Thursday, December 26, 2019

Steve Jobs, An American Engineer And Entrepreneur - 853 Words

Steve Jobs Steve Jobs, an American engineer and entrepreneur, co-founder and executive director of Apple Company, was born on February 24, 1955 in the town of Mountain View, California. He spent his childhood and youth in the family of the adoptive parents Paul and Clara Jobs. His biological parents – a Syrian immigrant Abdulfattah Jandali and an American student Joanne Carole Schieble – let to adopt the newborn baby. The main condition for adoption was the promise of the adoptive parents to provide the child with the higher education. After graduating from high school in 1972, Steve Jobs became the student of the Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Captivated by the philosophy of Zen and Buddhism, Steve Jobs applied the principles of these teachings to all the spheres of this private and professional life. He dismissed the college after the first semester of studying and decided to attend the calligraphy courses. It gave him an idea to equip the operation system for the Macintosh computer with the scalable fonts. Then Steve took a job at Atari. His duty was to develop different computer games. Some years later Steve Jobs helped to establish the sales of the computers, which were developed by his friend Steve Wozniak. In 1976, Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak became the founders of Apple Company. Steve Jobs persuaded Stephen Wozniak to refine the new scheme of the microcomputer, and thus gave rise to the emergence of the market of personal computers. The debut model of theirShow MoreRelatedSteve Jobs : The World Wide Web1533 Words   |  7 Pagesis the name of its founder, Steve Jobs. It all started in the garage of the Jobs family in 1976, on April Fools Day with Steve Wozniak (Walter).  Jobs  was an inventor and entrepreneur, as well as a marketer. He was the chairman and CEO of  Apple until his death in 2011. However, there was a brief period where Jobs was banished from his own company in 1985, after he had a power struggle with the board of directors at Apple. At that point, even though he had lost it all, Jobs kept moving forward and createdRead MoreInfluence Of Immigrants On American Society1269 Words   |  6 Pages Influence of Immigrants on American Society Immigration is what has made America what it is today. In fact, there would be no America without immigration; because everyone in the country is an immigrant or their four fathers settled down in United States over the period of time. The United States experienced wave of immigration in the first part of the 19th century and from the 1880s to 1920, where many immigrants came to America seeking greater economic opportunityRead MoreSteve Jobs Influencial Career976 Words   |  4 PagesStay Hungry, Stay Foolish    Steven Paul Jobs, known and recognized as an American entrepreneur and inventor. His influential career was branded in the computer and consumer electronics fields. And possibly subsequently known for transforming one industry after another, from computers and smartphones to music and movies? (Unknown ) Jobs was born on February 24, 1955 in San Francisco, California. Jobss birth parents met at the University of Wisconsin, his biological father, Abdulfattah JohnRead MoreThe Great Salesman Steve Jobs Essay1393 Words   |  6 PagesThe Great Salesman Steve Jobs Rachel L. Kaczkowski Mississippi College Author’s Note Rachel L. Kaczkowski. Department of Business, Mississippi College. Correspondence concerning this biography should be addressed to Rachel Kaczkowski at Rkaczkowski@mc.edu. Abstract This biography explores the life of Steve Jobs. It goes into detail about the beginning of his life and what led him to be the man that changed the technological world. The main topic of this biography is to show the timelineRead MoreJobs, Fascinated With Technological And Entrepreneurial World2202 Words   |  9 PagesJobs, Fascinated with the Technological and Entrepreneurial World: Most children during their childhood would be fascinated by playing with toy cars and action figures. For Steve Jobs, growing up in Los Altos, California, his curiosity was captured by the world of electronics that filled his neighbors’ garages. In an interview with Steve Jobs, he recollects the time his father introduced him to Heathkits, kits that allowed you to build your own electronic product. In the interview Steve Jobs commentsRead MoreComputer Science vs Computer Engineering1748 Words   |  7 Pagesdisciplines, the basic physical sciences and mathematics. Computer engineers are involved in many hardware and software aspects of computing, from the design of individual microprocessors, personal computers, and supercomputers, to circuit design. This field of engineering not only focuses on how computer systems themselves work, but also how they integrate into the larger picture. In order to own a CEN degree or to become a computer engineer, a student would have to take the following courses: IntroductionRead MoreManagement Principles - Apple2509 Words   |  11 Pagesdevelop peoples in certain project, a