“Penelope” by Dorothy Parker Essay

After embarking on the literary journey that is â€Å"The Odyssey†, I decided to tackle this poem by Dorothy Parker. Although short in length, the poem was deceptively challenging due to the unraveling of symbolism within the words. Embedded within the short sentences were insightful references to seemingly ordinary objects, such as the sea, the sun, and even the breeze. These descriptions also added to the simple beauty of the poem. I also had a chance to see from Penelope’s point of view and what she thought about Odysseus and his travels, something that does not commonly occur in â€Å"The Odyssey†. The poem was filled with references to a journey even from the first few lines. There were many words that immediately made me think about a voyage one may take. For example, â€Å"pathway of the sun† (line 1) and â€Å"footsteps of the breeze† (line 2) made me think as though the sun and breeze were guides for an adventure, leading the way and showing where to go. Odysseus traveled â€Å"where the world and sky [were] one† (line 3). This shows unity between the Greek gods in the heavens and the god of water, Poseidon. The seas were also shown as â€Å"glittering† (line 5) and â€Å"silver† (line 4) displaying the beauty of the sea. I liked how Parker connected the Earth’s natural beauty to the treacherous yet exciting journey taken by Odysseus. It added another level to his trek that related him to the world he was exploring. The next section showed Penelope’s ability to wait patiently for her true love – her husband Odysseus. Penelope is portrayed as a calm yet cunning woman within a few lines. She waits â€Å"at home, and [rocks]† (line 6) in her rocking chair, thus showing her patience. However, Penelope is also very wily as she uses her loom trick to deceive the suitors with an ambition of taking her hand in marriage. She says she will â€Å"snip [her] thread† (line 8), connecting to the loom trick. She is also shown as being more independent as she plans to â€Å"bleach the linen for [her] bed† (line 9), a chore usually done by maids. The last line ends the poem very strongly. Penelope sounds a bit jealous as she states, â€Å"They will call him brave†Ã‚  (line 10). Is she jealous that she has had to do a lot of hard work while he has been gone, yet she receives no praise for it? I believe Parker put this in to show how Penelope just wants to be noticed and applauded for her handiwork. These actions shown by Penelope were extremely detailed and I loved being able to read the poem and visualize every part in my head.

Negative outcomes of French Revolution Essay

Total collapse of the economy, finances, and capital. Hyperinflation devastated the economy, and country had to default on obligations and debt. Improvements happened after Napoleon’s reforms and by widespread confiscation of wealth from Europe (for example by asking Austria to pay for a war reparations). Anarchy and mob violence, counter-revolution, and civil war caused death to hundreds of thousands citizens. Entire regions were depopulated by burn land tactics, and cities like Lyon destroyed. It was the biggest outbreak of violence in Europe between 30Y War and WWI. The extreme measures during the crisis brought a legislation that ended democracy and created first modern totalitarian system under Terror. Constitution was suspended indefinitely, and state implemented widespread judicial murders of its critics and the opponents. Intellectual potential of the state was decimated at the guillotine or by exile.  One point, almost entire French academy was tried for treason in May/June 1794. Revolution was negatively taken by rest of Europe, which was dragged for 25 years into coalition wars with France.

A handful of dates Essay

Children like to copy their favorite character. They imagine  themselves to be like that person when they get big. Like this, a young boy , the  main character of the story, â€Å"A Handful of Dates†, by Tayeb Saleh, imagine  himself to be like his grandfather, when he get big. The story describes the  childhood of a young boy, who does the things children typically do, go to school,  attend religious services, plays outside, and spends time with his favorite family  member, his grandfather. Although the boy loves his grandfather and considers him  as a great man, the boy realizes, through his treatment of his neighbor Masood,  that he is a greedy man, and doesn’t like him anymore.  Early in the story, the boy loves nature. The boy loves to go to the  mosque every morning to learn Quran. He also loves to swim in the river and  play in the field. The boy says, â€Å"The mosque, the river, and the fields – these were  the landmarks in our life†(p-1,para-1).He also says, â€Å"†¦I loved the river  too†(p1,para-2).In other words, the boy love the river as well as his village nature.  The boy was idealistic about his grandfather and wanted to be like him.  His relationship with his grandfather was very close. The boy says, â€Å"I loved to  give rein to my imagination and picture myself a tribe of giants living behind that  wood, a people tall and thin with white beards and sharp noses, like my  grandfather†(p-1,para-2).In his imagination he thinks about his grandfather, and  says, â€Å" when I grew to be a man, tall and slender like him, walking along with great strides†(p-1,para-2).He thinks himself to be like his grandfather when he gets  big. As the story begins, the boy notices his grandfather doesn’t like their  neighbor Masood. In a conversation he asked his grandfather that why he doesn’t  like Masood. His grandfather answered that Masood is lazy person  that’s why he  doesn’t like him. â€Å"He’s an indolent man and I don’t like such people†(p-2,para-5).  Moreover, grandfather also said that Masood married more than one time and  every time he got married, he sold some part of his property. â€Å" Masood, my boy,  was a much married man. Each time he married he sold me a feddan or two†(p-  3,para-14).The boy was thinking and made a calculation that may be Masood  married more than ninety women, and then remembered that he had three wives  and asking himself many questions. At the end of the story the boy realizes that  his grandfather wasn’t that kind of person which he thought.  According to the boy’s grandfather, he will buy all of the Masood’s  property before he dies. Long time ago when the grandfather first came in the  village he didn’t had any property. Now two third of his property’s owner is  grandfather. â€Å"†¦forty years ago all this belonged to Masood, two-thirds  of it is now  mine†(p-2,para-9). â€Å"†¦ I think that before Allah calls me to Him I shall have  bought the remaining third as well†(p-2,para-11).Grandfather also said to the boy  that he will buy Masood’s remaining property before he dies. The boy was  thinking of himself that why his grandfather doing that and felt sorry for Masood. An inner conflict develops when he found his grandfather is greedy,  which he should not be as a Muslim. When the grandfather said he will buy  Masood’s remaining property, the boy was thinking of himself that his grandfather  will do what he said, and felt sorry for Masood. â€Å"I do not know why it was I felt  fear at my grandfather’s words-and pity for our neighbor Masood. How I wished  my grandfather wouldn’t do what he’d said !† (p-2,para-12). The boy learn from the  Quran that people should be sympathetic to weaker section people of the society.  Instead of that, his grandfather wants to buy Masood’s remaining property, which  shows that he not the kind of person he should be as a Muslim.  The boy begins to notice Masood at the harvest, and he feels  sympathy for him.Masood invites the boy and his grandfather to harvest dates. At  the harvest field the boy noticed Masood and thinking what his grandfather said  about him. â€Å"I remembered Masood’s remark to me when he had once seen me  playing with the branch of a young palm tree: Palm tress, my boy, like humans,  experience joy and suffering. And I had felt an inward and unreasoned  embarrassment†(p-3,para-19).The boy remember, once he was playing with the  palm tree Masood told him that palm trees are like human, which means Masood  loves nature.

Landlord & Tenant Law in the UK Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Landlord & Tenant Law in the UK Law - Essay Example Hence Lord Jenkins LJ had to assert that relationship was not decided by the label such as licence but by law, in his decision in Addiscombe Garden Estates v Grabbe.1 Later in 1985 Lord Templeman declared in Street v Mountford 2 that giving of exclusive possession for a period created tenancy. When the expiry date of the lease is passed, it is supposed to continue by operation of law facilitating security of tenure. The landlord in this case has not given any quit notice before expiry of the leases. As per section 24 (a) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, Bertrand, the landlord should therefore give notice under section 25 of the said act to quit and in turn the tenants would give their counter notices asserting their rights of security of tenure as afore said and would apply to County Court for new tenancies. Bertrand can refuse security of tenure only on the following grounds. The above last three namely b, c, and d will apply provided the Bertrand is prepared to suitably compensate the tenants to move out. Unless Bertrand is ready to pay compensation as provided for, he can not successfully oppose tenants' applications in the court claiming security of tenure. ... (d)For the landlord's own self use of the premises either for business or for use as his own residence. The above last three namely b, c, and d will apply provided the Bertrand is prepared to suitably compensate the tenants to move out. Unless Bertrand is ready to pay compensation as provided for, he can not successfully oppose tenants' applications in the court claiming security of tenure. However if the lease agreements have already excluded the provisions of security of tenure, the tenants can not remain in the premises. If compensation rights have also been excluded in the lease agreements, they can not also claim compensation if lease renewal is refused by Bertrand. If the landlord is not opposed to new tenancy, he should send notice in Form 1 prescribed by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, Part 2 (Notices) Regulations 2004. The notice should state that the landlord is ending the existing tenancy and that he is not opposed to the new tenancy. The notice should contain new proposals for the new tenancy which he should offer to discuss with the tenant and also state that if they do not mutually agree to the proposals either of them can approach court of grant of new tenancy and settling the terms of disagreement between them. In case of the tenants wishing to approach the court, the landlord must set a date on the notice for doing so. The date can be extended by mutual agreement between them as set out in sections 29A and 29 B of the Act. In this case, question remains what happens if the land lord has not sent notice before the expiry of the lease. It appears that tenants should be careful enough to apply in the court by the said of expiry date failing which it will be fatal to their security of tenure right. If on the other hand, landlord does not want

