Environment And Strategy: Hong Kong Ocean Park

Environment And Strategy: Hong Kong Ocean Park This report is about Ocean Park of Hong Kong one of the largest amusement ocean park in the Orient and even in the world. Situated in financial center of Southeast China this park add some info about park!! In this report we are going to cover such topic as strategy concepts of Ocean Park, external and internal environment of organisation and its corporate, business-level and international strategy. On base of data collected well give our recommendation and advice to CEO and Board of Ocean Park of Hong Kong about Parks strategy to the next 10 years (from 2005 to 2015). The main aim of this report is to provide in-depth strategic analysis to CEO and Board members. Thus, this work is focused on challenges, opportunities and threats of organisation, its culture and economic aspects, strengths and weaknesses of organisation, core competency of ocean park in order to help to improve it in anticipation of arrival of Hong Kong Disneyland. Strategy concepts and vocabulary -Mission (Strategic purpose, not specified) Ocean Park provides all guests with memorable experiences that combine entertainment and education, while inspiring life long learning and conservation advocacy. Our aim is to maintain a healthy financial status, while striving to deliver the highest standards of safety, animal care, products and guest service. http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/en/footer/corporate-information/vision.html -create all activities for perfect family holiday -increase involvements of visitors in environmental issues and lives of animals -Goals and objectives to fulfill its mission Boost the number of annual visitors from four million in 2004 to five million by 2010 To make a 0,5 per cent contribution to Hong Kongs gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010 (page 7) -Vision (More specified) http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/en/footer/corporate-information/vision.html Ocean Park aspires to be a world leader in providing excellent guest experiences in a theme park environment connecting people with nature Become number one marine-based park for each family not only from Hong-Kong but also from mainland China. To be main attraction for all tourists, who visit Hong-Kong -What performance measures would you use to determine the success of Ocean Park? -It is the hometown favorite. It had been a long-time favorite of several generations ((its been operated for more 28 years). Many local people were sympathetic to Ocean Park. People who had visited the park as children were now bringing their own children to visit the park. Its reputation even extended into mainland China. It had become a fixture of Hong Kongs cultural heritage. (p.5) -The number of visitors in 2004 is 4 m of people (with daily maximum capacity 35,000 people). -Total revenue in 2004 was 536, 2 HK$ m comparing to 428,3 HK$ m in 2003, surplus for 2004 year was 95,7 HK$ m comparing to deficit 4,1 HK$ m in 2003. recognizability of new brand (Whiskers became a household name in Hong Kong) -Who are the various stakeholders in Ocean Park organization (how might they impact on its purpose and mission)? Stakeholders, who help to achieve parks purpose and mission: Hong Kong government, Home Affairs Bureau and the Tourism Board, employees of Ocean Park corporation, its visitors (customers). Interfere with achieving parks purpose and mission: Activist groups (certain environmental groups and animal rights activists) forbid of buying and transportation exotic animals to park, trade associations and unions (bus companies and taxi drivers) forbid in building a mass transit railway (MTR), competitors regain market share. External Environment -Conduct a PESTEL analysis for Ocean Park, identify the key driving forces for change facing Ocean Park; Rank key driving forces based on their predictability and potential impact on Ocean Park, then develop some scenarios and identify implications of these scenarios for Ocean Park. PESTEL: Political: Government support Improving relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China Promotion of tourism the easiness of the restrictions and promotion of the free travel of China in 2003 that helped to inject a new life to the tourism industry of Hong Kong environmental law Economic: Growth and development of the global amusement park industry Disneylands arrival Increasing number of mainland visitors Increasing standards of living in midland China Raise and spend HK$5.55 billion Social: Major events and activities (peak seasons and holiday themes: Chinese New Year, Easter Holiday, Summer Holiday, Halloween and Christmas) Media, advertisement and publicity, required for these special events Change of demographic (Population growth rate, age distribution, size of families) Increasing the cost of labor and more guarantees for employees Negative affect of Outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outcome Technological: Development of the amusement machinery industry Increasing popularity of new technologies for consumers (internet, mobile, digital camera) Amortization of park equipment Developing of new transport system (for example, a mass transit railway (MTR)) Research and development activities (creating of new park amusement) Environmental: Opposition from certain environmental groups about the importation of wild animals to Ocean Park Expenses on maintenance of exotic animals Protests of animal rights activists against relocation of animals Climate change (rain season in spring, hot in summer, typhoons in summer) Legal: Approval of Town Planning Board for hotel, Legislative Council for MTR station. Restrictions on mergers Employment laws Key driving forces and their ranking : 1)Global changing in tourism for Hong-Kong and Asia-Pacific region (development of tourism in region) 2)Raise and spend HK$5.55 billion from private and government loans to revamp parks well-worn product line (approval of development plan) 3)Disneylands arrival worldwide success of main competitor-Disneyland, coming to Hong Kong (Disneys success or failure) Binary table of scenarios for Ocean Parks key drivers (in decreasing order of their impact on park): Development of tourism in region Approval of development plan Disneys failure Scenario + + + Successful scenario + + + + Middle scenario + + + + + Failure scenario -Define Ocean Parks industry and conduct a five forces analysis: Which are the dominant forces in the industry? How may the five forces change? What are the underlying dynamics which are driving these five forces, and how may the five forces change? What are the impacts on key competitors and on Ocean Park? What can be done to influence the impact of the five forces? Five forces analysis for amusement park industry: 1) Threat of New Entry In terms of the amusement park industry, the entry barrier is high due to the need to invest large amount of financial resources (for park equipment, human resources maintenance), a lot of time required for parks planning, construction, development and launching, a lot of licenses and legalization required (safety, sanitary, security etc.). In addition to the amusement park required land for a full scale development. This factor is important because Hong Kong has a high land price real estate market. Re-write in own words!!!!! 2) Threat of Rivalry: It is important to consider that with lack of differentiation, visitors choice will greatly over the price and service, thus causes pressure for the intense price and service competition. Due to high threat of rivalry, Ocean Park is implementing different plans and activities such as redevelopment and introduction of new attractions in order to catch the attention of the visitors and differentiate themselves from rivals. There are no rivals with exactly the same range of products. Disneys arrival is only expected. Re-write in own words!!!!! 3) Threat of Substitution: (where this information from I like this point!)) The main threat of substitution is Hong Kong Disneyland Wetland Park, a new international theme park and an educational park (Appendix 2) Apart from this, there are other forms of substitution. From the education side, Hong Kong residents can switch to go to Cultural Centre, Mai Po Wetland, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Garden. For entertainment purpose, they can visit the Karaoke, Cinema, Game Centre, or have a day trip to China. 4) Bargaining power of buyers (visitors): (where this information from I like this point!) -Tourists Tourists have a low bargaining power as long as must see image successfully built-up and the Park cannot be replaced by other substitutes. Therefore, Ocean Park focuses to build up this image especially in Asia. Local residents The buying power of local resident is high since they have many choices as mentioned above. The switching cost is relatively low. Also, Hong Kong people like new experience and their loyalty to the product are generally low. The Park, therefore, launched difference programs like Big Five events with difference theme each year to bring new excitement and experience to them. Besides, special discount in low season and year pass intent to attract 5) The power of suppliers. Suppliers have quite high power. Thus, construction elements of amusement rides are huge and complicated, thats why park is highly tied with supplier. Otherwise, this market is developed and the choice of suppliers is become greater now. While constructing buildings (hotels, etc) with particular contractor park cant easily change to another contractor because of high switching cost). The situation with the exotic animals is such as Ocean Park can buy in particular country only. Which are the dominant forces in the industry? The dominant forces in the industry are: rivalry, buyers and substitutes. How may the five forces change? Looking forward, the five forces will change in this way: -Rivalry will increase with Disneys arrival; -Buyer power will increase slightly; -Substitute threat will also increase; -Entry threat decrease dramatically; -Supplier power will also decrease. (Exhibit 2.5 p.72) What are the underlying dynamics which are driving these five forces? Aftermath of economic crises and increasing in number of suppliers will decrease supplier power. Disneys arrival decrease entry threat in entertainment park industry. Developing of new technologies will affect rising of substitutes. Also competitors with new technologies will gain (in this aspect Disney has an advantage) Disneys arrival increase demands in diversification of Ocean Parks products. Ticket price advantages (185 HK$ for adult ticket at Ocean Park compared to 295HK$ for the same ticket at Disney). The main rival (Disney) is also same market oriented (families with children). What are the impacts on key competitors and on Ocean Park? Five forces much more affect Wetland park Ocean Parks key competitor, located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai, in Yuen Long than Ocean Park itself, because Wetland parks products are less differentiated. It has a 10,000m2 visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World, and a 60-hectare Wetland Reserve. (http://www.wetlandpark.com/en/aboutus/overview.asp). Arrival of other competitor Disney and its substitutes doesnt affect much Ocean Park because it has its its own niche. What can be done to influence the impact of the five forces? More differentiation of new products, directed mainly to Chinese native culture will affect rivalry, substitutes and buyers. Unique high-quality products and services also will influence buyers. For seeking suppliers big impact will have Internet and special web-sites with best quality of service, characteristics, recommendations and prices. Conduct a strategic group/space analysis for Ocean Park There are 2 key competitors for Ocean Park: First one is mentioned above Hong Kong Wetland Park. It is a conservation, education and tourism facility, consisted of large visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World and a Wetland Reserve. This park provided visitors with opportunities to observe wildlife, awareness and understanding the values of wetlands throughout the East Asian Region and beyond, wetlands conservation. So, its mainly about wetlands. The Hong Kong Wetland Park is also going to be a world-class ecotourism facility to serve both local residents and overseas tourists.