Early Childhood Curriculum Essay Example for Free

Early Childhood Curriculum Essay One of the goals of preschool education is to improve children’s school success. Early childhood educators need to enhance a child’s developmental skills and knowledge. We are to build upon their ever growing need of curiosity and creativity. Without knowing what, why, and how to developmentally teach preschool children in an early childhood environment teachers will not have a great impact on the knowledge children will gain and retain in this environment. Children are eager to learn and acquire new life changing skills. The text (2008) emphasizes the importance of a child-centered curriculum that encompasses the whole child- physical, social, emotional, creative, and cognitive. Teachers practical knowledge of how and what to teach children is not taught in school. Teachers receive and understand the theoretical knowledge of children learning but they are unable to blend the theories with practical applications appropriate for young children. There are many preschool classrooms with qualified teachers but they do not understand the steps needed to provide a curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate. Most teachers have the book knowledge but their hands on and one on one skills are lacking when it comes to implementing activities to stimulate and excite children in learning. Kostelnik states that, â€Å"Teachers who lack adequate knowledge in any of these areas are hampered in their attempts to create developmentally appropriate programs for young children. The areas are: the fundamental components of early literacy and numeracy; how children experience literacy and mathematical concepts in their play; what teachers can do intentionally to support literacy and numeracy in all areas of the curriculum throughout the day†. Teachers must know and understand a child’s developmental needs and how to develop ways to meet these needs. Early childhood education recommends that programs utilize Developmentally Appropriate Practices. It is vital that young children have a curriculum that provides learning goals and guidance for teachers to develop activities and interactions. The National Association for the Education of Young Children approved the Early Childhood Standards and Accreditation Performance Standards and Accreditation Performance Criteria in 2005. These standards guide programs in a variety of areas including the curriculum (pp.232-233). †¢ Children have varied opportunities to be read books and to be read to in individualized ways. †¢ Children have activities that allow them to become familiar with print. †¢ Children are given opportunities to recognize and write letters, words, and sentences as they are ready. †¢ Books are displayed and writing is encouraged in one or more areas of the classroom. Curriculum development should focus on promoting learning and development in the areas of social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive growth (NAEYC Program Standards). There should be themes that are hands on and developmentally appropriate. Activities should include: art, math, science, social, studies, reading, and creativity. Classroom s should be filled with laughter and excitement. Hands on learning should take place, stories should be told, and play encouraged. Play is child’s work and when they enjoy what they are doing, then, they are more apt to learn, discover, and investigate their surroundings and environment. So how do we know that play is child’s work? This question and many more are answered when we look at research and theories of education. Theories are the foundation for which teachers choose to teach from. Theories help guide teachers in understanding the reason why they set up their classrooms and for carrying out the lessons they teach children on a daily basis. Theories teach us that relationships are the foundation for learning. We need to have relationship with the children we teach and with families of the children we provide a program for. Theories teach us that children learn through play and that they learn when they interact with their peers and their environment. There are many theories of learning to use to decide what type of curricula to use  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Vygotsky’s Constructivist theory- puts the learner in the center and believes that teachers should provide experiences that link prior knowledge to what they are studying. The constructivist teacher organizes the classroom with children’s stages of development in mind. Children learn when they collaborate with others, discussion and talking about the how and why of things. †¢ Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development- learning is viewed as active, constructive process in which students seek organization and meaning in their worlds. †¢ Abraham Maslow focused on human potential and proposed that all persons strive to reach the highest within them. His theory also asserts that children learn best when their physical needs are met and they feel a sense of psychological safety and security. †¢ B. F. Skinner Behaviorist Theory emphasizes the roles of environmental conditions and overt behaviors in learning. Children learn through the effects of their own intentional responses. Consequences will determine whether a person will repeat a particular behavior that led to the consequences. Our theorists teach us that as children play they are learning about themselves, other people, and the world. As the text (2008) states, learning and development in the early years are critical to the child’s long term well-being. This theoretical base in early childhood education guides and provides a framework of understanding for how children learn. The text also states that, theoretically, there is widespread acceptance of the idea that play is important- that it is the serious business for the young child. Elkind reviewed a variety of theories that support the role of children’s play, including Montessori, Freud, Piaget, and Vygotsky. By taking these theories and putting them into perspective we provide ways to meet the differences and developing needs that children have. For children to excel and have success in school we have to address all areas of their development. Research has shown us that it is during these times of play that a child’s brain is affected. Connections are made as a child repeatedly does the same types of activities. If these connections are not made or used they will eventually disappear. Our text (2008) states that, â€Å"Play is a time where children needs are met. Good play experiences unite and blend all aspects of development, reaping social, emotional, physical, intellectual, moral, creative, and cultural benefits for young children. † As children engage in play in the early childhood classroom