Sociology - write an essay about the main theoretical perspectives

Sociology - write an about the main theoretical perspectives. Compare and contrast the explanations offered by the different theoretical perspectives with regard to the family - Essay Example Similarly sociology can be studied from a majority/minority perspective wherein the issues and problems faced by minority communities are given special attention. Ultimately, all these approaches have one thing in common, namely, the identification of pressing social problems and devising of ways to alleviate them. While these conceptual analyses are usually applied to large groups of people such as the inhabitants of cities, counties and states, the family could be considered the fundamental unit of society. Hence a good understanding of these interpersonal human interactions at the level of the family is essential for grasping the broader picture. The rest of this essay will delve further into various prominent theoretical perspectives with regard to the family. â€Å"Simply put, a theory is an explanation of a fact pattern. Social scientists generally do not develop theories to explain individual cases or incidents. Rather, theories are developed to explain how and why certain things happen, particularly when those things happen repeatedly. For example, scientists and therapists realized that a lot of couples who get divorced exhibit certain patterns of destructive conflict. Scientific theories serve a number of useful functions. Perhaps the most basic function of a theory is to explain how and why a phenomenon occurs or operates. A related function of theories is to predict when a phenomenon might or might not happen.† (Segrin, 2005) Hence, from the above definition of a sociological theory one can see its importance in resolving family issues and alleviating interpersonal conflict between family members. An important theory relating to the institution of family is called the Family Systems theory which was derived from the broader General Systems Theory (GST), â€Å"which is a theoretical perspective developed for explaining how elements of a

Introduction of the role of CSR in oil industry , focusing on British Term Paper

Introduction of the role of CSR in oil industry , focusing on British petroleum - Term Paper Example Oil firms generate a lot of controversy through environmental damage, and therefore, CSR is one of the key approaches to managing negative perceptions of oil firms and the oil industry. British petroleum firms have accepted that the public views them with suspicion and scepticism, so the best way to change this is to use CSR. British petroleum firms like Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum PLC have managed to significantly enhance their brand image by sponsoring community programs and actively participating in community benefit activities. According to Frynas (2009:34), the two companies spend a significant share of their profits on improving lives in communities across the world. They have especially been active in academics, providing annual scholarships to bright and needy students who are often hired by the companies later. These are just some of the CSR activities a select few of British petroleum firms engage in. So far, results show that efforts are effective, helping to cultivate trust and good perception of the

Environmental Consultancies And Its Attorneys Firms Essay

Environmental Consultancies And Its Attorneys Firms - Essay Example The Environmental Consultancies and its attorneys firm were formed in 1985 by Ali Al Sulaimani to achieve one goal, for people to live in a healthier, safer, and green environment. Ali Al-Sulaiman was born in 1962 to humble parents. His parents were farmers who lived peacefully in the rural areas of the county. A petrochemical company was built in the area where he lived and hence caused much toxic waste and pollution to the environment. The cause of not handling the toxic waste in a suitable manner, Ali's parents passed away with serious cancer. This incident affected Ali in many ways when he was young. He promised himself to do his level best to ensure that companies such as the one, which was built near their farm never to have a negative effect on the people. The picture below shows Ali Al Sulaimani tossing with President Obama. Environmental Consultancies and its Attorney’s faced many challenges during the past years from lawsuits against companies-due to dumping their to xic wastes materials, including carcinogens to sewage system-to a simple EPA restrictions case. Many industries approach our firm clueless about what EPA means, and how they are supposed to eliminate all their toxic wastes. Having most of our employees graduating from Harvard and Oxford with hazardous and waste management degrees, they are extremely well equipped with solutions and proposals for any industries. As mentioned previously, the roots of the firm were built for people to live in a greener and healthier environment.... For air, a limit is imposed on the exposure of certain air pollutants in all areas. EPA can also ban a certain air pollutant from emission like from chemical plants, mills, and utilities. By limiting the exposure of dangerous air pollutants, EPA helps keep the air clean and livable to all creatures and human beings. EPA takes responsibility for cleaning up land or underground waste that has a threat on the environment. Their well-trained health workers, who carry out frequent inspections and risk assessments, do this. Mostly land is cleaned in industrial areas where as wastes are dumped, and they pose threats to living beings in that vicinity. In order to keep the land free of dangerous chemicals, and provide a healthy diet, pesticides are registered, and tolerance of each pesticide is set for usage. To monitor toxic substances in the environment, EPA conducts tests and gathers relevant data for future analysis other than controlling its exposure. The EPA also regulates waste disposa l and recycling of it. Water is treated for safe and healthy usage and water waste management is also conducted to ensure it remains pollution free. EPA has also set regulations to manage waste or release of hazardous material by accident in emergency conditions. EPA deals with another category termed cross cutting issues. It covers several aspects ranging from environmental justice to climatic change. To make sure the above-mentioned regulations are followed, EPA follows a compliance process. The compliance department assists local bodies by providing tools and training to combat unexpected situations. They also impose penalties to businesses, which fail to comply with the environmental safety regulations. During their audit procedure, they also reduce or eliminate penalties on

Mathematics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mathematics - Essay Example (c) Let us take values u1 = 1 u2 = 2 u3 = 3 u4 = 4 p = q = 1 Putting these values in the MS Office Excel gives the following output. Input Parameters u1 = 1 u2 = 2 u3 = 3 u4 = 4 p = 1 q = 1 Output Values a = 1 b = 1 c = 2 d = 0 The excel file is also attached an if the input values for u1, u2, u3, u4, p and q are changed the solution values a, b, c an d will also get suitably changed. Q1. (d) A set of ‘m’ linear equations in ‘n’ variables is expressed by the following equation in terms of matrix notation: Ax = b Where A is ‘mxn’ matrix of the coefficients of the system x is ‘nx1’ column vector and b is ‘mx1’ column vector If the ‘b’ vector is a zero vector i.e. all the elements of this vector are zero, then the system of equations is called a ‘Homogeneous System’ If the ‘b’ vector is non-zero vector i.e. if even one of the elements is non-zero then the system of equations is termed as ‘Nonhomogenous System’. Q1. (e) A homogeneous system always has a trivial solution i.e. a solution vector with all the elements being zero. However, for a homogeneous system to have a non-trivial solution the Determinant of Matrix A must be equal to zero. i.e. for non – trivial solution of Ax = b (b = 0) Determinant A = 0 Q2. (a) The profile of the boiler shell is made by revolution of a parabola. Let us assume that equation of the parabola is y = a + bx2 Let us place centre of the co-ordinate system at the middle of the shell. Then, at x = 0 y = 2 i.e. 2 = a + b*02; or, a = 2 And at x = 4 y = 1.5 i.e. 1.5 = 2 + b*(42) or, b = - (1/32) Hence equation of the parabola is Y = 2 – (1/32)x2 where, -4 < x < 4 Plot of the parabola is shown below. If this parabolic profile is rotated about x-axis, it will produce the shell of the boiler and that will enclose a volume, which will be the volume of water that can be contained and hence boiled in this boiler. Esse ntially, what is required is to calculate the volume enclosed by this rotation. The volume of such a boiler will be Therefore, V = 85 m3 Hence, 85 m3 water can be boiled in the boiler. Q2. (b) Integration is essentially summation and therefore, it is important to realize as what is it that is integrated or summed up. It is essentially the product of the dependent variable (y) and infinitesimally small increment in the independent variable or ?x which is continuously summed up. If we know from which point to which point this summation is to be done, then we get a definite answer and this integral is known as definite integral. Mathematically it is expressed by indicating the limits or boundaries of integration as shown below. This is a definite integral with integration being carried out between ‘a’ and ‘b’ (a < b) for y, which is a function of x. This definite integral gives many useful parameters like area under curve, area of a curved surface, volume of a container etc. as shown in Q2. (a), where volume of the boiler was calculated using a definite integral. However, many times we many not know the limits of integration, this is where we are not solving any particular physical or engineering problem but just interested in

Project planning and control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project planning and control - Essay Example It is a very key part in stakeholder management. Its goal is to develop cooperation between the stakeholders and the project team. It is needed to clarify the consequences of expected change or to start anew project by the organization (Mitchell, Agle & Wood 2008). In this case of changing room project the stakeholders are: the members of the group, software developers, suppliers, customers and the government. The software that is developed will provide a platform for the supplier to know the exact measurement of the client without returning the clothes that have been ordered. The entrepreneurs who form the group will be able to receive the image from all side and the exact measurement taken. The software will promote the good relation between the firm and the client and the supplier of the clothing. The online marketing done through the application also give the government the opportunity to get revenue and regulate the number of businesses carried out within a specific location within a particular time (Fletcher et al. 2003). In addition, the software developers will also find the readily available market for their product in the market. On the technological advancement, it will add an input in the use of current technology in sales and mark eting. The product quality and the volume of sales to the business will increase greatly. While the positive effects are felt among the stakeholders, it is also associated the negative effects among the stakeholders. The project is very expensive because it requires additional capital to consult and contract the software companies. It requires regular maintenance and qualified and trained personnel which the company might lack in the long run. It might also take too long to be implemented. To the clients it will take them too long to change with the new system. Change is difficult to adopt some client would

