Succeed :: essays research papers

When I chose to attend any university I knew I wanted to live in a good Christian milieu where the word of God was believed and practiced through the classroom. My entire family had gone to major public universities, but I knew that I needed a good auditory sensation environment without all the distractions one would see at a public institution. Now that Im here, I know it is going to take effortful work on my part to accomplish my degree in whatever field I choose. In order to survive here at a higher learning institution, I will need pass some social, physical, and emotional things will be hinging on whether I succeed or not. firstly off, there will be many social sacrifices that will arise at times. People will come to my door, doing there best to distract me small-arm Im doing homework. I will need to think over the situation, and either leave the room or ask them to leave. However, this will not be easy. To maintain an edge I will have to find times when not many people a re around and crap my work do at those times, instead of waiting till the last minute to do my work.I will also have to make some physical sacrifices. thither will be times when I am up till at least 1 or 2 in the morning, and have to get up for an Eight am class. I will just have to adjust to the fast paced schedule here at college. One thing I could do to solve a late night study session is to do the homework right when I get out of class.The last sacrifice I plan to overcome will be emotional melody. Stress is one thing that many people today have troubles with, including myself. At school, stress can and will build up. At a Christian institution, they will expect me to keep on spiritual issues such as daily idolatry and prayer. Finding times to do this will only enhance my personal relationship with Christ.

Ford Pinto Trial Essay -- essays papers

Ford Pinto Trial The objective of this paper is to investigate what led to the Ford pinto sad trial and the impact that it had. What led up to the criminal indictment of Ford, the trial itself, the verdict of the trial will be discussed. The Impact that this trial has had on the railcar industry will also be investigated. In the late 1960s there was strong competition from VW and several Japanese companies in the small car market. ascribable to this competition Ford hurried the design of their small car, the Pinto, to market. Since the car was rushed into market and the specifications for the car were that it weigh under 2000 pounds and cost less than $2000, safety was non a major concern in the design of the pinto.1 In pre-production testing Ford found that the gas tank was liable(predicate) to leak and possibly bring out into flames when it is struck from behind. Internal documents show that eleven of the tests averaging thirty one miles per hour were performed befor e the Pinto went into production. In only three of the eleven tests did the force out tank in the Pinto not rupture. In one test a plastic wiffle ball was placed between the front of the gas tank between the tank and the differential coefficient housing so that four bolts would not tear into the tank. In the next successful test a piece of steel was placed between the fuel tank and the bumper. In the third test the fuel tank was lined with a gum elastic liner. Although Ford found that fuel tank rupture was likely to happen they decided to go ahead with this design because assembly line machinery was all ready tooled and they concluded that it was not cost efficient to add an $5.08 rubber bladder to the car cost to the car to remedy the design f police force, instead they determined that it would be cheaper to settle or fight any civil law suits rather then remedy this problem.3 In their cost analysis, that would have improved fuel tank safety for their whole line of cars and tru cks, they concluded that there would be 180 burn deaths, 180 serious burn injuries, and 2100 burned vehicles at a cost of $200,000 per burn death, $67,000 per serious burn injury, and $700 per burned vehicle which came up to a full cost of $49.5 million. The estimated cost to prevent leakage in their cars and trucks was $11 dollars each. So with sales of 11 million cars and 1.5 million light trucks the total cost to improve fuel tank safety wou... ...so showed that even if the product passes the minimum safety standards a manufacturer should hold safety concerns with the utmost importance.5 Lastly, it gave other(a) attorneys confidence to file criminal charges against a manufacturer if they intentionally sell a harmful product. In conclusion I believe that Ford acted very(prenominal) irresponsible in the design of the Pinto and they should have been held accountable in both civil and criminal cases. They were foolish and morally wrong to take profits all over peoples liv es. Every engineer can learn a lot about how important product safety is by looking into this case.BibliographyReferences1Lee Patrick Strobel, judicious Homicide? Fords Pinto Trail, 1980 , And Books. LL2Francis T. Cullen, Corporate Crime Under Attack, The Ford Pinto Case and Beyond, 1987, Anderson Publishing. LL3Ellen Hochstedler, Corporations as Criminals, Perspectives in Criminal Justice, 1984, Sage publications. LL4Paul Eisenstein, Courts Give Crash Course in Car innovation, The Engineer v 277 July 1, 1993 pg. 18. EJ5Charles J. Murry, The Real Story Behind Car Fires, Design News v 48 1993 pg. 114-120. EJ

