River Restoration – Soft Engineering The River Cole, Oxford

The River Cole forms part of the border between the counties, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. It is a tributary of the River Thames and joins it near Lechlade. Many mills have altered the river by straightening and polluting it. Much of its upper course has been built over due to urbanisation and so the exact location of the source is unknown. It also ?ows through National Trust land. The River Cole had become very polluted and needed restoration. Restoration is returning a river to its natural state after arti?cial alteration.The river needed  restoration in order to change the water course, improve the water quality and manage the bank-side vegetation. In 1994, River Restoration Project was set up in order to show how contemporary restoration techniques could help damaged ecosystems thrive. The project was run by the RRP (River Restoration Project), the Environment Agency, English Nature, the National Trust, the Countryside Commission and the EU. Using the EU LIFE money, three demonst ration projects were set up, helping to restore over a 2km stretch of the River.The project was completed in 1996. In order to bring the river bed back in line with the ?oodplain, the river bed below Coleshill Bridge was raised. More gravel rif?es (fast ?owing midstream ridges) were introduced, as well as some small weirs (small barriers allowing pools to form behind them). Due to the redevelopment of the river bed, it ran at a higher level than a large stretch of the river. A new meandering channel was cut allowing the water to travel at the same height. Parts of the old river were kept and acts as backwaters.During high this provides shelter for ?sh, birds and insects, adding to the growing biodiversity of the river. The meanders also cause more regular ?ooding of the neighboring ?elds, creating water meadows and increasing agricultural productivity. The ancient course of the River Cole has been able to be recreated. This is due to the ?oodwaters, caused by meandering, restoring t he ?ood meadows along the western side of the Cole Mill. The Cole Mill is hoped to be put back into occasional operation by the RRP.However, the water levels in the stream ?owing near the mill must be raised in order for this to be possible. They plan to develop the River Leat (the feeder stream – the tributary that empties in to the River Cole) into a long lake. The plan for wet pasture and reed beds along the sides of the river will accompany this development. These will contribute in cleansing the streams that have been polluted by silt, fertiliser and treated sewage. The restoration has many bene?ts. It has allowed riverside organisms and wetland wildlife to thrive in the river and on the ?oodplain, playing a huge part in nature conservation.Fisheries now have an greater numbers of ?sh of different species. Due to installation of vegetation, there has been an increased interception of pollutants. Sediment has also been naturally settling on the ?oodplain and river bed. Th e restoration also acts as a ?ood defence. Due to the enlarged ?oodplain and the backwaters created by the old river, additional ?ood storage has been created. The restoration has also helped the attraction of recreational activities near the river. The natural landscape created by the restored river has received strong public support.Therefore, the River Restoration Project has been a success for the River Cole. This is thanks to the clear environmental bene?ts. Although the changes had to be paid for, there are economic bene?ts to the restoration. The surrounding landscape is now seen as a much more pleasant environment and so people are more likely to pay for recreational activities to do with the river. The social bene?ts are also clear. The cleaner waters of the river are both aesthetically and morally pleasing to general society. This leads to happier locals as their river is being taken care of.

Summary of Genesis 27-45 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary of Genesis 27-45 - Essay Example The passage generates two major phenomenon; irony and radical reversals. Irony is seen when characters are extremely deceptive and end up earning privilege rather than punishment. For instance, Jacob deceives his father, Laban to Joseph and Rachel to Jacobs’s family. Irony and radical reversal too is evident when Jacob the lastborn is blessed instead of Esau the firstborn as it is the tradition. Esau receives lesser blessing in addition to being excluded from the covenant forever. This passage is important as it shows humanity that choices have consequences. Esau lost his inheritance for choosing a bowl of soup; Rachel suffered for hiding the idols and Jacobs brother suffered for selling in Egypt. This passage reveals world division by way of binary opposites, initiated at the creation story. Just like male opposes female as per the creation story, Jacob and Esau are absolutely different in everything right from their occupations, behaviour and appearances. Another pair of binary opposites is Rachel and Leah both struggling for Jacobs affections. Oppositions are also seen in intangible elements like the match between man and God, contrast between famine and abundance. This passage is important as it shows the Gods way of working with humanity. It shows how God creates realms of contrasting reversals, symbols, and forces to suggest through whom and how His covenant is to be

The effect of economic crisis to the marketing strategy of Volkswagen Literature review - 3