they are learning and growing developmentally. Age appropriate activities are provided for them. Vanderwater says that, â€Å"Play is simply shorthand for our capacity for curiosity, imagination, and fantasy — our creative dispositions. † In order for children benefit from play a curriculum is needed to meet their needs. It is important for young preschool children to have a curriculum that includes planned environments and activities in the classroom, such as music and creative movement, dramatic play, singing, and creative art. Planned and unplanned spontaneous learning should take place everyday. We know that children are unique and different therefore they all learn differently. With this knowledge we have to teach the whole child. This includes teaching social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development to preschoolers. Preschool curriculum models vary widely. Some may detail exactly what to teach and how to teach it with step by step instructions. Others on the other hand leave room for teacher ideas and input. Then there are some that provide guidance in developing activities and interactions that are crucial to social development. When choosing curricula, programs need to take into account children’s ages, needs, behavior, language and cultural backgrounds. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialist in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE) therefore advise the following: â€Å"Curriculum is more than a collection of enjoyable activities. Curriculum is a complex idea containing multiple components such as goals, content, pedagogy, or instructional practices. Curriculum is influenced by many factors including society’s values, content standards, account ability systems, research findings, community expectations, culture and language, and individual children’s characteristics. † The early childhood (preschool) classroom has a need for a developmentally appropriate curriculum. Designing a curriculum gives teachers the opportunity to come together and brainstorm on what is needed to meet the needs of individual children. Dodge states, â€Å"When teachers build curriculum with each other and with the children and are willing to really listen to each other and to the children’s ideas, and really value them, there is a very different kind of relationship being established and a climate of mutual trust is formed. She also shares that, the nature of this relationship between teachers and children and parents would be very different in our opinion, if the teacher’s plan were already written and all the planning spaces filled in, and all the outcomes predetermined and articulated ahead of time. Relationships again are the foundation that is needed in the early childhood classroom. Society has put a lot of pressure on early childhood programs to produce results. Kostelnik states that, kindergarten teachers report that one out of three children begin formal schooling lacking the basic experiences they need to succeed. Because of this, programs make decisions each day about the type of curriculum to use. They see the importance of early learning experiences that will build a firm foundation for learning and development later on in life. There are many types of curriculum in our society today. The two most commonly used in the Unites States according to Dodge are: The Creative Curriculum and High/Scope. In addition to these many directors used a variety of models and resources to supplement their planning. These include the Project Approach, Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and what several called â€Å"emergent curriculum†. There is evidence that high quality early childhood programs can and do make a difference in children’s development. Children can develop the skills they need as they participate in child care and other early learning programs from birth to age eight. Kostelnik states that children need to know the fundamental components of early literacy and numeracy for literacy involves listening, viewing, speaking, writing, and reading. Some of the numeracy components are: understanding number, how people represent number, the relations among numbers, and number systems, using mathematical tools, and recognizing, describing, and extending patterns. Literacy and numeracy can be displayed in the classroom when the dramatic play area has been transformed into a hairdressing shop. The children can create signs that say haircuts, shampoo, curlers, and perms. The children can also include prices on the signs. The children can move in and out of this area taking turns as customers, receptionist, haircutters, and cashiers. They will pretend cutting hair, giving permanents, making appointments, writing out receipts, using the play cash register, and making change. Literacy and numeracy is also seen in the block center as children make signs and count trucks, in the writing center as children write in their journals and in the art center as children draw and create pictures of their choice. Kostelnik tells us that, skilled teachers intentionally create opportunities for children to become engaged in varied literacy and numeracy experiences every day. Developmentally appropriate activities do not happen by chance, they have to be planned out. Children are looking for direction and opportunities to investigate. Teachers are being provided with training and professional development on how to teach, what to teach and why they need to follow a curriculum. As teachers gain the skills they need they begin to understand the developmental need s of children. They create opportunities for learning through play and they advocate for the needed changes in the system. As curriculum choices are being made and teachers are trained in how to implement the curriculum children are excelling. In an early childhood classroom teachers are better equipped and have a greater impact on what, why and how to teach children in a developmentally appropriate way. References: Eliason, C. F. , Jenkins, L. (2008). A Practical Guide to Early Childhood Curriculum (8th ed. ). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Dodge, D. (2004). Early Childhood Curriculum Models Why, What and the How Programs Use Them. Retrieved from the Exchange magazine. www. ChildCareExchange. com Kostelnik. M (2008). Academics in Early Childhood. Retrieved from the Exchange magazine. www. ChildCareExchange. com. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE). (2003). Joint position statement on early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Washington, DC: NAEYC, p. 6 Vanderwater, E. A. , Rideoout, V. J. , Wartella, E. A. , Huang, X. , Lee, J. H. , Shim, M. S. (2007). â€Å"Digital Childhood: Electronic Media and Technology Use Among Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers. † Pediatrics 119(5): e1006-e1015 [pic].

