Marketing Plan for Snap Fitness Essay

Executive Summary With today’s society stressing a greater demand for flexibility, and ease of access to goods and services, a trend has emerged for extended trading hours for service organizations. One of the main profiteers of this trend is gym franchises. With over 1 billion people in the global population being overweight, and the still present economic uncertainty leading to longer working hours for most people, there is a demand for less rigid opening and closing hours of gyms. Consequently, the boom of the 24 hour gym came about. 3C’s Analysis The following section contains an analysis of the company, customer and competitors of Snap Fitness. Analysis of the Company The Snap Fitness franchise has become a global leader within the budget health club industry since starting in 2003. It has since established a large client base of over 1 million members in over 2000 clubs worldwide and 100 clubs throughout Australia (Sloan, 2014). Snap Fitness provides a 24/7 service with limited staffed contact hours ranging from 30 to 40 hours per week, and utilises a â€Å"no-contract† payment system. Additional services include high quality targeted fitness classes, nutritional consultation and access to accredited Personal Trainers. Snap Fitness was ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as No.1 â€Å"Best in Category’ for fitness franchises in 2009. As well, Inc. Magazine at No. 16 on its annual â€Å"Inc 500† which is a list ranked by Inc Magazine of privately owned businesses. (Snap Fitness, 2014) Customer Analysis A gym can essentially recruit any type of person interested in fitness to sign up because of the variety of services offered, such as weights, cardio machines, group fitness sessions, dieticians etc.. This being said, 60-70% of Snap Fitness customers in Australia are already â€Å"experienced gym users who just want to get in and get started† upon joining (Australian Leisure, 2010). This leaves around 30-40% of members to be inexperienced gym users  that will require help getting started, whether this is by group fitness sessions or personal training sessions. Snaps Fitness offers low prices and the gyms are open 24/7 meaning potential Snap Fitness members are seeking convenience rather than quality. Snap Fitness doesn’t have facilities such as saunas and pools etc. that other gyms such as Fitness First regularly feature and the size of these gyms are smaller in comparison to other big gyms such as Goodlife, and Genesis. This means that Snap Fitness will generally attract people who work out recreationally a few times a week as opposed to a bodybuilder who is training for competitions and would benefit from these additional services. In Australia 13% of the total adult population participate in fitness activities. Within this segment the most significant demographic is the age group bracket is 15 to 34 years in both the female and male segments and females aged 34 to 54 years. Overall there is greater female (16% of the population) participation then male (9.4% of the population) across all age brackets (Australian Bureau, 2009). Analysis of the Competitor With the market for gym-goers being so extensive, there exists steep competition between gyms for patrons. One such competitor of Snap Fitness is Jetts gym. A membership with Jetts is slightly more expensive than Snap, costing $13.95 per week, with an additional joining fee of $89 and $59 for an access card. Jetts also offer an advance 12 month membership, costing $549, paid in one lump sum at the time of joining. Jetts offers its members 24/7 access to all of its 200+ clubs in Australia with the use of the swipe card, delivering a high level of convenience for its members (see figure 1.2). However with Jetts, as opposed to Snap Fitness, once the card is registered in the security system, no further registration is required to gain entry to multiple clubs – the card is usable immediately, creating convenience for its members. (Jetts, 2014) However, unlike Snap Fitness, Jetts has no member benefits to retail outlets or other service centres. Jetts has received a Canstar award t wo years running. For the years of 2012 and 2013, Jetts was voted as the No.1 gym chain in Australia for customer satisfaction. (Jetts, 2014) Another similarly competitive gym is Stepz. As well as operating 24/7, Stepz is entirely Australia owned, with clubs only within Australia. While this, to some people, would be a selling point, it  also poses a threat to Stepz whereby is creates less convenience for its patrons by having fewer clubs members can attend (see figure 1.2). (Stepz, 2014) A Stepz Memberships costs $13 a week, with a one-off joining fee of $89, payable upfront and an access card fee of $55, with which the member has access to any Stepz club Australia-wide. (Stepz, 2014) As too with Jetts, Stepz has no membership perks for gym members that exist outside the gym, i.e., retail discounts, etc. Stepz employs a tactic whereby the number of members allowed to enrol in each club is limited. This is done to provide the members with a more personalized service, and the staff can cater to the members needs more specifically. Also, by limiting the number of patrons, it ensures that there will rarely be a wait time to use gym equipment. (Stepz, 2014) In today’s market, there exist other types of rival services in the gym racket. Not gyms that offer round-the-clock service, rather gyms that cater specifically to the specialty needs of their patrons – gyms such as Curves. Curves is a specially designed gym catering explicitly to the needs of women. Founded in 1992 in Texas, today Curves has clubs in over 70 countries, with over 300 clubs in Australia alone. Curves is the largest company being analysed in this competitor analysis (see figure 1.2). Memberships at Curves cost $18.24 a week, with a $149 joining fee. By far – out of Snap, Jetts and Stepz – Curves is the most expensive gym (see figure 1.1). However, Curves, unlike the others, has tailor-made programs targeted directly at women, for women, by women. This creates a community among the club members and enables the staff and trainers of Curves to have a competitive edge in the service industry, offering a one-of-a-kind service catering only to the needs of women. (Curves, 2014) Gyms such as Curves and Contours (another gym aimed specifically at the needs of women) has created a whole new market segment, which poses a threat to existing generic gyms, and even those that are 24 hours. Gyms that are specially designed for women may take business away from other gyms such as Snap, as a result of such gyms not exhibiting greater dedication or focus to individual needs of groups in the market segment (ie. Female gym-goers). Analysis of the 4P’s: Product Membership entitles the user access to all the gym equipment (including  cardio and weights), group workout sessions and, one initial free PT introduction session with a qualified instructor including; a weight and measure, guidance while using machines and an initial workout plan. Optional membership add-ons include PT sessions, consults with a qualified dietician and 8 week challenges. Price Single membership, joint membership and family memberships are available. The price for single membership is $25 a fortnight; this currently includes group workout sessions and access to all types of training equipment. Joint and family memberships are generally charged at a discounted rate such as $17 each a fortnight for a family membership consisting of a husband and wife. A membership with Snap is not a lock-in contract, and in addition to the fortnightly fee there is a one-off joining fee of $99, paid upfront and a further $29 for the Snap access card. Place A typical location for a Snap Fitness outlet is a high profile business strip or mall, with cafes, small convenience stores and a post office. Locations normally have access to close parking and provide a well lit exterior to ensure the safety of clients using the premise during irregular hours. Currently the most successful Snap Fitness business is located in Milton and through location analysis it was found that Snap Fitness Strathpine also possesses many of these important location characteristics (Australian Leisure, 2010). Promotion Snap Fitness promotes itself as a convenient (open 24/7 and membership grants access to any Snap Fitness location) and budget gym with a focus on physical wellbeing of young adults. Snap Fitness often has one core promotion consisting of a limited, one time offer of free joining and 1 week free gym access. If this offer is not running potential members do still get a free one day trial. Snap Fitness also have offers for current gym members such as â€Å"refer a friend† and get a month free. A consistent message present throughout promotional material is that there are no membership contracts. This means that if a member wants to leave it is a simple process and will be no cancellation fee. With a gym membership to Snap Fitness Strathpine, the member receives perks from organizations affiliated with Snap Strathpine. These benefits include a buy one, get one free scheme at the Strathpine Hyperbowl bowling alley, a 10% discount at Mega Choice and Mega Party variety stores, lunch deals at Outback Jacks Bar & Grill, and more. (Snap Fitness, 2014) Analysis of Customer Service Strategies (People/Processes) Quality customer service is key to an organisations survival in today’s market. For gym owners, the revenue source is in direct proportion to the membership base; i.e., if gym owners aren’t able to get people through the door, their profits will plummet. In order to ensure a gym maintains a competitive edge in the fitness industry, it is essential to provide a consistent level of high quality customer service. This plays a crucial role in member acquisition and retention. It is imperative that the quality of customer service is always top priority, to ensure repeat customers and positive word-of-mouth. (Fagan, 2013) A recent study has shown that customer referrals is the main reason why new customers hear about a business, or come into the business – with 30% of people stating a current member referred them. (Lewis, 2014) Snap Fitness offers a variety of customer services, such as being open 24 hours; having friendly, qualified staff; efficient handling of complaints; strong community presence through social initiatives and business partnerships; no lock-in contracts; 24 hour security surveillance; member benefits (i.e., retail discounts); and having innovative facilities to ensure convenience and comfort for members, such as having access to treadmills, cross trainers, rowing machines, free weights, shower and change rooms, bathroom amenities, stretching areas and group fitness rooms. (Snap, 2014) Snap’s main customer service strategies are promotions with neighbouring establishments, corporate tie ups, and social media facets. In March of this year, Peter Taunton, CEO of Snap Fitness, launched an initiative to coincide with National Public Health Week in the US. With word driven by the force of social media outlets, Snap Fitness, starting April 7, was offering seven days of free workouts, with no further obligations to Snap. This complimentary week was offered in support of public health and to get people motivated, and get potential members through  the door. (Taunton, 2014) With a strong presence within the community through ongoing social initiatives and partnerships with neighbouring establishments and other corporations, Snap fitness consolidates its standing as a people-friendly gym with a community-orientated outlook, making itself as attractive as possible for potential members. Analysis of the Service Environment One of the most significant problems Snap Fitness faces is during peak training times when the facilities are prone to becoming overcrowded (more demand than supply of equipment). Gym users dislike this mainly because of waiting times for machines and weights, and as a result some will completely avoid these peak times favouring a more secluded training environment. This is a difficult issue to resolve as Snap Fitness always wants more members, but at the same time if too many members are at the gym at a certain time members can become unsatisfied. Another issue with Snap Fitness is their process of making the entry cards inactive. It was found through a sentiment analysis (appendices) identified card denial as a significant area of dissatisfaction amongst users as often they have to come back during manned hours to resolve the problem. This problem stems from direct debits not clearing and is made worse by the fact that clients aren’t notified when this occurs (appendices blu eprint). Members of Snap Fitness have had to travel to the gym and be denied access, before realizing their card has been made inactive. A minor issue Snap Fitness faces is that its front counter is not always manned even during staffed hours. There are windows of time when all personal trainers who are in the gym are on the floor with clients, this could be for many reasons including assisting with a workout or maintenance to the facility. During this time if someone calls the gym or comes in to enquire about joining there may be no one available to meet these requests. This can lead to missed opportunities in gaining new clients, and a reputation for bad customer service. Recommendations In relation to the issue of equipment use during a session, one of the most viable solutions is to implement peak and off peak membership options. The way this would work is for people who choose to go to the gym during peak times would pay the rates currently being offered and would be able to also  go to the gym in off peak times. The members who purchase off peak membership are allowed access to the gyms at off peak hours for a discounted membership price. These members have the choice to attend during peak times when they swipe their card to enter the gym, however a small fee will be charged to their fortnightly bill enabling the membership to be flexible. It is worth noting that Snap Fitness aims to be a cheap, convenient gym, so without the option of expanding and adding more equipment, this is one of the best ways to encourage members to train at different times and prevent an overcrowded gym. The issue of card access can easily be solved through a change in the communication process meaning gym members should be informed if their payment doesn’t clear prior to the card being deactivated. This could be done by an automated text message or a phone call from a staff member at the gym. When a payment is declined Snap Fitness members should be given time (48 hours would be appropriate) to resolve this issue and make the payment. If a member still fails to make the payment after this 48 hour window they should then be informed that their card will no longer permit access to the gym until a payment is made. This will ensure members are always informed of when their payments don’t clear and if a member is unable to make this payment they can then contact Snap Fitness and work out a different payment method. A way for the manned counter be solved is having very clearly defined hours designated to man the desk (clear signage of hours at the shop front and on all adver tisement material including pamphlets). During this time there would always be someone answer phone calls and talk to people who physically enter the gym to respond to questions about joining. This way it’s clear when it is appropriate to enter the gym to ask questions in person and when the best time to call up would be. Phone messages should be kept track of and returned during these staffed desk hours to ensure all customer enquiries are being answered in a timely manner. From the evaluation conducted the recommendation with the most benefit would be introducing a distinction between on and off peak membership. This strategy could attract a lot of new members because people who train at off peak times at other gyms would see how cheap this option is and consider transferring. People already signed up to Snap Fitness could also be  interested in cheaper memberships and could change their workout times from on peak to off peak, which would reduce some of the clutter in the gym. This would then help to reduce overcrowded gyms during peak times, which would then increase the enjoyment of on peak members because they would have less waiting time for equipment. Currently the gym is often close to empty at off peak times and having this extra influx of people there at these odd hours is extra money Snap Fitness could capitalize on with its 24/7 system. Appendices Appendices 1: Price positioning map High Price Curves Snap Fitness Jetts Stepz Low Price Appendices 2: Size positioning map Large in size Curves Snap Jetts Stepz Small in size Small in size Appendices 3: SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis Strengths Weakness Large established client base Known brand name Customised workouts Well trained staff/ PT’s Open 24/7 Can go to any Snap Fitness centre No contracts – monthly payment plan Yoga & fitness classes Range of machine types 7 day trial period Accredited dietician Lockers to secure valuables 8 week challenge programs – club bonding Limited staff resources – not always manned Waiting times for equipment in peak times Smaller gym – less equipment, space and more demand on staff Opportunities Threats Potential partnerships/ sponsors – currently have some with local businesses (e.g. cafe discount) New membership types e.g. based on consumption times/types Paying for one group class without buying a membership Additional services e.g. Steam room, juice bar New health trends – types of classes offered e.g. Zumba Community orientation Expand existing complexes Discounts for locals Widespread competition such as home gyms and other similar companies such as Jetts Unmotivated staff Decreased interest in fitness Being a small, budget gym expansion opportunities could deter clients as they prefer a smaller business Original Service Blueprint Within this blueprint several key bottlenecks were identified, these include contacting the gym Booking into sessions Equipment usage Updated Service Blueprint Reference List About Us – Overview. (2014). Retrieved 4th May, 2014, from http://www.curves.com.au/about-curves/ About Us. (2014). Retrieved 1st May, 2014, from http://www.snapfitness.com.au/about-us/ About Us. (2014). Retrieved 4th May, 2014, from http://stepzfitness.com.au/about-us/ Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). Feature article 2: health and fitness centres and gymnasia (no. 4156.0.55.001). Canberra, Australia. Australian Leisure: Snap Fitness Plans for 200 Clubs. (2010). Retrieved from Current Levels of Customer Satisfaction at a CrossFit Gym. Digital Commons @ USU. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1241&context=gradreports Curves Community. (2014). Retrieved 4th May, 2014, from http://www.curves.com.au/community/ Fagan, L. (2013, October 4). What is gym customer service? Retrieved from http://blog.gyminsight.com/2013/10/what-is-gym-customer-service/ http://global.factiva.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&an=NLJ00000 20140217ea2h0000q&cat=a&ep=ASE http://www.ausleisure.com.au/news/snap-fitness-plans-for-200-clubs Lewis, S. (2013). An Online Customer Service Survey to Determine Memberships. (2014). Retrieved 4th May, 2014, from http://stepzfitness.com.au/memberships/ Prices. (2014). Retrieved 3rd May, 2014, from http://www.jetts.com.au/prices Public Health Week. Retrieved from