The effect of economic crisis to the marketing strategy of Volkswagen in Asian market. The case of Vietnam - Literature review Example In addition to that, the report will also provide some recommendation regarding how the company can deal with the issue. According to Dicken (2007), the automobile industry is adjudged to be one of the most globalised industrial sectors in the world. Similarly, in Vietnam automobile sector is a booming. The major automobile companies operating in the market of Vietnam are Daewoo, Daihatsu, Ford/Mazda, Daimler Benz, Hino Motors, Isuzu, Mekong, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota, Truong Hai and Volkswagen (Ohno and Cuong, 2004). These companies manufacture car of different shapes, sizes, designs and categories (Sturgeon, 1998). According to reports, Truong Hai is the market leader in the automobile sector of Vietnam with a market share of 28.9 %. Next to Truong Hai, Toyota holds 27 % of the market share. The report also pointed out that the overall sales of cars in Vietnam fell by 2 % in the year 2011 thereby reflecting a falling demand of vehicles (ResearchAndMarkets, 2012). In addition to this, due to the Thai flooding the manufacturing process had been also disrupted. Apart from the natural calamities, one o f the major reasons of reducing demand of commercial cars in Vietnam is the global economic crisis. As a result, companies are forced to cut down their operating cost and create a balance between the net income and net cost. Similarly, in case of Volkswagen, the demand of their cars in Vietnam has also reduced substantially. Due to the reducing demand for their cars, the company also reduced the costs pertaining to various operations. Moreover, the global economic downturn also had a substantial impact in the marketing strategy of the company (Volkswagen: Annual Report, 2011). Now in order to uncover, how and in what ways the economic downturn has affected the company, a primary research has been carried out. The findings from the study are presented below. The first research question of the study is related to the

Operation and management of china's auto production increased Dissertation

Operation and management of china's auto production increased - Dissertation Example ity and Reliability 27 3.4Conclusion 28 CHAPTER 4: RESULT AND ANALYSIS 29 4.0Introduction 29 4.1Chinese Automobile Industry 30 4.1.1Findings 30 4.1.1.1Chinese Auto Industry Sales, 2006 to 2010 30 4.1.1.2Comparison between China and US 32 4.1.1.3Comparison of brands, 2002 and 2011 33 4.1.1.4Market Share and Growth 35 36 4.1.2Analysis 36 4.1.2.1Chinese Auto Industry Sales, 2006 to 2010 36 4.1.2.2Chinese Auto Industry Sales by Category, 2006-2010 37 4.1.2.3Chinese Auto Industry Performance in the Global Arena 38 4.1.2.4Comparison of brands, 2002 and 2011 39 4.1.2.5Analysis on Market Share and... TIONS 47 5.1Conclusions 47 5.2Recommendations 49 BIBLIOGRAPHY 51 APPENDICES 56 Appendix 1: China’s SWOT Analysis 56 Appendix 2: Market Entry Strategies 57 Appendix 3: Selection of the right Market Entry Strategy 58 Table of Figures Figure 1: China's SWOT Analysis 13 Figure 2: Market Entry Strategies that Chinese Auto Industry can select from 17 Figure 3: Process of selecting the right Market Entry Strategy 17 Figure 4: Sales for Chinese Auto Industry 2006 to 2010 (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 31 Figure 5: Line Graph of China Auto Products Sales between 2006 and 2010 (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 31 Figure 6: China Auto Industry Sales per Product between 2006 and 2010 (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 32 Figure 7: The Top Five Auto Industries 2008 and 2009 (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 32 Figure 8: Top Five Auto Industries, 2008 and 2009 (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 33 Figure 9: Sales by Brand in %age, 2002 (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 33 Figure 10: Sales by Brand in %age, 2011 (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 34 Figure 11: Sales by Brand in Units, 2002 (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 34 Figure 12: Sales by Brands in Units, 2011 (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 35 Figure 13: Market Size and Growth (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 35 Figure 14: Market Share by Brand, 2011 (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 36 Figure 15: Impact of Government Tax Incentive (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 44 Figure 16: Position of Chinese Auto Industry within the Global Market (Synergistic Limited, 2012) 46 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.0 Introduction The increased demand for growth and expansion amongst firms within Chinese automobile industry coupled with the increased demand for automobile products within the globe continue to be the reasons behind globalization (Zhu, Sarkis, & Lai, 2007). The Chinese automobile industry aims at

