Casa vicens Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Casa vicens - Assignment Example This was due to the underlying impressive beautification of the invention that was possessing captivating spaces such as smoking and dining rooms. Moreover, the explosion of pigments in regard to its decorative details was mainly influenced by Arabic and eastern art thus making Casa Vicens a strong forerunner Modernista association. Casa Vicens was originally surrounded by a convent on one side and a magnificent garden on the opposite side (Roe, 2012). The house was extended by Joan Baptisa I Serra in the year 1925 subsequent to the destruction of the initial work. The garden vanished steadily over the years due to the destruction of the underlying monumental fountain with parabolic arch that was designed by GaudI (Crippa & GaudiÃŒ , 2006). Nevertheless, Casa Vicens was restored by architect Ignacio Herreo Jover in the ranging from 2000 and 2005 by combining the underlying facedes finishing which is currently in the market. The plans for Casa Vicens-site main floor, faà §ade is dated back to the 15th January, 1883 and permit for construction was granted 8th march, 1883 (Crippa & GaudiÃŒ , 2006). The construction project provided initially was for a house and a garden. A meeting held on the 27th September presided by Mr. modesto Casals y Leonor, in the Ayuntamiento of Villa de Gracia granted permission to construct ground floor buildings, a water gallery and a corresponding wall on a piece of land situated on Calle Rincon de San Gervasio within Gracia. In the 1929 Jose Fracisco Rafols printed his first and very significant work in regard to Gaudi and the corresponding architecture subject. Architect Antonio Gaudi was in charge of the original project by Mr Manuel Vicens Y Montaner, who inherited the parcel of land from his mother (Crippa & GaudiÃŒ , 2006). Casa Vicens has been in the Jover family since the year 1899 when Dr Antonio Jover who is the grandfather of

Cipd Recording Essay Example for Free

Cipd Recording Essay Organisations need to collect data in order to comply with regulations such as minimum wage, working time directive, health and safety and even health and safety. 2) Keeping training and performance records on employees enables management to assess individual productivity and performance and allows them to help the employee reach there full potential and in turn increase productivity. Two Types Of Data Collected and How Each Supports HR Practices 1) Statutory Records Such as tax, national insurance contributions, sickness and SSP, hours worked and accident book. These types of records ensure that the HR department complies with all regulatory requirements 2) Organisational Records – Such as Recruitment and Selection records, absence, staff turnover records, learning and development records. These types of records are essential for the HR department and allows them to monitor staffing levels and recruit when necessary, monitor staff sickness to ensure productivity is not being affected and also to if there is anything the organization can do to cut down on sickness levels and records to ensure that staff are maintaining a high level of efficiency through learning and development activities. Two Methods of storing records and benefits of each Manual System: Filing Cabinet – Files are easily accessible and doesn’t require a computer to be turned on. Manual system cannot be affected by loss of power or hackers cannot access a manual filing system from another computer Computerised System: The benefits of a computerised filing system are numerous, and include reduced costs to the company, benefits to the environment, increased ease of sorting, finding, and moving documents. Another benefit is that it allows the office to operate in a smaller environment, because a great deal of space is not required for storing documents in a paper filing system. Two Essential Items of UK Legislation relating to Recording and Storing HR Data Data Protection Act 1998 The Data Protection Act 1998 applies to most personnel records, whether held in paper or computerised format. Under the Data Protection Act, data must not be kept any longer than is necessary for a particular purpose. Computerised systems are covered by the law, as are certain manual systems: to be covered, manual systems must be organised into a relevant filing system. Subject to certain exceptions as detailed in Schedule 7 of the Data Protection Act, employees have the right to access their records and the employer is under an obligation to ensure that the data is accurate. Before releasing such data to a third party, the employer must seek the permission of the individual concerned. The Information Commissioner has issued an Employment Practices Data Protection Code in four parts: †¢ Part 1: Recruitment and selection †¢ Part 2: Employment records †¢ Part 3: Monitoring at work †¢ Part 4: Information about workers health. In the event that employment contracts/accident record books and other personnel records are needed for the purpose of a legal action, the riginals must be made available if possible  or the employer must explain what happened to the original documents backed up by what is known as a statement of truth. When employers really no longer need to keep certain data, destruction must take place securely and effectively, for example by shredding. Freedom of Information Act (2000) NI The Freedom Of Information Act gives people the right to ask any public body for information they have on any subject you choose. Also, unless theres a good reason, the organisation must provide the information within 20 working days. You can also ask for all the personal information it holds on you. The act applies to all public authorities including: †¢ government departments and the Northern Ireland Assembly †¢ local authorities †¢ health trusts, hospitals and doctors surgeries †¢ schools, colleges and universities †¢ publicly funded museums †¢ the police †¢ many other non-departmental public bodies, committees and advisory bodies Any person can make a request for information under the Act there is no restrictions on your age, nationality, or where you live. You can ask for any information at all but some information might be withheld to protect various interests which are allowed for by the Act. If this is the case, the public authority must tell you why they have withheld information. If you ask for information about yourself, then your request will be handled under the Data Protection Act; if you ask for information about other people (third parties), the Freedom of Information Act will apply. However, disclosure of personal information which would breach anyone elses rights under the Data Protection Act is not permitted.