Journal assignment mechanistic

These systems and their parts do not have purposes of their own. They have essential parts that make the whole to function for example, a clock that operates by being dictated by its internal structure and automobile which serves its purpose of driver and passenger and it can not move by its own without the driver. Mechanistic can be open if it is affected by external events or closed if unaffected by external conditions. For example, earth is an open system because its movement is influenced by other bodies in the solar system. ORGANIC SYSTEM These are purposeful systems whose parts cannot function on their own. The purpose for the system is survival. For example, lungs cannot survive on themselves but they extract oxygen from the environment for the person to survive. In order for organic system to survive they must interact with the environment and understand the properties and behavior (Morgan, 1996) Organizations or groups which we belong to are mechanistic This is because there is distribution of tasks and duties are shared among members of the group. People specialize in what they can perform best and in areas where they can be most productive for the benefit of the whole group or organization. Every individual aims at improving the assigned job rather than accomplishing it. Rights and regulations are well defined in order to make sure that each members demand is taken care of. There are technical methods of productions which includes the use of modern technology in production to offer quality goods and services. The structure of control is hierchial based on knowledge where the managers are the most experienced people and other follow. At the top we have reconciliation and assessments of tasks that are perform to ensure they are done to the desired standards. The communication is vertical, which is between superior and subodinates and instructions are issued by superiors who also make decisions. One condition of group membership is being loyal and obedience to the superiors. Examples are: cyber cafà © that offer computer based services like internet, typing and printing. There are Automobile factories that buy and sell vehicles and a club store. HOW RAPID CHANGE AFFECT VARIOUS TYPES OF ORGANIZATION There will be insecurity and fear of the unknown because, the organization does not known what will follow after the rapid change and is not certain of its existence in future. If rapid change occurs in an informal group, it can cause the individual group to be transferred. There will be economic loss due to lay off of staff due to change in automation or computerization. Inconveniencies will arise if the new techniques have to be learned because it will require money and time in order to learn them. The employees will feel that they have no control over their destiny and are not certain of their tomorrow whether they will still be working. This will make them loose morale in their work because they are not motivated. HOW RAPID ECHNOLOGICAL/TELECOMMUNICATION/ECONOMIC CHANGE AFFECT THE FOLLOWING FIRMS Auto manufacturer Change will transform processes through which inputs which include labor and raw materials are converted into finished goods and services. This will result to new goods being produced by use of significant innovation process that required a lot of money to implement it. Consumers will need to be contacted through sales promotion which can be done by use of television in order to create awareness about the new improved product that serve the taste and preference of consumers.(Schein,1992) Television firms If the economy goes up, the firm will charge large amount of money for advertisement and because people prefer low price, the number of customer who will use the service will be few making the firm to have reduced revenue from its services. People will prefer to use modern television technology therefore the firm will have to install it which can be costly and may not have been budgeted from the beginning. The purchase price of modern technology of television is expensive and requires ample time to buy it. A university This will result to change in everything including the organization structure. New departments will come up and new faculties. New lecturers will be required or training for the already existing ones. Payment of employees will go up and this will also result to rise in fees to be paid by all the students. The subject combination of all the students will have to change and some will feel that they will have to transfer to other universities that offer the subjects of their choice. There will be numerous challenges due to need for more opportunities to do research to be in line with the change. Due to change, new managers will need to be employed and this will require additional finance. The things that will have been preserved so that they can be used in future will have to be changed and this is total loss because they are durable and will not be of any more use. State employment and job training corps State funds will be used to implement change because there will be need for skill upgrading of employees in the state. The state initiatives will have to avail retraining programs in the use of the new technology. These changes will lead to job displacement and job changes because some positions will be of no more use and will need to be replaced. (Schein) There will be job training committee that will be selected and training corps who will provide special programs on technological change to let the union officials respond to change effectively. This training will be made more accessible, convenient and cheap. A small rural Baptist church Rapid technological change will affect mission work because the machines used to amplify sound will need to be changed and use more improved ones which may be expensive to buy. The language used in churches will need to be improved from vernacular to national and international language in order to avoid racial discrimination and reach the gospel everywhere. Media will need to be used to preach the gospel and this will require money to pay for TV programs. PTA for elementary school in a neighborhood where most parents work in the tourism and travel industry The school will have to install the new technology which will require a lot of money. Failure to this, most parents will transfer their children to school where there is new technology. This change in technology will affect parent who are not able economically to pay for the new technology. The school will need to employ new teachers who have experience in the new technology. The students will need to change some subjects and learn new ones which require extra effort and more time. ADVANTAGES OF TOP-DOWN ORGANIZATIONS The organization focuses on utilization of resources which is from individual managed application. The available resources are put into profitable use and none of them is wasted. This leads to high quality output produced at reduced cost. The management looks for solution of all the processes to be carried out to make sure that the mission and vision of the organization is achieved through proper planning of all the activities to be carried out. When phases for management application are completed, a deeper and more mature implementation will be established for identity in management solution. The maintenance and operation resources in top-down organizations are not impacted severely in the beginning. Their visibility is high because everybody is able to observe changes as they happen in their place of work and also observe the shared values in the organization.(Morgan) There is confidence because, team get the opportunity to experiment new practices due to the backing of sponsors. Transparency is observed and mistakes are collected at initial stages and practices are consistent with the vision of the company. ADVANTAGES OF MORE ORGANIC ORGANIZATIONS Collective marketing enable farmers enjoy benefits of economies of scale because buyers want to deal with organizations rather than individual farmers. Training is provided on organic production to ensure that products are of high quality and meet the desired standards in order to generate more revenue. The organization is able to comply with international standards required to be met   for the product to be consumed. Sample inspection is done on few farmers and this helps to reduce the cost of certification that could have been done on individual farmers. Consumers are willing to pay more for organically produced goods and services because they belief they are the best and they enjoy competitive advantage in marketing because their products are well known to customers. WHICH OFFER THE MOST UPWARD MOBILITY FOR EMPLOYEES Top-down organization offers upward mobility of employees because the encourage employees to work hard and give rewards to employees based on performance. The management is also accountable for staffing and experienced staffs are recruited to do the job. The employees turn over is low because of various promotions given to employees once they stay for sometime in the organization. There is no discrimination and all employees are treated equally with no favors. REFERENCES Gareth Morgan; Images of Organizations; Sage publications; 1996 Edger Schein; Organizational Culture and Leadership; Jossey-Bass; l992                        