Israel and Terrorism Essay -- Threats to World Peace

Introduction The Conflict, Cause for Optimism, and SkepticismOver the past 55 old age conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has led to three wars, years of terrorism, and decades of poverty and displacement resulting in thousands upon thousands of deaths among both peoples. Despite the conflict, Israel has managed to develop its economy thanks in sizable part to generous foreign aid. Palestinians, however, have largely been living in poverty, under the rule of a corrupt government and in fear of Israeli strength. These harsh conditions have no doubt exacerbated the conflict sparked by the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The establishment of a Palestinian state living incline by side with Israel is supported by many world leaders today as the most feasible strategy for lifting the quality of life of the Palestinian people and thus cooling the conflict which has reached particularly tragic heights over the past 4 years. The death of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Yasser Arafat offers a new opportunity to advance toward this goal as Israel and the U.S. refused to negotiate with him due to his incitement of and support for terrorism, as well as the corruption within his government. The modern election of PA President Mahmoud Abbas, and his effort to fight terrorism and seek negotiations, has been viewed optimistically by much of the world as the first step toward etymon new efforts to move forward with the development of a Palestinian state. However, Abbas cannot negotiate a settlement unless his people support it. Despite views from foreign leaders and societies, and perchance from Abbas, that a two-state solution is the best option, Palestinians have been taught by the PA for decades that a two-state solut... ...ry 2005.Ask for Death The Indoctrination of Palestinian Children to Seek Death for Allah Shahada.www.pmw.org/il, 3 March 2005.http//www.jewishgrassroots.com/images/ noble%20images%20of%20Palestinian%20toddlers_files/shocking%20 images%20of%20Palestinian%20toddlers.htm, 3 March 2005.Sukhtian, Lara. Palestinian Police Wont Stop Militants. Washington Post, 14 February, 2005. http//www.standwithus.com/news_post.asp?NPI=259, 4 March 2005. Israel blames bombing on militants, Syria. CNN World. 26 February 2005. http//www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/02/26/telaviv.explosion/index.html, 27 February 2005.Gilmore, Inigo. Abbas orders Palestinian television to clean up its act. Telegraph News, 6 February 2005.http//www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/02/06/wmid06.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/02/06/ixworld.html, 6 March 2005.

Night by Elie Wiesel :: Night, Elie Wiesel

Night is a horrible tale of murder and mans inhumanity to man. Wiesel saw his family, friends, and lad Jews degraded and murdered. Wiesel also states in his book that his God, to whom he was so devoted, was also murdered by the Nazis. In the novel Wiesel changed from a devout Jew to a depleted young man who doubted his belief in God.When Wiesel first comes to the concentration camp and sees all the walking skeletons, he cant believe that this is real. He feels that he might be dreaming. However, as Wiesel faces each day and witnesses the starvation, the beatings of innocent the great unwashed, and the tortures, his faith in God begins to waiver. By the end of the book Wiesel has lost his belief in God. If there is a God, how could he allow this to happen, he wonders.As the days go by, there are frequent selections. A man with a forgetful stick decides who will live and who will die. This man acts like God. To the right you live, to the left, you die. As Wiesel watches the evil th at exists, his belief in the existence of God continues to deteriorate. Wiesel asks, Where is my God? Where is He?(61)Wiesel continues to witness pauses, beatings, starvation, and torture. One day when Wiesel comes back from a days work, he sees three gallows being assembled. The whole camp has to witness the hangings. Among the 3 people who would die that day, was a young child. Wiesel wondered what that poor innocent boy had done to deserve to die in this manner. Wiesel watched the boy struggling between life and demolition. The death was a slow agony. At this point Wiesel lost all faith in the existence of God. Where is God now? Where is He? Here is - He is hanging here on this gallows...(62) After this incident Wiesel could no longer believe in God.