The Online Advertising Overview Media Essay

The Online Advertising Overview Media Essay As the presence of technology meshes into every aspect of our lives, mobile advertising has been recognized by many if not all marketers as being the future, but is it truly? Mobile devices have taken over our lives in many aspects. With their ability to shoot video, take pictures, playing your music library, browse the internet and so on; these new features allow marketers to target consumers via mobile ads and mobile applications. As time passes and technology evolves, new types of advertising venues spring up transitioning from newspapers to billboards, TV and radio, and now the internet. The authors of a peered reviewed scholarly article discuss how, Online advertising has three characteristics; ease of targeting; personalized contents; and interactivity (Dhar, Subhankar, and Upkar Varshney, 356). In comparison to TV or radio advertising, the internet medium allows advertisers to create interactive advertisements that can be tailored to be personalized and target the consumers di rect interests. But with the introduction of new methods and technologies to the market, it does not come without its disadvantages. Online Advertising Overview The end of the 20th century and the beginning of 21st were characterized by rapid developments of communication tools. Advertising delivered over the Internet or better known as online advertising has become a significant source of revenue for web-based businesses. Internet-based advertising is a gale of creative destruction (in the words of Schumpeter, 1942) sweepin g across the advertising and media landscape. Online advertisings humble beginnings began in in 1994 when HotWired, a web magazine, sold a banner ad to ATT and displayed the ad on its webpage (Kaye and Medoff, 2001). But since that time, the e-commerce hype has taken hold, and the focus has already moved on to the mobile Internet. The new technology changed the world by revolutionizing communication at a time when mobile computing technology as a communication tool was solely limited to telephone. However, due to digitalization and the consolidation of telecommunication networks and Internet technology, mobile devices ha ve evolved to provide the same experience as full-scale Internet-enabled computers. The convergence of these technologies provides endless possibilities for mobile computing applications and usage. M-advertising is inexpensive and can be highly targeted towards a certain individual. The potential of mobile devices as direct marketing tools has not gone unnoticed and advertisers have realized the opportunity to use the mobile channel to text information to targeted consumers. Unlike traditional print, TV, or even email advertising, companies can now reach speci ¬Ã‚ c consumer groups or even individuals, virtually anywhere, anytime, and based on the physical location of the mobile user. In addition, companies have more knowledge about their client pool than ever before. This provides businesses with the opportunity to reach their prospects when and where it is most appropriate for the effectiveness of a marketing campaign. M-advertising could most likely become a very powerful new marketing tool enabling businesses to customize and personalize advertising for mobile users. The Negative Side Effects of Mobile Advertising Although there are various de ¬Ã‚ nitions for the concept of M-advertising, no commonly accepted de ¬Ã‚ nition exists. This is because not much research is done in the area of M-advertising. In the present article M-advertising is referred to as the sending of electronic advertisements (mobile ads) to consumers carrying mobile devices. M-advertising is regarded by many as one of the most promising and pro ¬Ã‚ table business opportunities amongst mobile computing applications. A recent mobile marketing survey suggests that about 7% of the mobile users would be willing to receive mobile ads if they were relevant. Unlike personal computers (PCs), mobile devices typically are not shared, which allows for precise targeting of advertising to a single person. Moreover, mobile users rarely leave their home without their device and use them frequently throughout the day. As a result a message sent to a mobile device commands the immediate attention of the mobile user and may be perce ived as intrusive if the message is unanticipated. Mobile advertising is inexpensive and novel, and can be highly targeted towards a certain individual. The potential of mobile devices as direct marketing tools has not gone unnoticed and advertisers have realized the opportunity to use the mobile channel to text information to targeted consumers. Unlike traditional print, TV, or even email advertising, companies can now reach speci ¬Ã‚ c consumer groups or even individuals, virtually anywhere, anytime, and based on the physical location of the mobile user. In addition, companies have more knowledge about their client pool than ever before. This provides businesses with the opportunity to reach their prospects when and where it is most appropriate for the effectiveness of a marketing campaign. M-advertising could most likely become a very powerful new marketing tool enabling businesses to customize and personalize advertising for mobile users. The authors bring up the negative side effects of mobile advertising which include spam mail, SMS text messages, and privacy invasion. The authors