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 9

â€Å"I don't understand this,† said Seth good-naturedly. â€Å"I catch you stripping in front of other men, yet I'm the one who gets punished.† Clasping his hand, I led him onto the ice skating rink. Just like with dancing, I glided with practiced ease. Seth's movements were jerky and uncertain. Without my hand, I suspected he would have fallen already. â€Å"This is good for you, Mortensen. You sit at a desk – or table or whatever – all day. This'll get your muscles working again. Get the old blood pumping.† His teasing smile turned into a grimace, his hold on my hand turning into a death grip. â€Å"There are a hundred other ways I could do that.† â€Å"But none as fun,† I assured him. Seth was brilliant and funny, but coordinated he was not. During the early days of our acquaintance, I'd tried to teach him to dance. It had been grueling. After a very long time, he'd learned the basic steps, but the process had never been easy – or, I suspected, enjoyable – for him. I'd let him off easy since then, only making him go out dancing once. He'd grown complacent now, which was why I felt this experience would be so good for him. â€Å"Men were not meant to wear blades on their feet,† he told me as we trudged further toward the rink's center. We were outdoors, at a small park, and our breathing made frosty clouds in the air. â€Å"Women weren't meant wear to stilettos,† I told him. â€Å"But you don't hear me bitching about it.† â€Å"That's different. They do great things for your legs. This? This just makes me look stupid.† â€Å"Well, then,† I said. â€Å"You better learn. Time to take off the training wheels.† I released his hand. â€Å"Hey! What the – â€Å" But I was gone, slipping away from his grasp with a laugh. He stood there frozen while I skated away, circling the rink in graceful loops and figure eights. After a few rounds, I skated back up to him, finishing with a neat pirouette. He hadn't moved from the spot where I'd left him, but he no longer appeared annoyed. â€Å"Look at you,† he said, touching my face. â€Å"Rosy cheeks. Snowflakes in your hair. You're the Snow Queen.† â€Å"God, I hope not. That's a depressing story. Hans Christian Andersen had issues.† â€Å"All writers have issues,† he assured me. I laughed and took his arm, leading him around in more awkward skating. My legs and feet protested the slow movement, but the rest of me was happy to have quality time with Seth. â€Å"Speaking of writers with issues,† I said. â€Å"How can I get in trouble for stripping in front of other men when you have a date with another woman?† If not for the fact he would have fallen over, I suspect Seth would have elbowed me. â€Å"That's your own fault,† he said. â€Å"You made me do it, so don't get all jealous now.† â€Å"I'm not jealous – but I think Maddie does have a crush on you.† â€Å"Unlikely. It's probably just author worship.† He gave me a pointed look. â€Å"Like some people I know. If anything, she's got a crush on you.† â€Å"Oh, for God's sake, stop with the lesbian fantasy thing.† â€Å"Nah, nothing like that. She just idolizes you, that's all. You're chipping away at that insecure exterior of hers, and I think she's starting to really see how much she's capable of. You're sort of setting the example.† I hadn't considered that. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Yup. Keep training her up, and we'll have a mini-Georgina on our hands.† Seth chuckled as we made a painstakingly slow turn. â€Å"Between her, that new succubus, and my nieces, you should start a Ladies Finishing School. How can you be such a good influence and have such a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Demeaning job?† I supplied. â€Å"Something like that. Of course, I suppose it could be worse.† I gave him a sidelong glance. â€Å"Could it?† â€Å"Yeah, you could, like, sell Amway or be trying to get me to move large amounts of money out of Nigeria.† â€Å"Definite deal breakers in any relationship,† I said solemnly. He looked over at me, rather brave considering the intense attention he'd been giving his feet. Under the rink's soft lights, his expression was tender. His lips curled into a small, fond smile, and his eyes shone with an affection that almost made me go weak in the knees. Maybe it was a trick to get me to fumble my skating. It nearly worked. â€Å"For you?† he said, coming to a stop. â€Å"It might be worth it.† â€Å"Worth cleaning out your bank account?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Worth being part of a pyramid scheme?† â€Å"They say they don't do that anymore.† â€Å"What if they're lying?† â€Å"Thetis,† he said with a sigh. â€Å"I'm going to say something to you I've never said before.† â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"Be quiet.† And then he leaned down and kissed me, bringing warmth to my cold lips. Nearby, I heard children giggle at us, but I didn't care. I felt the kiss down to my toes. It was brief, like always, but when Seth pulled away, my whole body was filled with heat. Every nerve in me tingled, alive and wonderful. I barely noticed the chilly temperature or the way our breathing formed frosty clouds in the air. He laced his fingers through mine and lifted my hand to his lips. I had gloves on, but he kissed exactly where I wore his ring. â€Å"Why are you so sweet?† I asked, my voice small. My heart beat rapidly, and every star peeping through the clouds seemed to be shining just for me. â€Å"I don't think I'm that sweet. I mean, I just told you to be quiet. That's one step away from asking you to wash my laundry and make me a sandwich.† â€Å"You know what I mean.† Seth pressed another kiss to my forehead. â€Å"I'm sweet because you make it easy to be sweet.† We linked arms again and continued our circuit. I had a sappy urge to rest my head against his shoulder but figured that might be asking too much of his coordination. â€Å"What do you want for Christmas?† I asked, my thoughts spinning ahead to next week. â€Å"I don't know. There's nothing I need.† â€Å"Oh no,† I teased. â€Å"You aren't one of those, are you? One of those people who are impossible to shop – â€Å" One of Seth's feet slipped out from under him. I managed to stay upright, but he went down, his legs crumpling underneath him. â€Å"Oh my God,† I said, kneeling down. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"I think so,† he said. The tight set of his lips informed me things were a bit more painful than he was letting on. Putting my arm around his hip, I helped him up. The leg he'd fallen on started to buckle, but he managed to keep it steady in the end. â€Å"Come on,† I said, steering him toward the gate. â€Å"We should go.† â€Å"We just got here.† â€Å"Oh, suddenly you're a fan, Scott Hamilton?† â€Å"Nope, but you are. It was just a fall.† Maybe it had been just a fall, but the thought of Seth getting hurt had made my heart seize up. â€Å"No, no. Let's go. I'm hungry.† The expression on his face informed me that he knew I wasn't that hungry, but he didn't fight me anymore. When we'd shed our skates for normal shoes, I was pleased to see he didn't walk with a limp or anything. That would have really been too much: him getting hurt and having it be my fault. â€Å"I'm not made of glass,† he told me as we drove to dinner. He was remarkably good at guessing my thoughts. â€Å"You don't have to protect me.† â€Å"It's instinct,† I said, lightly. But in my mind, I recalled the grim conversation he'd had with Erik. They were mortal. They could get hurt. They could die. It was something I'd witnessed over and over throughout the centuries. Each time I grew close to a new mortal, I'd try to pretend that it wouldn't happen to him or her. But it always did, and eventually that cold reality would hit me, no matter how hard I tried to push it aside. In fact, that knowledge consumed me for the rest of my night with Seth. I knew it was stupid to make such a big deal out of one fall, but I'd seen too many small things lead to disaster in my life. Lying in bed beside him later on, I found myself thinking back to a series of events that had also started small and ended in tragedy. Several centuries ago, I lived in a small town in southern England. I'd called myself Cecily then and worn a body with flaming red hair and big, man-eating eyes the color of sapphires. Funny thing about the Middle Ages. Modern folk always harbor this image of devout, God-fearing people strictly adhering to the letter of divine law. While they were certainly devout back then, that whole adherence thing left something to be desired – even among the clergy. No, scratch that. Especially among the clergy. Powerful churchmen often lived very well in an age where commoners desperately tried to scratch out a living. Ironically, that desperation contributed to the Church's wealth since the population hoped their lots would improve in the next world and gave money accordingly. Wealth and power lead to corruption, however, and the bishop of the town I lived in was one of the most corrupt around. And I was his mistress. Ostensibly, I worked as a servant in his household, but most of my laboring occurred in bed. He fawned over me and kept me supplied with nice clothes and other trinkets, and everyone knew about our relationship. People accepted that it was technically wrong, but most just lived with it. A lot of other bishops – and popes – had mistresses too, and like I said, not everyone was as devout as modern romantics like to believe. Simply living in sin with a crooked bishop didn't satisfy my job requirements. After all, I was a real go-getter in those days, and it hadn't taken too much to lead him astray. If I hadn't done it, someone else would have. So, I slept around on him when I could, getting regular fixes and a great deal of entertainment along the way. One day of said entertainment came from two monks who pulled knives on each other after discovering I'd slept with both of them. I don't know what good they thought it would do. I hardly ever saw them anyway since their monastery lay so far outside of town. Besides, considering how mediocre both liaisons had been, I didn't have much interest in revisiting either one. Nonetheless, they fought ferociously, drawing a lot of blood until a local priest managed to separate them. I watched the conflict with an innocent face, hidden among the enthusiastic crowd. No one suspected my involvement, save the intervening priest. His name was Andrew, and I adored him. Bishops performed masses and other sacraments, but they also had administrative responsibilities. Consequently, Andrew performed a lot of day-to-day ministering. He frequently visited the house where I lived and would speak to me both as a friend and a pastor while traveling to and from his duties. â€Å"Do you hate me?† I asked him after the fight. We sat in the garden outside the bishop's house. A couple other servants tended the grounds nearby but were still too far away to overhear us. Andrew hadn't specifically cited my involvement in the fight, but he had mentioned the incident when he arrived, lamenting what a shame it was that two brothers had been driven to such extremes. Closing his eyes, he tipped his head back into the sunshine. A heavy gold cross – a gift from my bishop that Andrew continually wanted to sell – rested on his chest, gleaming in the light. â€Å"No, of course not.† I studied him, admiring his young, handsome face and thinking the real shame was his celibacy. Wind ruffled his silky brown hair, and I imagined running my fingers through it. â€Å"You sound disapproving.† â€Å"I disapprove of sin, not of you.† He straightened back up and opened his eyes. â€Å"You I pray for.† I shifted uncomfortably. I didn't like being prayed for. â€Å"What do you mean?† He smiled at me, and I nearly sighed at his beauty. I longed to have him as a conquest, but he'd proven resistant so far. Of course, that only added to his appeal. I sometimes felt that if I could ever taste it, the energy from his soul would feed me for a lifetime. â€Å"I pray for your physical and spiritual health. I pray you will sin no more. I pray you will find some man you can marry and have children with.† He hesitated. â€Å"Although, I'd prefer it more if you took vows.† I arched an eyebrow of surprise. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Why not? You read and write. You're more educated than half the brothers at the monastery. You'd be a great asset to the abbey.† I tilted my head so that some of my hair spilled over my face, knowing how the light would set it ablaze. I held onto his gaze tenaciously. â€Å"Is that the only reason why? Or do you just like the idea of me never being with another man?† Andrew looked away and took a long time answering. â€Å"I'd like you to be my sister in Christ,† he said finally. â€Å"We all struggle with temptation, and I would like to see you removed from it.† With that, he stood up and straightened the kinks from his body. I remained sitting. â€Å"I should leave. It's getting late.† He started to walk away, but I called after him. â€Å"What about you? Do you struggle with temptation?† He stopped walking and glanced at me over his shoulder. A small smile, rueful and sad, played at his lips as he regarded me. â€Å"Of course. You are my great temptation, and you know it. I'd like to be free of that as well.† â€Å"Are you sure?† I asked softly. Shaking his head, still smiling, he left the garden. That had been our last truly happy day together†¦. Back in the present, in bed, sleepiness started to take over and interrupt my recollections. I put a bookmark in my thoughts, reluctant to leave the memory of when life with Andrew had still been sweet and good. I hadn't been able to stop that story's ending, but as I rolled over and studied Seth's sleeping form, I vowed history wouldn't repeat itself.