Financial analysis Essay Example for Free

Financial analysis Essay The Back Yard Burgers has 183 restaurants – 44 company-operated and 139 franchisees as on June 30, 2007. The sales figures indicate total revenue of $12,610,000 as compared to last year sales figure of $11,695,000. Restaurant sales accounted for $10,688,000 that is a 10. 3% increase from last year figures of $9,686,000. Out of this 10. 3% increase of revenue, 6. 8% is attributed to the addition of two new company-operated restaurants till Jun 30, 2007 since July 1, 2006. The remaining 3. 5% increase in the revenue from restaurant sales is from the existing restaurants. Thirteen Weeks Ended June 30, July 1, 2007 2006 Revenues: Restaurant sales $ 10,688 $ 9,686 Franchise and area development fees 84 204 Royalty fees 1,265 1,245 Advertising fees 318 314 Other 255 246 Total revenues 12,610 11,695 Expenses: Cost of restaurant sales 3,502 3,120 Restaurant operating expenses 5,040 4,646 General and administrative 2,259 1,634 Advertising 814 668 Depreciation 544 543 Other operating (income)/expense — — Total expenses 12,159 10,611 Operating income 451 1,084 Interest income 29 16. Interest expense (193 ) (198 ) Other, net (28 ) (24 ) Income before income taxes 259 878 Income taxes 50 302 Net income $ 209 $ 576 Statement of income for the period July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007 The statement of income shows a net income of $209,000 only for the current year as compared to $576,000 in the previous year. An increase in the general and administrative expenses and increased advertising expenditure accounts for the lower net income of the company. The annual turnover of the company in the year 2006 was $44,710,000 as compared to $41,000,000 in the year 2005. The company reported a 9% annual growth in sales. Key financial data of Back Yard Burgers (In millions of USD) Income Statement Quarterly (Jun 07) Annual (2006) Annual (2005) Total Revenue 12. 61 44. 71 41. 00 Gross Profit 3. 81 13. 67 12. 29 Operating Income 0. 45 2. 18 0. 42 Net Income 0. 21 0. 88 -0. 04 Balance Sheet Total Current Assets 7. 19 7. 08 5. 32 Total Assets 32. 94 33. 41 31. 64 Total Current Liabilities 5. 24 5. 79 4. 01 Total Liabilities 15. 24 16. 11 16. 34 Total Equity 17. 70 17. 30 15. 30 Cash Flow Net Income/Starting Line 0. 21 0. 88 -0. 04 Cash from Operating 0. 40 4. 05 3. 33 Cash from Investing -0. 16 -1. 85 -7. 83 Cash from Financing -0. 25 -0. 36 5. 78 Net Change in Cash -0. 01 1. 84 1. 28 The above table gives in insight into the company’s current financial position. The operating profit in the year 2006 was $2. 2 million compared to an operating profit of $0. 4 million in the previous year. The net profit was $0. 9 million in the year 2006 as compared to a net loss of $0. 04 million in the year 2005. The company reported a net profit margin of 1. 96% in the year 2006 as compared to 1. 28% in the previous year. The operating margin of the company also increased from 3. 56% to 4. 87%. The financial ratios for the current period is provided in the table below: Key Stats Ratios Quarterly (Jun 07) Annual (2006) Annual (TTM) Net Profit Margin 1. 66% 1. 96% 1. 28% Operating Margin 3. 58% 4. 87% 3. 56% EBITD Margin 9. 77% 8. 34% Return on Average Assets 2. 53% 2. 69% 1. 80% Return on Average Equity 4. 77% 5. 37% 3. 44% The company has seen a decreasing profit over the past few years. The analysis of the various factors that account for success in the fast food industry in this paper has highlighted the reasons responsible for the decreasing profit.

Development of Sustainable Dwellings in Wales

Development of Sustainable Dwellings in Wales This study focuses on the development of a sustainable retrofit plan for a typical dwelling in Wales. There are two parts that have been discussed in this report. The first section is a full development plan to reduce the fuel cost with a budget of  £30K and the second is a calculation of carbon footprint of a building element (wall insulation materials). The project was predicted to achieve 70% reductions in CO2 emissions for a cost of some  £26K.Furthermore, the energy cost would be reduced by 85% if the development plan was implemented in full. Stepwise approach has been used to measure the performance. Replacing the heating system and adding more insulation for the roof, walls and floor are considered the significant improvement of the project with reasonable payback periods. The embodied CO2 emission for three different insulation materials has been calculated. Rockwool has the lowest rate 833 kg co2e compared to 875, 1737 to the Sheeps wool and Expanded Polystyrene respectivel 1.1 Background 1.1.1 Introduction: Indeed, there is a huge pressure on governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Paris agreement, is a recent agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, was agreed to keep the global warming below 2 °C (1). British government aims to have an 80% reduction by 2050. This means a huge improvement is needed in energy efficiency of our existing dwelling. The recent report shows that over 45% of total greenhouse emissions were emitted from dwelling building (2).The domestic sector accounted for 29 % of the total energy consumption in 2015(3).Furthermore, residential was ranked the fourth in the amount of greenhouse gas emission according to national statistics(4) the figure below show the greenhouse gas emission by different sectors. Figure (1) Greenhouse gas emission by sector (DECC), UK, 2014 1.1.2 The property: This house was built in 1930s and has three bedrooms with South-West facing and located in Wales. The external walls are cavity wall with plaster but without any insulation, the floor has no insulation, the roof is slate tiles with 50mm insulation between the rafters. The windows are double glazed, with a 6mm air gap, PVC frames and with U value of 2.8.The doors are also PVC frame with U value of 2.8. The heating system is an old mains gas boiler with 65% efficiency, the capacity of hot water tank 120 litre. 1.1.3 Performance prior to refurbishment: This house has a SAP rating of 45, below the national average of 48 and therefore there is a need to improve its performance to achieve 80 % of reduction in emissions as well as the annual fuel cost. This could be achieved by reducing the heat loss through the walls, floor, roof as well as windows and doors. 