Abraham Lincoln and Calamity Jane :: essays research papers

In The Boys Life of Abraham Lincoln by Helen Nicolay and Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane, By Herself, shade is employed to more effectively display the purpose of the essays. In The Boys Life of Abraham Lincoln, Nicolay uses a pace that demonstrates triumph through tragedy, weaving specifics about Lincolns ancestors with the trials he faced. In Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane, By Herself, Mrs. Burk (Calamity Jane) uses a tone that is familiar to the world of documentaries, starting her story at her birth and ending with where she was when she wrote the autobiography. hotshot must remember that The Boys Life of Abraham Lincoln is a biography, and Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane, By Herself is an autobiography. The contrasting of these two fine pieces of literature makes some specifics about tone and purpose stick out in ones mind.The Boys Life of Abraham Lincoln uses a tone that is personal and endearing in order to renovate the reader to face circumstances in thei r life with the notion that a sunnier day will come only if they try their hardest to make the best of their circulating(prenominal) situation. Tone is also used to display Abraham Lincoln as a man who did just that to become the greatest man of his time. The biography begins some 175 years before Abraham Lincoln was born. It traces its way through the pioneering of his forefathers into the west by specific each(prenominal)y pointing out hardships faced on the unfriendly trail. (They faced solitude, privation, and all the dangers and hardships that beset men who take up their homes where only beasts and wild men have had their homes before.) However, they continued to press steadily forward even though they befuddled most of what they had when they started their journey. The determined family continues on through the death of Abrahams grandfather, till Abraham is born in deep poverty. Throughout this initial background, it is hinted that Abraham will be a wonderful man, and it is noted how ironic it is that such a great man is to be born and raised in such a humble place. It is stated that of his early childhood almost nothing is known. The author still manages, however, to dig up an anecdote which portrays Abraham as a big child. He was large and strong for his age, and when a severe mysterious sickness breaks out, Abraham pulls through, though many die around him.

I Have the Moral Character to be a Teacher :: Teaching Education Essays

I Have the Moral Character to be a TeacherI was inspired to become a teacher for many reasons. Teaching will be a self-fulfilling c beer. It would give me the opportunity to help my community and have a moral and ethical cushion on the students of this argona. Also, I desire to be with my children as much as possible, and a teaching profession fits that mold. A teaching profession would be recognise because it would allow me to fulfill many personal goals, including working with the youth of the area and spending time with my family. For many years I have volunteered with the Boys Scouts of America. Doing this is one of my passions, yet recent jobs I have had did not allowed much time for volunteering. A teachers schedule would allow me to be able to serve this brass by volunteering as an Aquatics Instructor, teaching life-saving skills. My other passion is my family. Spending time with my children is the best way to create life-long memories. However, it is difficult to spend time with my family and school-age children when our schedules are not alike.As a teacher, I would be able to spend much quality time with my children and help them after school with homework. In concomitant to meeting these personal goals, teaching would allow me to reach out to area students and help them build character and acquire knowledge. The classroom is a complex society. In each room, there must be an atmosphere in which students of all backgrounds can learn. By being a constructivist one can combine the elements of essentialism, progressivism, behaviorism, perennialism, and existentialism to form a successful teaching philosophy and therefore a successful classroom. Below, I will discuss how these ideas can be combined for success. As essentialism states, the teacher needs to have control in the instruction of the classroom. Lecturing and supervising the improvement of skills are great ways to teach materials. A campaign in point here shows one of the teach ing fundamentals, of the core subjects reading, writing, math, and nature sciences. This gives you the intellectual discipline to solve problems that involve complex ideas. In progressivism, students have more of a democratic voice in the learning process. Although the teacher will be the facilitator of the process, by using a cooperative learning activity the students are designing there own education and are guided in a direction by the teacher.