What characterizes Calicut in the 14th and 15th centuries and how did Essay

What characterizes Calicut in the 14th and 15th centuries and how did it interact with other parts of the world at that time - Essay Example It was open to Europeans by the invasion of Vasco Da Gama in May 1498 that put Kerala on the map of the modern world. The experiences of Da Gama’s voyage to India mentioned in Roteiro characterized Calicut as a city rich in spices, which had a great demand in the East and the West. The valuable natural resources of Calicut are mentioned by Ibn Battuta, a traveler, in his memoir, ‘A Gift to those who contemplate the wonders of cities and the marvels encountered in travel’. Battuta, in his experiences in Calicut, is amused by the quantity of trade carried out by the merchants from the Arab and the China with large number of ships resting at the shore. The Roteiro illustrates why the Portuguese wish direct overseas access to the rich markets of India and beyond. It was mainly because of the numerous duties and profit margin placed on spices. The invasion through sea by Vasco Da Gama was because of the closure of land routes and expected to make more than 600,000 cruz ados per year that the Sultan of Egypt enjoyed. Calicut was a commercial emporium; it was also an important centre of gemstone production. The richness in its resources bought merchants from most of the Islamic world and China which were observed by Ibn Battuta and Ma Huan. The city was largely connected to different parts of the world due its gained recognition as rich in spices and gems (Andrea and Overfield, 8). Apart from its commercial activity, Battuta mentions about the hospitality of Samudri Raja, honor accorded to the agents in charge of the Chinese ships who came for the purpose of trade and whose ships were resting at harbor. It can be understood from the experiences of Battuta, the Chinese invested heavily in commerce with Calicut not only because of its resources but for the kind of protection it received from the King of Calicut. Customer

Poverty and Pollution Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Poverty and Pollution Case Study - Essay Example It would be convenient for these businesses to ignore environmental regulations because it would be more cost-effective for them and they can easily get away with these violations (Singer, 1972). Moreover, most of them do not see a sense of environmental responsibility for these affected developing countries because these countries are not their home countries. In other words, these MNCs would feel that they would not be affected by the impact of the pollution they would be releasing in their host countries (Singer, 1972). Fewer environmental regulations include limited resources for host countries, especially on the detection of greenhouse gas emissions from these businesses (Shue, 1999). Businesses polluting in the third world countries are violating environmental laws and the inherent right of all human beings to live pollution-free lives. These violations also imply contraventions on developments and strides towards sustainable development, as well as violations in the protection of the environment vulnerable to destructive man-made activities (Norton, 1984). Violations of environmental laws also indicate the application of post-modern policies which often do not ensure the protection of the environment. Under these conditions, businesses polluting in third world countries are discarding environmental laws and ethical values in favor of financial gains. 2. ... The primary regulatory authority for any country is always the government. In instances where the legislative and executive functions of this government are weak, it is easy for its citizens and the citizens of other countries to perpetuate wrong and illegal acts in the territory (Fobete, 2008). Most of the time, the executive departments of these countries are extremely weak and corrupt, and officials are often easily vulnerable to bribes. These businesses may also disregard standards of pollution control because the third world countries do not have sufficient technology to detect and monitor any environmentally damaging activities which these businesses may perpetuate in their country (Fobete, 2008). The standard monitoring devices in developed countries which monitor air, water, noise, and land pollution and toxicities are often not present or are too expensive for these developing countries to avail (Taylor, 2010). Most of the monitoring in developing countries is carried out wi th personnel who occasionally inspect the facilities for apparent signs of pollution. It is easy enough for businesses to conceal their environmental violations during these inspection periods (Taylor, 2010). Actual monitoring of toxic levels of pollution cannot accurately and efficiently be carried out through visual inspection alone. Hence, without firm and effective tools, these businesses can easily disregard any standards of pollution control. As such, these businesses can easily carry out activities which would normally have high levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in these developing countries (Adams, 2001). Normally, in developed countries, GHG levels would be regulated and violations may prompt government regulatory processes, including closures (Adams,

Business Term Paper on Google Inc. in China Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business on Google Inc. in China - Term Paper Example However, the company took a considerable time and effort in order to understand how its search technology could work effectively in China and thus made adjustments accordingly. The author has the perspective that even though the company appeased censors in China, but it maintained the personal information associated with the web blogs and emails outside the Chinese territory, which was different strategy of the company in comparison to its competitors. However, it might create the bias as it is better to provide access to information to users rather than make them completely devoid. 2. My Perspective :  ¶ The knowledge of the motto of the motto of Google Inc. ‘not to be evil’ and the mission of the company which is to organize the information of the world and make it universally useful and accessible is violated in terms of the decision of the company to comply with the filtering regulations of Chinese authorities. The possible bias from the author’s perspective could be overlooking the motto of the company to gain a market share in the growing market of China by compromising with the ethical perspective of freedom of expression. B. Bracketing:  ¶ ‘Previously acquired information about the corporate image of the company and how it is superior to its competitors in terms of putting user benefits first.’ This previous information is set for bracketing so as not affect the analysis. II. The Situation A. Facts:  ¶ Informal corporate motto of Google ‘don’t be evil’. 2002: Blocking of google.com and very slow speed of the search engine due to non-compliance with Chinese censorship laws. 2006: China’s attempt to move away from the communist model and declaring its commitment to outside reforms and Google’s initiative to look more at its global strategy. Establishment of strong surveillance system by Chinese government. Making the internet service providers in China comply with censorship rules fo r getting license. Offering google.cn, a local version that complied with censorship issues Criticism worldwide for giving in to the bullying of the Chinese government. B. Historical context:  ¶ 2001: China joined WTO abolishing market impediments and giving positive signals to the world. 2004: IPO by Google leading the shareholders to have a more say in activities of the company. Governmental and self censorship by the Chinese authorities for internet service providers in China. Google’s non compliance with censorship laws in 2000 that made the website shut down for 2 weeks in 2002. Announcement of launching google.cn that complied with censorship laws. C. Quotations:  ¶ â€Å"While many companies claim to put their customers first, few are able to resist the temptation to make small sacrifices to increase shareholder value. Google has steadfastly refused to make any change that does not offer a benefit to the users who come to the site† (Martin 5). This shows bia s of the author he mentions the previous conduct of the company to relate to presented case scenario. III. Analysis A. Situational Analysis: 1.  ¶ Key principal parties involved in the case are Google Inc. Director of International Business, Tom Mclean, and Chinese authorities. McLean headed the development of Chinese version of its search engine in order to cater to the needs of its users in China by first developing the US based technology wherein it did not require complying with scrutiny and internet filtering regulations of the Chinese autho

Case study. read through case study and answer all questions

. read through and answer all questions - Case Study Example This is in terms of making the help desk more efficient and able to portray a good image of the company. The second front is with Mick who believes that the position was meant to be his. This requires that she finds a way in which she is able to reach out to him so as to try and improve that relationship for better work coordination. The second issue that is raised is that of churnovers. In the simplest sense this is the rate at which employees leave the job forcing the hiring of new employees. In the help desk or call center sphere, there has been a high churnover (also known as turnover) rate (Sharp 2003, p. 114). Usually when this rate is high it ends up costing the company a great deal on two fronts. The first one is by the fact that the company has to spend more money on labor costs. This is through the retraining of new staff, who may not be well aware of the company’s culture or operational procedures. The second point at which this greatly costs the company is by the l agging of standards when new hires come on. This is through the fact that with every new hire they need some time to get used to performing the tasks required of them in the most efficient way. One other people issue that Sara had to contend with is the problem solving skills that her helpdesk staff had. This is an important skill that all help desk personnel need to have (HILES & GUNN 200, p. 91). The main reason for this is that they are mainly dealing with issues that other users of the company products or services are having. Most often than not, they will find themselves in situations where the solutions to these issues may not really be covered in their day to day dealings. On the other hand they may be unaware of the existence of the issue and hence need a way in which they can come up with solutions before they can seek further consultation on the problem. The other people issue that Sara has to contend is the ability of her work force to coordinate and work as a team. This is evident from the fact that each of those in the team had their own roles and they did not coordinating with one another before Sara’s intervention. In any helpdesk, there is need for teamwork and coordination of efforts to ensure that the client’s needs are met satisfactorily. This should also be in a manner that is customer friendly. Sustaining New Work Culture The first step in ensuring effective functioning of the helpdesk may be in the sustaining of the culture that she has already created. Sara has so far done a good job in ensuring that everyone at the helpdesk is working. Also that everybody is working with one another. That is, the effort is coordinated and not a single employee feels that they are overly burdened. This can be evident by the fact that at the moment the inquiries are first handled by Mick before they are then passed onto Tim and Jean for solving. This way the work is being done much faster and much more effectively. One of the ways in which S ara may ensure that this culture continues is by ensuring that she encourages the team work that she has now developed. This may be done by giving team assigned tasks, by scheduling team building activities and encouraging non-official office communication that will build the teams togetherness (Boller 2005, p. 3). The second thing may be by the encouragement of