1.2 Development plan There are two factors that are set to dramatically transform the way in which building was designed and fabricated in the early twenty-first century-insulation and energy. There is a need to maximise the insulation levels of the buildings while at the same time rethinking the ways in which building consumes the energy needed to run them. Step 1: Upgrading the heating system : Modern boilers are more efficient because they burn the fuel very efficiently. The fuel type also has a direct impact on reducing the fuel bill as well as carbon emissions. The condensing gas boiler (90% efficacy) with room thermostat is the best choice in this matter. Step 2: Insulating the roof, floor and walls: The challenge in adding insulation levels in domestics is to choose the right materials that fit for purpose. Understanding the properties of the materials and when it is suited to fitting in the attic space is essential. Moreover, price, fire safety, chemicals involved and end of life should also be considered when choosing the material (5). -Floor: Phenolic foam insulation would offer the best performance of any readily available panel (6). It also has less impact on room size where dry-lining is considered. Kingspans Kooltherm phenolic is the good option for floors. The designed U value for floor is 0.2 W/m2K. -Cavity wall insulation: Filling the cavity gap between the inner and outer blocks with appropriate insulation material has been considered. However, it is highly likely that insulating the cavity alone will not be enough to achieve the required U-values. For this reason, adding internal or external insulation should also be concerned to achieve the targeted U-value. The designed u value for injected insulation with external wall insulation (Rockwool) is 0.49 (W/m2K). -Roofs: mineral wool insulation is highly recommended for roof insulation, 160 mm is added between rafters and 100 mm below them. The designed U value in this case is 0.15 (W/m2K). Step 3: Minimising infiltration (disuse chimneys, draught proofing). Ventilation is needed in traditional buildings to help the fabric breathe. Chimneys would have contributed greatly to the ventilation rate, so it is advised, in some cases, that chimneys could to be left open to allow natural ventilation. However, disused chimney, if left fully open, will often cause more heat loss. It also can let water in, if it is uncapped. Some methods can be recommended: CAPS: a cap at the top of a chimney will prevent water ingress but allow through ventilation. However, caps can cause huge damage and be very dangerous if they blow off in case of windy weather. Balloons: is the quickest and cheapest way to close of a flue that is not being used, but it is awkward and dirty when removing and reinstalling them in place. Step 4: Reducing the energy consumption for lighting (LED). LED lighting is extremely energy efficient technology and has changed the future of lighting worldwide. The residential LED lighting use less 70% energy and last 25 times longer life (7). The value of lighting gain in the SAP calculation (67) was reduced by 70% of the original value. Step 5: Installing renewable sources (PV panel). The solar photovoltaic (PV) has many advantages that a householder can benefit from. The main benefit is to cut electricity bill as well as sell the left over electricity to the grid. Not to mention, the sunlight is free and that means nearly zero carbon footprint (8). It is advised the Monocrystalline system with 20% efficiency is required to generate around 2700kWh annually. This system requires 21 square meter roof space and makes saving around 12p/kWh from electricity bill. However, if a householder doesnt use the electricity produced, exported to grid or store it in batteries are the only two options available. The storage technology has been ignored because the cost and complexity with installing at dwelling. The exported tariff is 3.1 p/kWh, but this figure could be ignored as the power generated by the system would be absorbed by the site demand. Step 6: UPVC triple glazing windows The huge heating loss in domestics occurs through windows. There is a growing range in this area to improve the thermal performance of this element. Triple glazing is the best options that could be considered to achieve the reduction target. This element has an excellent U-value (one or less) which provide a decrease in energy consumption as well as reducing CO2 emissions. Step 7: UPVC high efficient door It is suggested that the original doors on the property, with a U-value of 2.8 W/m2.K, should be replaced with a high performance triple glazed door, reducing the U-value of the surface by 65%. 1.3 Alternatives options Other systems were also considered but rejected due to the cost-effectiveness as well as the project size. For example: Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR): is widely used for highly energy efficient buildings in the UK. However, the complexity to install and the high capital cost, the system was ignored. Under floor heating: is a modern technology that allows the householder to enjoy the luxury of the warm floor during the winter. In other hand, under floor system is pricey to install in retrofit house and more difficult to maintain if any problem occurs. Wind turbine: roof-mounted and freestanding mast wind turbines are two types that can be installed in the project. The micro wind turbine was rejected because the space limitation, the turbine noise and save the birds in the local area. 1.4 Analysis and evaluation SAP rating: the graph (1) illustrates the improvement of the SAP rating though the development plan. It is clearly seen that the property has been developed from 45.65 to over 90 and that means the house can achieve band B in the EPC. CO2 emissions rate: As it can be seen from the graph (2) below, a significant decrease in CO2 emissions though the development plan. The house would benefit of 70% reduction on CO2 emissions as the plan reduced CO2 emissions rate from 71.35 to below 22.77. Energy cost: The annual fuel cost has been reduced from  £1354 to below  £200 as graph (3) indicates. A reduction of 85% of annual energy bill will be achieved if the designed plan is implemented. The projects budget was  £30K; however, the full money spent in this plan is around  £26K. The simple payback method has been used for financial evaluation. The full plan will require 20 years to recover the cost of the project. The plan is designed in stepwise to achieve higher performance as well as keep the cost low as much as possible. The graph (4) shows that SAP rating improvement against the cost for each step. Replacing windows and doors would cost over  £7000 and  £1000 respectively; with having longer payback periods (graph 5), that took them to the end of the list. Note: Full data can be found in the appendix (table 3). Graph (1) SAP rating during the development plan Graph (2) CO2 emissions rate through the development plan Graph (3) Annual energy cost through the development plan Graph (4) SAP improvement vs. Cost Graph (5) Simple payback calculation for development plan 1.5 Conclusion The project will benefit significantly by replacing the heating system as well as adding more insulation for the roof, floor and walls. However, replacing windows the doors have slight effect on the house performance as it costs more with less benefit. Installing photovoltaic panels will make a huge impact on the project performance. It would make saving over 55% from the energy bill if 3 KWp panel was installed. 