Mcdonalds vs Burger King - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1177 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/09/15 Category Advertising Essay Type Compare and contrast essay Did you like this example? For years, McDonald’s and Burger King (BK) have been the world’s two largest and most successful fast food chains. Both have battled out all these years over their operational differences which form the core of their corporate culture. The â€Å"Doing It All For You† (McDonald’s) vs. â€Å"Having It Your Way† (BK’s) stems from their respective production methods. McDonald’s â€Å"Made to Stock† vs. BK’s â€Å"Made to Order† also originate from the differences in their respective processes. Exhibits 1 and 2 show the Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs) of McDonald’s and BK respectively. Exhibit 3 provides a detailed comparative analysis of the PFDs of these two fast food chains. The main operational difference between McDonald’s and BK is that McDonald’s cooks their hamburgers on grills using a â€Å"batch process† (a batch of upto 12 patties/grill) with human intervention to turn, sear, and pull. BK uses the machine based – Continuous Chain Broiler assembly process (8 burgers/meat chain) for the production of their burgers – similar to an assembly line in a manufacturing process thus, requiring no human intervention. For a â€Å"made to stock† process, it requires burgers in bulk and hence the batch process in McDonald’s. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Mcdonalds vs Burger King" essay for you Create order Whereas, for a â€Å"made to order† process, it requires an assembly chain process where meat patties are placed at one end and after 80 seconds they come out the other end, cooked – one by one. Also, since BK harps on â€Å"make to order† process, it requires a semi-finished inventory – Steam Table in which mated buns and patties sit for 10 minutes and then discarded. In McDonald’s â€Å"continuous process† there is no such inventory and all the buns and patties are mated during the assembly process following the dressing. It should be noted that mating of the buns and patties before the assembly process in BK is a result of BK’s variety of menu. Whoppers and Burgers both are of different sizes and hence the mating before assembly process. McDonald’s menu â€Å"Less product more often† offers standardized burgers. This cost of complexity is a huge cost driver for BK. The â€Å"dressing process† of McDonald’s is standardized with lever based dispensers and portion controlled condiments. In BK, dressing is done by humans using plastic squeezed bottles without pre-measured quantity. This is where McDonald’s is ahead of BK as can be seen from the statements – BK spends 1. 1% of their sales in condiments (wastage). Exhibit 4 provides a comparative analysis of the operating results of both chains. Also, absence of pre-determined quantity of sauces/condiments causes variation and can affect taste and quality. Due to their â€Å"made to order† philosophy, BK uses microwave ovens to produce warm and fresh burgers. The high costs incurred by BK in â€Å"utilities† (2% more than McDonald’s) is a direct result of both a machine based cooking process and use of microwave ovens. Finally, once the burgers are ready – McDonald’s keeps them in â€Å"bin† – a finished goods inventory – a result of their â€Å"made to stock† concept. The burgers sit in the bin for 10 minutes before being discarded which produces waste costs for McDonald’s. As a result, the cost of â€Å"food† for McDonald’s is roughly 1. 5% higher. Paper is also wasted (wrapped sandwiches) due to the food wastage. Statistics show that McDonald’s spends 1 cent/revenue dollar on paper costs – a $15 million dollar systemwide savings for BK. BK manages its inventory efficiently, partly because of its â€Å"made to order† process. During slow periods, BK strictly follows â€Å"made to order† compared to McDonald’s minimum inventory. Also, whereas McDonald maintains a paper inventory at the basement, BK stores its paperware in shelves in the production area. This adds to McDonald’s rent costs (1% higher than BK). Moreover, BK calls for local supplies of milk/buns 3-4 times a week indicating fewer inventories compared to once a week by McDonald’s. The operational difference also reflects on the corporate culture. Batch Process requires that workers maintain a sense of teamwork, especially during busy periods. Speed becomes a key element and it requires the workers to be motivated and willing to help. At BK where the broiler paces the process (one burger comes out at 8/minute), there is not much teamwork required. Hence, McDonald’s gives better motivational and non-salary rewards. McDonald’s also spends around 2. % higher than BK on the salaries of their workers which include incentives. A major similarity between the two corporations is their effort to deskill the process (minimize human intervention). McDonald’s deskill at assembly process (automated dispensers) whereas BK aims at deskilling at the cooking phase by machine based broiler. Both are extremely customer centric which can be gauged from their tag lines – â€Å"Doing it all for you† vs. â€Å"Having it your way†. The other processes – hiring, counter, drive-through, and fry products (fries, etc) are also mostly similar barring few exceptions. At McDonald’s, the counter specialist takes payment after assembling the order. In BK, the counter specialist takes the payment and then starts assembling the order. The information flow is also different. BK counter specialists use microphones to relay the order in the production area (a potential error producing process during busy periods) and