Rodolfo Corky Gonzalez Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rodolfo Corky Gonzalez - Essay Example Because of financial difficulties, he only completed one term in engineering at the University of Denver (Ingen). After dropping out in college, he pursued a career in boxing which saw him fighting seventy-five times in the featherweight division (Historycolorado.org). After boxing, Rodolfo entered politics, running for Colorado State Representative but he lost. In the mid 1960’s, he founded the Crusade for Justice, an urban civil rights and crusade movement which advocated Chicano nationalism (Democracynow.org). In 1967, he once again ran for political office this time for Mayor of Denver but lost again. In 1968, he led the Poor People’s March to Washington, D.C. which called for better housing, education, business and restitution of pueblo lands in the barrios (Escuela Tlatelolco). Another important contribution of Rodolfo is his creation of the Annual Chicano Youth Liberation Conference, which aims to create greater unity among Chicano youth (Escuela Tlatelolco). Rodolfo died on April 12, 2005 due to heart failure. He is best remembered as a civil rights advocate who fought for injustice, racism and for the rights of the Mexican Americans in the United States. Democracynow.org. "Chicano leader Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales 1929-2005: "He was the fist. He stood for defiance, resistance"." 15 April 2005. democracynow.org. Web. 14 May 2013

Read the garduition story and after that answer the 3 question of end Essay

Read the garduition story and after that answer the 3 question of end of the story - Essay Example Angelou surprises her reader by relating her thoughts during the course of the graduation ceremony. She explains how the white politician takes the stage and insults the students by implying that the only jobs for which blacks are suited is manual labor and sports. The most jarring moment for the reader occurs at the end of the essay when Angelou describes the class singing the Negro National Anthem as a form of protest. 2. The ancient tragedy Angelou is describing is the tragedy of the slave being sold on the dais during the time of slavery in America. Angelou depicts the disgrace of this event. Professor Parsons is on the stage, but just like the slave being sold at auction, â€Å"his eyes said he was no longer with us.† He is detaching himself from the situation just as his ancestors did. Angelou changes the tragedy by relieving the disgrace at the end of the ceremony. Instead of ending in tragedy as the sale of a slave does, the graduation ceremony ends with a note of hope. As Angelou states, â€Å"we were on top again.† 3. Like Angelou, I was involved in an event in school that I greatly anticipated. I was very active in the drama club in high school. We would always put on three plays a year, and each one was a production that took a tremendous amount of effort to create. The technical crew would spend hours after school making sure that the sound and lighting was perfectly timed. The art classes at school would help paint the sets, and various students would build different sets using the tools from the woodworking class. The mothers of all the drama club students would stitch the costumes. I was always a part of the cast, in minor roles and major roles. One year, we chose a particularly difficult production, Alice in Wonderland. The costumes were very elaborate and took months to create. Because of the psychedelic nature of the play, the sets required bright colors and

Supply chain management plan in construction project Coursework

Supply chain management plan in construction project - Coursework Example In the new multi-storey car park, emphasis is placed on the reduction of the inventory costs, timely availing of the construction items without delay of the required goods, least manpower wastage entailed in the process and professional management of the process. The plan dwells heavily on the design of the inventories, thus creating a tightly controlled and regulated internal inventories, proper and timely distribution of items, proper management of the internal production processes, and augmented communication between the store-keeping and constructions processes. The SCM) plan for the construction industry has huge consideration for the structural construction technique applied. For client CPI who has some of the contractors readily assigned and other yet to be vetted for tackling of the construction process it is highly relevant for the enacting of the entire construction plan. Facilitation of raw material logistics and movements begins from their various sources. Apart from pre-cast concrete that ICP manufactures at its plants other materials are supplied from their different source points. The standardization process from the ICP gives the ICP great hold of the quality generated from structural strength and durability of the materials. ICP finds it hard to assign to the contractor design and manufacture of the precast since the skill is little in the west Yorkshire. The precast also demands effective time and duration to cure well in a specific environment before use. All the materials will be collected at collection or storage points in the designed place in the facility. Proper and timely financing operations and excellent information gathering will lead into allocation of contracts to least and effective bidders to aid in having the low cost materials. According to the provided building projects deadline procedures or timeline management every product will be

Drag Performance during the 1980's in NYC Research Paper - 1

Drag Performance during the 1980's in NYC - Research Paper Example Drag performance must be given deeper understanding to be able to see the superficial meaning and from this, we would understand the hidden structures of society. History of Drag Drag is originally used for clothing, significant and symbolic usually associated with the role of a certain gender when worn by the opposite gender. The term was originated Athens, Greece somewhere in the fourth century BCE, as a form of punishment across the streets. Drag is a symbolic word which does not simply means clothes. Men portrayal as women are manifested even way back thirteenth centuries when the church forbade females appearance on the stage and theaters. For hundreds of years, men are manifested to be dressing as women as a disguised to the opposite sex in theatrical presentations and stage shows. This has also been first traced back to the dawn of the theater as a sort of survival and since then, found to be manifested in all the corners of the world especially in Japan and in China. When the drag practices became popular in some parts of the world and accepted as a form of art among the men as drag artist, categories were defined according to professionalism in rendering drag artistry into the public. Kinds of drag artists like those who starred in movies vary professionalism. There are also called drag queens and mostly vary from their culture of their respective places. However, drag queens are always tagged as gay men or transgender but it is also relevant to say that there are also drag artist who do this for a reason considering the fact that they are a straight people or transvestites. Transvestites belong to different categories compared to drag queens who belong to the gay world, they are cross-dressers who generally straight men and were just dressing women’s dress for erotic reason. The appearance of the drag queen in print was first seen in 1941. Late 20th century defined the drag as an abbreviation of â€Å"dressed as girl† and as a counter pa rt, â€Å"drab† is the â€Å"dressed as boy† but this was never published and unrecorded. Drag is being practiced by people of all sexual orientations as well as gender identities. Charles Busch and Theater in Limbo Laying down some important information about Charles Busch, he is born in August 23, 1954 in New York, NY. Busch is an American, an actor and a playwright. Since he have started in the industry, he already achieved 25 stage appearances, 5 in films, 6 TV appearances and 26 stage plays. For around a longer period of time of Busch in the industry, in 1984 he was able to break the wall of competition and stand out among the rest in theater-in-Limbo. This was presented at the Limbo lounge at East Village’s. This was followed in the Avenue C and when the show hits a record as high, this was transferred to the Provincetown Playhouse in the West Village where it ran for around five years consecutively. The continuous exposure of Busch brought him to enormous success that made him held as the queen of drag among the theaters in the city. Moreover, he was also nominated in 2001 at the Tony award for the Best Play â€Å"the Tale of the Allergist’s Wife that ran for 22 months in Broadway. Over the years, Busch shows craftsmanship in doing and sharing his talents not only in the American

Not-For-Profit Organizations Essay Example for Free

Not-For-Profit Organizations Essay Executive Summary Not-For-Profit organizations are fundamentally different than for-profit, private sector businesses in that they do not have shareholders, their mission statements are focused on furthering a cause rather than just increasing profitability and most Not-For-Profits earn the majority of their revenue through donor contributions. As a result, Not-For-Profit Organizations operate under different reporting requirements than for-profit businesses. In order to provide proper accounting for the numerous activities undertaken by a Not-For-Profit Organization in a given year, it is imperative that one understand the two financial accounting standards that affect Not-For-Profit organizations the most: Statements of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) 116 and 117 which provide guidance on donor contributions and the presentation of the financial statements. The objective of this summary is to provide a high-level overview of the standards and the effect they have on the financial statements of a Not-For-Profit organization. The Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 116 establishes the standards for accounting for contributions received and contributions made to all organizations with fiscal years beginning after December 15, 1994. Contributions are defined by SFAS No. 116 as voluntary transfers in which the donor does not receive any value in return. Donor contributions may include the following resources: Cash, Marketable securities Property and equipment Utilities and Supplies Intangible assets such as intellectual property Professional services SFAS 116 requires that all contributions and unconditional promises to donate in the future, known as pledges, are recognized as revenues at fair value in the period in which they are received. Pledges are recognized as soon as the requirements of a pledge are met and it is no longer contingent on a future event. Additionally, contributions made and received are also recognized at as expenses upon receipt at fair value. The Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 116 also requires organizations to identify those contributions that contain donor-imposed restrictions and the timeframe or requirements for meeting these donor-imposed restrictions. According to SFAS No. 116, organizations must classify contributions into one of the following categories based on the existence or absence of donor imposed stipulations: Permanently Restricted Net Assets Temporarily Restricted Net Assets Unrestricted Net Assets Those assets that are restricted by a donor imposed stipulation of time, a particular purpose or program, or the occurrence of a future event must be set aside and cannot be expended until the restriction has expired through the satisfaction of the donor stipulation. Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 117 is also important in accounting for Not-For-Profit Organizations in that it provides standards for the presentation of the financial statements for organizations with fiscal years beginning after December 15, 1994. Overall, this standard requires that the financial statements provide the necessary information for all of the users of Not-For-Profit financial statements. The standard requires that Not-For-Profit Organizations produce the following financial statements on an annual basis: A statement of financial position (balance sheet) A statement of activities (income statement) A statement of cash flows In the statement of financial position, SFAS No. 117 requires that the  Not-For-Profit organization provide amounts for the total assets, liabilities, and net assets at the end of the fiscal period. Additionally, the statement of financial position must classify the organizations net assets as temporarily restricted, permanently restricted, or unrestricted based on donor imposed stipulations. The statement of activities is required to report to the financial statement users the transactions which caused a change in net assets during the period and the statement of cash flows is must provide a reconciliation of activity between beginning and ending cash balances of the period as either operating activities, financing activities or investing activities. Additional schedules are also required by SFAS No. 117 for special organzations such a voluntary health and wellness organizations that provide unique services related to their cause. Overall, a thorough understanding and application of Statements of Financial Standards No. 116 and 117 allows Not-For-Profit organizations to properly account for their unique activities and provide their financial statement users with relevant, understandable and comparable information in order to assess the financial position of the Not-For-Profit organization over the past fiscal year and going forward into the future.