go on to explain that, Since mobile communication is perceived as a truly private way of intercommunication, consumers can easily have a feeling that their privacy is invaded (Dhar, 356). The biggest fears that have arisen in recent years are location based marketing via GPS enabled mobile devices. (Dhar, 356). It isnt a surprise though that the idea of combining location information and user data could raise a serious privacy concerns for consumers because the activity of the individual can possibly be traced, which the authors also bring up. Privacy of the consumer can come in many different tolerance levels. Consumers nowadays prefer advertisements which are geared more towards their interests than ones that dont. Email and other types of internet messaging services are often times the center of spam targeting. A scholarly article by Evelyne Beatrix Cleff affirms that, Unanticipated advertising messages, commonly referred to mobile spam, are considered to be a form of privacy violation (Cleff, 229). Data which is collected from the market is used to create a profile of the consumer and help to categorize what that persons interests are. Cleff later states in the article that These practices may lead to an over-collecting of personal data without the proper implementation of personal data privacy, such as providing a set of standards governing the collection as well as the use of personal data and addressing issues of privacy and accuracy (Cleff, 229). Since most of use our smartphones for popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, our standard of privacy as changed c ompletely. 50 years ago, for example, the general population would have never dreamed of putting up their personal home phone number up on a billboard for all to see. Yet nowadays, Facebook users will post even their home addresses on their profiles and other social networking websites with millions of eyes to see it. Because these advertising methods interfere into peoples private information, there are opt-out programs when using these services that restrict personalized advertising from gathering any information from your online browsing habits. A statement made by Cleff brings up the point that Consequently, privacy fears may not only be limiting the growth of m-advertising, but may also be affecting the validity and completeness of customer databases and pro ¬Ã‚ les, leading to inaccurate targeting, wasted effort, etc (Cleff, 229). Because online privacy has been a huge issue, there has been doubt that as the consumer becomes more annoyed by the presence of advertisements on the internet. Since literally all major social networking and online e-tailors provide opt-out programs for their users, will it be able to provide continued revenue growth in the coming years? Regulation and The Future Regulation in the United States falls under the Federal Trade Comission (FTC) with their Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) which protects consumers from unfair practices by sellers and marketers alike. A scholarly article in the Texas Law Review by David DeMarco goes indepth on the topic of privacy issues related to online marketing methods and subsequent regulations that comes with it. He goes on to explain that Although e-companies and Internet users may differ about the degree of access to collected information that companies ought to provide to their customers for verification purposesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ businesses have a compelling interest in maintaining accurate and complete information about their customers (DeMarco, 1042). He goes on later to explain how there has been a push in the last two decades to push for industry self-regulation which is considered by a source in his article to be an abject failure. Because the internet is so vast and unregulated by governments, there h ave been huge doubts as to how consumers privacy will ever be regulated. According to a statement made by DeMarco, At the core of the self-regulatory regime sits a websites privacy policy (DeMarco, 1045). Since websites wont take responsibility for your information, who will? People dont realize as they allow for these websites and applications to access our photos, contacts, emails and so on, we give up ourselves to potential criminals that may lurk on the internet. As social networks come and go, the privacy we give up wont change. Society today as shifted completely due to the internet and without regulation, privacy or the idea of it will become nothing more than a word since all our information will be out there for the taking, regardless of your opinion. Overall, privacy issues and mobile advertising have turned into something highly taboo. Opinions on the matter vary from consumer to consumer due to younger people being more open about information their parents generation would have deemed unimaginable to post on the internet for all eyes to see. Laws and regulations by governments cannot keep up with the ever changing fads on the internet. From location based personalized advertising to the billboard you drive past on highway, mobile advertising is becoming embedded into every aspect of our lives. Consumers today carry their phones everywhere and with the mobile internet service providing the link, millions if not billions of people have their information gathered daily to provide a more personalized and creepy targeting campaign for your buying desires.