(ttp://www.wetlandpark.com/en/aboutus/mission.asp) Compare to Disneyland and Ocean Park, Hong Kong Wetland Park has different facilities and product range (such as themed exhibition galleries, a theatre, a souvenir shop, an indoor play area), provide different services and thus, like Disney and Ocean Park, has its own niche. The range of facilities provided is the narrowest among 3 parks. Thus, Wetland Park cant meet demand of those visitors, who are looking for excitements and extreme pleasure, which can be found on a rides at 2 other parks. Who are the main visitors? Is it local or global? Is it has the lowest range of facilities than Ocean Park and Disney? Much lower prices. The second one arriving in a nearest future The Hong Kong Disneyland. After 28 years of operating as a near monopoly, Ocean Park would soon have to compete with one of the biggest names in the entertainment and theme park industry. Moreover, Disneyland targets the same group of parks customers families with children. It has well-known brand and reputation. Its the world leader in terms of entertainment. Several of Disneys characters (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Winnie the Pooh) were household names all over the world, including in Hong Kong. Thus, Ocean Parks mascot, Whiskeys, appear lackluster by comparison. Image, which Disney company holds almost for a century (The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923) and Disneyland itself (first park was opened in 1955) for half a century (compared to 28 years of Ocean park) helps to attract visitors not only from Hong Kong and midland China, but also from different part of the globe, especially those who are from the USA and Europe. Among other advantages of Disneyland are: location: it could be reached in just 10 minutes from Hong Kongs airport and less than 30 minutes from downtown Hong Kong. -at least 5.6 million people were expected to visit the Hong Kong Disneyland during its first year of operation (compared to 4 million of Ocean Park expected visitors). -the price claimed to be the least expensive among the five Disney amusement parks throughout the world. -the area of Disneyland is 310 acres compared to 215 acres of Ocean Park. -5 times greater investment than for Ocean Park. -Expected economic effectiveness is 3 billion more. -world-renowned innovation -high customer service standards Strategic groups within the entertainment and theme park industry in Hong Kong Broad Ocean Park Geographical Scope Global Product range Disneyland Narrow Wetland Park Local Conduct a market segment analysis for Ocean Park: How is the market segmented? How could it be segmented? Where would you position Ocean Parks products and services? Where would you position the competitors products? Ocean Park is a part of entertainment and theme industry. Its market is families with children. Disneyland future competitor applies to the same market. Despite this, Ocean Park has its own niche visitor from midland China. Internal Environment -What resources and capabilities does Ocean Park have? Resources (what a firm has): 1)Tangible: -financial suppliers of money (private and government loans) expected HK$5,6 billion investment; HK$145 billion economic effectiveness; surplus from operations in 2004 was HK$182,2 million on revenues of HK$536,2 million ; -physical Sea World, marine life and real animals:35 rides and attractions; 3 hotels; favorable and convenient location on the southern side of Hong Kong Island; wide range of new activities, such as the Abyss Turbo Drop thrill ride, seasonal and special events, popular water-related activities, interactive activities with animals, edutainment programs, successful Sea Jelly Spectacular and so on. 2)Intangible: long-time reputation of park with government, customers, -new brand sea lion named Whiskers; -cultural heritage of Hong Kong -great number of repeated visitors 3)Human: -37,100 employees, their skills and knowledge; -Thomas Mehrmann, new CEO of Ocean Park, and his previous experience at US-based Six Flags Corporation; Natural and wild life focus (Interactive activities with animals) Recreation and education Capabilities (what a firm can do) -New products, facilities and services development capability continually adding new features and attractions (such as: a new roller coaster, a subzero Ice Palace, 7.6 million liter aquarium with an underwater restaurant, extra 33 animals species, the number of rides doubled to 70), so, become a nearest future one of the best marine-based theme park with strong connection with nature; -Keeping park attractions fresh, novel and exciting, while minimizing costs; research and development, marketing and sales capabilities: plan to refurbish and rename Ocean Parks 2 major areas (the Lowland and the Highland), new hotels to be developed, including a five-star boutique, spa-type hotel this redevelopment plan would be completed in 2012!! recommendation part too!!, plan to open offices in the major urban areas of Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai to enhance promotional activities in Hong Kong and attract more mainland visitors -new incentive compensation, that linked employee compensation to the financial performance of park -What might be the competence of Ocean Park? Core competences resources and competences which are both valuable to customers and difficult to imitate -distinctive work culture, with its own norms and practices -local market loyalty -unique SmartFun Annual Pass program -cultural aspect (cultural heritage of Hong Kong), orientation on specific market segment-mainland Chinese visitors, -long-term reputation, distinct Chinese characteristics -powerful brand -customer trust -primary focus of OP on real nature and wildlife in contrast to Disneys strengths in cartoon characters, castles, virtual reality and fantasy -focused on education and the live animal attractions one of the key elements that will differentiate it from Hong Kong Disneyland when it opens in 2005. (from Echos articles) -cost and differentiation of product (continually adding new features and attractions as well as price advantage over