register slips to assemble orders. McDonald’s have display monitors to assemble orders. During busy periods, a dedicated individual at bin relays the demand to the grill workers at McDonald’s. At BK, a level indicator at the top of chutes operated by the manager relays the demand requirement to the production area. During peak periods, McDonald’s batch process allows for much greater throughput and faster speed of service. Though both McDonald’s and BK meet the hourly peak demand for Friday noon based on the case facts (Exhibits 5 and 6), there is significant operational difference in their approach to peak demand. McDonald’s philosophy of â€Å"keep more in the bin than make customer wait† is at the heart of its peak demand operations. During busy periods, McDonald’s appoint additional â€Å"backers† or â€Å"expeditors† both in the production area and service area including a dedicated worker at the bin to maintain uninterrupted flow of supply. They also employ â€Å"on the turn† technique to allow for burgers at different stages of cooking. BK prefers to open extra cash registers than using an â€Å"expeditor† in the service area. In the production area, BK workers use microwave time of 12 s to work on other sandwiches. Hence, McDonald’s is systemically better equipped to handle busy periods whereas the assembly process is a huge bottleneck for BK. 60 burgers/hr vs. 200 burgers/hr and a target TAT of 90 s for McDonald’s vs. 3 min door-to-door for BK accounts for at least some of the tremendous difference between the annual sales of both chains at Hillybourne. ($1. 1 million for McDonald’s vs. $700,000 for BK). It is only during off-peak periods when BK comes close in dollar volume and is more efficient because of less waste, paper, and salary expense. Hence, it is safe to say that most of the operational differences at the heart of the two chains stem from their methods of production.

Is Classical Sociology Still Relevant Today Essay

Choose any one concept or argument developed within classical sociology. Critically evaluate the use made of this concept or argument by contemporary sociology in trying to understand a current social issue This essay looks at the argument taken from a classical sociologist called Weber, throughout this essay it explains rationalization and how it has become modernized using Ritzer to explain this by demonstrating his McDonaldization theory. The theory will be clarified by contemporary sociologists by looking at their strengths and weaknesses and how rationalization relates to a current social issue such as globalisation becoming such a problem in today’s society due to a wide population of fast food restaurants causing obesity to rise†¦show more content†¦Max Weber used the bureaucracy to represent how the society changes over time whereas Ritzer sees fast food restaurants as a better way to describe how societies change and become more of a contemporary thought pattern. Ritzer understands McDonaldization as a process in which it is slowly taking over the world, he says it can be summarised by just one small quote â€Å"the principle of fast food restaurants are coming to dominate more and more sectors of the American society as well as the rest of the world† (Ritzer 2008). He states that the past, present and future of McDonalization has appeared from the iron cage to fast food restaurants which shows that rationalisation is still developing, the iron cage is a way to describe it in the past and McDonaldization helps to describe it in today’s society, rationalisation will continue to progress until other contemporary sociologist find different ways to define it. Although McDonaldization offers many advantages as it gives customers quick food at low prices it also has disadvantages just like the bureaucracy they both suffer from irrationality, like fast food restaurants a bureaucracy can be a ‘dehumanising’ place to work and be served by. Many things are developed by technical devises rather than the human hand (Wynyard 1998) McDonaldization is viewed to be one of the reasons behind obesity. This is due to peopleShow MoreRelatedMarxism, Feminism And The Works Of Max Weber1584 Words   |  7 Pagesterms of the stratification of society and the lack of access of workers to the means of production today. We still currently live in a capitalist society but debate continues about whether or not Marx’s ideology is relevant to contemporary society. 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Family free essay sample

When asked what I am most proud of, I automatically think of my family. I have been raised to believe that family is the most important thing in life, and I completely agree that they are. I wear my last name with pride, engraved in the very being I am. I know for a fact, that because I am a Brentano, I am who I am. My family has instilled love, faith, and strength into my character. Together, my family has celebrated triumphs and grieved over tragedies. Seven years ago, my grandfather was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The man we knew walked into the hospital, and was wheeled out a changed man. Some people would think this would separate a family, but it only brought my family closer. I witnessed my grandmother display her strength by staying strong, her love by never leaving his side, and her patience by never doubting God. We will write a custom essay sample on Family or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I can only aspire to become the woman that my grandmother is. I am not only proud of my grandmother during this time, but every member of my family. Each member contributed their own strengths to help us make it through this