounds. Her song Open Your Eyes can be heard on the 1998 release, Oremi. 2 A variety of spellings exist for many African names. The Mandinka are also known as the Mandingo; Timbuktu is also spelled Tombouctou; Songhay may appear as Songhai. In each case I have chosen one spelling and stuck with it. Guides Note: This feature was originally posted in February of 1999, and was updated in January of 2007. The links below will take you to a site where you can compare prices at booksellers across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the books page at one of the online merchants. by Patricia and Fredrick McKissackA good introduction for younger readers that offers enough detail to interest older students. Edited by Said Hamdun and Noel Quinton KingWritings by Ibn Battuta that detail his journeys south of the Sahara have been selected by the editors and presented in this volume, which provides a fascinating firsthand look at Medieval Africa. by Basil DavidsonExcellent general introduction to African history that breaks free of the Eurocentric viewpoint. by Joseph E. HarrisConcise, detailed, and reliable overview of the complex history of Africa from prehistoric times to the present.

Iconic projects are virtually certain to fail.Discuss; illustrate your Essay

Iconic projects are virtually certain to fail.Discuss; illustrate your answer with references to recently completed trophy projects - Essay Example es need to be appropriately addressed by managers of projects worldwide: ‘a) the project mission, b) the top management support and c) the project scheduling’ (Schultz et al., 1987 in Belassi et al., 1996, 142). If these issues are taken into consideration when designing and implementing a project then it can be expected that this project will be led to success. On the other hand, it is supported that the success or the failure of projects in modern market can be depended on many factors – different criteria could be also used in order to decide on the success or the failure of a particular project at any stage of its development. In accordance with Diallo et al. (2004, 21) ‘success can be evaluated only when the evaluation dimensions are adequately defined; a project is usually considered a success if its implementation complies with the usual constraints of time, cost and the client’s terms of reference or ‘‘quality’’â€⠄¢. The above description of a project’s success refers only to the general aspects of project success; there is no reference to the benefits that a project may offers to the parties involved – i.e. even if a project cannot be characterized as successful in terms of the achievement of its targets still it could offer benefits to its creators/ developers – referring to direct or even indirect benefits (e.g. increase of the quality of life of people of a specific area because of the development of a specific construction project – the above project may be left uncompleted or it could be use for a different reason than the one defined by its developers). The importance of project management for the improvement of many aspects of human life around the world could be possibly understood only by referring to specific projects and their benefits for people within the international community. The definition of project given by Gasper (2000) could help identify the general aspects of projects in modern market. In accordance with

Third Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Third Movement - Essay Example Its striking beginning, arising harmonic sequence left hanging on a high dominant seventh, aside the end in B minor, is encompassed by a "galloping" rhythm, emphasizing on the melodic line on the first and third beats of each half-measure outlines of the fifth through eighth level of a harmonic minor scale. The overall melody entrenched in the minor tonic have the contribution of the mood in this primary section being dark. More successful second theme in B major, returning twice in the movement's A B A B A form, appears moderately suddenly at the conclusion of the first eventually rising during fleet fingered runs over a left hand melody. It tumbles back to a dramatic interpretation of the main theme in both of its appearance. The third movement was written around a funeral march two years before it was finished and resulted in being the third of the four-movement cycle. Chopin was more interested in the funeral march more than any other composer and inserted the fundamentals of the funeral march into his other work of art. Both the C-minor prologue from OP.28 and the slow introduction to the F minor fantasy, op 49 are frank funeral marches. The nocturnal OP 48 no1 and OP55NO1are clearly marked by the trait of the funeral marches. The slow movement follows the scherzo in the B flat minor sonata. The sonata with a Marcia's funebre as one of its movement of funeral march was Chopin's favorite. He played it, taught it and scrutinized its configuration for his apprentice more than he did any other of Beethoven sonata. In this third movement funeral March is complete with the lento interlude in D flat major. When the Chopin's funeral march is actually played in a funeral march, only the part in B flat minor is used. This funeral march made use of in brass as described has become a popular background such as in the video games. It was also used at the state funeral of President Kennedy, funeral of soviet leaders and Chopin's funeral. Fourth movement this is the fourth movement of the four cycle movements by Chopin also referred to the finale. It is the most magnificent piece of work that Chopin ever came up with. In this movement, it involves the use of both hands, which come in parallel octaves. This can be attested by his OP28 preface in E flat minor. But the prelude monophonic line actually forms a melody with a broken chord accompaniment base, while the sonata finale consists of a zigzag flamboyant single line. The texture is not idiomatic for keyboard .It sounds more like a piece for an unaccompanied cello. Chopin was well versed with the cello repertoire. In Warsaw he was captivated by the playing of Joseph mark whom he devoted his introduction and pnonaise brilliante for cello and piano OP3. The resemblance of its nature to that of unaccompanied cello and the elaborate structure of the melodic line point to Bachs suite for solo cello as one possible source of inspiration. More particularly the preludes from bachs suites in D major for solo cello is similar pertnum mobile of four quaver triplet per bar and one of its most frequency repeated object bears s striking resemblance to the primary theme from the first movement of the Chopin's sonata. A descending hexachord between the third and fifth scale is also a very important figure in the basch preface. Hexachord in either quavers extension is one of the principal motives of the fourth movement. It also involves the improvisory monadic lines where by these parallels

Essay about Oedipus Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

About Oedipus - Essay Example Robert Milli did complete justice to it although he lacked the cutting edge in several other important aspects but overall it was a very decent performance by the actor. â€Å"Robert’s biggest problem was swallowing his own; this was arguably the biggest challenge for the audience to comprehend what Robert was trying to say. Robert also lacked the passion required to perform a tragedy, there should be a lot of passion when a character performs a demanding role but Robert was a bit slack and did not appeal to the senses of the audience.† (The New York Times) To conclude it is fair to say that the performance of Robert as Oedipus lacked the punch, it could have been so much better had he not eaten his own words. Clarity of speech is really important when it comes to performing a classic tragedy but Robert fell flat and could not do as well as the audience though he might. Overall it could have been so much better had Robert displayed a little more passion and had he had a little more punch and enthusiasm in his voice. A classic tragedy requires all its actors to work in unison, the chorus also disappointed. It would have been so much better had the chorus performed to the expectation levels of the