Disney encouraged visitors to return to the park) -The aerial tram that takes visitors from the entrance side of the park over a hill to the rest of the attractions has become a Hong Kong tourism icon-is it still true (from Echos articles) Competitive advantage is explained by the distinctiveness of its resources and capabilities, by offering customers greater value by means of lower prices or greater benefits and service Competitive Advantages of Ocean Park over Disney: -long-time reputation, -hometown favorite, -cultural heritage of Hong Kong, orientation mostly on visitors from midland China -first-mover advantages -no need to engage in high-profile advertising and publicity, rely more on word-of-mouth -more diverse and wide range of products (including Sea World, marine life, real animals plus 35 rides and attractions) price advantage: the admission price for Disneyland is expected more than twice higher for child and one and a half higher for adult than price of Ocean park. And visitors from mainland China are very price sensitive. SmartFun Annual Pass program with unlimited admission to the park for its holders within a year, and discounted prices for food, souvenirs -Infrastructure 3 hotels had been constructed comparing to 2 at Disney. -orientation not only on entertainment, but also on education of visitors, differentiating by focusing on ecology and conservation issues -recognizable brand -In addition to all the American fun at the park, traditional Chinese holidays are still observed (Chinese New Year) -Disney has its characters, but we have flexibility to mix and match and bring in other entertainment (from Echos articles) -Does Ocean Park build its strategy on its resources, capabilities and competences? Yes. Importation of more species Water/Sea-related construction Hotel-better recreation -Are they sustainable? How can they be developed? Sustainable to some extent, but with some limitation. For example, it may face the opposition from environmental group. They cant relay only on resources, capabilities and competences-they need to be developed, innovated and refreshed, because they may begin to look dated and shabby for their visitors. SWOT Analysis Positive impact Negative impact Internal environment Strengths -Diversified and wide range of amusements (thrills, animals, seasonal and special events) -product line revamp -Highly linked with culture of mainland Chinese visitors, knows their demands and behavior -the main, oldest and most famous amusement park in the country (long-time reputation, hometown favorite), -cultural heritage of Hong Kong, -28 years of operating as a near monopoly -no need to engage in high-profile advertising and publicity, rely more on word-of-mouth -strong business connection to the local government (support from the government of Hong Kong and mainland China) -renovation of the parks brand image -mascot as a brand -previous experience of Thomas Mehrmann (new CEO of Ocean Park) in theme park industry (at US-based Six Flags Corporation) -local market loyalty -positive image of park Weaknesses -Located on a hills-hard to get to some riders-thats why visitors experienced rides only once. -different facilities are old and un-attractive and need renovation -a lot of activities depend on weather-ask Echo about it -no substantial capital investment External environment Opportunities -focusing on delivering mainland Chinas visitors as well as foreign visitors -development of new transportation South Island Line (when-check case-and ask Echo about it) that would cause convenience and fast access direct to the Park for the foreign and local visitors. -plan to build a mass transit railway (MTR) station to connect OP to the subway grid -the development and improvement of the amusement machinery can impact the services and features of the organization and its relationship to their foreign visitors. raise the standards of park with Disneyland arrival fostering sponsorships plan for building new hotels (boutique and spa-type) orientation on luxury tourism new market segment Threats -economical instability (such as the Asian financial crisis of 1999-2001, lasted for 3 difficult years for OP ), outbreak of different diseases, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 (Both these factors can affect number of visitors and their buying behavior, worsening the park financial situation) -arrival of Disneyland Hong Kong -OP was situated on valuable real estate: it could be shut down and its land could be sold off for other recreational or commercial purposes. Recommendation p.6-7!!! (recommend to use this business connection for future purposes, such as building a subway line for the visitors (itll happen in 2007). Say, in 3 years Build a mass transit railway (MTR) station for connection to the subway grid. Till 2015) (recommend to start innovation process, it will take about 6 years). Say, in 5 years Wireless communications | Analysis Wireless communications | Analysis Introduction Without any doubt Wireless communications can be considered as the fastest growing segment in the communications industry. Due to, it has captured the interest of the media and the interest for most of the people all over the world. Wireless technology has a huge impact on our lives today more than ever before. In addition, Methods of communication have evolved along many years ago starting from the first attempts to communicate verbal and even to manage the modern technology for the advancement of the ability to communicate effectively with each other. Every time you make a phone call, using the television or the computer is leading to activate the role of wireless technology and benefit from its positive sides. The principle of wireless communication as a process of transferring a piece of information from one place to another by electronic technology is only the use of electronic systems to connect with life which is changing constantly. Furthermore, the ability to communicate with people has evolved significantly since Guglielmo Marconi was the first who established the radios ability to provide continuous contact with the ships sailing on the English Channel in 1897, and since that time new wireless communications