Social networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social networking - Essay Example This article starts with the definition of social networking and discusses impact of social networking sites on the personality of individuals. This article discusses that; Some people have ineffective social skills in person and grow dependence on social networking sites to compensate for loneliness ; Conflict at home can result in an addiction to more impersonal interactions on a social network ;Addiction to social networking may be caused by an individual's lack of self esteem ;Because social networking is so common, young people may simply copy their peers' behavior. Discussion is concluded with findings about the issues. Social networking is defined as follows ; ( Web -What Is Social Networking?  ) â€Å"Social networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups, like small rural communities or a neighborhood subdivision, if you will. Although social networking is possible in person, especially in the workplace, universities, and high schools, it is most popular on line. This is because unlike most high schools, colleges, or workplaces, the internet is filled with millions of individuals who are  looking to meet other people, to gather and share first-hand information  and experiences about cooking, golfing,  gardening,  Ã‚  developing friendships  or  professional alliances, finding employment, business-to-business  marketing and even groups sharing information about the end of the Mayan calendar and the Great Shift to arrive December 21-2012. The topics and interests are as varied and rich as the story of our world. When it comes to online social networking, websites are commonly used. These websites are known as social sites. Social networking websites function like an online community of internet users. Depending on the website in question, many of these online community members share common interests in hobbies, religion, or politics. Once you are granted access to a social networking website you can begin to socialize. This socialization may include reading the profile pages of other members and possibly even contacting them.† Some people have ineffective social skills in person and grow dependent on social networking sites to compensate for loneliness. It has been generally observed that in effective social skills may persist in off line and online communication. (Web-Newsweek ) â€Å"There are more than 300 million people in the United States, and sometimes it seems like all are friends on Facebook. However, the sad truth is that Americans are lonelier than ever. Social isolation in all adults has been linked to a raft of physical and mental ailments, including sleep disorders, high blood pressure, and an increased risk of depression and suicide Studies have shown that loneliness can cause stress levels to rise and can weaken the immune system. Lonely people also tend to have less healthy lifestyles, drinking more alcohol, eating more fattening food, and exercising less than those who are not lonely. Some of the most profound loneliness can happen when other people are present. People tend to measure themselves against others, feeling particularly alone in communities where social connection is the norm. That is why collectivist cultures, like those in Southern Europe, have higher levels of loneliness than individualist cultures. For the same reason, isolated individuals feel most acutely alone on holidays like Christmas Eve or

Analytic Commentary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analytic Commentary - Essay Example This play shows his creativity as he remembers rules of road crossing as taught by his mother. But throughout the conversation, his focus on cat rescue remains his major objective. Theoretical background To a large extent, verbal communication especially pretence play and other forms of expression encompass a similar beginning (Loizou 2005). Although they constitute modes of communication, resultant meanings could be diverse but comprise of important aspects of important communication. The above case is an example of understanding language development in children undergoing the pre-operational stage. In Piaget’s cognitive development theory, early education that entails the use of the use of appropriate vocabulary to create sense constitutes a series of word plays which begin with nonsensical initiations. As evident from the play, some words Adrian uses in the play appear to be newly learnt and thus he struggles to create meaning with them. These words then form a foundation o f basic vocabulary that constitutes his ability to use appropriate words to create interpersonal communication skills. Since language is pivotal in a child’s communication, unique language behaviour from parents has varied influences on their children’s verbal skills (Brown, Donelan & Dunn 2009). Among them are variations in pronunciation. As evident from the play, Adrian struggles to get the word ‘ambu- lance’ right since his verbal communication skills are still youthful and dependent on parental influence. Accompanying such tonal variations include pitch variations. As Adrian struggles to get some words right, his pitch also changes staggeringly in attempts to get the right pronunciation. These, according to Piaget’s cognitive development theory, are normal occurrences in children at Adrian’s age. As the game progresses, Adrian’s cognitive skills can be seen as concrete. At his age, according to Piaget’s cognitive theory, chi ldren at the ages of four to five exhibit strong memories, mental clarities and use complex language to supplement their narratives (Terzi 2010). Throughout the play, Adrian does not falter to show drifting away from the play. He keeps within it and completes his mission as commenced. Although he involves many characters within it, he never loses track of his mission. This is an indication that children have adopted clear mental abilities and their cognitive abilities are able to store memories for a sustained period of time (Brown, Donelan & Dunn 2009). Parental role in supporting children is thinking. Uses of varying situations within pretence plays make the languages applied highly dynamic (Clough & Corbett 2000). Adrian’s parents use different situations which includes their demand to know where he is heading to, what is along the way and what else he can see as questioned in numbers, 4,7,10 and 12 which make language highly dynamic. Maintaining the same language for chil dren in Adrian’s age creates complexities for them. In order to create a lasting play and sustain the child’s interest in the play, the parent should involve lively language. Adrian in this case is given the same approach when his parents keep changing his language through choice of events and thus choice of words. The play becomes livelier from engagement of questions in the play all along while he keeps driving his parents and his cat to the hospital. The ability to improvement language communication in children especially as

Cost Reduction Techniques Essay Example for Free

Cost Reduction Techniques Essay Forms Management in Today’s Modern Business a) The basis of forms management b) Future of forms management c) Creating a forms program d) Organizing a forms program e) Steps to establish a program f) Implementing and maintaining the program g) Reports to management Techniques to Reduce the Cost of Paperwork Cycle Time a) What the history shows! b) Analyzing your paperwork costs c) Establishing your operational flow d) Formulation of the BPI application e) Forms to use in a BPI review f) Checklist procedures II. III. IV. V. VI. MRP in Purchasing and Inventory Management a) What a systemized plan confers b) Making plans complimentary c) Symptoms problems of MRP d) MRP conversions e) Knowing the cost of inventory f) How to control inventory investment; 1) VMI applications 2) Baby â€Å"k† savings g) How best to dispose of obsolete materials VII. Productivity Improvement and Cost Controls a) Organizing for productivity improvements b) Performance measurements and improvements c) Expected payoff and benefits d) Applying Activity Based Costing to a process VIII. Quality Assurance as a Cost Reduction Application a) What quality control really is b) Establishing a quality policy c) Analyzing specific process costs d) Quality cost components e) Types of quality methods to apply; 1) standards methods 2) process charts 3) SPC applications 4) 6~Sigma control IX. Product Engineering Production Techniques a) Value Analysis b) Value Engineering c) Computerized techniques d) JIT Models e) Applying JIT techniques f) Product Engineering g) Re-manufacturing Cost Reduction Methods in Maintenance a) Preventive maintenance X. b) c) d) e) f) g) h) XI. More maintenance tips and applications Energy reduction Cases of energy reduction savings Purchasing machinery Getting your moneys worth Reliability vs. total cost Other machine cost reduction ideas Cost Estimating and Control to Reduce Expenditures a) Cost per direct labor b) Analyzing manufacturing costs c) Breakeven analysis d) Impact of parts shortages on labor costs e) Network analysis f) PERT/CPM applications g) PERT/CPM calculations h) Cost reduction ratios XII. Cost Reduction Strategies in Marketing a) Using the computer for market analysis b) Segmentation analysis c) Balancing cost reduction with customer satisfaction d) How to apply the 80/20 rule for reducing efficiencies XII. Miscellaneous Cost Reductions a) Conducting a better business plan b) Cash management services c) Improving plant layout and design d) Vehicle economy e) Office efficient applications f) Pay for knowledge g) Successful EDI/EFT applications and savings h) How to choose a consultant i) Reducing travel costs j) Money savings in your mailroom k) Recycling paper XIV. Summary of the Session