2.1 Introduction The thermal resistance provided by insulation materials used in the building fabric means that the energy savings from insulation made during the operation of the building far outweigh its embodied environmental impacts. Also, insulation products tend to have a very low density and, therefore, when reviewed in a building context, only relatively small masses of materials are used. However, if insulations are not assessed with a whole-building life-cycle approach they may not appear to be an inherently low environmental impact material, because of the resources and energy used during manufacture, the use of blowing agents and the lack of reuse/recycling at the end of life. This study will illustrate the environmental impact of three different types of insulation; it also provides the carbon footprint calculation for the project that was refurbished in the Part 1. 2.2 Literature survey The Green guide classifies the insulation used in the construction into: Non-renewable organic-based insulation such as expanded polystyrene (EPS); this material has conductivity 0.038 W/mK, density 37 kg/m3. It is a rigid, open cell form of polystyrene blown with pentane. EPS is a thermoplastic polymer, so can be reprocessed and recycled more easily than thermoset polymers. Most process waste is recycled but there is limited recycling of postconsumer packaging. Renewable organic plant/animal-derived insulation such as Sheeps wool insulation; it has conductivity 0.039 W/mK, density 25 kg/m3. The sheeps wool that is not suitable for textiles, is used for insulation. The wool needs to be scoured, requiring energy and water, and the resulting pesticide residue from the sheet dip needs treatment. Binders and polyester fibre are required, as well as chemical treatment to prevent moth attack. Mineral wool insulation such as Rockwool; is a medium density insulation product of 45 kg/m3 and has a thermal conductivity of 0.044 W/mK. Rockwool is made of 77% virgin raw material mainly in the form of diabase, gotland stone, lime stone, cement and bauxite. The remaining 23% are classed as waste materials. End-of-life issues for insulation Many insulation types are recyclable at end of life, but do not currently have any recycling system in place for material recovered from construction, refurbishment or demolition. There is evidence that some insulation waste from construction is incorporated elsewhere within the building, rather than being sent for disposal. For most materials, the impact associated with end of life is the disposal impact measured by BRE relating to the amount of material landfilled or incinerated. The BRE methodology also includes the emissions associated with incineration and landfill, including burning of landfill gas. For renewable materials, the end-of-life stage can have a significant impact if the sequestered carbon is released back into the environment through incineration or decay in landfill. Table (1) End-of-life waste destination (reference 11) Insulation End of life waste destination (%) Landfill Incineration Recycled Expanded polystyrene (EPS): 90 9 1 Sheeps wool 100 0 0 Rockwool 40 10 50 2.3 Carbon footprint calculation The construction carbon calculator is used to determine the environmental impact for insulation materials. This tool was downloaded from the governments website (12). CO2 emissions calculation: The table below shows the total amount of co2 emissions for the three types of insulation. Table (2) Carbon footprint calculation for EPS, Sheeps wool and Rockwool Reference Unit Expanded Polystyrene Sheeps wool Rockwool Wall area m2 110 110 110 Insulation thickness Assumption m 0.1 0.1 0.1 Volume of insulation m3 11 11 11 Density Ref (13) kg/m3 37 25 45 Mass kg 407 275 495 Waste 5% Assumption kg 427.35 288.75 519.75 Carbon coefficient Ref(14) kgco2/kg 3.43 2.09 1.12 Embodied CO2 kg co2e 1465.8105 603.4875 582.12 Boundary Ref(14) cradle to gate cradle to gate cradle to grave Transport of material Manufacturer website 200 miles from Kent by road 175 miles from Liverpool by road Non Transport Embodied CO2 kg co2e 19 19 0 Waste destination Ref(11) 90% landfill 100% landfill 50% landfill Waste mass kg 366.3 275 259.875 Waste Embodied CO2 kg co2e 3.19 3.48 1.7 Transport of waste Assumption miles 100 100 100 Transport waste Embodied CO2 kg co2e 0.2 0.2 0.2 Total waste Embodied CO2 kg co2e 3.39 3.68 1.9 Energy consumed Assumption Kwh 200 200 200 Plant CO2 emissions kg co2e 119 119 119 Project duration (days) Assumption 3 3 3 Travel CO2 emissions kg co2e 130 130 130 Total kg co2e 1737.2005 875.1675 833.02 2.4 Conclusion As it can be seen from the previews calculation, the highest embodied CO2 emission is Expanded Polystyrene because of the higher carbon coefficient and end-of-life issue. For that reason EP is out of consideration. Sheeps wool is natural source, absorbing and releasing moisture without decreasing its thermal insulating properties. However, it has more CO2 emissions than Rockwool which also take it out of thought. In addition to Rockwool has less embodied CO2 emissions, it has excellent thermal insulation with more flexibility to install. Mineral wool has also superior fire resistance as well as better acoustic properties. The Paris Agreement main page (2001) Available at: http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php (Accessed: 14 February 2017). DECC (2011), The Carbon Plan: Delivering Our Low Carbon Future, p.29. Department of Energy and Climate Change. Digest of United Kingdom energy statistics (DUKES). Available at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/ publications/dukes. Government Statistics (no date) Available at: http://4.