Meaning of life †Happiness Essay

By Occasionally, there comes a time in of all timeyones action when they ask themselves if they study a purpose. This question is non easy to answer, and idler only be answered by the per give-and-take themselves. I once asked myself this very question. My purpose in life is simply to live. My answer to this question may be wrong, may look simple, and you may even laugh at it, but it means practically more than it seems. The term to live has m whatever meanings to me. Love, happiness, charity, and justice are just a few meanings I energise are parallel to this term. Love is a constant re brainpowerer of why I would want to have a purpose in life.When a person loves with their he cunning, the feeling they have is like no other. Anyone quite a dwarfish love with his or her mind or body, but love of the heart and soul is hard to come by. I have loved with my mind many times before, but its not the same. I count I have been struck with love, because it hit me like a freight train. The swift scent and luscious looks of a girl are usually only temporary and I forget about it after the essence is gone. Although I believe I found the perfect combination of perfume, looks, and personality. Her name is Jodi Block. She is the the coolest person I pick out.She likes me for who I really am and doesnt laugh at me for mistakes I gear up, or ever criticizes me for anything I do. She is always there with a compliment or telling me how good of a job I did on something. She is always there to heed to me when I have get something off my chest. I dont know what I would do with out her. At the current moment, the only large number I love with my heart are Jodi, my mother and father, and my two siblings Jordan and Erin. I dont like to admit it, but its the truth. Like any son or daughter, I would be devastated if anything ever happened to them before their time.They are my main reason for wanting to succeed. The world has come to know that being happy is reveal tha n being sad. I believe the reason for this can never have an exact answer, but happiness is good and sadness is bad. Al intimately everyone agrees with this statement. The dilemma we must face ourselves with is what makes us happy and sad. There is no universal constant that makes everyone happy or everyone sad. The factors are for everyone. For myself, going hunting, fishing, driving, and being with Jodi are fun and make me happy. These factors associated with myself are for the most part positive activities.Surrounding myself with positive reflections comes by nature. Many people these days are materially well off, but are unhappy. We surround ourselves with clever toys, movies, and fashionable clothing, but in reality we are as mortal as any other is. Like most, I feel infringed upon when negativity is present. Though happiness is the inclination of most, being sad is necessary. To be always happy in life would be as useless as having Christmas day everyday. We would soon begin detesting it. The question we must ask ourselves is what do we need to have that perfect balance of happiness?True happiness can only come from the understanding of that individuals environment and nature of existence. Charity is a virtue that is deemed torturous by some, prosperous by others, but a prerequisite by most. Helping the fellow man has been known to happen since the dawn of time. Think of how many charitable acts have been committed passim our many years of existence. Some of us would not be alive today if it were not for the fact. Think of when that soldier helped his comrade out of the trench or when that businessman spared a few coins for the homeless man on the street.These few examples show that when a person is in a time of need and they are not helped, grave dangers lie ahead until they are helped. Personally, I feel it is a duty to commit a charitable act when possible. If volunteer exertion is needed and I do not sign up without good reason, I normally feel guilty. I put myself in the position of the needed. If I were that person in need, would I have someone to help me? I answer yes through volunteer work, donations, or charitable acts. Charity is a necessity to those who receive, a simple act to those who give, and blessing to us all.Some have said that you can measure a persons worth by how successful they have been. I beg to differ because of other factors, but prosperity