department, and an organization (Drucker). Apple Incorporation is the company selection for this report to deliberate the managerial roles of a manager. Apple Incorporation is an American multinational corporation that launched by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs in year 1976. This company engages in design, manufacture, and markets the commercial servers, personal computers and variety of related software, peripherals, networking solutions and services to consumers. AppleRead MoreMicrosofts Bill Gates And Google1676 Words   |  7 Pagesa back seat to vision, and there were three men, entrepreneurs if you will, that really stood out from the pack and made incredible advancements in technology. The following pages discuss the lives and success of Apple’s Steve Jobs, Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Google’s Sergey Brin. Steve Jobs was born near the San Francisco area around 1954 to unwed parents who opted to put him up for adoption. Young, Steve was later adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs who moved him to the famed Santa Clara County, orRead MoreMarketing Plan For The Health Care Field1529 Words   |  7 Pagestruly exceptional leaders. #1. Steve Jobs: The Rebel Who Changed the World https://hbr.org/2012/04/the-real-leadership-lessons-of-steve-jobs Steve Jobs started the world-famous Apple technology firm in 1979. After a hiatus from the firm between 1985 and 1997, Jobs returned to lead the company toward global domination. His innovations reinvented how companies, including health care enterprises, conduct business. Business leaders from all discipline regard Mr. Jobs as a model organizational executiveRead MoreThe Legacy Of The Great Steve Jobs Essay1333 Words   |  6 Pagesof the great Steve Jobs. Jobs enacted as influential figurehead of the technological industry; spreading not only innovating ideas, but also motivating all of his colleagues to follow in his direction. Throughout the course of his life, Jobs built an empire, leaving him with a legacy to last a lifetime. He is most commonly well known for his greatest inventions through the company, Apple. Jobs acted as the co-founder, chief executive officer, and chairman for Apple Inc.. However, Jobs was not limited

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

The Corner Miss Ella By F. Martin Luther King Jr.

In the Corner Miss Ella dedicates her time and energy to running the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center. She is able to make connections with children of all ages, ranging as old as high school. The children who come are able to participate in productive after school activities, rather than spending their time on the Corner. Ultimately, Miss Ella feels that by providing opportunities at the recreation center, she is able to keep kids from being involved in the Corner, for as long as possible. While her efforts are genuine and work to some extent, the center itself is not merely enough to keep the wild-hearted boys of the C.M.B. crew off the streets. The children of the Corner lack motivation to go to school, finding gallivanting on the streets and stirring up trouble to be much more enticing. If a preventative program was implemented that focused on both prevention and the promotion of positive behaviors, such as completing high school, the potential benefits to society could i nclude a few less criminals on the streets or tangled up in the justice system. For those who are growing up in the Corner neighborhood, truancy is a common factor among several teens and young children. The Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center and its frequent visitors could benefit from a prevention/promotion program that focuses on graduation incentives for students. While the MLK Jr. Center is an appropriate outlet for after school, a program that expands the center past its currentShow MoreRelatedDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pages Management—-Study and teaching. 2. Management—Problems, exercises, etc. Kim S. II. Title. HD30.4.W46 2011 658.40071 173—dc22 I. Cameron, 2009040522 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 ISBN 10: 0-13-612100-4 ISBN 13: 978-0-13-612100-8 B R I E F TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S Preface xvii Introduction 1 PART I 1 2 3 PERSONAL SKILLS 44 Developing Self-Awareness 45 Managing Personal Stress 105 Solving Problems Analytically and Creatively 167 PART II 4 5 6 7 INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Environmental and Economic Performance †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Environmental and Economic Performance. Answer: Introduction The main aim of this task is to provide a brief outline about the business activities and operations of university. University of Melbourne has been selected in the task which is incorporated in Australia. The university is working for welfare of the students by providing good education to them. Along with this, the paper explains the external factors which could affect the performance and productivity of university. It explains the significance of human resource