services have been adopted by people throughout the whole world. Finally, a brief history of the evolution of the wireless communications throughout the world could be useful in order to appreciate the enormous impact that communication Services will have on all population over the next several centuries. It is also useful for a new user to the wireless communication systems field to understand the huge impact that people is making in the development of new communications systems, services, and technologies. Literature review The goal of many experts and communications technology people was to find some way to transfer messages over long distances without the need for wires, this dream became true in 1901 when Juliimo Marconi and two of his colleagues on a hilltop in Newfoundland listening in to a reception, and they have heard Morse code, which represents barely letter X, moved the reference to a distance of 1700 miles from Cornwall in England, and represented the first successful transition to wireless. The success of this called the establishment of Marconi technology for wireless communication. However, wireless did not generate a high return from a commercial point after the ship Titanic disaster in 1912, While the ship was sinking, the radio operator sent a distress signal on the ship through Tlgrafha wireless Carpithia captured ship that was nearby, and these signals had saved the life of the last 700 of the passengers on Titanics 2200, and after this disaster, shortly called the need for all institutions to provide the large vessels marine radios, and this experience has led to the invention of Marconi radio. By 1922 the number of radio stations that provide broadcast live on 564 stations, today transmitted to us thousands of radio stations and multiple programs. Moreover, wireless communications are based on modern technology and the computer is one of the main elements of this technology. Nowadays, the vast majority of schools usually equipped with computer labs to teach computer skills to their students, it is no longer unfamiliar to the student in first grade to have some knowledge of basic background about the computer. With the computers within a few seconds you can access information anywhere around the world. Today services come with opportunities to learn new information and new data for homes through wireless communications. Definitions of Wireless Communications â€Å"Wireless technology is a truly revolutionary paradigm shift, enabling multimedia communications between people and devices for many locations.† By Andrea Goldsmith â€Å"Wireless communications is a broad and dynamic field that has spurred tremendous excitement and technological advances over the last few decades.† By Andrea Goldsmith Wireless Communications Protocols in Wi-Fi Wireless It is known that the process of wires and wireless communications in computer networks are subject to specific rules to control the reception of information properly and without any loss or time delay during the exchange of that information. For example, the internet is working through a set of protocols known as TCP/IP and wireless networks to connect to specific protocols and particularly a collection of protocols of 802.11 and a Bluetooth protocols which is the most known of them . 802.11g Protocol is latest version of the protocol 802.11b, it also work on the 2.4 GHz frequency, the speed of transferring the data in this protocols is 54Mbps, and the devices that work through that protocols can work through the previous 802.11b protocol as well. However, it is preferable to link the wireless network by more than one protocol. 802.11a Protocol work through 5 GHz frequency which makes it less vulnerable to interference from the LNB or any other devices, but the cost of this is greater than any other systems. The Bluetooth Protocol is transmits data at low speed at 1Mbps and within no more than 10 meters. Also, it works through the left 2.4 GHz. 802.11n Protocol is the protocol`s future, which has not been approved so far. It is expected to achieve the speed of data transfer within a distance of 100Mbps, Wireless networks Wireless local area networks have supplemented or replace the wired networks in many places. For example, homes, business or campuses. Many new applications including wireless sensor networks, smart homes, and remote telemedicine are emerging from research ideas to actual systems. The explosive expansion of wireless systems has come with the proliferation of laptop and palmtop computers and this suggest a bright future for wireless networks. Technical issues To enable wireless applications in the future, many technical challenges must be addressed and these challenges have been developed across all aspects of system design. Wireless local area networks LANs support high speed data transmissions with in a small region for example, campus or small building as users moves from place to place. Wireless devices that access these LANs are typically stationary or moving at pedestrian speeds. Wireless LANs can have either a star architecture, with wireless access points or hubs placed throughout the coverage region, or a peer-to-peer architecture, where the wireless terminals self-configure into a network. Dozens of wireless LANs companies and products appeared in the early 1990s to capitalize on the â€Å"pent-up demand† for high speed wireless data. These first generation wireless LANs were based on propriety and incompatible protocols. Wide Area Wireless Data Services To high percentage of mobility users, this could provide many wireless data over a large coverage area. A geographical region in these systems is usually serviced by base stations placed on the top of towers, rooftops or mountains. The base stations can be connected to a back-bone wired network or from a multi-hop and hoc wireless network. Broadband Wireless Access It gives a high-rate in wireless communications between a specific access point and multiple stations. These systems were initially proposed to help interactive video service to the home; however the application then shifted to providing high speed data networks for both homes and business. Satellite Networks Commercial satellite systems are another major component of the wireless communications infrastructure. Narda Satellite Networks could be a good example. It is a manufacturer of high-quality military and commercial satellite communications equipment. Low-cost, low-power Radios: Bluetooth and ZigBee It becomes feasible to embed radios into more types of electronic devices, because they have decreases their cost and power consumption which can be used to create smart homes, sensor networks, and many other applications. Two radios have emerged to help and support this trend: Bluetooth and ZigBee. 