Classical Theory Pertains To Crime Prevention

Classical Theory Pertains To Crime Prevention The classical school of criminology is a group of thinkers of crime and punishment in the 18th century. The most prominent members, such as Cesare Beccaria, shared the idea that criminal behavior could be understood and controlled. The classical theory insisted that individuals are rational beings who pursue their own interests, trying to maximize their pleasure and minimize their pain. The following manuscript will cover three key concepts the origins of classical thought, popular forerunner of classical thought, Cesare Beccaria, and how the classical theory pertains to crime prevention. Lastly, the educational material will show that crime is caused by natural forces and the absence of effective punishment allows it to continue. With clearly defined laws, public punishment, and the elimination of judicial discretion crime can be prevented by deterrence. Crimes and Punishment: How the Classical Theory Pertains to Crime Prevention Criminology has six theoretical developments in its discipline. This essay will look into the classical school theory. The classical school of criminology has many parts such as the major principles of the classical school, forerunners of classical thought, and policy implications of the classical school. First, I will define classical theory as well as summarize the origins of classical thought. Next, I will explore one of the most popular forerunners of classical thought, Cesare Beccaria. Lastly, I will discuss how the classical theory pertains to crime prevention as well as how deterrence plays apart. Literature Review To properly compose a manuscript on how the classical theory pertains to crime prevention, classical theorist Beccarias work had to be examined. Many of the reforms that occurred in the 18th century can be ascribed to Beccaria (Newman Marongiu, 1990). Beccaria (1983), discussed that the more promptly the punishment follows the crime the more useful it will be. Martin, Mutchnick, and Austin (1990), states that the classical and neoclassical thought represents more a philosophy of justice than it does a theory of crime causation. Cohen and Felson (1979), suggested that lifestyles contribute significantly to both the volume and the type of crime found in any society. Thus, Reed and Yeager (1996), examined Gottfredson and Hirshis theory of crime, with particular respect to its applicability to organizational offending. Moriarty and Williams (1996), discussed the individual choice and a relative disregard for the role of social factors in crime causation, such as poverty, poor home environment, and inadequate socialization. Rational choice theory seems to assume that everyone is equally capable of making a rational decision; however, it depends on the personality of the individual (Tunnell, 1990). In dealing with punishment and how it deters crime it was necessary to look at studies. Although one might expect study results to show that the death penalty deters crime; however, it was found that the rates of murder committed between states that have eliminated the death penalty and those that retain it had little variation (Bailey, 1979). Sitze (2009), discusses how capital punishment presents a problem for the philosophy of law. Also, Sitze expands on Beccaria thought of how the death penalty is bad economy of power. Discussion Classical Theory The classical theory dominated crime theory during the late 1700s and the 1800s. The essential ideas of classical theory include individuals are rational beings who pursue their own interest, trying to maximize their pleasure and minimize their pain. Unless they are deterred by the threat of swift, certain, and appropriately severe punishments, they may commit crimes in their pursuit of self-interest (Martinetal, 1990). Classical theory argues that crime is caused by natural forces or forces of this world, such as the absence of effective punishments. Classical theory was developed in reaction to the harsh, corrupt, and often arbitrary nature of the legal system in the 1700s (Vold et al., 2002). Classical theorists were mainly interested in critiquing this system and offering proposals for its reform, but embedded in their arguments is a theory of criminal behavior. The circumstances of some individuals, then, may lead them to evaluate the potential pains of punishment and pleasures of crime differently than other individuals. Poor people, for example, may be less deterred by the pains of punishment and more attracted by the pleasures of crime (Beccaria, 1983). Classical theory assumes that people are rational and engage in crime to minimize their pain and maximize their pleasure. Some criminologists, however, argue that many offenders are not rational and that crime is not in their self-interest. Rather, they engage in crime because of forces beyond their control and they often suffer greatly because of their behavior (Vold et al., 2002). Classical theorists state that whether people engage in crime is largely dependent on the swiftness, certainty, and appropriateness of the punishments they face. Cesare Beccaria Cesare Beccaria was an 18th century Italian nobleman and economist. Beccaria was considered to most the father of Criminology. Because of Beccarias work he was the most important figure head of what is known as the Classical Theory. The 18th century was times in history were severe and often extreme punishment was enforced for crimes committed. During such a time in history Beccaria offered the theory of utility. Beccaria examined the causes of delinquent and criminal behavior, and by doing so was able to scientifically determine what causes such deviant behavior. Beccaria rejected the theories of the European Enlightenment which characterized the deviant behavior under the theories of naturalism and even demonology. Beccaria wanted to pass on the philosophy of the Age of Enlightenment, by doing so these new theories passed on rationalism and humanitarianism (Martin et al., 1990). Beccaria set out to make punishment for committing crimes rational. He believed that there should be a hierarchy of punishment a scale determining what punishments is suitable for the behavior and/or intent. The scale of punishment would have set punishments for repeat offenders as well as for the more serious crimes. This would change how the death penalty was imposed. The scale of punishment, Beccaria was working on, would only impose the death penalty depending on the severity of the crime and not the act or acts of committing or involvement. Beccaria also believed that judges had to broad of discretion on which punishment to impose on what act of deviant behavior. Therefore, Beccaria favored specific punishments fitting each crime. He published an historic piece, An Essay on Crimes and Punishment, in 1764, to communicate his observations on the laws and justice system of his time. In the Essay, Beccaria distilled the notion of the social contract into the idea that laws are the c onditions under which independent and isolated men united to form a society. (Beccaria, 1983) Crime Preventions and Deterrence Deterrence theory most fully reflects the ideas of classical theory. Deterrence theorists argue that people are rational and pursue their own interests, attempting to maximize their pleasure and minimize their pain. They choose to engage in crime if they believe it is to their advantage. The best way to prevent crime, therefore, is through punishments that are swift, certain, and appropriately severe. Deterrence theorists, like classical theorists, focus primarily on the impact of official punishments on crime. Deterrence occurs when someone refrains from committing a crime because he or she fears the certainty, swiftness, and/or severity of formal legal punishment (Paternoster Bachman, 2001). Deterrence theory makes a distinction between two types of deterrence; specific and general. Specific deterrence refers to the idea that punishment reduces the crime of those specific people who are punished. So, punishing someone for a crime should reduce the likelihood of further crime by that person. Studies on general deterrence ask whether punishment deters crime among people in the general population. It has been argued that punishment may deter crime among those who are not punished. Therefore, deterrence through punishment is an effective way to prevent crime (Paternoster Piquero, 1995). Conclusion Throughout the essay classical theory, Cesare Beccaria, and deterrence has been explored in relation with one another. The manuscript disclosed that individuals are rational beings who pursue their own interests, trying to maximize their pleasure and minimize their pain. Classical theorist Cesare Beccaria determined that if the justice system reformed such as using rational penalties for crimes committed then such behavior could be deterred. The deterrence theory proved that people do refrain from committing crimes because of the fear of punishment. Therefore, the deterrence theory most fully reflects the ideas of classical theory.