trial. While we unveiled many strengths, we also opened up about our fears. Our grandfather getting sick was both a tragedy and an eye opener. It helped us realize that the most important people in our lives, were standing beside us the whole time. I suffer from Depression and Anxiety. I have opted to not take medication, to use other coping tools, like therapy, faith and writing to keep me strong. My family is at the core of those tools, they are the rock in my personal storm. I won’t say that every day is easy; everyday is difficult. It takes love and patience from my parents and sisters to get through every day, but it also taught me to be patient with myself, to love myself. As alone as the depression and the anxiety makes me feel, I know that I will never be alone. My family is always there, holding my hand, or pushing me to fight my storm. I know that I can walk through the hallways, and my sister or my cousin will pull me into their arms and lend me their smile. I can drive to my grandparent’s house and come away with a new found sense of pride in the family we are. Like every family, we have had our achievements and our struggles, our good days and our bad days, our little arguments and our moments of laughter. Yet when you ask me what I am most proud of, no matter what we go through or what happens, I know in my heart that my greatest pride in life is my family. And it always will be. Family reminds you that you are not alone, that you are strong, and important. My family has prepared me for the future, and I am very thankful for every thing they are. Family free essay sample The values of family members have direct effect on people’s behaviour and thingking. That is to say, the values of the society rely on people’s family values in a large degree. However, due to the difference of geographical and historical background, religion and belief, different nations have their own family values. A clear and direct contrast between Chinese and American family values can bridge over their communication gap. As a result, people start to acknowledge the existence of the two different family values, gradually get familiar with them, admit them and then finally melt. The paper analyzes family values from the following aspects including filial piety, marriage and family education. Chapter one is the introduction which studies the background of the research on family values including present studies at home and abroad, main contents and objectives of this paper. Chapter two manifests the definitions of family, values, and Chinese and American family values. We will write a custom essay sample on Family or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The paper elaborates different attitudes towards filial piety, marriage and family education in Chapter three.

Strategic Management and Walmart free essay sample

Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, Walmart has grown tremendously, enabling it to become one of the largest companies in the world. With more than 8,416 stores in 15 countries, close to $401 billion in sales and over 2. 1 million employees; it is clear that has been extremely successful at expanding its operations and expansion plans for over 300 new stores in the U. S and approximately 150 international stores in pre-existing markets (Walmart, 2010). Despite this success, Walmart must take into consideration increasing competition. As the domestic market reaches saturation, the main issue facing Walmart is how to sustain its extraordinary growth. To ensure that it maintain its growth at a rate equal to or better that its sales, it will have to implement a strategic plan that address internal and external opportunities and threats. Lastly, I will perform a SWOT analysis of the company’s strengths and weaknesses opportunities and threats. History: Walmart is a general merchandise discount retailer, which was incorporated in 1962. We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Management and Walmart or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Walmart’s history is based on Sam Walton, who changed the way retail business is conducted. Sam Walton first entered retailing when he was a management trainee at J. C. Penny Co. in 1940 in Des Moines, Iowa (Walmart, 2010). After serving in the Army in World War II, Walton acquired a Ben Franklin variety store franchise with his brother James Walton in Newport Arkansas, until they lost the lease to the store in 1950. By 1962, the first Walmart Discount City was opened in Rogers Arkansas. Limited pricing, low gross margins, and high inventory turnover characterized these stores (Walmart, 2010). Walton’s focus in 1976 changed on to the emerging Walmart stores and he came to the realization that successful discount retailing did not just involve getting the best price from suppliers, but also meant passing those savings onto customers. In 1978, the first distribution center was built, followed by the first Wal-Mart Supercenter in 1983 and a Sam’s Club in 1988 (Walmart, 2010). Strategic Planning: A vision statement presents the firm’s strategic intent that focuses their energy and resources of the company on achieving a desirable future. However, in practice, the mission and vision statements are frequently combined into a single statement. When they are separated, the vision statement is often a single sentence, designed to be memorable (Pearce, Robinson, 2009). Walmart does not have an official mission statement on their web page, but they do have a section that is titled about us. Saving people money to help them live better was the goal that Sam Walton envisioned when he opened the doors to the first Walmart more than 40 years