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/496942/2014_Final_Emissions_Statistics_Release.pdf (Accessed: 14 February 2017). Technology Strategy Board, 2014. Reducing energy use in existing homes, a guide to making retrofit work. RETROFIT FOR THE FUTURE, 1, 15. D Pickles, I Brocklebank C Wood, 2010. ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN HISTORIC BUILDINGS: Open fires, chimneys and flues. nglish Heritage, 1, 17. LED Lighting | Department of Energy. 2017. LED Lighting | Department of Energy. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/led-lighting. [Accessed 15 February 2017]. R. Sadgrove S.Pester, 2014. Installation of photovoltaic panels on existing flat roofs some lessons learned. BRE Information Papers, IP 8/14, 7. SEI, Retrofitted Passive Homes, 2009. Retrofitted Passive Homes: Guidelines for upgrading existing dwelling in Ireland. Retrofitted Passive Homes, 1, 15. Shorrock L D and Utley J I. Domestic energy fact file 2003,BRE BR 457. Bracknell, IHS BRE Press, 2003. K Albury J Anderson , 2011. Environmental Impact Of Insulation . BRE TRUST, 2011. 10 Government Website. 2007. Construction Carbon Calculator. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency/about/procurement. [Accessed 28 February 2017]. http://jablite.co.uk. 2016. Jablite EPS . [ONLINE] Available at: http://jablite.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Jablite-EPS.pdf. [Accessed 28 February 2017]. Sheep Wool Insulation Premium. 2016. Sheep Wool. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.sheepwoolinsulation.ie/products/premium_insulation_technical.asp. [Accessed 28 February 2017]. Prof.Hammond Jones, Prof.G and C, 2011. The Inventory of Carbon and Energy (ICE). 1st ed. UK: University of Bath Table (3) Full data of the development plan Current Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Overall Assignment Results Current New boiler Insulated Floor Insulated walls Insulated roof Minimising infiltration LED lighting PV panel UPVC Triple glazing UPVC door Dwelling volume (m ³) 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 Effective air change rate 1.2261 1.2261 1.2261 1.22614 1.2261 0.66878 0.6688 0.6688 0.66878 0.668784 Ventilation type 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d Fabric heat loss (W/K ) 309.66 309.66 213.77 130.25 123.37 123.37 123.37 123.37 84.28 82.28 Total fabric heat loss (W/K ) 339.06 339.06 243.17 159.65 152.77 152.77 152.77 152.77 113.68 111.68 HLP (W/m ²K ) 4.2377 4.2377 3.2917 2.46769 2.3998 1.99406 1.9941 1.9941 1.60841 1.588676 Heat gains from water heating, (kWh) 1489.6 1489.6 1489.6 1489.65 1489.6 1489.65 1489.6 1489.6 1489.65 1489.648 Average Internal gains (W) 485.09 485.09 485.09 485.085 485.09 485.085 468.49 468.49 468.494 468.4936 Average Solar gains (W) 339.96 339.96 339.96 339.956 339.96 339.956 339.96 339.96 254.967 254.9673 Mean Internal temperature (C °) 17.534 17.534 18.063 18.6402 18.695 19.0535 19.043 19.043 19.3723 19.39251 Space heating requirement in kWh2/m2/year 203.94 203.94 160.8 119.082 115.45 91.3375 92.201 92.201 72.9319 71.72854 Efficiency of main space heating system 1 (in %) 0.66 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 Efficiency of water heater 0.66 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 Fuel for water heating, kWh 4281.2 3139.5 3139.5 3139.54 3139.5 3139.54 3139.5 3139.5 3139.54 3139.544 Electricity for pumps, fans and electric keep-hot 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Electricity for lighting (calculated in Appendix L) 284.43 284.43 284.43 284.428 284.43 284.428 85.328 85.328 85.3283 85.32833 Energy saving/generation technologies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -2700 -2700 -2700 Average Fuel costs (p) 8.335 8.335 8.335 8.335 8.335 8.335 8.335 9.306 9.306 9.306 Additional standing charges 174 174 174 174 174 174 174 174 174 174 Total energy cost 1354.5 1050.7 <

Humanism :: essays research papers

According to Encyclopedia.com humanism is, â€Å" a philosophical and literary movement in which man and his capabilities are the central concern.† While this simple definition certainly does convey the essence of the movement, it does no justice to the whirlwind of artistic and intellectual inspiration stirred up by it. There are many forms of humanistic philosophy in today’s society, but the origin of this school of thought traces its roots back to the days of the scholars of ancient Greece and Rome. It was the revival of and renewed interest in Greco-Roman culture around (during the western transition from medieval to early modern culture) that marked the beginning of the Early Renaissance. The humanists believed that the Greek and Latin classics contained all the lessons one needed to lead a moral and effective life. It was the profound respect for nature and scientific knowledge and of course the reevaluation of classical thought, literature, and art that gave the Renaissance its distinctively secular stamp. Many accomplished artists and intellectuals studied during the roughly 200 year period of the Renaissance, and while some are more recognized than others, it is their combined wisdom that created many of foundations on which modern society is based. Though there were many great intellectuals, and artists during the three Renaissance periods, there are a few who clearly stick out as representing the true attitude of the times. These â€Å"Renaissance Men† as they are now called didn’t limit themselves to one medium of study or expression. Rather they embraced many forms of science and artistry, and through their combined studies observed, recorded, and created many scientific theories about nature, man and nature, and man and himself that still hold truth and are the basis of many fields of study today. Of all the artist-scientists of the Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci best deserves the title. Born in Florence during the High Renaissance (1452-1519) he was most certainly not a man of â€Å"book learning† da Vinci spent his life observing the world around him, either imitating nature through art, or explaining nature through science. His hundreds of ingenious mechanical inventions and extensive knowledge in the fields of art, biology and the natural sciences immortalize his role as the father of the scientific revolution. Da Vinci’s work Embryo in the Womb (ca.1510) seems to be a perfect example of the impression classic humanism had on the works of the Renaissance.