Urban Regeneration Environment

Urban Regeneration Environment TO WHAT EXTENT HAS CULTURE-LED REGENERATION AFFECTED THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT Abstract To what extent has Culture-Led Regeneration affected the built environment within the UK? Use examples to put this into a wider context. Since the 1940s the phrase ‘Urban Regeneration has been increasingly used in conjunction with the action of redeveloping land which had, in years prior, been areas of moderate to high density urban land use. The study of this process and the way in which it came about has also increased as the successes of Urban Regeneration throughout the United Kingdom and indeed internationally, continue to prove economically, socially and politically advantageous to any number of parties involved in the development of gentrification over the last 70 years. In addition to looking at how regeneration has affected the built environment, the idea that it has been ‘culture-led poses further aspects and issues but however, less scrutiny has been given to the idea of regeneration being ‘culture-led, this is a continuously growing area which deserves more analysis due to the economic success it has given investors and key stakeholders. It has also worked towards preserving some of Britains architectural heritage for the future, giving certain areas that would otherwise have been in a state of disrepair a new lease of life and additional social benefits. By paying attention to the way in which regeneration has developed during the 20th century to becoming culture-led it will be possible to give an in-depth view of the effects on the existing urban fabric of the United Kingdom, particularly over the last 25 years. There are a number of ways in which cultural regeneration takes place, from local governments wanting to increase investment in the area to them gaining status through cultural events such as the Olympic and Commonwealth games, the World Cup to the European Capital of Culture and prominent buildings such as Stadiums and tourist attractions. All of which will be discussed and then highlighted through case studies including the Albert Docks in Liverpool, the Capital of Culture for 2008 and Salford Quays, Manchester which was involved in the Commonwealth Games 2002. On a wider scale, regeneration has played an important role in the history and demographics of cities around the world including Beijing and Melbourne, commonly cited UK examples include Salford Quays in Manchester and Albert Docks in Liverpool; other UK examples include, Canary Wharf in London and Cardiff in Wales. For the purposes of this study, UK examples will be used to directly answer the question posed, which will then be put in to context through briefly analysing the city of Bilbao and Barcelona in, Spain. Regeneration or gentrification can be a contentious topic due to the variety of complex issues surrounding this topic. This often includes, premium prices charged for the new developments. To the nature of change and impact on the local communities that may have fallen in to decline. The existing infrastructure and community that is impacted on by the process of regeneration can take time to evolve and ultimately impact upon the initiatives proposed, as well as the effects on the local community, the power of which should not be underestimated. In order to balance the argument for regeneration it will be necessary to substantiate these different viewpoints and provide a fair consideration from all stakeholders who would be involved and affected by developments. The impact on the environment caused by regeneration can vary depending on the amount of refurbishing and the variety of materials used in the regeneration programme. The extent to which these are recycled and reused to reduce the amount of waste and energy varies with each development. This field of expertise is large and far-reaching and will be discussed briefly in chapter 4 using case studies to highlight the various aspects. The study will also address physical as well as the environmental impacts of regeneration with past and current projects aiming to improve urban areas, with the aid of culture to deliver change. The environment aspect in particular is becoming increasingly important as the countrys social conscience continues to increase into the future. The paper will then draw together conclusions using arguments both in favour of and also against urban regeneration. It will also draw on why cultural regeneration is initiated and why these areas are finding the effects of cultural regeneration successful. The paper will also touch on areas that may have failed or where areas are finding the task of regenerating the physical but also the social and political aspects challenging. It will also be possible to discuss and argue the extent to which culture-led regeneration has moved away from the initial aims of improving an areas social and economic problems to also encompass the physical and environmental aspects of improving an area. This multi-faceted approach has continued to provide many obstacles for experts within the area but these are challenges that, if overcome, will ensure the longevity and economic well being of the project in question for a long time to come. The degree to which urban regeneration has affected the built environment in the UK is likely to be extensive due to well known case studies and examples, as well as visual evidence being clear in day to day life and also being reported in the media, however extracting the elements of gentrification to date and stating to what level they have been purely culture-led will prove more complicated due to difficulties in finding material that points to an area of culture as being the sole catalyst for the regeneration to begin. The essay proposes to demonstrate why cultural regeneration is successful Chapter 1 History History of regeneration Industrial revolution Early 20th century (1940s) Last 25 years (definition culture led detail) Castleford, Canary Wharf QUOTE The United Kingdom has a long history that has become synonymous with the manufacturing industry, dating back to the British Empire when the UK imported and exported many products from countries around the world. During the earliest phase of the Industrial Revolution the Bridgewater Canal was built in 1761, this halved the price of coal in Manchester due to decreased transport costs and ease of access. This triggered a period of canal building activity between 1760 and 1850, the canals provided the infrastructure by which trade could occur more easily and cheaply and it is along these waterways that many cities were developed, including Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham and London. Many industrial facilities were strategically located close to rivers, canals and estuaries, most notably Manchester and Liverpool being situated just 35 miles apart and joined by the Manchester Ship Canal, the North West became a fundamental destination for cotton and textiles and manufacturing as well as Liverpool becoming a central dock for trade due its global connections. The Industrial Revolution also witnessed a large growth in population, in 1695 the population of Britain was estimated to be 5.5million, by the early part of 1801, just over 100 years later, this had grown to 9.3million and 40 years later again, almost doubled to 15.9million people in 1841. These figures represent a 60% increase in just 40 years. (www.historylearningsite.co.uk) In the North West, Manchester alone experienced a dramatic six-fold increase in its population during this time. The development of cities during this period clearly meant that workers moved to these areas seeking jobs, stability and prosperity. By 1900, 80% of Britains population lived in urban areas, whilst the number of workers employed in the agricultural sector fell from eleven percent to just two percent. (www.statistics.gov.uk). There were various reasons for this to occur, but the main ones being the advances in technology and the closure of many farming and agricultural companies, hence reducing the number of those employed in this sector. This sudden surge in the migration of people from rural to urban areas, initially for jobs in the factories or mills, obviously meant that housing was required in these ‘super-cities, and it was needed quickly. The ever increasingly rich owners of the businesses saw the need to provide cheap housing for their workers, and so the now-famous back to back terraced housing associated with British industrial inner cities were born. The back-to-back terrace was the most popular addition to the city due to it being cheap and easy to construct, as well as durable and serving the purpose that it was required for. However, much of this housing was constructed without proper planning, adequate facilities or infrastructure for clean running water and waste disposal. Areas throughout the United Kingdom fell into a state of squalor and disrepair; serious efforts were made to reverse the ‘slum conditions resulting from the housing crisis over the next 100 years. During 1909, a Town Planning Act was formed, this act was to, ‘forbid the building of any more back-to-back houses, this highlighted the need for builders and designs to meet certain standards. During the First World War the slogan, ‘Homes fit for heroes (Crisp 1998) which accompanied the revised Town Planning Act in 1919. This Act focused on implementing improvements to inner city slums on general housing conditions, in order to create space for new housing many of the workers were persuaded to move out to the suburbs which were ‘greener and ‘cleaner this coincided with the decline of the industrial revolution and again agriculture levels increased. Once many of the inner city areas had been abandoned, a prompt decision was taken to destroy many of the workers houses due to the overcrowded and poor conditions of them. During the post war-era employment in the city grew more slowly than in towns and rural areas, employment began to decrease in the 1960s and the decline spread to almost all cities in the 1970s. As the worlds first industrial economy virtually collapsed within a ten year period between 1970 and 1980, 55% of jobs were lost in cities during the recession. (Turok Edge) The former industrial cities of Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester were left lifeless and devoid of jobs, whilst towns and rural areas saw a steady increase in the number of opportunities. The inner cities were left with polluted by-products from the factories whilst the movement of jobs and people to the country was actively encouraged with the aim of reducing over-crowding, in order to clean up the cities and plan orderly settlements for the future. This led to further social and economic problems such as crime and relative poverty as many areas sank in to depression. During the 1980s, Manchester and Liverpool along with the other industrial areas of Birmingham and Newcastle had lost their influential status, mills, warehouses and docks which had made the cities so successful lay abandoned and increasingly vandalised, whilst the river and canal networks lay polluted. The beginning of the ‘Information Age during the 1990s saw a sharp transition from primary manufacturing industries to a knowledge based, service industry. This was seen as an important driver for change, despite the ability for new industries and businesses to locate in rural areas, through the use of the digital medium of the Internet. However, financial services and the retail industry have increasingly relocated business to city centres once again, creating flagship stores that drew service sector workers back into the city centre in turn creating the need for additional services in the city. The end of the 20th century saw the start of a renaissance in the development of new and improved venues for cultural activity, from arts and media centres, theatres, museums and galleries, to less formal roles such as public art works and urban designs in the public domain. Many towns and cities were seen to be re-investing in the rich cultural heritage of the past, and complementing this with contemporary art projects and exhibitions. It was during this time that work within the creative industries was recognised as bringing a viable way of sustaining a business enterprise around the arts and crafts, later joined by digital media based work. Chapter 2 Culture-Led Models Major events 3 models e.g. Olympic games (London , Commonwealth, Capital of Culture, World Cup, Stadiums International context/differences Bilbao (Capital of Culture), Barcelona (Olympics) It has not only been traditional and historic cultural capitals or world cities, that have looked to install this new form of cultural energy into their urban centres, those seeking to transform their image, established industrial cities as in the case of Bilbao and Glasgow. These cities are undergoing re-imaging, through new and upgraded cultural facilities to try and appeal as cosmopolitan destinations for the first time. Towns and cities such as these, will undoubtedly be greatly affected through culture, not only on the built environment, but also in their social and economic development. The role culture can play in attempting to regenerate an area can be expressed through three different models of regeneration; cited in a report by the Department of Culture, Media and Sports, on the contribution of culture within regeneration in the United Kingdom. The three models include; Culture-led Regeneration Culture Regeneration Culture Regeneration The models which have been identified show where cultural activity can be incorporated, or incorporates itself into a regeneration process. The different models developed include defining culture-led regeneration, cultural regeneration as well as culture and regeneration. Although sounding similar, the models represent and explain three varied approaches to regeneration. Culture-led Regeneration often involves the use of physical and environmental improvements and more often results in the creation of new cultural facilities. This can be through the construction of new buildings, or the reuse of existing structures, examples of which might include Peckham Library, the TATE modern in Southwark, or the Sage music centre and BALTIC centre for contemporary art in Gateshead. Due to the nature of these highly visible projects, both in the public domain and through marketing and advertising, there can be a misinterpretation that some cultural facilities are solely responsible for the regeneration of an area, when in fact they may be a less significant element in a wider, longer term programme. (Evans 2005). This can be identified particularly where â€Å"flagship† projects are concerned. Bilbao is one example where the external image of the city has been dominated by a single building; the Guggenheim. In this case, far less attention has been given to the preparation of infrastructure, such as improvements to roads and metro systems as well as the improvements to housing, with new residential developments, with the redevelopment of existing cultural facilities that may also have contributed to the regeneration of the city. Castleford, in West Yorkshire, has a population of around 38,000. The restructuring of the mining industry in 1997 meant that the number of employees had fallen to under six hundred. The closure of the mines, and other redundancies has led to unusually high levels of unemployment, poor health and low education achievements. The residents are unusually committed to improving the quality life, The Castleford Project is a programme of improvements supported by a collaboration between Wakefield, key