ago. Today, this mission is more important than ever to our customers and members around the world. We work hard every day in all our markets to deliver on this promise. We operate with the same level of integrity and respect that Mr. Sam put in place. It is because of these values and culture that Walmart continues to make a difference in the lives of our customers, members and associates. Saving people money to help them live better was the goal that Sam Walton envisioned when he opened the doors to the first Walmart more than 40 years ago. Today, this mission is more important than ever to our customers and members around the world. We work hard every day in all our markets to deliver on this promise. We operate with the same level of integrity and respect that Mr. Sam put in place. It is because of these values and culture that Walmart continues to make a difference in the lives of our customers, members and associates (Walmart, 2010). Walmart has always been about low prices and saving the customer money every since Sam Walton started Walmart. Most companies have mission statements and like Pearce and Robinson (2009) state: â€Å"The company’s mission describes the company’s product, market, and technological areas of emphasis in a way that reflects the values and priorities of strategic decision makers†. Everything you read on their web page is all about low prices and customer satisfaction. A key element in Walmart’s long term objectives instilled by Sam Walton back when he started Walmart and still true to this date with Michael Duke CEO and President of Walmart Inc. Internal Analysis: A scan of the internal and external environment is an important part of the strategic planning process. Environment factors internal to Walmart are classified as strengths (S) or weaknesses (W), and the factors external are classified as opportunities (O) or threats (T), otherwise known as a SWOT analysis (Pearce, Robinson, 2009). The SWOT analysis provides information that is helpful in matching the company’s resources and capabilities to the competitive environment in which it operates. Walmart’s SWOT analysis is below. Strengths: 1. Buying power 2. Reputation for keeping prices low. 3. Wide geographic distribution coverage and effectively use of logistic management techniques. 4. Walmart production skills result in reliable yet affordable Walmart brand products. 5. Combining retail shopping with groceries and a pharmacy and a optometry all in the same store. 6. Wal-Mart has grown substantially over recent years, and has experienced global expansion. . A focused strategy is in place for human resource management and development. â€Å" People are key to Wal-Marts business and it invests time and money in training people, and retaining a developing them†. (Stewart Brown, 2009) 8. Customer service. Under the ten-foot rule, any member of staff within ten feet of a customer must offer them assistance (Walmart, 2010). 9. Its labor relations are exceptional. Workers are not plain employees but associates, eligible for a share of the profits and stock options in the company (Walmart, 2010). Weakness: 1. No formal mission statement 2. Anti-union 3. Weak reputation due to various unethical problems such as unfair benefit retirement, health care, insurance policy, underage labor, illegal immigrants, discrimination, glass ceiling, etc. (Kummer, 2005) 4. Unsatisfied employees due to lower salary (Kummer, 2005). 5. Decline in sales growth, higher turnover rate. (Pearce Robinson, 2010) 6. Reputation for being a â€Å"bully†. For example: putting smaller business out of business and treating supplier with dropping their product if they don’t get what they want.

Euthyphro Concept of Holiness and Piety

Introduction The dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro in front of the King Archon’s court presents two individuals in an argument on how to define and comprehend holiness. The two were to attend court hearings on different cases. During their discussion, they reveal to each other reasons why they are to appear in court.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Euthyphro: Concept of Holiness and Piety specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Burrington (n.d.), Socrates was to attend a court hearing in which Meletus accused him of distracting the attention of young people from believing in the gods that the state religion recognized. Instead, Socrates was propagating the belief in new gods. On the other hand, Euthyphro was at the court to file a case against his father, who, he argued, had caused his family and friends be unkind to him. The father had placed a servant who murdered one of the slaves in isolati on to prevent the sin from spreading around. Later, the servant died even before the messenger could report on what religious steps could be taken against the servant. Euthyphro explained that it was wrong, in line with his accepted beliefs, to protect a manslayer. In addition, he said that his actions would prevent poisoning his father’s associates. According to Socrates, it was a taboo to lodge harmful proceedings against one’s father. However, Euthyphro claimed that family relationships were not important when a man was unjustly murdered (Geach, 1966, p.369). This paper examines the attempts at providing a logically sound and universal definition of piety as they are presented in Plato’s dialogue Euthyphro. Socrates’ aims Socrates wanted to understand the interpretation of the term holiness from other people’s standpoint. This step could help him in defending himself at the court (God, 2009). Socrates wanted to gage whether his action of preachi ng to the youths to accept foreign gods could be viewed as holy or not. He also wanted to know whether his act was appeasing or annoying all the gods, and whether it was right or wrong. The concept of holiness also took major position, as Socrates wanted Euthyphro to evaluate his decision of accusing his father of murder. In the dialogue, Socrates aimed at making Euthyphro back his actions with solid religious premises. According to Socrates, many people have confused religious actions that are wrong or right, as they argue from archaic religious contexts. Remarkably, these two characters were faced with cases, which required deep philosophical explanations and comprehension. The first definition Socrates requested Euthyphro to define what is meant by piety. In his first response, Euthyphro defended his ‘religious’ actions by alluding that even Zeus punished his father the same way.