1-Bluetooth radios give short range of connections between wireless network devices and basic networking capabilities. The Bluetooth normally based on a tiny microchip inside a radio transceiver which is built into some digital devices. Bluetooth is mainly for short-range communication. Take an example, from a laptop to nearby printer or from a cell phone to a wireless headset which is common used by many people nowadays. 2- ZigBee â€Å"The ZigBee radio specification is designed for lower cost and power consumption than Bluetooth its specification is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 Standard†. I.Poole 2004 Finally, the main benefit of using the ZigBee is to provide radio operation for months or years without the need to recharging it. Ad Hoc Wireless Networks It can be defined as a collection of wireless mobile nodes that self-configure to form a network without the aid of any established infrastructure as show in the figure below The Merriam-Webster dictionary lists two relevant definitions for Ad Hoc Wireless Networks:†formed or used for specific or immediate problems†, and â€Å"fashioned from whatever is immediately available†. These definitions show us main benefits of ad hoc wireless networks. Firstly, they can be adapted to specific applications; second, they can be produced from any networks nodes that could be available. Ad Hoc wireless networks have another important benefit as well. They can avoid the installation, cost and maintenance of network infrastructure. An overview of the basic application for ad hoc wireless networks, as applications it usually look for many of the requirements of the design. I will concentrate on the following applications: data networks, home networks and device networks. 1- Data network Ad hoc wireless data networks basically helps in exchanging the data between laptop computers, palmtops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other information devices. These data networks generally divided into three main categories based on the coverage area: LANs, MANs, and WANs (for â€Å"local†, â€Å"metropolitan†, and â€Å"wide† area networks. 2- Home networks Home networks is basically help to support communication between many devices like PCs, laptops, PDAs card-less phones, security and monitoring systems and entertainment systems anywhere in and around the home etc. Home networks could enable smart rooms that sense people movement and adjust light and heating consequently, as well as â€Å"aware homes† this feature network sensors and computers is for assistant living for elderly people or those with disabilities. 3- Device networks It provides a short-range wireless connections between devices, such networks are primarily intended to replace problematic cabled connections with wireless connections. â€Å"The main technology derivers for such networks are low-cost low-power radios with networking capabilities such as Bluetooth, ZigBee and ultra wide-band or UWB; the radios are integrated into commercial electronic devices to provide networking capabilities between devices†. J.Haartsen 2000. Conclusion and Discussion A new wireless communication technology has been presented. Some People might argued that

Buddhist and Christians

Two of the most sought religion in the world is Buddhism and Christianity. Followers of the two aforementioned religions are very lenient when it comes to certain beliefs and practices. They preserve the sanctity of their chosen faith and ensure that the symbols of worship and history are well respected through the years. Tibetan Buddhism is mostly followed in the regions of Himalayas. Countries that adhere to the said religion were India, Bhutan and Nepal. People in China, Russia and Mongolia are also Tibetan Buddhists. This religion has four main traditions namely Sakya, Kagyu, Nyingma and Sakya.All of th aforementioned division includes teachings of the three vehicles of Buddhism: Vajrayana, Mahayana and Foundation Vehicle (Coleman, 10). Achieving enlightenment is the main goal of Tibetan Buddhists. The right term for people who already gained enlightenment is Buddhahood. It is a state of mind wherein the nature of reality as well as mental obscurations is freed. Buddhists are con sidered as internalist because their state of mind is of great importance in the religion (Coleman, 22). Buddha is their god and they uses texts like Pali Canon, Tibetan Canon and Chinese Canon (Conze 35).Christianity on the other hand is a monotheistic religion which centers on Jesus Christ and his teachings. Christians are the followers of this religion who believes that Jesus is the only begotten son of God (Woodhead 7). Unlike Tibetan Buddhism which believes in karma, Christians believes that a life worth livings is when you adhere to the same way Jesus cared and sacrificed for others. It may incorporate similitude between the two religion because both belief aims to do well towards other people. In Christianity, Buddhahood is achieved when everlasting life is granted to its followers.Unlike Tibetan Buddhism which uses three different texts, Christianity uses The Holy Bible which is divided into two: The Old and The New Testaments (Woodhead). One of the famous symbols of worship in among Christians is the cross. It is being look upon by followers of Christianity as a significant affirmation of all the hardships of Christ (Padgett 18). It leads to the salvation of souls and forgiveness of sins. Christians even come up with the practice of the sign of the cross which affirms the sacredness of the symbol.Another symbol of worship for Christians is the fish which is often seen on tombs