regeneration agencies and the community; to improve the town centre, health care, bring safety within the neighbourhoods and local communities and give opportunities to the younger demographic.. The successful approach to the Castleford project shows that culture-led can support regeneration of the former West Yorkshire mining town. Just a few years prior many felt that towns on the outskirts of Yorkshire such as Castleford were in terminal decline following pit and factory closures that put thousands out of work. A strong community spirit led the changes in the area which saw the development of a visionary 25 year urban renaissance programme, this large scale project covered Castleford and four other local towns. The Castleford project has been unique in the sense that it was designed to empower local people to improve their area and develop their own vision and identity for the future. It involved a partnership between the council, the local community, and Channel 4 television which invested one hundred thousand pounds, as well as regional and national organisations; as a result local people have a sense of pride and care over their community. The initial catalyst for the regeneration of Castleford was the development of the Xscape leisure and shopping complex, this boasts the largest indoor ski slope in Europe, it is said to attract more visitors than anywhere else in Yorkshire, which has also led to the creation of many jobs, more than previously available when the pit was in existence. Considerable investment is being put into the area with one single firm staking  £55m. There is good quality house building, a new hotel, supermarket and plans for a heritage centre. By being rooted in the community and having the local peoples full support this regeneration programme has proved a success, if a project such as this is not deeply rooted in the community then it is not guaranteed to be successful or sustainable. Barcelona is a true example of Cultural Regeneration, where a Cultural City, was a successful host of the Olympic Games in 1992. Barcelona took the initiative with the early approach to urban design and culture planning. The design of creative quarters which span between the old city and the Olympic village site, this often meant refurbishing and reviving derelict industrial areas. This form of Urbanism in Barcelona has been characterised by the forming of cultural and public squares linked by avenues and promenades that promote the form of culture. A major feature of Barcelonas regeneration programme involved the expansion of the city centre to encompass the former industrial areas situated on the citys periphery. This allowed the redevelopment and expansion of the commercial sector along the waterfront. In 1999 the RIBA presented its Royal Gold Medal to Barcelona, the first time a city has received the award. It was given the award for its dramatic and successful transformation whi ch is now widely accepted as a model for cultural regeneration on an international scale. Barcelona proved itself through the successful bid and hosting of the 1992 Olympic Games; other examples of this cultural regeneration model include the European Capital of Culture programmes (ECOC), the international Expositions (EXPO) along with the annual celebrations such as the Edinburgh festival. Host cities have used these international events to increase their cultural profile and in turn these events to help initiate a long term regeneration programme. Glasgow became the first city to become European Capital of Culture in 1990 having had more than three years to plan for the event. This award was seen as an important opportunity as a catalyst for urban regeneration through the form of culture; Glasgows legacy as the first city with ECOC status 16 years ago has sustained this development; similar effects to Barcelona which has been recognised as a success internationally. Seville (EXPO 92), Lisbon (ECOC 94 EXPO 98) and Rotterdam (ECOC 01) are cases where large-scale regeneration programmes have been combined with these cultural events. Liverpool has been nominated as ECOC in 2008 and has chosen to build up to this event by hosting themed years. Liverpool was a major participant in the national celebrations of Sea Britain, with special relevance to 2005, The Year of the Sea. Hosting the start and finish of the 2005-06 2007-08 Round the World Clipper Race. 2008 the year of the Capital of Culture will see Liverpool hosting major events highlighting different aspects of the citys unique culture including The Tall Ships Race which has a significant connection with the cities maritime heritage. One event can have wider and far lasting cultural benefits, whilst attracting further investment and increased visitor numbers. Liverpool suffered a vast industrial decline leaving large areas of Brownfield sites derelict which caused economic and social problems. The ECOC will be a vital aid in reshaping and reforming Liverpool to revive the city back to its former successful status, with the regeneration of its famous waterfront known as the Albert Docks. In the third model, Culture and Regeneration, cultural activities are not fully integrated at either the development or planning stages. This is primarily due to the responsibilities for cultural provision and regeneration being often handled separately, within different departments. This means that any provisions for leisure or culture are likely to be small and implemented after any physical regeneration has taken place, as normally the primary focus was to develop housing and commercial space, the main and sure-fire reasons for bringing money in to an area. This model suggests that in terms of physical and environmental regeneration, the visible signs of any cultural activity or improvements may be small, but this does not mean that cultural activity is absent. This indicates that the cultural element has not been used to promote the regeneration programme. This type of regeneration has distinct connections with community groups, local groups and councils which may not exist in la rger flagship programmes, These three models Culture-led Regeneration, Cultural Regeneration and Culture Regeneration, highlight the different scale of regeneration projects and the level of cultural activities which can differ greatly, from whole â€Å"cultural cities† to redeveloped waterfronts, to community orientated public art programmes. The nature of the culture element in each model may vary, it is clear that culture can contribute to the regeneration programmes whilst also interacting with the physical, social and economic aspects that help to revive areas. The physical and environmental improvements, delivered within a cultural context are the visible signs of progression that ultimately promote the success and image of the city. Chapter 3- Case Studies Case Study 1 Salford Quays Case Study 2 Albert Docks Case Studies Albert Docks The Albert Docks is situated on the waters of the Mersey. The former docks comprises from five blocks of five storey warehouses, which provided 1.25 million square foot of storage space, surrounding by a quadrangle of water. Traditionally, the port had relied on privately owned warehousing in the town to store cargo from the dock. Since the decline in the city between 1970 to 1980, Liverpool has experienced more urban regeneration than virtually any other city in the UK. Since 1971 the city had to respond to a reduction in its population of about a quarter and a loss of more than half of its manufacturing industry. Over this period Liverpool has experimented in a variety in Urban regeneration schemes. The first government response to the emerging â€Å"inner city problem† came in 1968 with the launch of the Urban Programme small amounts of short term funding to support local community development projects in the inner city. Liverpool was amongst the first to benefit from 50 schemes supported by the programme including nursery, class, sports and community facilities. In 1969 the Home Office established a series of Community Development Projects (CDPs) including the Vauxhall CDP in addition to supporting a number of local projects, community education programmes, community centres etc. Researchers on the project concluded that the areas problems had structural roots and resulted from external economic change and restructuring (Topping and Smith 1977) In 1979, the new government established Urban Development Cooperation (including the Merseyside Development Corporation) central government agencies with the power and resources to reclaim large amounts of urban dereliction and to return them to beneficial economic use. Other areas of derelict land developers were offered more relaxed planning permissions and tax breaks. Through the 1980s British regeneration policy put a lot of emphasis on supporting local economic development by increasing the supply of land and buildings in inner cities. The first response of the government was to introduce City Challenge; a programme that allowed local authorities to lead local partnerships in bidding for central government money to support local regeneration projects, Liverpool was one of the first successful cities receiving 37.5million in the first round of bidding. By the 1980s Liverpools central area was in decline, few people lived in the City Centre, office and Commercial employment was falling and shopping centres were losing trade. The start of the programme to transform the waterfront commenced in 1986 the project saw the conversion of the existing warehouses into a complex of retail, restaurants, cafe, and a series of office units and business headquarters. Also there are a number of unique visitor attractions;- Tate Liverpool, the Beatles Story, Merseyside Maritime Museum, the International Slavery Museum, Liverpool Ghost Tours, and The Yellow Duckmarine. This development includes a number of luxury apartment, hotels and a state of the art conference / exhibition centre. The importance of the Albert docks to Liverpool is vast as it continues to attract visitors and has helped to re brand Liverpool from a declining and poor city. This in turn has led to the millions of pounds of investment reshaping the heart of the city centre with the development of Paradise Street. In the new millennium there are new challenges for planning and regeneration schemes in response to changes in social trends (cultural and political) with an increase in environmental issues, economic changes and associated with globalisation and the drive for developments to be more sustainable. However Liverpool has recognised the value of culture to aid in transforming a failing city, with the help of this development it will ignite many other opportunities for the city. Case Study Salford Quays Located in the former Docks area of Manchester and Salford, recently labelled as Salford Quays, The Lowry Centre is widely recognised as being key in the regeneration of Salford, Manchester and adding to the improvement of the North West as a region. As a national landmark in the Millennium Project for â€Å"The Arts† this comprises of galleries, theatres, bars, shops and restaurants. The Lowry Centre opened in April 2000 and has since been credited, along with its associated projects, with the creation of 6,500 jobs in the local economy. It is predicted that 11,000 new jobs will arise as a result of the regeneration of the Quays as a whole [Goodey 2000]. These associated cultural projects include The Designer Outlet shopping centre, the Imperial War Museum North (IWMN) and the latest development of the Mediacity:uk which will house the BBC; it also includes other leisure orientated facilities such as a multi screen cinema complex and a water sports centre. Although a culture-led scheme, the Lowry project was conceived as the final part of the regeneration of Salford Quays, a process that began in the mid 1980s, following the purchase of the Docks from the Manchester Ship Canal Company by Salford City Council in 1983. A development plan was prepared, which sought to â€Å"create a new quarter of the city which has a unique character derived from the way in which all parts of the development are related to water; and where people would be encouraged to work, live and play in a high quality environment† [Salford City Council, 1985]. However, despite the great potential that existed in the development of the waterfront, the site was not ideally located in terms of attracting residents, businesses or visitors; â€Å"The Docks were three kilometres from the city centre, enclosed by walls and filled with polluted water† [Struthers 2003]. At that time there was very little infrastructure existing prior to the plan. The adjacent Trafford Park Industrial Estate, was littered with derelict warehouses that had little access to the road network and no public transport provisions. Consequently, a reclamation programme was directed at three vital aspects of the site; water, roads and services, in addition to public access and landscaping. Following concerns that the site may be developed purely for housing and offices, a development strategy review was prepared and published in 1988 and set the context for future proposals with an emphasis on a mixture of uses and their relationship to the water, providing opportunities for leisure and culture based activities [Salford City Council, 1988]. This reflected the idea that both physical and environmental improvements had to be made in order to fully exploit the potential of Salford Quays. It took five years to close the main water basin which allowed the water itself to be treated and cleaned whilst the surrounding areas were cleared ready for the private sector development that was to follow. The access roads were developed to link the Quays internally, this initially meant the improvement of bridges, paths and walkways. There were also connections made to the major road networks into Manchester and beyond. This was all carried out in conjunction with landscaping the area and installing lighting and street furniture before any major building work could be carried out. The success of the Lowry Centre was entirely dependent on the infrastructure that was laid before it, in order to carry the number of visitors, workers and residents that would be required for it to be a success. The presence of the Lowry itself was a main drawing point for the Imperial War Museum which is now located directly opposite and is linked by the Lowry pedestrian bridge. The Imperial War Museum, a major tourist attraction in its own right was opened in 2002 and was designed by renowned architect, Daniel Libeskind, the imposing design aimed to depict the â€Å"world as a globe, shattered by war and mans self-destruction† [Libeskind, 2001]. Along with Old Trafford, the Imperial War Museum and the Lowry signify the cultural landmarks known as The Quays. The decision to extend Manchesters tram link to the Quays from Manchester City Centre as well as Bury in the north and Altrincham in the south of the city meant that the Quays was now open to a greater number of visitors, commuters and also residents. Chapter 4- Regeneration Sustainable regeneration Environmental effects of regeneration Physical regeneration Arguments against Regeneration social and environmental (rich people/poor areas and the infrastructure) Environmental / Physical effects The appearance and environment of towns and cities are clear representations of their history as well as indicators of their present ability to provide a quality of life to residents and business owners or workers. The built environment has always performed a wide range of functions, the main theme being initially shelter, social enablers and also trade. All of this f