management in the organization. Human resource management is important part of each and every organization. Various strategies, policies and plans are made by human resource management in the firm. In addition, the paper explains that how external factors affect the HR practices and functions. Moreover, here is the discussion about the functions of HRM and Jackson Schuler model. Further detail of the task has been stated below. The University of Melbourne is a specific research university which is situated in Melbourne, Australia. The university was founded in 1853 by Hugh Childers and the academic staff of the university is approx 4,068. It is the second oldest university in the world. Melbournes main campus is situated in Parkville with some others campuses located in Victoria (Australians leading university, 2018). Mission: The main mission of the Melbourne is to provide high and quick quality of services and consultancy to all levels of the university a psychological processes, development issues and mental health especially in relation to learning environment. Vision: The main vision of the University of Melbourne is to contribute in the development and evolution of the university. Furthermore, the university wants to provide enduring and meaningful networks with academic and other services areas. Being purposeful, accountable and passionate in the work is another significant vision of Melbourne. Apart from this, the core values include respect, professionalism and creating community which help to provide good education to students in the world (Potts, 2012). The external environmental factors There are various factors presented in Jackson and Schulers (1995) HRM model which influence the operations activities and operations of University of Melbourne. The organization needs to focus on the external factors to overcome the competitors in the marketplace (Budhwar, and Debrah, 2013). The external factors have been stated below. Industrial relations and union: It is one of the biggest external factors which influence the activities and operations of human resource management. Various companies are not able to maintain good relations with workers therefore; it affects the productivity and efficiency of the employees. Labor union also plays a significant role to attain long term goals and objectives of the firm. Trade union is an organization who have come work together to accomplish the common objectives of the company. If the employees do not make trade union, then they are unable to work together within the organization. As a result, it will affect the growth and success of the firm. Apart from this, managers and leaders should maintain reciprocal relationship with employees to attain mission and vision of the firm (Rainnie, 2016). Industry and market conditions: It is an important external factor which may influence image and goodwill of the company adversely. The success and growth of the firm depends on the market condition. There are various competitors exist in the marketplace which could influence the growth of the firm. Market conditions also affect the choices, preferences and wants of the customers. New and innovative technologies also affect the market and industry conditions. The firm should identify and evaluate the market conditions, risks and challenges to gain competitive advantages. They should analyze the plans, policies and strategies of the competitors. No company can explore and flourish its business without knowing competition and market conditions in the world (Hines, 2012). Global labor markets: The global labor markets influence the flexibility on consumers as well as businesses. These flexible markets can lead to lower unemployment and higher performance of the firm. The organization should maintain a good relationship between employee and employer rights to maintain favorable working environment. Sometimes, flexible labor markets affect the outputs of the firm. In flexible labor market, temporary and part time workers may not get enough training from the company because they only have short term contracts. National and regional culture: The socio-cultural elements also affect the operations and activities of the firm adversely. The socio-cultural factors include custom, belief, values, languages, and traditions. Different countries follow different culture and they speak their own languages. Therefore, culture differences arise in the marketplace which may influence the individual productivity and efficiency. The organization should provide cross cultural training to the employees to understand and know culture and language of different countries (Cavusgil et al, 2014). Law, regulation, treaties: Different countries have their own rules, regulations and treaties therefore, they are unable to understand the culture of one country. As a result, conflict arises among the different countries. Before initiating business activities and operations in foreign country, the firm should understand and analyze the rules, regulations and policies of foreign country. New and evolving technologies: Changes in technologies also influence