during the early times. It contains the Greek word Icththys which claims Christ’s character and professes the worship of believers (Padgett). The use of images and statues of Christ and other saints are also part of the symbols of worship for Christianity. Tibetan Buddhists look upon the Kalachara or the Tenfold powerful logo as their symbol of worship (Dagyab & Thurman 46-55). It can be found everywhere in places where Tibetan Buddhism is present.It comes in various forms and represents the teachings of the religion. It contains representation of letters in Lantsa script discussing about the outer world and the human body (Dagyab & Thurman 46-55). Typically, Tibetan Buddhists uses flags to decorate monasteries, houses and even mountains. They believe that the prayer flags contain mantras that can be spread out by the wind. These flags contain auspicious symbols, special prayers and mantras (Dagyab & Thurman). Wind horse and Prayer wheels are also part of the symbols of worship for Tibetan Buddhists.It is also similar to prayer flags which contain special powers once the wheel is turned (Conze). Apart from Christianity, Buddhist relies too much on symbol rather than working out for their faith. Regardless of the difference of the two religions, what keeps them the same in religiosity is the willingness of their followers to stick to their belief and treasure the worship symbols. The concept of faith is given meaning in their respective ways and makes way for their goal of achieving enlightenment (Buddhists) and salvation (Christians).Works Cited Col eman, Graham, ed. A Handbook of Tibetan Culture. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc, 1993. Conze, Edward. A Short History of Buddhism. Oneworld. 1993 Padgett, Alan G. ; Sally Bruyneel. Introducing Christianity. Maryknoll, N. Y. : Orbis Books, 2003. Rinpoche, Dagyab & Thurman, Robert Buddhist Symbols in Tibetan Culture. USA: Wisdom Publication, 1993. Woodhead, Linda. Christianity: a very short introduction. U. S: Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Margaret Newman

For someone like Margaret Newman, nursing was not only a profession but a more of a calling. She knew, long before she stepped into formal nursing education, that nursing would become her life’s fulfillment. Prior to attaining formal nursing education, she became the primary caregiver to her mother who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.   Dr. Newman took up a degree on nursing at the University of Tennessee, Memphis.In her stay in the University, she was intrigued with the human experience and the complexity of health and illness. This challenged her to greater heights in intellectual capacity and fueled her more to reach for higher levels of education. After attaining a degree in Nursing, she then pursued a graduate level degree and majored in medical-surgical nursing at the University of California, San Francisco. In her studies in California, she was honored with a master’s degree in 1964.  Before she resumed her graduate studies, she jointly serve d as the director of nursing in a clinical research center and also contributed in the academe as the assistant professor of nursing at the University of Tennessee.For the next ten years, Margaret Newman furthered her search for knowledge by pursuing further study in the graduate level and taking a doctorate level at 1971 (Margaret Newman: A Nurse Theorist). She also taught from 1971 to 1977 at New York University.  In 1977, she was appointed as the professor-in-charge of the graduate study for Nursing at Penn State. In addition, she assumed a position as a nurse theorist at the University of Minnesota in 1984. It was only in 1996 that she finally passed the torch and retired from education potential nurses.Dr. Margaret Newman has been honored as an outstanding alumnus by both the University of Tennessee and New York University and in addition, Dr. Newman is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.  For her unrelenting pursuit for furthering the nursing profession, the Disti nguished Scholar in Nursing Award from New York University was bestowed upon her. Moreover, she was awarded the E. Louise Grant Award for Nursing Excellence from the University of Minnesota and the Founders Award for Excellence in Nursing Research from Sigma Theta Tau International.Dr. Newman has been included in Who’s Who in American Women since 1983 and was appointed to Who’s Who in America in 1996. Lastly, the Zeta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International established a scholarship program named aptly for Margaret Newman, the Margaret Newman Scholar award to support doctoral students whose research contributes to Dr. Newman’s theories (Professional biography of Margaret Newman).The Health as Expanding Consciousness (HEC) theory arose from the concern for people facing the debilitation, uncertainty, loss or even loss of life associated with chronic illness, which Nurses relate to.  Moreover, HEC has emerged from a nursing paradigm based on three elements part icularly a unitary or dynamic view, pattern that determines or identifies the wholeness and transformative unfolding as the process of change (Health as Expanding Consciousness).The theory assumes that every person regardless of disorder is part of the universal process of expanding consciousness – a process of becoming more of oneself and of reaching new dimensions of being intertwined with other people.   HEC incorporates disease as pattern of the whole and assumes that health is not separate from disease as compared to existing medical models. Nurses who utilize this kind of practice or mindset experience the how it is to participate in the expanding process enhancing lives and transforming them (Overview of the Theory).During her research, Dr. Newman observed that patients that were confined in hospitals described time as dragging. This was confirmed by extant studies that indicated the degree of physical mobility as well as state of health was related to the perception of time rather than a more focused attention to ones health. There are four concepts, particularly movement, space, time and consciousness that supply an ample framework to view health. However Newman placed more weight and attention on consciousness, describing it as expanded consciousness (Engle, 1983).HEC is based on several existing theories that will be briefly explained the succeeding paragraphs. HEC stems from Rogers’ theory of unitary human beings.  