Can Sri Lanka Apparel Industry Face Future Challenges?

Can Sri Lanka Apparel Industry Face Future Challenges? 1. Sri Lanka has traditionally been an agro-based economy from the ancient time. With the Industrial Revolution taking root in Europe and later spreading to the rest of the world, Sri Lanka too had to take its place in this scenario. Factory scale production of ready made garments in Sri Lanka had its beginnings in the early 1950s to become the largest industry in the Sri Lankan economy. During the pre-liberalization era (pre-1977), the domestic textile industry was essentially an import substitution industry confined to a few large-scale textile industries run by the government. The textile industry did not make much progress during this period. The garment industry has its origins in the mid- 1960s, but unlike the textile industry, the former was mainly run by the private sector. Initially, almost all of the garments produced were for the domestic market and there were hardly any exports during this period. A large share of the industry was in the hands of few companies. Since the importation of textiles was either banned or restricted, locally produced textiles mainly fed the garment industry. GARMENTS: All external and internal finished common clothing items such as shirts, T shirts, pants, dresses, sports clothing, fashion garments, under garments etc. APPAREL : finished clothing that can be considered as supporting clothing or accessories such as jackets, lingerie, leather clothing, knitted garments, shoes, hats, gloves, fashion accessories etc. 2. The period after the late 1970s saw a rapid expansion of the garment industry in Sri Lanka. The phenomenal growth during this period can be attributed to three major factors: a. The first is the market-oriented liberal economic policies introduced in 1977, which placed greater emphasis on the export-led industries. b. The second is the supportive measures taken by the government through the Board of Investment, such as duty free importation of industrial inputs, off-shore borrowing facilities, tax holidays or concessional taxation, etc. These measures together with the availability of labour- intensive industries such as garments. c. The next important factor which contributed to the Sri Lankan apparel industry is the Multi Fibre arrangement ( MFA ). AIM 4. The aim of this research is to discuss about the apparel industry in Sri Lanka and analyse the future challenges. CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: 1. The apparel sector had grown tremendously after introducing the open economy. Now it has become the leading export industry replacing the traditional tea and rubber. It is the most significant and dynamic contributor of Sri Lankan economy. 2. The major drawback in the Sri Lankan apparel industry is that it has not upgraded with latest technologies and modern consumer demands to compete with the other countries, mostly the South East Asian countries. National economy will definitely be affected if the country fails to address the drawbacks in the industry. 3. The aim of my research is to identify the weaknesses in the apparel sector and to suggest favourable and appropriate solutions to secure the industry. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 4. It is hypothesized that the reason for not upgrading with the latest technology and consumer demands is lack of capital, incompatible demands and high competition.    SCOPE OF THE STUDY 5. The scope of the study covers an assessment of the ready made garment industry in Sri Lanka taking three well known factories in to consideration. Factors that had been an impact to the industry will be identified through the research and the root causes of the problem will be then be identified. Recommendations will be made for the improvement. METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION 6. The required data for the research will be drawn from the following sources; a. Primary sources Primary sources will include information collected by interviewing resource personnel in the garment sector. b. Secondary sources Information will be gathered from relevant books, journals, the internet, treaties, conventions as well as international and local enactments of relevance. CHAPTER THREE OVERVIEW OF THE APPAREL INDUSTRY HISTORY   1. The textile and clothing industry had emerged from a modest beginning in the early 1950s A few pioneering industrialists who started out on an uncertain course at this time , confident their manufacture to only some popular items of garments and catered essentially to local demand. By the end of the 1950s there was a reversal in policies and the economy moved towards restrictions on imports and a policy of import substitution in industry began to be perused. While the major basic industries were reserved for the state; a wide range of consumer goods industries were opened to the private sector , which was provide with various investment incentives and a protected market. Over the decade of the 1960s as many as 300 categories of industrial products began to be manufactured locally. Among this range of products a major item was textiles and another ready made garments, though from the outset raw materials required for the garments industry were imported. 2. It was in the late1960s that Sri Lankas ready made garments began to break into export markets. Sri Lankas shirts had found acceptability in markets such as the UK and Soviet Union and a leading shirt manufacture began exporting up to Rs:2 million worth of product annually to the USSR, within the bilateral trade agreement between Sri Lanka and the USSR. 3. Around 1972 there was a change in outlook towards the industry as existing policy was altered to allow certain sectors to adapt an export oriented approach. Special foreign exchange allocations and other fiscal and tax incentives were offered to selected export oriented industries under this package. In the first six years of the 1970s over 2500 industrial units received approval from the Local Industries Approve Committee (LIAC) and of these nearly 2000 were in the product group of Textiles and Textile based industries. By the mid 1970s wage/ pries inflation and imposition of trade quotas on exports of traditional Asian Suppliers of made-up garments such as Hong Kong , Taiwan, South ,Korea and Singapore made Sri Lanka more attractive location for the industry. New units began to be established in collaboration with foreign capital/marketing, while production was being upgraded through import. 4. The period after the late 1970s saw a rapid expansion of the clothing industry in Sri Lanka. The impressive growth witnessed during this period can be attributed to two major factors. The first is the market-oriented liberal economic policies introduced in 1977. The market friendly economic reforms, which identified the private sector as the engine of growth, places greater emphasis on the export-led industries. 5. The second important factor which contributes to the remarkable expansion of the Sri Lanka textile and clothing industry is the Multi Fibre Arrangement ( MFA ). Sri Lanka is one of the countries that benefited from the quota hopping investments. The overseas manufactures of garment who relocated their production facilities in Sri Lanka include firms from both and Newly Industrialize Countries ( NICs) in East Asian and Europe. While the NIC firms moved their operations mainly as a means of quota hopping the motivation for producers of countries such as Germany and the UK to move into Sri Lanka was the rising production costs in their home countries. Given the ability to separate to different stages of the clothing industry, these overseas producers were able to disintegrate their production lines into low-cost countries like Sri Lanka without much difficulty. Investments by these two categories of foreign manufacturers fuelled the growth of the Sri Lankan clothing industry to a lar ge extent. In fact, the factories set up as joint ventures and wholly owned foreign companies account for almost half of the total exports earning from garments. MULTI FIBRE ARRANGEMENT 6. The Multi Fibre Arrangement (MFA) is a system of quotas designed to protect garment industries in first world countries by slowing down the pace of globalization. The MFA does not apply to the expanding garment trade between rich countries. 7. The MFA has had a complex but crucial impact on the development of the garment industry. In the Third World, by imposing limits on poor country exports, it encouraged investors to shop around for new countries. This because of the increase in volumes of ready made garment entering developed countries caused concern and eventually led the developed countries to seek the occurrence of The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ( GATT) to protect their markets. The reason for this concern was due to the fact that the industrialised countries never caused to be textile and garment manufactures because the industry employed a large number of women specially minorities and immigrants in the USA and Europe. GATT,s solution to the dilemma of the industrialised nations was the Multi Fibre Arrangements (MFA) which imposed quota restrictions on certain garment categories, there by limiting the quantity of apparels that could be exported to the developed countries by any single developing cou ntry. This curtailed the potential of countries like Hong Kong, South Korea, Mexico and Yugoslavia which were advanced textile manufactures. In turn it allowed countries like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to enter the industry with guaranteed markets. It was first introduced in 1974 and will end in 2005. As a result there was a world wide boom in the textile and apparel export industry in the mid 1980s. 200 GARMENT FACTORIES PROGRAMME (200 GFP)   8. In view of the infrastructure facilities and close proximity to the port and airport facilities etc. most textile and clothing manufacturers concentrated their operations in or around the Western province, where the countrys capital is located. As a result, unemployment one for the major problem faced by Sri Lanka continued to remain high in the other parts of the island. Growing unemployment resulted in youth unrest in most of the rural areas. Thus, in 1990,a Cabinet Sub-Committee recommended that garment factories should be opened in provincial areas other than the Western Province. Consequently, the 200 garment factories programme (200 GFP) was launched with the idea of opening at least one garment factory in each of the 200 Assistant Government Agent (AGA) divisions. The main incentive which encouraged the private sector to take part in this programme was quotas. For this purpose, the remote areas of the country were classified into three categories, namely non-difficult, difficult and most difficult. Quotas were allocated on the basis of the location for the industry. The more isolated and difficult the area, the higher was the quota allocated. While about 40 percent of the areas were identified as difficult, just over 40 percent fell within the most difficult category. The rest, just fewer than 20 percent, were classified as non difficult. In addition to quotas, the factories setup under the 200 GFP were also offered various other incentives such as tax holidays or lower corporate taxes, duty-free importation machinery and raw materials, loans from foreign currency banking units, etc. as the main thrust behind the 200 GFP was the high unemployment in the rural sector, each factory was intended to employ at least 500 workers. By the end of 1996, there were 154 factories in commercial operation under this programme, providing 76,821 employment opportunities.   CHAPTER FOUR THE ROLE OF TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY IN THE SRI LANKAN ECONOMY 1. The common features of developing countries are high rates of population growth, high rates of unemployment, low savings, insufficient capital formation, low investment, high capital output ratio, rudimentary technology and cheap skilled and unskilled labour. These countries are also mainly exporters of primary agriculture products. Further being too small to achieve economies of scale in their domestic markets, these countries have adopted export led growth policies which are designed to generate foreign exchange and expose the productive factors of the country to the stimulus of competitive influence. 2. The textile garment industry there for became the initial response of developing countries to this call for export led growth. Being a labour intensive industry requiring a small capital base. Production of textile and apparel shifted to developing countries in the 1960s. It provided employment for a large number of persons earned foreign exchange allowed for diversification of the export industry and paved the way for industrialization. Some countries attracted foreign investors by opening up free trade zones. Many critics called it textile led growth. 3. At the time Sri Lanka began to pursue liberal economic policies in 1977, the textile and clothing industry played only a minor role in the countrys economy. In the light of the broad based economic liberalisation and the benign impact of the MFA, the industry since then has recorded a remarkable growth and assumed a key role in the economy. While garments accounted for the largest share of all commodity exports (27 per cent) in 1986, it became the largest foreign exchange earner (US$ 0.4 billion) by 1992, by 1995; garments export exceeded US$ 1.5 billion, nearly half of all commodity exports. 4. Of the 21 percent contribution made by the manufacturing industries to the countrys economy in 1996, 40 per cent was from the textile and clothing sector. The growth of the garment industry was particularly rapid in 1992 and 1993 due to the attempts taken by the government under the 200 GFP decentralise the industry away from the Western Province. Although the textile and clothing sector registered a slow growth of 5.1 per cent against 14.8 per cent in 1995, it still accounted for 33.7 per cent of the growth witnessed in the private sector industrial output. (The slow growth in 1996 was primarily because of the continued power cuts due to prolong drought). According to the Ministry of industrial Development, there has been a total of 859 garment factories at the end of 2001 while the number of textile manufacturing firms stood over 140, with less than 10 companies accounting for most of the output. The largest garment factories (in terms of employment) were located within the free -trade-zones (FTZs) run by the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOISL) the authority responsible for the promotion of foreign direct investment. 5. Today the textile and clothing sector has replaced the tea industry the traditional front line export industry as the leading foreign exchange earner. Specially, the growth of garment export has been highly impressive. For instance during the period 1980 to 1990 the value of apparel export increased from US $ 100 million to US $ 620 million. In terms of quantity, the exports grew from 52 million pieces to 212 million pieces during the same decade. Exports of garments, which were only 10 percent Sri Lankas total export in 1980, reached nearly half in 1993, registering in average annual increase of 30 percent. In 1996 the textile and clothing sector accounted for 46 percent of the countrys total export earning. Its share among the industrial exports reached as high as 63 percent. The highest growth, (21 percent) was in the woven fabric categories. 