the progress of the company. Now a days innovative and new technologies are being used by many companies for rapid production but they are not providing training to the workers for knowing benefits and results of the technology. It may influence the working efficiency and effectiveness of the employees. The organization should provide proper training and development coaching to the employees to understand the advantages of the new technology (Christensen, 2013). All these factors affect the financial position of the firm in the international market. Effective policies and strategies shall be made by the company to manage and control the external factors. The organization should analyze and measure the market risks and issues to stay in the competitive market. Jackson and Schuler model to analyze the external factors Jackson and Schuler model is used by University of Melbourne to analyze and evaluate the external factors in the competitive market. By using this model, the university can overcome the rivalries in the market. HRM plays a critical role to evaluate the external factors of the market (Budhwar and Debrah, 2013). The Jackson and Schuler model has been detailed below. The above mentioned framework shows that how Jackson and Schuler model plays an empirical role to measure and identify the external factors of the market. It will also help to stand out against the competitors. University of Melbourne uses this model to make a good image in the international market. Furthermore, it also encourages workers to execute tasks and duties successfully and effectively. Different functions of human resource management There are enormous functions that are being executed and performed by the human resource management of University of Melbourne. HRM is the practice of recruiting, hiring, managing and deploying the employees of the firm. The functions of human resource management have been detailed below. Planning, resourcing and retention: Planning, resourcing and retention play a significant role in each and every organization. Planning may be defined as a process that identifies and evaluates the future and current human resources needs and requirements for the company to attain goals and objectives of the firm. Human resource planning is an important part of the firm as HRP serves a link between human resource management and the overall tactical plan of the firm. Apart from this, resourcing is also an important function of HRM. The main role of human resource management is to obtain the employee services, build their skills and stipulate them to attain high level of efficiency and productivity. Resourcing helps to ensure that employees are maintaining their commitment accomplish the goals and objectives of University of Melbourne. Moreover, resourcing is necessary to recruit and hire the potential candidates in the workplace. In addition, recruitment and selection process is done with the help of resourcing in HRM (Cowling and Mailer, 2013). Additionally, retention also plays an empirical role in human resource management. Employee retention is the ability of the firm to retain its employees within the organization. Employee retention is significant because they create a favorable working environment in the organization. It is also essential to increase and enhance companys morale and give employees a sense of pride what they do at the workplace. Employee retention provides several benefits to the organization as well as employees. Recruitment costs are very expensive and it is time consuming process. In keeping and retaining staff, Melbourne can save their time and money. Along with this, it also boosts and develops morale, loyalty and confidence of the workers at the workplace. In this way, it is considered an effective and dynamic strategy of the human resource management. Recruitment and selection: Employment and selection is the primary function of the HRM. Recruitment is the first step of selection. It may be defined as an overall process of short listing, attracting, selecting and selecting appropriate candidates for jobs within an organization. On the other hand, selection is the process of choosing the most appropriate applicant for the vacant position in the firm. University of Melbourne uses unique recruitment and selection process to select and retain potential, skills and experience staff. This process also helps to reduce high labor turnover and absenteeism in the organization and will increase the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the university (Rees and Smith, 2017). Training and development: It is a part of academic services and a division of university services. Training and development helps to address the weaknesses of the employees and maximize their performance. People who receive essential training and development coaching are more able to perform their tasks and duties in a hassle free manner. Also, it supports the enhancement of teaching, learning and assessment capability by developing unique skills and knowledge among the staff. No company can maximize their profits and revenue without effective workforce therefore