His human pattering assumptions and how they interact with the environment are the essential building blocks to the perspective that consciousness is a manifestation of an evolving pattern of interactions between a person and the environment.Consciousness not only encapsulates cognitive and affective awareness that is normally associated with it but also how the entire living system is interconnected with each other that can include physiochemical maintenance and growth processes as well as the immune system.   Rogerà ¢â‚¬â„¢s assertion that health and illness are related and are simply the manifestations of rhythmic fluctuations in life process is essentially the building block for seeing health and illness as a unitary process  moving through variations in order and disorder.With this in mind, a medical practitioner can no longer see health and illness in the dichotomous manner as prescribed by medical science, moreover health in the absence of disease or health as a continuum from illness to wellness.   Both the evolving pattern of consciousness and Health are the same.In order to effectively utilize this theory, one has to effectively change his/her paradigm in dealing with patients/people. In order to see health as the pattern of the whole, one should understand that disease is not a separate entity but rather it is a manifestation of interactions between the person and the environment. The paradigm shift is moving away from merely treating symptoms but rather searching for patterns and from viewing disease as negative and taking them as a part of the self-organizing process that would lead to a much higher state of consciousness.One of the theories supporting HEC is David Bohm’s theory of reality as undivided wholeness.   Bohm’s theory of reality states that disease is considered a manifestation of a whole of an underlying pattern and should be seen as a separate entity.   HEC is a health and medical perspective that requires a non-pragmatic worldview. Wellness and illness are simply different points in a single stick of reality. Unless seen in a fragmentary point of view, they cannot and should not be separated from the whole.Another supporting theory is that of Both Gregory Bateson (1979) and Arthur Young (1976) that emphasized the job of learning how things work in a nurse-patient atmosphere, determine the new rules of engagement and medical assistance and to move on to a new level of being and understanding in this medical field/profession. I t is the crux of situations in which nursing can assist people in their search for understanding of the evolving pattern of their lives.   The nurse-client relationship facilitates this kind of transformation and discovery.People continually move through periods of consciousness involving the loss of freedom in the development of self-identity until the maximum point of discovery or transformation is reached.   In this case, the things, methods or ideas that had previously been accepted don’t work anymore.  The task now is to learn the new rules, which the patient is enclosed.   There is a realization then of a person’s self-limitation prior to the transformation that makes it possible for one to go beyond in expanding his/her own consciousness.Lastly, Ilya Prigogine’s theory of change is one of the supporting theories in accordance to HEC.  The theory of change asserts that naturally occurring fluctuations of deterministic processes work together with chance events to usher in a bigger fluctuation that can actually thrust the system into another level of organization and functionality. Disorder is resisted by the structure as it places a strain on the existing structure.  The action induced at the fluctuation’s vital point has the potential to drive into several and varying directions, and it is impossible to identify its path.   It is at some point a single direction takes over the system and a new order is established with new rules created and applied upon.This occurring movement through stages of disruption, ambiguity and disorganization is made easier and possible by the presence of a caring other.   Extant research has continued to impress on the importance of a nurse’s role to partake a supportive role and partnership with the patient in order for the process expanding consciousness to unfurl (Newman, M.).By considering dealing with patients using the HEC framework, although there is a considerable pos sibility for nurse-patient affinity, it is more likely that treating patients with HEC the underlying diseases affecting the patients can easily be determined. By identifying a patient’s pattern, we can then identify the pattern of the environment upon which the patient is interconnected because the pattern of the patient reflects the pattern of the environment. This evolving pattern of order and disorder includes patterns that can be identified as health and disease (Exemplars).References:Newman, M. Overview of the Theory. Retrieved February 19, 2007, from http://www.healthasexpandingconsciousness.org/overview/overview.html. Newman, M. Health as Expanding Consciousness. Retrieved February 19, 2007. from http://www.healthasexpandingconsciousness.org/. Professional biography of Margaret Newman. Retrieved February 19, 2007, from Newman, M. Health as Expanding Consciousness (PowerPoint Presentation). University of Minnesota. Newman, M. Exemplars. Retrieved February 20, 2007. Fro m http://www.healthasexpandingconsciousness.org/exemplars/exemplars.html University of Tennessee Health Sciences Library and Biocommunications Center. Margaret Newman: A Nurse Theorist. Retrieved February 20, 2007. From http://library.utmem.edu/exhibits/newman/ Engle, V.F. (1983). Conceptual models of nursing: Analysis and application. Newman's model of health. In: J. Fitzpatrick & A. Whall (Eds.). 263-73.

Synthesis Essay General George S. Patton Jr. - 1866 Words

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