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Socrates refuted this response by saying that even though it can be genuine, the exemplification cannot be part of the definition. Therefore, Euthyphro needs to understand the difference between what he considers religious, and what he considers moral. Further, Socrates adds that he had difficulties in comprehending how misunderstanding arises among the gods. The second definition In the second definition, Euthyphro suggested that pious is what pleases the gods (God, 2009). Socrates finds that this definition is much more logical since it appeals to generalization, rather than one particular example (Koukl, n.d.). He mentions that he needs to find a formulation that could serve as a standard against which people could measure all their acts, and see whether they have acted piously or not. The idea that Socrates presents is a very important one, and it lies at the core of the method that we try to use when governing our society. We need an objective formulation of our laws and regulations to be able to tell with confidence if someone has broken them. However, despite the fact that the definition is logically more valuable, Socrates responded by indicating that what is appealing to one god could be unappealing to another god. Therefore, this definition tells us little about the essence of piousness. The third definition Euthyphro felt frustrated and defined piety as that which pleases all the gods. This definition prompted Socrates to ask Euthyphro the question, â€Å"Is what is pious loved by (all) the gods because it is already pious, or is it pious merely because it is something loved by them?† (Burrington, n.d.). Socrates is aware that if an act is pious just because gods love it, then we know nothing about what piety in itself is. This idea is a bit difficult to grasp, but it might help if it is viewed through examples. For instance, Socrates mentions that there is nothing in the essence of a carried thing that is determined by that particular condition in which it temporally finds itself. Similarly, gods may love an action, but that action is not in its essence pious for that reason, it is rather in a state of being loved and nothing more. One might think that Socrates is chasing unimportant nuances here, but what he is really doing is indicating how precise we have to be in defining our laws and morals if we want to be able to condemn someone of breaking them. The fourth definition In an attempt of providing a better definition, Socrates appeals to logic and the relations between notions. He tries to define the notion of piety as belonging in its entirety to the notion of justice. He and Euthyphro agree that piety belongs to the domain of justice, but this does not mean that every just action is at the same time pious. They locate several types of behaviours that can be regarded as morally right, but do not belong to the domain of piety; for example, caring for other human beings. The next thing that is necessary for a good definition, in Socreates’ view, is to differentiate pious acts from other just or ethical acts. However, he does not seem to be able to find such a characteristic that makes pious acts stand apart (Burrington, 2012, p.3). What I also find necessary when defining piety in such a way is to provide a formulation of justice or moral rightness which is an incredibly difficult task in its own right; however, Socrates and Euthyphro do not try to accomplish that.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Euthyphro: Concept of Holiness and Piety specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Final attempts at definition In the end , Euthyphro makes two more attempts at giving Socrates a satisfactory answer. Firstly, he argues that when acting piously, people look after the gods. Socrates immediately spots that such a definition would imply that in each particular action people contribute to one particular god which makes him stand out from the rest of the gods, which is something that gods forbid. Secondly, Euthyphro also mentions that humans act piously in order to satisfy gods so that they could pray to gods, and expect them to grant their wishes in return (Burrington, 2012, p. 3). Following Kant’s deontology, I would say that if this were true, it would move the notion of piety from the domain of morality to the domain of rationality. This is because if one performs an action in order to profit from it, then it is a merely rational action, which involves no moral value. Kant says that an action counts as moral only if a person performs it because they feel that it is their duty to act in that particular manner (Kant Pluhar 2002). When finally pressed to present overtly what is at the core of piety, Euthyphro again puts forth the idea about piety being intrinsically connected to what gods