training and development is most significant function of human resource management (Ford, 2014). Remuneration and rewards: Remuneration and reward is vital function in the organization which is provided by the firm to its employees in the form of salary, pay, allowances, wage, and other benefits. Remuneration and reward system exists in the University of Melbourne in order to inspire staff for providing good education to the students. This system also helps to provide recognition to the workers at the workplace. Remuneration and reward is an effective tool used by HRM in order to attain long term objectives and goals (Rees and Smith, 2017). The HRM of University of Melbourne develops strategies and policies on salaries and other benefits to workers for deriving commitment to the firm. Along with this, HRM also tries to provide other economic benefits to the employees in the organization. If University of Melbourne wants to provide unique services to students then it should provide proper remuneration and rewards to staff. It will also help to gain competitive advantages in the m arketplace (Marchington et al, 2016). Employee relations: An Employee relation is an important function of HRM which helps to maintain co-ordination and cooperation among the employees within the organization. Good and effective employee relations increases production and quality of work as it reduces employee turnover in the organization. Maintaining reciprocal relations with employees provide enormous benefits to the workers in the firm (Kim and Bae, 2017). It can help to reduce and eliminate conflict among the staff. Apart from this, strong relations are significant not only individual staff productivity but that of the firm as a whole. It helps to create good and dynamic working environment and teamwork at the workplace. Through reciprocal relations, employees can share their problems and issues with managers and they can do work successfully and effectively. All these are the core functions of human resource management that are performed to increase returns and revenue of the firm (Amah, Nwuche and Chukuigwe, 2013). Impact of each external factors on the HR functions of University of Melbourne The external factors may influence the policies, strategies and plans of the human resource management. HRM plays an imperative role in University of Melbourne. A well developed and unique strategy should be taken into consideration in order to reduce the impact of external factors. The HRM practices have been changed continuously due to political, economic, technological and legal factors influencing the trade management practices (Briscoe, Tarique, and Schuler, 2012). Therefore, it is essential to analyze the impact of the external elements on HRM functions and practices. The external factors are considered dynamic and they are uncontrollable. The impact of external factors on HR practices and functions has been discussed below. Impact of industrial relations and union on HR functions: There is close relations between labor union and HRM. The company cannot survive its business activities without effective and unique labor union. Along with this, productivity is highly related to the potential and skilled employees who perform tasks and duties in a hassle free manner (Lansbury and Bamber, 2013). To appoint potential and talented candidate, HRM plays a vital role within the organization. They are responsible to appoint capable and experienced applicant in the organization. HRM is a link between employee and employer and they maintain dynamic relationship among them. HRM cannot perform their work effectively without dynamic labor union. Labor union helps to maximize the productivity and revenue of the firm as it also improves efficiency of the workers (Harrod and O'Brien, 2012). Impact of Industry and market conditions on HR practices: The market condition may also influence the functions and activities of HRM largely. If the market conditions are not appropriate and favorable then it can affect the HR practices widely (Rani and Mishra, 2014). There are various factors exist in the marketplace which could influence the functions of University of Melbourne. Competitor is one of the biggest factors which may affect the success of the university. Along with this GDP and per capital income decides the minimum wage rate which is the part of benefits and compensation also influence the activities of HRM. HRM should monitors on the market factors to beat the competitors in the world (Jackson, Schuler and Jiang, 2014). Impact of global labor markets on HR functions and practices: Labor markets affect the human resource planning within the organization. Labor demand and supply is the part of the HRP. The labor supply and demand depends on the level of labor education, experience, knowledge and skills. HRM recruits employees on the basis of these characteristics. Along with this, University of Melbourne hires applicants with high qualification (Vance and Paik, 2014). If HRM is unable to hire potential and capable employees then it will affect the HRM functions and practices. The growth of HRM