Power Relations Effect Different Actors in A Supply Chain of Oil Essay

Power Relations Effect Different Actors in A Supply Chain of Oil Industry - Essay Example In his article, he considers Michael Porter’s concept and argues that this model, while it may seem when considered from a business manager point of view, seems to work but fails in terms of wider economics because, in real economic structures, other factors such as power play and influent has an effect on the value chain (Henderson, 1999). Oil supply has had a history of the power play as seen in the example of the seven sisters who were a consortium of seven companies based in the Middle East and who dominated the oil industry for over thirty years since the 1940s. Countries have vested interest in oil supply chain as a way to make sure that they can be able to sustain their economies (Bridge & Le, 2013). According to oil and energy experts, over ten calories of oil energy are used for the production of just one calorie of food energy. The energy in form of fertilizers, energy for farm equipment, chemicals packaging for farm pesticides etc also adds up to over ten calories o f energy to produce just one calorie of food. The same oil is also needed to power other areas of the economy, such as transportation and communication equipment. In most countries, the defence department depends on oil for over 70% of its operations. This leads to the concept of energy security. Energy security refers to the security related to the availability, or lack thereof, of oil energy. This brings in a lot of power play in the supply chain. The role of political power in the oil supply chain is much that there is even speculation that the reason why the United States has continually attacked the Middle East is for the purse of getting the oil reserves in this region. The same theory has been applied in the attack and killing of the leader of Libya, Muammar Gadaffi. Whether these conspiracy theories are valid or not, the truth remains that political power play is a major factor in oil supply chains.

Change management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Change management - Essay Example Change management has received increasing attention especially in the nursing practice. A notable area to change is the handover system in order to improved efficiency and save both time and resources.Change is difficult for stakeholders and it takes a dedicated leadership to ensure that it happens successfully. The best model of change for this case is the Three Step Lewin’s Model. Change goes through three basic steps namely: freezing, moving and unfreezing. For change to successfully occur, the leadership should be visionary and motivate its employees towards the required direction. Principles in the practice are based on the stipulations of the NHS and other governing bodies. This paper aims to discuss change management using the Lewin’s model, improvement of the handover system in the given case as well as different types of leadership and policies affecting the practice in the UK. Transforming the bedside handover system has emerged as a means of improving neonata l care in hospitals as explained by Marshall and Coughlin (2010). The current bedside system in the hospital is bedside handover but some modifications can be made to improve efficiency. The new changes are to be based on safety of the infants, patient centred care, value added processes and team vitality. These aspects are the foundation of the change process to be used in the hospital by using the Three Step Lewin’s Model. ... Mullins (2002): Higgs and Rowland (2000) assert that leadership varies according to situations and organizations. Burdett Trust for Nursing (2006) stresses on the importance on leadership in nursing, it should be done in accordance to the set rules and regulations in the field. Royal Nursing College (2008); RCN (2003); Department of Health (2011) and Department of Health (2009) state the policies that have been made over the years to introduce change in nursing. Studies done on the bedside handover system One of the studies concerning bedside handover was conducted in Queensland hospital in 2009. This study was done on only ten patients to find out their perspective on bedside handover. The study observed the patients’ approach to the bedside handover system (Murray et al. 2011). The participants were questioned on the advantages and disadvantages. Their current role in the system and the role played by family members and other members of the medical team. The issues arising f rom this study were: most patients supported the inclusive handover system, others appreciated passive engagement and others viewed it as an opportunity to correct the information being passed. From this study, we can conclude that effective bedside handover provides patients to participate in their care. Another study was conducted in Ipswich hospital where the practice had been in place for over two years. The study was conducted in three wards in a total of thirty days, thirty four nurses were interviewed. The bedside handover had worked efficiently in the hospital. The staff members interviewed had positive feelings about the system since it was introduced. This study demonstrates on the efficiency of bedside handover and

Saving my best friend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Saving my best friend - Essay Example But somehow we realized and took a vital move on our part by coming a bit towards the lower side. The trees and grass on the hilltop were hustling and bustling and the little rain that was present in the clouds had touched our fists every now and then. We know a thunderstorm was there any minute since the clouds started to turn black of all a sudden. They had the gashes of a bucket full of water that was waiting to come down on us hard. We knew we needed to hurry to reach our destination otherwise there was a wet day in the fields for us. There was something different however in the making. Something extremely terrible! As we hurried down the hill, Jim’s ankle sprained and he started to come down quickly. I ran after the sliding Jim and used all my might and force which I could offer at the time. I realized this was not enough. Somehow or the other, I had the presence of mind within me which started to make its mark. This made me reach for Jim who was stuck on the rock’s edge and his both feet were in the air, leading towards the valley down under. Had he fallen, it would have been the end of Jim’s life, his future and his dreams. More than anything else, his parents and friends would have lost a soul full of energy and wit fed into him. It suddenly dawned on me that I was wasting time thinking about all this! I needed to do something – something, no – the vital thing that would eventually save his life. I quickly started looking for a rope but I knew it would not be available there. I got hold of tiny pieces of cloth here and there. I instantly picked them up and tried to stick the pieces of cloth so that the end result would be in the form of a single cloth through which I could pull back Jim and thus bring a fresh lease of life in his desolate self. All this required tact and immense patience. Also I had to be brave and physically strong to pull Jim up since his body weight and height resembled mine. The pieces of cloth were