6. The textile and clothing sector has also been an outstanding source in generating employment opportunities. Being a highly labour intensive industry, this sector has been successful in absorbing a fairly large number of workers. By end of 2001, garment sector provided direct employment to approximately 391682 personal. The garment sector as whole represented about 14 percent of the 5.5 million of the countrys total employed work force. Approximately 40 percent of which was engaged in the textile and clothing sector. Of the total work force employed in the textile and clothing industry, more than 60 percent was with the clothing sector. CHAPTER FIVE PRESENT POSITION OF THE SRI LANKA APPAREL INDUSTRY MAJOR MARKETS OF SRI LANKA 1. Since more than 90 percent of exports from the Sri Lankas textile and clothing industries consist of ready made clothing, the focus here is on clothing. Sri Lanka currently maintains bilateral textile agreements in the context of the MFA with Canada, the EU and the USA. More than 90 percent of Sri Lankas exports of clothing are accounted by only two markets, the EU and the USA. The USA continues to account for about 60 percent of total clothing exports from Sri Lanka. About 90 percent of exports (by value) to the USA consist of quota items. The bilateral agreement between the US and Sri Lanka contains more than 30 quota categories, covering over 50 clothing items. While the quota performance against the US market is generally high, utilisation rate of certain quota categories such as knitted shirts and blouses, trousers, underwear, coveralls, and overall, terry and other pile towels etc. has reached almost 100 per cent during the recent years  [1]  . 2. The EU has been absorbing about 35 percent of Sri Lankas total exports of clothing every year. The largest buyer of Sri Lankan garments within the EU is the UK (about 45%) which is followed by Germany (about 20%), the Netherlands (about 9%), France (about 5.5%), Belgium- Luxembourg (about 5% ) and the rest Sri Lankas exports to the EU has been subject to quotas under four categories namely, trousers, blouses, shirts and jackets. The utilisation rate of quotas of the first three categories (most sensitive ones) during 1996 was 84 percent, 100 percent and 73 percent respectively, while the rate of the fourth category was nearly 30 percent. Canada continues to account for about 1.5 percent of Sri Lankas total exports of garments. While Sri Lankas bilateral textile agreement with Canada contains about 15 product categories under quotas. THE ABOLITION OF QUOTA SYSTEM 3. Sri Lankas apparel industry is now a major contributor to the countrys economy after its modest beginnings in the seventies. It represents 54% of our total exports and 71% of Sri Lankas total industrial exports. The garment exports make a direct contribution of 7% to the overall economy. The rapid growth of this industry could be attributed to the followings: a. A stable market because of the quota system. b. Low labour cost. c. Liberal economic and trade policies. d. Tax benefits and the concessions granted to the industry. 4. From its inception the quota system was a boom to Sri Lankas apparel industry. The availability of a stable market eliminated the danger of competition from established industrialists in the international field, and attracted direct foreign investment and helped Sri Lanka prosper in this industry. 5. Although the abolition of quota system in 2005 had a negative impact on the industry it also opened up an expanded free market. As such the future of the garment industry in Sri Lanka will depend on our ability to face competition. One third (1/3) of the total exports from Sri Lanka are done by 25 large scale manufacturers. These organizations are in a position to restructure and sustain themselves in a competitive market according to surveys. But the survival of the other small and medium scale industries is at stake, making the situation critical because these small and medium scale manufacturers are the biggest employers in the apparel industry  [2]  . SWOT FOR THE APPAREL INDUSTRY 8. Strengths.   The product quality level for the current market segments is considered high Reputation as a country which follows labour laws and good working conditions. The product price ranks second with large customers confirming that price quality relation of Sri Lanka is good On time delivery is the third best strength with effort towards reducing lead-times. Availability of skilled labour, educated and trainable work force and management of production capacity and ability to handle high volume orders are also considered strengths the Sri Lankan industry presently possesses. Apart from those the geographical size of the country facilitates easy movement with in the country serves a further advantage  [3]  . 9. Weaknesses. The weaknesses in the Sri Lankan industry can be listed down as follows; a. Lack of marketing skills with over dependence on buying officers, and allocation of quotas. b. Low level of marketing information, and knowledge about export marketing with hardly any marketing activities. c. Lack of fabric base and over dependence on input suppliers with long lead times d. Lack of a strong work ethic along with high absenteeism and labour turn over. e. Warm climatic condition of the country which reduces productivity f. Increasing cost of labour and availability of employment in other industries and foreign employment opportunities 10. Opportunities. To overcome the loss of orders due to the expiry of Multi Fibre Arrangement after year 2005, the position in the traditional export markets in the USA and UK by should be strengthened by establishing a strong relationship with distributors and buyers and developing an expansion strategy for the markets with good potential. Thereafter the opportunity exists to gain a higher market share by implementing an aggressive marketing strategy in the markets, where Sri Lanka has a weak positioning. Further there is a very good opportunity to capture a bigger market share in the EU: As at present Sri Lanka is not with in first 15 exporters to the EU. 11. Further opportunities exists in capturing the South Asian Market especially the High Price garments with designer wear and Intimate garments, a market where Sri Lankan Manufactures are now experts in producing and marketing. The available free trade agreements should be exploited in trade between India and Pakistan to export finished garments and to import fabric and accessories. It is also important to establish and identity for of Sri Lanka as a destination, which manufactures very high quality garments   12. Threats. The threats to the present Garment Industry are as follows; a. An intensification of the competition, especially from the sub Asian member countries, before and after the phasing out of the MFA. b. Improvement of the former socialist economies, who have a good textile industry and a large domestic Market which are highly potential and geared to meet the quality and delivery requirements especially from EU. c. The arrival of new competitors in the Asian sub continent such as Vietnam, Cambodia , Myanmar and Laos. d. Special advantages created for the USA market by the NAFTA, consolidation and other regional economic cooperation e. The increase in Sri Lankas labour costs at a faster pace than productivity f. The necessity to reduce lead time from the manufactures to the shop, and the distant suppliers inability to deliver the value added garments on time g. Successive government has not addressed the issue of low productivity, and even at this stage a government funded garment manufacturing and production management training institute has not been established and this posses a threat to the industrys future h. Geographical location of the country. Sri Lanka is located at the furthest end of the Indian Ocean, when compared with other competitive garment exporting countries, which export to the USA, EU and other wealthy nations. Almost all the countries, which are geographically located close to Sri Lanka are under developed and, low income countries struggling to survive. CHALLENGES FACED BY THE SRI LANKAN APPAREL INDUSTRY 13. In the recent past, the global garment industry has been subject to significant changes in terms of changes in consumer demands, changes in technology, and fierce competition. These changes have also filtered down to the Sri Lankan garment industry and there is now considerable pressure on the industry to each higher standard of production and service. 14. As the garment industry is a relatively low skilled and labour intensive operation, over time there has been a shifting of production from countries such as Hong Kong. South Korea and Taiwan to low wage countries such as Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. As this process of shifting (or shifting comparative advantage) has continued, Sri Lanka has gradually lost its low labour cost comparative advantage. 15. As the majority of Sri Lankan manufactures currently produce standard garments where competition is primarily based on price, Sri Lanka faces stiff competition from other developing countries of South and South East Asia where production cost is low (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam). China has also emerged as a dominant force in the global apparel industry with its massive supply capability and low costs of production. These countries have a lower ranking in terms of cost of production in comparison to Sri Lanka. Given this situation, there may be a need for Sri Lanka to move some of its exports to the top end of the market as a reputable and dependable supplier of quality apparel in Asia. In the higher value clothing segment, countries such a Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan are serious competitors  [4]  . 16. While Sri Lanka s global market share has been recorded at 1.5 percent, more recent estimates indicate that there has been a marginal increase, and stands at 2 percent of the global garment market. During the period 1995 to 2000, Sri Lanka maintained a 19 percent export earning growth in the garment industry. If there is a lifting of the US tariff barriers for Sri Lankas apparels, then according to some commentators there would be a significant increase of exports. As mentioned earlier, although over 90 percent of Sri Lankas garment exports are destined for the USA and the EU, Sri Lanka does not rank amongst the top exporting nations to the EU. Sri Lanka ranked 20th and 16th place among suppliers of apparel products to the EU and the USA market, respectively, in 1998. The positive feature is that the Sri Lankan garment manufacturers, in general, have built up a good rapport and sound reputation the world over. It is a great advantage when compared to her competing neighbours. 17. Buyers now have a range of sources from which to choose, and countries such as Mexico (supplying to the USA) and Turkey (supplying to the EU) have the added advantages of being in close proximity to their major markets, lower transport cost and shorter turn-around times. Moreover, Mexico and free of quota restrictions access to their major markets. 18. One factor contributing to this reduced level of price competitiveness is the increasing cost of labour in Sri Lanka compared to other garment producing nations. Labour costs have been steadily increasing and currently constitute between 15-30 percent of total production costs in the average Sri Lankan garment manufacturing firm, highlighted the hourly wage rates of a number of garment manufacturing nations and indicated that Sri Lankas competitors currently have relatively lower wage cost structures. For those competitors who gave higher wage cost structures (and higher global market shares), their strengths lie particularly in their high levels of productivity. HOW SHOULD WE FACE THE COMPETITION? 18. The researcher recommends the following changes to preserve the garment industry in Sri Lanka. Developing Skills Of Labour Force The skill level on high speed machines have been found to be in sufficient. This resulted in low efficiency levels and low Needle Down Time. Which are two important performance measurements in the garment industry. Intensive training to upgrade skill level, parallel to technological advancement is important to gain a competitive advantage in the garment industry. b. Establishment of a Government Administered Garment industry related training institute. It is recommended to the government, at least at this stage to focus on this issue, and establish a dedicated training institute for all levels of employees in the apparel industry, as the future of thee industry and employment of 350000 personnel will purely depend on countries competitiveness on productivity and cost of labour. e. Increasing Needle Down Time (1) Use of Modern Machinery Needle down time could be increased through training and use of modern advanced machinery. Introduction of modern machines as under bed trimmers and computerised machines will speed up the sewing process and assist the operator to use other advanced facilities of the machines. (2) Reduction of secondary activities Needle Down Time (NDT)could be further increased by following General Sewing Data Standards, which indicates the ideal movements by machine operators to reduced idle time and speed up the sawing process. f. Backward Integration. Due to lack of modernisation and technological advancement in the textile manufacturing sector the garment industry has to depend for its requirement on imported fabric. Therefore to be competitive backward integration is necessary, but it requires high capital expenditure- is around US $ 25-30 million. In Sri Lankan terms this is a huge investment. Therefore it is prudent for Sri Lankan to concentrate from processing stage onwards and import grey fabric from abroad. Given proximity to Asian producers fabric can be soured with minimal lead time. Joint ventures, strategic alliances, etc. will be ideal if can be so arranged. g. Export Alliance. A group of small / medium sized companies with not so unique products and only limited funds available for export market development can form an export alliance. This group of entrepreneurs exporting can exploit the market much more professionally than an individual. In addition they can benefit by sharing the very heavy marketing expenses and the orders received from buyers. h. Product Quality. As the cost of fabric constitutes a major share in the unit cost of garments, a great deal of attention has to be paid for quality controls at the fabric level. An integrated approach in quality assurance in the process from fabric to garments can be a powerful tool in using quality as a differentiation strategy for competitive advantage. i. Management of Lead Time. Lead-time taken by Sri Lankan exporters around 60-120 days is a