One Life Aquatic :: essays research papers

One Life Aquatic Steve Zissou is a world known, and partially renowned oceanographic explorer. He has been depicted through his documentary films as a larger than life character, yet it seems that each unsuccessful film shows more and more of his humanity. The film introduces us to Steve Zissou when he is at an all time low in his career, having just lost his best friend and crewmate Esteban. Steve is now searching for something more amazing than anything he has ever done, just to reaffirm his place in life. In the film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Wes Anderson, 2004), parallelism can be found between two very similar scenes. By contrasting the second film premiere to the first, the transformation of Steve Zissou can be seen through his departure down the red carpet. The crew of the Belafonte starts their stroll down the red carpet; red knit caps shaping their heads, clad in their finest suits. Classical music fills the air, ringing the delicate atmosphere. The ragtag team exits their film premiere; their half cocked smiles tell us more than an interview ever could. A heckler from the crowd shouts toward the most somber of them all, Steve Zissou; a middle-aged oceanographer carrying a â€Å"crayon seahorse† he just received from a crewmate’s nephew, named Werner. Steve stands unassuming for a second, and then rushes the man, only to be punched in the face seconds later. He suddenly realizes the bag containing the seahorse has been punctured by the fight. He grabs a passerby’s wine glass and pours the seahorse in. The scene finalizes as Steve Zissou flees the film premiere. He makes his way through the crowd as the only visible part of him is the raised wine glass. While exiting his film premiere, Steve is looking for reassurance of his film’s credibility. The only comfort offered comes in the form of a â€Å"crayon seahorse† from Werner, a crewmate’s pre-pubescent nephew. As Steve leaves he is surrounded by his friends and colleagues; and though their proximity is close, their demeanor shows some distance in their relationships. After the ensuing fight, Steve exits by himself, blending into the crowd except for the raised wine glass containing the seahorse. The raised wine glass represents an obvious conflict of disposition in Steve Zissou. Though the film has shown him to be imperfect in many ways, he attempts to adapt to the persona of a very confident and brash person, much like a person who raises his wine glass to propose a toast. One Life Aquatic :: essays research papers One Life Aquatic Steve Zissou is a world known, and partially renowned oceanographic explorer. He has been depicted through his documentary films as a larger than life character, yet it seems that each unsuccessful film shows more and more of his humanity. The film introduces us to Steve Zissou when he is at an all time low in his career, having just lost his best friend and crewmate Esteban. Steve is now searching for something more amazing than anything he has ever done, just to reaffirm his place in life. In the film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Wes Anderson, 2004), parallelism can be found between two very similar scenes. By contrasting the second film premiere to the first, the transformation of Steve Zissou can be seen through his departure down the red carpet. The crew of the Belafonte starts their stroll down the red carpet; red knit caps shaping their heads, clad in their finest suits. Classical music fills the air, ringing the delicate atmosphere. The ragtag team exits their film premiere; their half cocked smiles tell us more than an interview ever could. A heckler from the crowd shouts toward the most somber of them all, Steve Zissou; a middle-aged oceanographer carrying a â€Å"crayon seahorse† he just received from a crewmate’s nephew, named Werner. Steve stands unassuming for a second, and then rushes the man, only to be punched in the face seconds later. He suddenly realizes the bag containing the seahorse has been punctured by the fight. He grabs a passerby’s wine glass and pours the seahorse in. The scene finalizes as Steve Zissou flees the film premiere. He makes his way through the crowd as the only visible part of him is the raised wine glass. While exiting his film premiere, Steve is looking for reassurance of his film’s credibility. The only comfort offered comes in the form of a â€Å"crayon seahorse† from Werner, a crewmate’s pre-pubescent nephew. As Steve leaves he is surrounded by his friends and colleagues; and though their proximity is close, their demeanor shows some distance in their relationships. After the ensuing fight, Steve exits by himself, blending into the crowd except for the raised wine glass containing the seahorse. The raised wine glass represents an obvious conflict of disposition in Steve Zissou. Though the film has shown him to be imperfect in many ways, he attempts to adapt to the persona of a very confident and brash person, much like a person who raises his wine glass to propose a toast.