The Drinking Age Must not Be Lowered Essay -- Argumentative, Persuasiv

Lawmakers should not consider lowering the drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen. Despite the deep value this country places on freedom, personal liberties, and personal responsibilities, the data shows that public safety is greatly at risk if the drinking age were to be lowered to twenty-one. A variety of groups believe that the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen deeming that the twenty-one law is unconstitutional. On the opposing side, people agree that the law helps to protect our young people and the communities where they live. Before World War II, the age of majority in America was twenty-one. At this age, men entered into their full rights and obligations, such as the expectation to fight for their country, the freedom to vote, and the right to consume alcohol (Poe, 2). There was no confusion pertaining to what a man was allowed to do. Everything was consistent. When the draft age was lowered to eighteen during the Second World War, the nation went into frenzy. The American people did not think it was fair that at eighteen young men could be forced to go out and fight for their country, but were not permitted vote (Poe, 2). In their minds the only compromise that seemed fair was to give the men the ballot in return for their service to our country (Poe, 2). However, no one argued that men be given the right to drink, because of their service to our country. In fact, Senator Joshua Lee believed that soldiers under twenty-one years of age needed to be protected from drinking by their older fellow se rvice men (Poe, 2). Congress concluded that only the states could change their voting and drinking ages, but surprisingly, the states did not rush to do so (Poe,2). Eventually, the soldiers were demobilized,... ...y safety, and a deterrent for future goals. The only way to insure health and safety for all is to insist that lawmakers not lower the drinking age to eighteen and keep it at twenty-one. Works Cited Dean-Mooney, Laura. "A Lower Age Would Be Unsafe." U.S. News & World Report 15 Sept. 2008: 10. EBSCOhost. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. Engs, Ruth C.. " Why drinking age should be lowered: Dr. Ruth Engs ." Indiana University. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2011. . Hanson, David J., and Ph.D.. "The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984." WWW2 Webserver. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. . Poe, Marshall. "The Drinking Game | Hoover Institution." Hoover Institution. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. .