love, which means that the conversation ends with a version of the third d efinition. Conclusion Socrates’s objective in this dialogue was to show Euthyphro that there are different perspectives of viewing or understanding a concept. In that light, he wanted to understand the religious expert’s argument, and widen his points of argument. This was Socrates’ intention because he assumed the role of a student or learner in the dialogue. From this scenario, Euthyphro was fully  able to give his understanding of piety and morality. In the dialogue, Socrates played a passive role, so he could allow Euthyphro to respond to his questions, and then he offered suggestions to provoke further response from Euthyphro. There is no point at which Euthyphro asked Socrates questions. In my opinion, holiness refers to a state or an act that is morally right in itself and that the gods love. The definition fails to give the level or point at which an act qualifies to be morally right. Who qualifies an act as morally right? Is it not the people? Is what is morally right loved by gods precisely in order to make it morally right? On the other hand, is it morally right because people have accepted it to be so? In most cases morals are defined differently as each person has their own set of standards they govern themselves by. There are individual differences in people’s arguments, cultures, perceptions, and understanding.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Summary In the dialogue Euthyphro, Socrates tries to reach a universal and logically sound definition of piety which could stand as a standard against which people could measure all their actions, and be able to tell with absolute precision whether the action is pious. He does so through his famous dialectical method in which he only asks questions, and together with the interlocutor tries to arrive at truth. He points out that it is wrong to define notions through examples because such definitions are of little use in different situations. Socrates also mentions that a definition needs to be universal, and that claiming that an action is pious just because it is appreciated by one god is not enough to define piety since the same action can be hated by another god. After that, in the second definition, he claims that defining notions through their external states is also wrong since a good definition needs to capture the essence of the thing itself. The idea that one can appeal to t he relationships of superiority and subordination between notions as in the case of saying that piety is subordinate to justice is also presented in the dialogue. In the end, final definition is not reached, but the reader has learned a lot about all the different factors that have to be taken into account when trying to define an abstract concept. References Burrington, D. E. (n.d.). Guides to the Socratic Dialogues: Plato’s Euthyphro. Hartwick College. Retrieved from http://users.hartwick.edu/burringtond/dialogues/euthyphro.html Geach, P. (1966). PLATO’S† EUTHYPHRO†: An Analysis and Commentary. The Monist, 50(3), 369-382. God, F. (2009, April 23). Socrates versus Euthyphro. No Double Standards. Retrieved from http://impartialism.blogspot.com/2009/04/socrates-versus-euthyphro.html Kant, I., Pluhar, W. S. (2002). Critique of practical reason. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co. Koukl, G. (n.d.). Stand to Reason: Euthyphro’s Dilemma. Stand to Reason: Stan d to Reason Homepage. Retrieved from https://www.str.org/ This essay on Euthyphro: Concept of Holiness and Piety was written and submitted by user Lorenzo Gutierrez to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Euthyphro Concept of Holiness and Piety

Geography of the Worlds Sinkholes

Geography of the World's Sinkholes A sinkhole is a natural hole that forms in the Earths surface as a result of the chemical weathering of carbonate rocks like limestone, as well as salt beds or rocks that can be severely weathered as water runs through them. The type of landscape made up of these rocks is known as karst topography and is dominated by sinkholes, internal drainage, and caves. Sinkholes vary in size but can range anywhere from 3.3 to 980 feet (1 to 300 meters) in diameter and depth. They can also form gradually over time or suddenly without warning. Sinkholes can be found all over the world and recently large ones have opened in Guatemala, Florida, and China. Depending on location, sinkholes are sometimes also called sinks, shake holes, swallow holes, swallets, dolines, or cenotes.   Natural Sinkhole Formation The main causes of sinkholes are weathering and erosion. This happens through the gradual dissolve and removal of water absorbing rock like limestone as percolating water from the Earths surface moves through it. As the rock is removed, caves and open spaces develop underground. Once these open spaces become too large to support the weight of the land above them, the surface soil collapses, creating a sinkhole. Typically, naturally occurring sinkholes are most common in limestone rock and salt beds that are easily dissolved by moving water. Sinkholes are also not normally visible from the surface as the processes that cause them are underground but sometimes, however, extremely large sinkholes have been known to have streams or rivers flowing through them.   Human Induced Sinkholes In addition to natural erosion processes on karst landscapes, sinkholes can also be caused by human activities and land-use practices. Groundwater pumping, for example, can weaken the structure of the Earths surface above the aquifer where the water is being pumped and cause a sinkhole to develop.   