is a virtue deemed important. I want to prosper in the time to come not only because I would like to make my parents proud, but because I was born for success. For years it has been engraved into my sub conscience that if I work hard, I will be prosperous. I plan on leading a successful life, but prosperity is not limited to long-term future actions. Anyone can be successful in just setting a worthwhile goal and accomplishing it.In the past two years Ive sat through numerous business lectures and career workshops that were designed to broaden my intellectual thin king of the job market. Quite frankly, Im sick of hearing about statistics with this applied science field and how much money I can make in that one. Ive learned plenty of skills to make myself prosperous and even learned the art of verbal manipulation, which is supposedly going to help me get a higher salary. Prosperity has its importance, but I say you can measure a persons worth by how happy they are and have been.Knowing your personality is an aspect of life that I feel is important. You must be able to judge yourself before you can judge another. Personally, I have a moderate preference for emotions and impressions, but prefer my own familiar traits because that is where I feel most at ease. I dont like being in strange places or having numerous relationships. I prefer having a small number of friends that are deep and important, rather than a ton of friends that I see every once in a while. An important contribution of my personality is reflected in my lifestyle.My preferenc e is for that of a spontaneous and flexible life, rather than a set and fixed one. Taking things as they come is intriguing to me and surprises in life are even better. Feeling good about oneself is vital to survival. Without it, extreme measures, including suicide, may be taken. Though I do have my casual letdowns, I am happy with who I am and with what I have become. Next to love and happiness, I feel contract and dedication are the most important virtues a person can have. Because I live my life from goal to goal, achieving and having other virtues come that much more easily.My most recent goal was to make sure I get to work and back home safely. My current goal is to try and write over four pages for my philosophy of life essay. Though Im not quite there yet, setting goals comes natural to me. I do not prefer to write my goals down and march on track of how Im doing on them. I rather keep them in my head and refer to them when needed. This is a previously stated aspect of my personality. Whether everyone knows it or not, setting and thinking out our goals is the basis for achieving them. Drive and dedication achieve goals for any hardworking individual.Above love, happiness, and dedication is my relationship with God. Though I have not visited his home on a consistent basis, I know when to pay my respect. I feel praising Him is necessary, but I choose to do it in my own way. I tend to pray when least expected. My relationship with God may not be to full scale, but I believe Him, love Him, praise Him, and respect Him. The rest is just details. I asked myself if I had a purpose in life during my junior year of high school. At the time, I had almost no idea of what I was asking myself.Though I still do not know the meaning of life, I know my purpose in life is to live with happiness, love, prosperity, charity, justice, and determination. My relationship and praise of God is the most important factor. In summary, I long to love, but do not love to long. Hap piness and contentment are thrived on by all, but not all realize that it is charity which will bring these virtues. Besides these, drive and determination will also bring a person to be prosperous and happy. My philosophy is to live life to its fullest with no virtuous restrictions on yourself. continuously taking another chance, exploring the boundaries, fighting my limitations. Always wanting more than I can have, opening doors that are better left closed, and wounds that should have long since healed. Accomplishing little in my endeavors to fulfill my life and trying to make sense of it all. Always trying to make the impossible a reality, attempting to fix the unrepairable. Doing things the hard way is how I make my way, thriving on stress and attempting the impossible. Some say I take great pleasure in self-affliction, I ask if there is any other way.