A Review Of Absorption Refrigeration Technologies Engineering Essay

A Review Of Absorption Refrigeration Technologies Engineering Essay Most of industrial processes use a lot of thermal energy by burning fossil fuels to produce steam or heat for various needs in the industry. After the processes, heat is rejected to the surrounding as waste. This waste heat can be converted to useful refrigeration by using a heat operated refrigeration system, such as an absorption refrigeration cycle. Electricity purchased from utility companies for conventional vapor compression refrigerators can be reduced and cuts down the need for expensive electricity from the central grid. The use of heat operated refrigeration systems help reduce problems related to global environmental, such as the greenhouse effect from CO2 emission from the combustion of fossil fuels in utility power plants. Another difference between absorption systems and conventional vapor compression systems is the working fluid used. Most vapor compression systems commonly use chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants (CFCs), because of their thermo-physical properties. It is t hrough the restricted use of CFCs, due to depletion of the ozone layer that will make absorption systems more prominent. However, although absorption systems seem to provide many advantages, vapor compression systems still dominate all market sectors. In order to promote the use of absorption systems, further development is required to improve their performance and reduce cost. The early development of an absorption cycle dates back to the 1700s. It was known that ice could be produced by an evaporation of pure water from a vessel contained within an evacuated container in the presence of sulfuric acid. In 1810, ice could be made from water in a vessel, which was connected to another vessel containing sulfuric acid. As the acid absorbed water vapor, causing a reduction of temperature, layers of ice were formed on the water surface. The major problems of this system were corrosion and leakage of air into the vacuum vessel. In 1859, Ferdinand Carre introduced a novel machine using wat er/ammonia as the working fluid. This machine took out a US patent in 1860. Machines based on this patent were used to make ice and store food. It was used as a basic design in the early age of refrigeration development. In the 1950s, a system using lithium bromide/water as the working fluid was introduced for industrial applications. A few years later, a double-effect absorption system was introduced and has been used as an industrial standard for a high performance heat-operated refrigeration cycle. However with the advent of cheaper vapor compression machines in the late 1960s and abundant and widespread availability of electricity lead to the vapor absorption machines taking a backseat. As a result we see that despite the fact that this technology has been around for almost 250 years, a viable alternative to the vapor compression machines for domestic use at a comparable cost has not been found. The aim of this paper is to provide basic background and review existing literature on absorption refrigeration technologies. A number of absorption refrigeration systems and research options are provided and discussed. It is hoped that, this paper should be useful for any newcomer in this field of refrigeration technology and generate in this area the same interest that the authors feel. PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION The absorption refrigeration system works with a binary solution consisting of refrigerant and absorbent. In Fig. 1(a)[1] two evacuated containers are connected to each other. The container on the left has liquid refrigerant while the right container has a binary solution of absorbent/refrigerant. The solution in the right container will absorb refrigerant vapor from the left one causing pressure to reduce. While the refrigerant vapor is being absorbed, the temperature of the remaining refrigerant will reduce as a result of its vaporization. This causes a refrigeration effect to occur inside the left container thus dropping its temperature. At the same time, solution inside the right container becomes weaker in concentration because of the higher content of refrigerant absorbed. This is due to the absorption process. Absorption process is an exothermic process; therefore, it must reject heat out to the surrounding in order to maintain its absorption capability. Whenever the solution cannot continue with the absorption process because of saturation of the refrigerant, the refrigerant must be separated out from the diluted solution.[1] Heat is usually the key for this separation process. The separation of the refrigerant is of paramount significance and most of the work recently has gone into making this as efficient as possible so as to increase the refrigeration effect. It is applied to the right container in order to dry the refrigerant from the solution as shown in Fig. 1(b).[1] The refrigerant vapor will be condensed by transferring heat to the surroundings. With these processes, the refrigeration effect can be produced by using heat energy. However, the cooling effect cannot be produced continuously as the process cannot be done simultaneously. Therefore, an absorption refrigeration cycle is a combination Fig. 1. (a) Absorption process occurs in right container causing cooling effect in the other; (b) Refrigerant separation process occurs in the right container as a result of additional heat from outside heat source. of these two processes as shown in Fig. 2.[1] As the separation process occurs at a higher pressure than the absorption process, a circulation pump is required to circulate the solution. Coefficient of Performance of an absorption refrigeration system is obtained from The work input for the pump is negligible relative to the heat input at the generator; therefore, the pump work is often neglected for the purposes of analysis. Fig. 2. A continuous absorption refrigeration cycle composes of two processes mentioned in the earlier figure. WORKING FLUID PAIRS FOR ABSOPRTION SYSTEMS The performance of an absorption system is heavily dependent on the properties of the working pair. We are mainly concerned with the thermal and chemical properties of the working fluids. The fundamental requirement is the absorbent/refrigerant combination, in liquid phase, must have a margin of miscibility in the operating temperature range of the cycle. The mixture should also be chemically stable, non toxic, non corrosive and should be able to maintain its fluidity in the operating range. Apart from these certain other desirable properties are: The difference in the boiling points of the pure refrigerant and mixture at the same pressure must be as large as possible. Refrigerant should have high heat of vaporization and high concentration within the absorbent in order to maintain low circulation rate between the generator and the absorber per unit of cooling capacity. Transport properties that influence heat and mass transfer, e.g., viscosity, thermal conductivity, and diffusion coefficient should be favorable. Both refrigerant and absorbent should be environmental friendly and low-cost, specially keeping in mind the increasing danger to the environment. The absorption refrigeration system, which has some advantages, such as silent operation, high reliability, long service life, simpler capacity control mechanism, easier implementation, and low maintenance, is widely acknowledged as a prospective candidate for efficient and economic use of solar energy for cooling applications. Also, the absorption refrigeration cycle is usually a preferable alternative, since it uses the thermal energy collected from the sun without the need to convert this energy into mechanical energy as required by the vapor compression cycle. In addition, the absorption cycle uses thermal energy at a lower temperature than that dictated by the vapor compression cycle. Many working fluids are suggested in literature. A survey of absorption fluids provided by Marcriss [2] suggests that, there are some 40 refrigerant compounds and 200 absorbent compounds available. However, the most common working fluids are NH3- H2O and LiBr-H2O. The binary systems of NH3- H2O and LiBr-H2O are well known as working fluid pairs to be used both in absorption heat pumps and in absorption refrigerators at present. Theoretical and experimental studies have been conducted to optimize the performance of absorption refrigeration cycles using NH3- H2O and LiBr-H2O as refrigerant- absorbent combination. The advantage for refrigerant NH3 is that it can evaporate at lower temperatures (i.e. from -10 to 0 °C) compared to H2O (i.e. from 4 to 10 °C), therefore, for refrigeration, the NH3-H2O cycle is used. NH3 has a high latent heat of vaporization, which is necessary for efficient performance of the system. It can be used for low temperature applications, as the freezing point of NH3 is -77 °C. Since both NH3 and water are volatility, the cycle requires a rectifier to strip away water that normally evaporates with NH3. Without a rectifier, the water would accumulate in the evaporator and offset the system performance. There are other disadvantages such as its high pressure, toxicity, and corrosive action to copper and copper alloy. However, water/NH3 is environmental friendly and low-cost. The use of LiBr-H2O for absorption refrigeration systems began around 1930. Two outstanding features of LiBr-H2O are non-volatility absorbent of LiBr (the need of a rectifier is eliminated) and extremely high heat of vaporization of water (refrigerant). However, using water as a refrigerant limits the low temperature application to that above 0 °C. As water is the refrigerant, the system must be operated under vacuum conditions. At high concentrations, the solution is prone to crystallization. It is also corrosive to some metal and expensive. Research has been performed for NH3-H2O systems theoretically and experimentally and these studies show that the NH3-H2O system exhibits a relatively low COP when compared to its LiBr-H20 counterpart.[1] Efforts are being made to search for better working fluid pairs that can improve system performance. It is proposed that NH3-LiNO3 and NH3-NaSCN cycles can be alternatives to NH3-H2O systems.[3] A study on the use of NH3-LiNO3 and NH3-NaSCN cycles by Jasim M. Abdulateef [3] reveals that ammonia-lithium nitrate and ammonia-sodium thiocyanate cycles give better performance than the ammonia-water cycle, not only because of higher COP values, but also because of no requirement for analyzers and rectifiers. Therefore, they are suitable alternatives to the ammonia-water cycle. Generally speaking, the performance for the ammonia-lithium nitrate and ammonia-sodium thiocyanate cycles are similar, with the latter being slightly better than the former. However, the ammonia-sodium thiocyanate cycle cannot operate at evaporator temperatures below 10 °C for the possibility of crystallization.[3] LITHIUM BROMIDE-WATER ABSORPTION SYSTEM There has been renewed interest to use thermally driven cooling systems from the air conditioning and process cooling fraternities. The lithium bromide-water absorption chiller is one of the front-runners due to the following reasons [4]: It can be thermally driven by gas, solar energy, and geothermal energy as well as waste heat, which help to substantially reduce carbon dioxide emission, this is its USP when it comes to process industries generating large amount of waste heat Its use of water as a refrigerant, which is easily available and cheap. It is quiet, durable and cheap to maintain, being virtually void of high speed moving parts; Its vacuumed operation renders it amenable to scale up applications. LiBr-H2O absorption chillers enjoy cooling capacities ranging from kilowatts (kW) to megawatts (mW) which match with small residential to large scale commercial or even industrial cooling needs. However they currently enjoy only a fraction of the extent of deployment as their vapor compression counterparts. Their major debilitating factors are a low Coefficient of Performance (COP), larger footprint and required headroom, corrosion and crystallization issues and stringent requirements of vacuum leak tightness over its design lifespan. Over the past 30 years, extensive efforts have been devoted to: Develop advanced absorption cycles which could work at low heat source temperature or recover more heat to improve system performance. Improve the design of major components such as generator and absorber to enhance their heat and mass transfer efficacy. Avoid crystallization problem and, Develop new and reliable working pairs. Problems in domestic use of LiBr-H2O absorption systems Even though the technology has been around for quite some time now its usage in domestic applications is hitherto seen. According to Kevin D. Rafferty [5] there is only one company (Yazaki, undated) currently manufacturing small tonnage ( While calculating the mass flow rate of the refrigerant for an assumed case of 1.5TR cooling, as is the requirement for most domestic air-conditioning applications, we obtained a very low mass flow rate in the order of a few gm/s. Also the ensuing pressure difference to maintain such working conditions led to a very high pressure ratio, to the order of about 50, between the absorber and generator. Upon market survey, (here in Pune, India) we discovered that pumps catering to such a low flow rate at this large a pressure differential were not readily available, some suppliers of customized pumps, however, did claim to be able to make such pumps, albeit at a very high cost. We explored the idea of then increasing the mass flow rate to higher than what was calculated for the required tonnage, but realized that increasing mass flow rate for evaporator of same tonnage would lead to un-evaporated refrigerant thus decreasing the COP of the system. During further study of the LiBr-H2O absorption systems we came across an interesting review on absorption chillers and their various configurations by Xiaolin Wang and Hui T. Chua [4], which provides a valuable insight. For the standard single effect system, simple structure and low cost are pursued. The single-effect double-lift absorption system are proposed and developed for the utilization of low temperature heat sources. However, multi-effect absorption systems are suggested to provide higher efficiency with a high temperature heat source. In order to increase the system performance and avoid crystallization problem, various heat and mass recovery systems, modifications to the generator and the absorber, different working pairs and additives have been developed. Furthermore hybridization of absorption chiller cycle with other cooling cycle(s) promises a higher overall performance as compared with that of each single constituent cycle. Single-Effect Absorption Chillers It consists of evaporator, absorber, generator, and a condenser. Its simplicity, small size, high reliability and lower maintenance cost are its advantages. While low cooling capacity, high weight and size and low COP are disadvantages Fig. 3. A schematic of a single effect absorption cycle in a Dà ¼hring plot Uchida from Hitachi developed a modular cascaded absorption chiller comprising of chiller units connected to one another in which chilled water flows through the chiller units in series while cooling water through parallel. [6] Water in chilled