Humans can also cause sinkholes to develop by changing water drainage patterns through diversion and industrial water storage ponds. In each of these instances, the weight of the Earths surface is changed with the addition of the water. In some cases, the supporting material under the new storage pond, for example, may collapse and create a sinkhole. Broken underground sewer and water pipes have also been known to cause sinkholes when the introduction of free-flowing  water into otherwise dry ground weakens soil stability.   Guatemala Sinkhole An extreme example of a human-induced sinkhole occurred in Guatemala in late May 2010 when a 60 foot (18 meters) wide and 300 foot (100 meters) deep hole opened in Guatemala City. It is believed that the sinkhole was caused after a sewer pipe burst after tropical storm Agatha caused a surge of water to enter the pipe. Once the sewer pipe burst, the free-flowing water carved out an underground cavity that eventually could not support the weight of the surface soil, causing it to collapse and destroy a three-story building. The Guatemala sinkhole was worsened because Guatemala City was built on land made up of hundreds of meters of a volcanic material called pumice. The pumice in the region was easily eroded because it was recently deposited and loose- otherwise known as unconsolidated rock. When the pipe burst the excess water was easily able to erode away the pumice and weaken the structure of the ground. In this case, the sinkhole should actually be known as a piping feature because it was not caused by entirely natural forces. Geography of Sinkholes As previously mentioned, naturally occurring sinkholes mainly form in karst landscapes but they can happen anywhere with a soluble subsurface rock. In the United States, this is mainly in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania but about 35-40% of the land in the U.S. has rock beneath the surface that is easily soluble with water. The Department of Environmental Protection in Florida, for example, has a focus on sinkholes and how to educate its residents on what to do should one open up on their property. Southern Italy has also experienced numerous sinkholes, as has China, Guatemala, and Mexico. In Mexico, sinkholes are known as cenotes and they are mainly found on the Yucatan Peninsula. Over time, some of these have filled with water and look like small lakes while others are large open depressions in the land. It should also be noted that sinkholes do not occur exclusively on land. Underwater sinkholes are common around the world and formed when sea levels were lower under the same processes as those on land. When sea levels rose at the end of the last glaciation, the sinkholes became submerged. The Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize is an example of an underwater sinkhole.   Human Uses of Sinkholes Despite their destructive nature in human-developed areas, people have developed a number of uses for sinkholes. For example, for centuries these depressions have been used as disposal sites for waste. The Maya also used the cenotes on the Yucatan Peninsula as sacrificial sites and storage areas. In addition, tourism and cave diving is popular in many of the worlds largest sinkholes. References Than, Ker. (3 June 2010). Guatemala Sinkhole Created by Humans, Not Nature. National Geographic News. Retrieved from: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/100603-science-guatemala-sinkhole-2010-humans-caused/ United States Geological Survey. (29 March 2010). Sinkholes, from USGS Water Science for Schools. Retrieved from: http://water.usgs.gov/edu/sinkholes.html Wikipedia. (26 July 2010). Sinkhole - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkhole

Engineering hero of your choice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Engineering hero of your choice - Assignment Example The great hero started his engineering career by being an employee with different companies located in California and in these companies he was working the projects of creating life support systems that were based on the lunar module and the development of moon vehicle. After his early career operations, he started working on the Space Shuttle program for the company named Morton Thiokol. Boisjoly is recognized as an engineering hero not only because of his work, but even because of the purpose behind his great findings which could have saved important lives and heavy capital losses. On the date of 28th January, 1986, it was decided that the Space Shuttle Challenger mission was to take place but the mission was contradicted by Boisjoly and his colleagues as the figured out that the mission would foil and result in heavy losses. He later took the matter to the people managing the company Morton Thiokol who even agreed that it would not be correct to continue with the mission and they decided to inform NASA about it. The company informed NASA about their concerns but later added that they were not completely sure that their findings will prove to be true or not and the mission was not aborted (Vaughan, 1990). As soon as the mission started taking place, all the findings of the great hero started proving correct. As soon as the shuttle was started, the O-rings started b urning and this caused the occurrence of black puff as seen on the tapes of the event. Later the shuttle started taking off, at that very moment, Boisjoly believed that he was wrong as the shuttle did not explode, but while the shuttle was in air, it exploded into pieces and proved the hero correct (Dalal, 1989). Although, Boisjoly conducted a courageous act of identifying the fault with the space shuttle and tried to save cost and life, he was looked down upon by