Overpopulation :: Human Population

During the first 2 million or so years of its history the human population was a minor element in the world ecosystem, with at most 10 million members. In the New Stone Age, less than 10,000 years ago, the number of humans began to increase more rapidly. The rough equilibrium maintained before Neolithic times gave way when the human population developed agriculture and animal husbandry and no longer had to spread out in search of game. With the abandonment of a hunting-gathering way of life and the rise of permanent settlements and eventually cities, the human population underwent dramatic growth. By the beginning of the Christian era it had reached 250 million, and by 1650, half a billion. Growth of population during 20th century was very rapid. In 1994 the total world population was estimated at about 5. 6 billion people. It increased nearly by 4 billions of people during past 100 years. The most significant world trend is that death rates are currently falling in poor and rich countries alike, while birthrates remain high in most poor countries and low in most rich ones. Exceptions are the generally higher death rates of Africa and the high birthrates of the rich oil-producing countries. The most populous countries, in descending order, are China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, and Russia. The U.S. population totaled about 260. 8 million in 1994. In the 1990s about 4. 1 million children were born annually in the United States, and more than 2. 1 million persons died yearly. The greater number of births is due in part to a fertility rate that has increased by nearly 20 percent since the mid-1980s. International immigration, both legal and illegal, is another major element in U.S. population growth. Legal immigration has recently amounted to about 1 million per year; illegal immigration is thought to be several hundred thousand. In China, the world's most populous country, the 1994 population was estimated at nearly 1. 2 billion, more than double the 1953 census population of 584 million in mainland China. China's annual increase has been estimated at 1. 1 percent annually. India's population of more than 911. 6 million people (1994 est.) is increasing faster than that of China, and if present trends continue, it will soon catch up with or surpass China. Since the disintegration of the USSR, Indonesia and Brazil are now the fourth and fifth most populous countries, with 1994 estimated populations of 199.

Nelson Poynter :: essays research papers

Nelson Paul Poynter was the owner of the St. Petersburg Times, in Florida, which for years has enjoyed the reputation as one of the best newspapers in the United States. Poynter was born in 1903 in Sullivan, Ind., where his father owned several newspapers. In 1912, his father, Paul, bought the St. Petersburg Times and turned it into a family business. As a young man, Poynter began gaining experience in the newspaper business. He worked as a reporter, editor, advertising salesman and ad director at different newspapers. In 1947, when Poynter bought controlling interest in the newspaper, the Times began its rise toward excellence. He based his enterprises on "standards of ownership," defining ownership as a "sacred trust and a great privilege" in which the owner had responsibilities to the community. For Nelson Poynter, the standards meant honesty, integrity, aggressive service and financial independence. It also meant high standards for staff and management to carry out those principles. Poynter led his staff in a statewide campaign against lynching and government mismanagement, and in favor of racial integration and the development of St. Petersburg and other Counties into something more than the sleepy retirement community it for old people. His pro-development crusades included such projects as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. After his death at 74, the newspaper advocated the construction of what is now known as Tropicana Field. Poynter also was competitive in business. In 1971, his newspaper's circulation campaign and booming growth in Pinellas County combined to surpass rival Tampa Tribune in circulation, a lead that remains today. Poynter's campaigns resulted in the newspaper's first Pulitzer Prize in 1964 for public service. The paper won five more Pulitzers, National reporting in 1980,