Term Essays -- essays research papers

Dreams   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Every ninety minutes of every night we’re asleep, a dream unfolds. The short dreams at the beginning of the night are usually no more exciting that the idle thoughts that randomly pop into our heads when we’re awake. But as the night progresses, the length of each dream increases (the last dream can be up to twenty minutes long), the body responds more intensely (increased heartbeat, respiration, muscle twitching), and the dreams become deeper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dreams are sometimes said to be ordinary sequences of images that are experienced by the mind during sleep. For thousands of years they were regarded as divine visitations or predictions. Dreams were not really scientifically studied until the 19th century. Today they are still being studied to learn more about man’s nature. Dreaming is a natural ability- we all dream every night. Every one dreams when sleeping at least three to four times every night. The problem however is remembering the dream. But there is a way to remembering dreams. It is believed that dreams are remembered more accurately immediately after awakening during the night rather than in the morning. Remembering dreams takes time, effort, and patience. Researchers discovered that people who tend to forget their dreams show a greater amount of rapid eye movement, which is associated with greater amounts of activity in the dream. However, when these people did remember the content of their dreams, it wa...

Managing Workplace Performance (Verizon Communication INC)

The balanced score card was a measure taken by the Human Resource department, towards assessing the quality of their own operations. The head of marketing J. Randall McDonald thought of referring to the framework for the Balanced Score Card (Datar & Epstein, 2001), as set by Kaplan and Nortan in their book, to assess the performance of the HR and both in term of quantitative and qualitative measures. Implementation: The implementation of the balanced score card approach, for the performance measurement, was strategically implied by GTE. The HR department outlined five factors to categorize the measure to be included in the score card. They were (Datar & Epstein, 2001); Talent: To invest and advocate in a diverse and talented workforce. Leadership: Groom the prospective leaders, assess their contributions and attributes. Holding them responsible and giving them incentives for tasks accomplished. Customer service and support: Train the customers with the complete knowledge of the company’s products and services. Foster a customer-oriented approach. Organizational integration: Establishing healthy relations with the internal customers/employees and supporting the free flow of information. HR capability: Investing in the necessary technologies to improve the productivity of the employees (Cascio, 2002) and assess the performances of individuals for job rotation and enrichment. To develop certain performance measures, for the balanced score card, the HR department formed a team named ‘PMA’. This team was responsible for assessing the overall situation and categorizing different developed as well as suggested performance measures under the five categories defined above. The feedback from the presidents of the different divisions of the company had a huge amount of questions gathered to be answered. These questions involved issues regarding (Datar & Epstein, 2001); The competencies of the workers Placement of workers at the correct job GTE’s concerns towards encouraging g a participative environment Productivity and efficiency of the Human resource of the organization Cost effectiveness of providing services to customers Cost of employees’ turnover Employees’ reward and compensation scheme Justification and Cost-Benefit analysis of the investment in the HR by the company Some of the questions posed in ‘Exhibit 2’ (Datar & Epstein, 2001) which seem superfluous are; Are we investing in growing our HR? Of course they are, in fact that is the reason why they initiated to develop such a scorecard. Are we using technology to improve HR efficiency? Yes, the company is already investing and employing technology in improving the work performance of its employees. Some of the questions that should have been included are; How can the company ensure that employees really get the advantage of the investments done on them? How to make the employees realize that the company really cares for their development? Are we recruiting the right people for the company? What makes the employees, existing as well as prospective, to fit in the company? The number of existing as well as prospective employees should always be balanced against the revenues. However, the non-financial measures also play a vital role in the assessment of the performance of the employees. As per the works of the authors Christopher D. Ittner and David F. Larcker, the activities performed should be directly linked to the operations, productivity, costs (reductions) and revenues of the company; when linking the non-financial measures with productivity and performance of the employee(s) special care should be taken (Christopher & Larcker, 2003). Making inefficient use of controls to measure employees’ performance might instead lead to employees and customers’ dissatisfaction. As identified by the two authors, Ittner and Larcker, out of the four mistakes GTE was making the ‘First’ and the ‘Third’ one. First Mistake: Not linking measures to strategy. By developing the scorecard, the HR only attempted to justify these investments against the short tem incentives such as increase in sales and/or productivity. However they did not analyzed, at any stage, whether there move was consistent with the overall corporate strategic objectives (Gareth & Charles, 2005). This can be proved by the forecasted increase, by the managers, in the revenues from 1997 through out till 2006 at 10% per annum. This seemed ridiculous when the figures of high employees’ turnover and low customer retentions were revealed. Third Mistake: Not setting the right performance targets. Mr. MacDonald needed to have set the right targets to be achieved by each individual that he hired, trained and placed within the organization. When defining their roles and responsibilities, Mr. Randall should have taught the workforce to better understand their targets in correspondence with their positions. Conclusion: Thus in the end we can say that GTE, despite being the largest local landline telephone provider in the U.S., had the difficulties with its employees, which are an asset to any company. The company should exercise a more participative approach, to be successful. It was estimated, as per the article, that 1% increase in the Employee Engagement Index (EEI) reflected a direct increase of 0.48% in the level of customer satisfaction, which is a positive result. References Datar Srikant & J. Epstein Marc (2001) Verizon Communication INC, Implementing a Balanced Scorecard: Harvard Business Review. D. Ittner Christopher & F. Larcker David (2003) Coming Up Short on Nonfinancial Performance Measurement: Harvard Business Review. Gareth R. Jones, Jennifer M. George & Charles W. L. Hill (2005) Principles of Management.: McGraw-Hill Cascio Wayne (2002) Managing Human Resources: Productivity, Quality of Work Life, Profits: McGraw-Hill/Irwin