and cooling column flows in opposite direction and in absorber solution is sprayed in 1 or more stages. In this type of arrangement lower evaporator temperature can be achieved as compared to conventional arrangement. This results in lower amount of water circulation and higher efficiency due high average temperature difference, compact size, and lower capacity pumps. Inoue from Ebara Corporation integrated the absorber, evaporator, generator, and a condenser into a compact housing so that it can be used for used in residential operations. The arrangement is as shown in Fig. 4. A Absorber, C Condenser, E Evaporator, G Generator, X -Solution heat exchanger, SP Solution pump, RP Refrigerant pump Fig. 4. A single effect absorption chiller [7] This also resulted in reduced costs, compact size, less thermal stresses and low material usage. Inoue from Ebara Corporation in further bid to reduce size and increase COP used plate type heat exchanger in absorber and condenser. [7] In this water flows into the absorber and condenser in parallel and is distributed according to fluid resistance in each unit. This reduces mass flow rate and distributed flow results in elimination of complicated valve system. Problem of crystallization in chiller is avoided using popular J-tube technology. [4] Crystallization in system occurs in generator due to high concentration of LiBr resulting in blockage of flow to solution heat exchanger and will be accumulated in generator. When solution reaches certain level in generator, the hot refrigerant -weak solution will overflow via J-tube to the absorber and warms the refrigerant -strong solution immediately. This will warm the crystallized solution and dissolve them into the solution. Single-Effect Double Lift Absorption Chillers Fig. 5. A single-effect double lift cycle. Since single effect cycle requires the temperature of 90oC and above for proper working, for temperature lower than this results in significant drop in efficiency of the cycle. Therefore utilize to lower temperatures single effect single lift which can work for heat source between 70oC and 90oC and single effect double lift cycle works within waste heat source temperature down to 55oC was developed. A COP in the range of 0.35-0.7 is obtained. [4] Fig. 5. shows the construction of single effect double lift cycle consists of evaporator, absorber-1, generator-1, and a condenser forming single effect cycle the evaporator, absorber-1, generator-3, absorber-2, generator-2, and condenser constitute a double lift cycle. In this the solution from absorber1 is first is sent to generator-1 for steam generation, after this serially solution is sent generator-3 for further generation and refrigerant- weak solution is sent to absorber-1 . The steam generated in generator-3 is absorbed by the absorber-2 which then sent to the generator-2 for generation. The steam from generator-1 and generator-2 is sent in condenser to continue the cycle. The hot water in the system is supplied serially to the generator-1, generator-2, and generator-3. The cooling water flows to the condenser, absorber-1 and absorber-2 in parallel to avoid complicated control and unstable working conditions. The advantage of this system is high COP as compared single effect cycle since energy is utilized more effectively in this cycle. But due increase in number of components this has larger size as compared to single effect cycle. This system is commercialized by INVEN absorption GmbH. [4] Double-Effect Absorption Chillers Fig. 6. A double effect series flow type absorption cycle. This system is developed to increase COP of absorption chiller operating at temperature greater than 150oC since at this temperature the COP of single effect cycle is low. COP achieved in this cycle is in the range of 1.1 to 1.3. It was first patented by Loweth in 1970[8] and commercialized by Trane in the same year. Saito [9] from Ebara Corporation and Alefeld [10] improved and modified the double effect absorption refrigeration machine in 1980 and 1985, respectively. As shown in the plot above, double effect cycle consists of a high temperature and a high pressure generator. Steam generated from this generator is used to generate steam from low pressure generator through a heat exchanger. This steam is further sent to the condenser and evaporator for cooling. This arrangement is known as series flow arrangement. Therefore temperature differential utilization in double effect is more as compared to the single effect but heat rejected at the condenser and cooling temperature at the evaporator are at about the same temperature, hence COP is greater. Above mentioned arrangement works very close to crystallization temperature of LiBr-water solution and the high temperature generator operates at high pressure in order maintain requisite solution flow rate. To avoid solution pumping, the high temperature generator has to be sufficiently elevated to enjoy gravity assisted flow, resulting in higher head room. To avoid these problems, Hitachi developed a parallel flow double effect arrangement as shown below in Fig. 7. In this arrangement solution is separated after solution pump and is sent to high temperature generator through high temperature heat exchanger and to the low temperature generator, respectively. So, the operation condition is displaced further from crystallization point of solution. Flow rate of solution, pressure, elevation is also reduced as compared to series flow arrangement. Nagao from Hitachi disclosed a chiller which consists of an absorption section, an evaporator section, a condenser section, a generator section all of which are divided into two stages. The first stage evaporator second stage evaporator are arranged to be enclosed respectively by first stage absorber second stage absorber. Similar configuration is applied to the generator and condenser. This arrangement reduces heat transfer losses. Fig. 7. A double effect parallel flow type cycle. Hiro [11] from Sanyo Electric Co. disclosed a double effect absorption chiller, in which the connecting pipe conveying the liquefied refrigerant in the low temperature generator to the condenser is installed with an orifice together with a control valve so as to control the refrigerant pressure. A control circuit is connected to this control valve to actively control the refrigerant pressure and therefore control the solution concentration in the high temperature generator and the absorber. This control circuit facilitates the passage of the refrigerant to the condenser without stagnation during chiller start up or in the event of a sudden increase in cooling load. It is also capable of maintaining a suitably reduced pressure in the refrigerant during steady-state operation so as to achieve a higher operating efficiency. Recently Aoyama [12] from Ebara Refrigeration Equipment System disclosed an internal heat recovery scheme which aims to increase intrinsic COP of the machine and heat scavenging scheme which strives to extract more energy from heat source which drives the chiller. According to this invention, the refrigerant rich solution path leading from the absorber to the high temperature generator is divided into two routes. The first route is installed with one or two drain heat exchanger to scavenge the remaining enthalpy of the heat source powering the high temperature generator. The second route is installed with one or two regenerative heat exchanger to recover the heat of the hot and refrigerant-weak solution leaving the high temperature generator. Modeling and Simulation of LiBr-H2O absorption systems A recent paper by V. Mittal, K.S. Kasana and N.S. Thakur on Modeling and simulation of a solar absorption cooling system for India [13] simulated the model of a solar-powered, single stage, absorption cooling system, using a flat plate collector and water-lithium bromide solution. A computer program was developed for the absorption system to simulate various cycle configurations with the help of various weather data for the village Bahal, District Bhiwani, Haryana, India. The effects of hot water inlet temperatures on the coefficient of performance (COP) and the surface area of the absorption cooling component were studied. Simulation results are discussed in this section for the performance of a 10.5 KW solar driven lithium bromide absorption cooling system. Fig. 8. depicts the effect of the hot water inlet temperatures Ts on the system COP and flow ratio FR. It can be seen that an increase in this temperature resulted in the decreases of FR. This is due to increases in the mass fraction of concentration solution (XG). While with an increase in this temperature, COP increases. Fig. 8. The effect of the hot water inlet temperatures on the system COP and FR (Te = 280 K, QL = 10.5 KW, Tc = 306K) Figure 3 depicts the effect of the hot water inlet temperature on the surface area of the system components. It can be seen that increase in this temperature results in the decrease of the absorber and solution heat exchanger surface area. As flow ratio decreases, the thermal energy extracted from the absorber also decreases and hence the temperature of the absorber increases, which further resulted in the increase of logarithmic mean temperature difference (DTm) in the absorber and solution heat exchanger. By decreasing the heat capacity and increasing DTm, heat transfer surface area normally decreases in these components. Fig. 9. The effect of the hot water inlet temperatures on the surface area of the system components (Te = 280 K, QL = 10.5 KW, Tcool, in = 291 K) From this study the following conclusions were made: The hot water inlet temperature is found to affect the surface area of some of the system components. Increasing this temperature decreases the absorber and solution heat exchanger surface area, while the dimensions of the other components remain unchanged. Although high reference temperature increases the system COP and decreases the surface area of system components, lower reference temperature gives better results for FNP than high reference temperatures do. For this study, a 353 K reference temperature is the best choice. This paper thus provides a general idea to anyone looking to build a model of a vapor absorption system, about the generator temperature needed and its effect on the flow rate and COP. AMMONIA-WATER ABSORPTION SYSTEM The working of ammonia-water absorption refrigeration system is based on the  simple vapor absorption refrigeration systems. In this system ammonia is used as the refrigerant and water is used as the absorbent. The ammonia-water absorption system is used in the domestic as well the commercial applications where the requirement of the temperature is below 0 degree C. The major advantages of the ammonia-water solution are: Water has strong affinity for ammonia and they are soluble with each other in wide operating conditions that occur in different refrigeration applications. The ammonia-water solution is highly stable and works well with many materials. Ammonia is a common chemical and it is easily and cheaply available. However the system has a few disadvantages too some of which are: Except copper and its alloys that get corroded in the presence of ammonia. Due to its toxicity its applications are limited. Due to the fact that some of the water in the generator also boils off with the ammonia and escapes as vapor, a rectifier is needed to remove this water vapor before it enters the condenser. This adds to the expense and complexity of the design. The COP of the ammonia-water systems is slightly lower than their LiBr-water counterparts. Fig. 10. Schematic of a typical ammonia-water absorption system. Domestic use of ammonia-water absorption systems Unlike the LiBr-H2O absorption system, the ammonia-water absorption system has found widespread use in the domestic use market. These refrigerators are very popular as car fridges used in SUVs and RVs. Many companies are involved in the manufacturing of such equipment. Electrolux was amongst the first companies to start manufacturing absorption refrigerators for commercial use. One of the main issues with the early domestic absorption refrigerators was that the water would get crystallized and the whole setup would then need to be inverted for a few hours to get the system working again. Such old models of absorption models are available in scrap; however most of them are not in working condition. We came across one such model ourselves, however even on extensive research the exact composition of the water ammonia mixture or the operating pressure was not found. Most people do not recommend recharging of these old units as they are factory sealed and compositions are not known, however some people have tried recharging and obtained successful results. Simulation of absorption diffusion Solar refrigeration systems A study was carried out by B. Chaouachi and S. Gabsi [14] for the design and the simulation of an absorption diffusion refrigerator using solar as source of energy, for domestic use. The design holds account about the climatic conditions and the unit cost due to technical constraints imposed by the technology of the various components of the installation such as the solar generator, the condenser, the absorber and the evaporator. Mass and energy conservation equations were developed for each component of the cycle and solved numerically. The absorption diffusion refrigerating machine is designed according to the operation principle of the refrigerating machine mono pressure invented by Platern and Munter. This machine uses three operation fluids, water (absorbent), ammonia (Refrigerant) and hydrogen as an inert gas used in order to maintain the total pressure constant. The study yielded some interesting conclusions. The operating boundaries of the system were examined by conducting simulations for various values of the generator temperature, TG, the evaporator temperature, TE, the pressure of the system, P and the generator heat input, QG. The operation ranges were found to be: 5 Fig. 11. COP vs. to generator temperature for various pressures of the system (ÃŽÂ ¾r=0.45, Te=273K) Fig. 11. presents the COP vs. the generator temperature for different pressures of the system for a fixed rich concentration and evaporator temperature. It shows that the COP decreases as the generator temperature increases and it increases when the pressure increases too. This is may be attributed to the fact that a smaller amount of ammonia was separated from the ammonia-water solution and thus more solution had to be circulated so as to maintain the refrigerant flow rate in the condenser. It thus recommended that pressure of the system as high as possible. Fig. 12. OP vs. the evaporator temperature (ÃŽÂ ¾r = 0.4, P=12.5 bars) The Fig. 12. shows that the COP decreases as the generator temperature increases. It was also found that the higher the evaporator temperature, the higher COP, i. e. that more heat was absorbed in the evaporator. There are thus opposing demands for the evaporator temperature; on the one hand, it should be high enough (depending on the desired cooling capacity) to yield a higher COP, while a lower evaporator temperature would yield better cooling. Thermodynamic simulation of Solar absorption refrigeration systems Another thermodynamic simulation carried out by Antonio J. Bula [15], for an ammonia water solar absorption system. The operating conditions chosen were: Tg = 70 90 °C Tc = 30  °C Ta = 25  °C Te = 5  °C