Business proposal “Airasia” Essay

The company selected for this business proposal is AirAsia Berhad (hereafter referred as AirAsia) and both the business and financial performance of AirAsia would be analysed from 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2011. â€Å"The company was incorporated in 2001, as a private limited liability company both incorporated and domiciled in Malaysia. AirAsia was converted into a public limited liability company on 8th June 2004 and became listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad on 22 November 2004. The principal activity of AirAsia is providing Air Transportation Services†. The vision of AirAsia has been â€Å"to be the largest low cost airline in Asia and serving the 3 billion people who are currently underserved with poor connectivity and high fares†. AirAsia’s mission is to create a globally recognized brand in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and sustain profitability growth with the highest quality services and technological advancements. The philosophy of AirAsia is to make flying possible for everyone. Since 2001, AirAsia had swiftly broken travel norms across the globe, where it is a leading low-cost carrier that does not need further introduction in ASEAN. With the tagline â€Å"Now everyone can fly†, AirAsia ferried 135 million guests as at 31 December 2011. Furthermore during the past decade AirAsia established successful ventures with Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, AirAsia Philippines, AirAsia Japan and AirAsia X (primarily focused on long-haul segment), allowing AirAsia to take low-cost flying to a further level with a route network that spans over 20 countries.Reasons for doing this business proposal Prior knowledge The main reason for selecting this topic is to apply prior knowledge obtained from the business and financial modules previously covered in the ACCA syllabus. Moreover, financial analysis is crucial in interpreting results disclosed in the financial statements. Availability of information Also availability of annual reports and other business sources provided me with adequate information to analyse the performance of AirAsia that further encouraged in choosing this topic. The annual reports were readily available from the company website and no time was wasted on extraction of it. Reasons  for choosing AirAsiaExtensive growth of AirAsiaIn January 2002, AirAsia had only two airplanes that had been flying to six destinations within Malaysia. During the past decade AirAsia had significantly expanded to fly over 80 destinations with a fleet of 97 aircrafts as at 31 December 2011. Hence I was motivated to find out how AirAsia managed to achieve successful growth and a healthy bottom line. Famous in South East Asia (SEA) AirAsia is one of the largest and most popular low cost airlines in SEA, which had facilitated travelling at affordable prices; which is the main reason behind passengers preferring AirAsia for both domestic and international flights. Moreover the destinations flown by AirAsia covers more hubs compared to other airlines and passengers are presented with bundled travel package options, which include air ticket, hotel accommodation, travel services. In addition, AirAsia was chosen as the â€Å"World’s Best Low-Cost Airline† awarded by Skytrax World Airline for four consecutive years (from year 2009 to 2012). Moreover, in the year 2009 and 2011, AirAsia was awarded with â€Å"Best Asian Low-Cost Carrier† award by TTG Travel Awards. Project objectives and research questionsProject objectives To analyse and evaluate the financial performance of AirAsia over a 3 year period by comparing its performance against Tiger Airways Holdings Limited using relevant financial rat ios. To analyse and evaluate the business performance of AirAsia over a 3 year period using the remaining three perspectives of the Balance Scorecard technique To assess, with reasons whether AirAsia is a worthwhile investment opportunity Research questionsHow did AirAsia financially perform in comparison with its competitor Tiger Airways? How does AirAsia’s financial performance impact on its shareholders? How was AirAsia’s business performance within the 3 years? How does AirAsia manage to sustain its ‘no-frills’ strategy and position amidst the increasing competition? Sources of informationPrimary data sourcesPrimary data refers to new data collected by a researcher relating to the issues of the study. The methods used to collect primary data involve questionnaires, observations, surveys and interviews. The researcher who collects the data is referred as primary user(s). Primary data would not be used in this project as it is time consuming to collect such data and respective information is readily available. Therefore information available  from secondary sources will be used to meet the project objectives and research questions defined earlier. Secondary data sourcesSecondary data refers to data gathered by someone else and already used for their (primary users’) purpose. The pe rson undertaking the research is referred as the secondary user, who would undertake desk or library research for the said project. The main sources of secondary data used for project are: Textbooks Textbooks were used as the main source of information as they were complied by people who have vast knowledge in the subject area and tend to be more reliable and accurate compared to other sources. The main types of textbooks referred in this project for financial analysis are ACCA BPP study materials and academic reference books such as â€Å"Accounting Principles† by Weygandt, Kimmel and Kieso and â€Å"Financial and managerial accounting† by Horngren, Harrison and Oliver. To analyse the company’s business performance, â€Å"Alignment: using the balanced scorecard to create corporation synergies† by Kaplan, Roberts and Norton had been referred to. Electronic sources E-sources were used due to convenience and effectiveness. The main e-source used was AirAsia’s website to abstract the annual reports and all information regarding the company. Additionally, Internet had been used for further reading to enhance academic knowledge and obtain relevant newspaper articles and other information about the company.

Muhaug essays

Muhaug essays There is Nothing Wrong with Mu Huang During the late 1990s a new product was born. In an age that more than 40 million people in the United States are considered obese, a shining light of hope was seen (Obesity-A National Epidemic). A new craze of overnight results seemed to take over the television and magazine ads. Hundreds of before and after pictures backed up the overnight claims. They depicted everyone from weight lifters wanting to shred unwanted fat, to common house moms wanting a new look. This shining light was an herb called Mu Huang that was discovered by the Chinese decades ago (Ephedra is an Herb). Mu Huang extract was started to be used in dietary supplements, spiking the metabolism into burning more fat without the traditional amount of exercise. This shining light didnt come without its risks. In the years to come Mu Huang would be blamed for a rash of untimely deaths. These untimely deaths eventually contributed to the ban in early 2004. If you are a healthy individual, taking Mu Huang extract e ven with its risks would have been better for you in the long run so is shouldnt have been banned. Mu Huang (more commonly referred to as Ephedrine, or Ephedra) seemed to be the new age caffeine. There also seemed to be another use for the product aside from burning fat. Since it seemed to out match caffeine as a pick-me-up, Ephedrine was used in products such as Stackers and Yellow Jackets. A lot of people also noticed that with the pick up they were just generally happier. So it wasnt uncommon to hear them referred to as happy pills. There seemed to be no limitations to the uses of this product. The biggest drive for the Ephedrine uptake to the American society is the fact that second only to smoking, obesity is the leading killer of people in the United States (Obesity-A National Epidemic). It is easy to understand how this can happen. If you go to th...