largely depends upon the potential and competent employees. Moreover, productivity growth rate in labor market will have direct impact on efficiency and effectiveness of HRP. Additionally, HRM will facilitate the distribution of workers to generate more and more vacancies. University of Melbourne monitors skills, qualification, experiences and potential of the staff to provide higher education to the student (Ar mstrong and Taylor, 2014). Impact of National and regional culture on HR functions: The socio-cultural elements are very difficult to handle for HR professionals. People who come from different cultures and regions are appointed in the university which creates the diversity and negligence of diversity can become a big reason to damage the organization. Every organization has its own culture therefore; employees need to adjust themselves in that culture. Furthermore, ethical behavior also influences the organizations culture. HRM uses Hofstede model to manage the cross cultural differences within the organization. If the HRM is unable to provide training and development coaching to the workers for understanding the culture and langue of the firm then it might affect the functions and growth of the company. Hence, University of Melbourne provides effective training to the workers to maintain a favorable working environment in the organization (McFarland and Wehbe-Alamah, 2014). Impact of Law, regulation, treaties on HR practices: The government regulations, rules, policies may also influences the human resource management. The legal factors affect every process of the HR department including training, hiring, termination, compensation and much more. The legal factors which affect the HRM functions are such as government policies, national labor laws, economic policy and health and safety regulations. Along with this sexual harassment prevention, equal employment, safety and health management, disability accommodations are the modern HR related laws which are being practices globally. The legal policies and frameworks decide the applications of different HRM practices through labor and employment laws (Martin and Whiting, 2016). Impact of new and evolving technologies on HR practices: Technological advancements are also affecting the HR functions in the organization. Information technology also influences the HRM practices positively. The human resource information technology helps to manage the activities and operations more efficiently and effectively. Innovative technologies help to conduct the business operations effectively (Spector et al, 2014). Now it is assumed that all the external factors influences the HRM practices and functions adversely and positively. University of Melbourne should monitor on these factors to stay in the rivalry market. It will also help to maximize the profits with minimizing the cost of the firm (Schaltegger and Wagner, 2017). Conclusion On the above mentioned study, it has been concluded that University of Melbourne is one of the biggest universities in Australia. The university maintains a sustainable human resource management to run the business operations successfully. The external factors also influence the functions of HRM. Therefore, it is essential for HR professionals to get ready to cope with the changing requirements. HRM should take effective measures to eliminate these factors. Jackson Schuler model have explained in the paper to understand and evaluate external factors. Along with this, HRM performs several functions to attain competitive benefits in the marketplace. Recruitment, selection, compensation, rewards, remuneration, training and development are main function human resource management. References Amah, E., Nwuche, C.A. and Chukuigwe, N., 2013. Effective Reward and Incentive Scheme for Effective Organizations.Research Journal of finance and Accounting,4(13), (pp.73-79). Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014.Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Australians leading university. 2018. About us, viewed on 3rd April 2018 https://about.unimelb.edu.au/ Briscoe, D., Tarique, I. and Schuler, R., 2012.International human resource management: Policies and practices for multinational enterprises. Routledge. Budhwar, P.S. and Debrah, Y.A. eds., 2013.Human resource management in developing countries. Routledge. Budhwar, P.S. and Debrah, Y.A. eds., 2013.Human resource management in developing countries. Routledge. Cavusgil, S.T., Knight, G., Riesenberger, J.R., Rammal, H.G. and Rose, E.L., 2014 (2nd ed., pp.123-275). International business. Pearson Australia. Christensen, C., 2013.The innovator's dilemma: when new technologies cause great firms to fail. Harvard Business Review Press. Cowling, A. and Mailer, C., 2013.Managing human resources. Routledge. Ford, J.K., 2014.Improving training effectiveness in work organizations. Psychology Press. Harrod, J. and O'Brien, R. eds., 2012.Global unions?: theory and strategies of organized labour in the global political economy. Routledge. Hines, T., 2012.Supply chain strategies: Customer driven and customer focused. Routledge. Jackson, S Schuler, R1995,UnderstandingHuman Resource Management in thecontext oforganisations andtheirenvironments,AnnualReviewof Psychology,vol.46, pp. 237-264. Jackson, S.E., Schuler, R.S. and Jiang, K., 2014. An aspirational framework for strategic human resource management.The Academy of Management Annals,8(1), (pp.1-56). Kim, D.O. and Bae, J., 2017.Employment relations and HRM in South Korea. Taylor Francis. Lansbury, R.D. and Bamber, G.J., 2013.New Technology (Routledge Revivals): International Perspectives on Human Resources and Industrial Relations. Routledge. Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A., Donnelly, R. and Kynighou, A., 2016.Human resource management at work (6th ed., pp. 3-4). Kogan Page Publishers. Martin, M. and Whiting, F., 2016.Human resource practice (7th ed., pp.9-10). Kogan Page Publishers. McFarland, M.R. and Wehbe-Alamah, H.B., 2014.Leininger's culture care diversity and universality. Jones Bartlett Publishers. Potts, A., 2012. Selling university reform: the University of Melbourne and the press.Studies in Higher Education,37(2), pp.157-169. Rainnie, A., 2016.Industrial relations in small firms: Small isn't beautiful. Routledge. Rani, S. and Mishra, K., 2014. Green HRM: Practices and strategic implementation in the organizations.International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication,2(11), (pp.3633-3639). Rees, G. and Smith, P. eds., 2017.Strategic human resource management (2nd ed., pp.6-8) An international perspective. Sage. Schaltegger, S. and Wagner, M. eds., 2017.Managing the business case for sustainability: The integration of social, environmental and economic performance. Routledge. Spector, J.M., Merrill, M.D., Elen, J. and Bishop, M.J. eds., 2014.Handbook of research on educational communications and technology(pp. 439-451). New York, NY: Springer. Storey, J., 2014.New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. Vance, C.M. and Paik, Y., 2014.Managing a global workforce: challenges and opportunities in international human resource management. Routledge.

Monday, December 2, 2019

POTHOLES Essays - Pavements, Road Construction, Building Materials

POTHOLES Have you ever been driving down the streets of Lead, SD? Let's say that you are driving down the road on your way to your way to a friend's house. You stop to pick up a coke at the gas station. You are cruising on the road to his house and all of the sudden your cars slams down hard and you lose your coke all over your pants and shirt. You are now mad at the world and start cursing at everything that moves. You might think the reason is that your front tire fell off but actually you hit a pothole the size of a garbage can. You know those holes in the road that after you hit them your car makes a loud rattling noise. Then you have to take you car to the alignment shop so your car will drive straight. The city has given some effort to try to fix the holes. The city will fill the holes with loose asphalt and pound it firm with shovels. This works for about two weeks. Then the potholes are back with no trace of the asphalt. The city will fill them back up and the same thing happens. Granted the roads are allot nicer in the wintertime because the ice fills in the holes but come spring comes and there back. The reason I think there are holes is because of the freeze-thaw cycle. If you look at the new main street they put in because of the open cut, you would see it has no holes and no cracks. It has held up for five years with no problems. On the road instead of using asphalt they used concrete. Concrete is more water proof and more durable than asphalt. Concrete reacts better to the freeze-thaw cycle because it is able to stretch and contract with the changing conditions. It is cheaper in the long run to use concrete. The city is just wasting money filling the holes and then refilling them again. For all the good that is doing they should just fill it with money. With concrete you don't have to make repairs nearly as much. Now I know the city does not have enough money to pave all the streets at once but they could start with the bigger streets. If you think about it they are losing money in tourism. The more people that have to dodge the holes the less they are going to want to come back. If the city could pave the streets the tourists use they would be better off in that area. As for the other streets work on them one or two during a year and before long no more potholes. Back to the freeze-thaw cycle. There could be another way to fix this. Before you lay the concrete down lay strong pipe down, all linked together, crossways across the road. In the pipes have hot water running through them. This will act like an insulator for the road and keep it warm. The warmth in turn will not let ice accumulate on the roads and keep it free of ice. Another advantage to this is that the cars will not slide all over the place in the winter because the roads are clear of ice. So you kill two birds with one stone. I guess until they figure out to use concrete my street will still be a Baja track and my car will always have that little rattle. Cody Stahl