The William Wrigley Jr. Company Essay

1.0 IntroductionIdentifying opportunities for corporate fiscal restructuring was typical for Blanka Dobrynin, a managing partner of the hedgerow fund Aurora Borealis LLC. In 2002, with the then debt free William Wrigley Jr. Comp either (Wrigley) in her sights, she asked her associate Susan Chandler to conduct research on the impact of a $3 one thousand million debt re groovyisation on the ph championr. This case report aims to obtain an informed recommendation on whether Wrigley should pursue the $3 billion debt proposal.2.0 Optimal gravid Structure fit to Miller and Modiglianis (1958) first pro shoes, the value of a firm is independent of its capital structure, assuming no corporate assesses. It was later demonstrated that the existence of debt in the capital structure creates a debt shield that increases the value of the firm by the depict value of the tax shield (Miller & Modigliani, 1963). This line of reasoning implies that debt financing adds operative value to the firm and an optimal capital structure occurs with 100% debt. However, this is an unlikely outcome in reality with restrictions imposed by lending institutions, bankruptcy cost and the need for preserving fiscal flexibility implying that management will maintain a substantial reserve of borrowing power (Miller & Modigliani, 1963). These imperfections be possessed of since been discussed as additional factors when find an optimal capitalstructure.The trade off theory suggests that an optimal capital structure may be achieved by determining the trade-off between tax shields and the be of financial affliction (Kraus & Litzenberger, 1973). The presence of tax shields means that the optimal capital structure decision is unique for each firm (DeAngelo & Masulis, 1980). High levels of debt butt lead to indirect bankruptcy costs and financial distress costs which relate generally the costs associated with going bankrupt or avoiding bankruptcy. At risque debt levels, the expediency of debt may be offset by financial distress costs. It appears that the optimal cash structure exists somewhere in the middle.Jensen and Meckling (1976) celebrated the existence of procedure costs of debt. These costs arise when equity holders act in their own interest rather than the firms interest. As Wrigley is a family owned company it is unlikely that agency costs will be an issue.3.0 Weighted Average Cost of capital letter (WACC)The question that underlies the decision to pursue the debt proposal is whether Wrigley is efficiently financed without debt. In this report, the WACC will be the main factor when determining whether Wrigley is efficiently financed. The WACC is the minimum return that a company needs to satisfy all of its investors, which is also the it is the inevitable rate of return on the overall firm. The value of Wrigley will be maximized when its WACC is minimized. This report will examine the optimal capital structure as the one that produces the lowest possible W ACC.WACC is one of the most important methods in assessing a companys financial health, both for internal enforce, such(prenominal) as capital budgeting, and external use, such as valuing investments or companies. It is able to provide an insight into the cost of financing and nates be used as a bank vault rate for investment decisions. It can also be used to find the best capital structure for the company. The WACC can be used as a rough guide to the interest rate per monetary unit of capital (Pratt & Grabowski, 2008).The WACC method can be considered a better indicator than former(a) methods such as earnings per destiny (EPS) or earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) because it takes into consideration the relative weight of each component of a companys capital structure (Armitage, 2005). The calculation uses the market values of the components rather than the book values as these values may differ importantly. The components WACC takes into consideration include internal and external factors such as equity, debt, warrants, woofs, pension liabilities, executive stock options and government subsidies (Hazel, 1999) whereas the EPS and EBIT calculations only take into consideration the internal factors, such as be earnings. of the company and However, the earnings reported by a company may non be a reliable value, as they head for the hills to report more favourable values as opposed to the true amounts.However, as the WACC is calculated according to M&M theory, some of the input parameters can be problematic to ascertain. This is due to the uncertainty that exists in the market that would influence the outcome. Another issue limitation with the WACC, is that it relies on the assumption made in the M&M propositions, which do not necessarily apply in the real world. Some assumptions that do not apply include the fact that transaction costs exist and individuals and corporations do not borrow at the same rate.Referring to Appendix 1, the calculations sh ow a slight increase in the WACC after the $3 billion debt is acquired. This change is more profound when using the 10 year US treasury rate as the risk free return an increase from 10.11% to 10.28% for the WACC. therefrom it appears that the optimal capital structure for Wrigley would be one containinginclude no debt as this provides the lowest WACC.4.0 Estimating the effect of the recapitalisation on4.1 Share valueIn an efficient market, it is anticipate that the share price will changequickly to reflect investors changing perceptions about the new debt issue. The effect of the recapitalisation on the share price can be summarised by Miller and Modiglianis adjusted NPV formulaPost-recapitalisation equity value = Pre-recapitalisation equity value + Present value of debt tax shields + Present value of distress related costs + SignalingSignalling, incentive & clientele effectsAssuming the debt will continue into perpetuity, the present value of the $3 billion debt would be $1.2 bi llion. use the post recapitalisation value of equity incorporating the tax shield of $1.2 billion, the stock price is increased from $56.37 to $61.51. The remaining factors of this equation are very difficult to ascertain. The present value of the distress related costs could be assumed to be the value of a put option on the debt. Nevertheless, it could be assumed that financial distress costs would be negligible in Wrigleys situation, as it is a market leader with a strong financial position. It is very difficult to estimate the cost of signalingsignalling and clientele effects and it is necessary to bear this in mind when looking at the increase on share price as it does not fully reflect all relevant considerations. 4.2 Level of Flexibility pecuniary flexibility refers to the ability of a firm to respond in a timely and value-maximizing manner to unexpected changes in the firms cash flows or investment opportunity set (Dennis, 2011). Chief Financial Officers surveyed by whole m eal flour and Harvey (2001) state that financial flexibility is the most important determinant of corporate capital structure (Graham and Harvey, 2001).A flexible capital structure can be achieved by preserving access to low-cost sources of capital. DeAngelo and DeAngelo (2011) argue that firms should optimally maintain low levels of leverage in most periods in order to be better weaponed to cope with the adverse consequences of exogenous shocks. They also argue that firms should maintain low leverage and high dividend payouts in normal periods in order to preserve the option to borrow or issue equity in future tense abnormal periods characterised by earnings shortfalls and/or mercenary investment opportunities.The financial flexibility of Wrigley will be reduced as borrowing $3 billion now will lower their ability to borrow in the future if there are any lucrative investment opportunities or cope with any unexpected exogenous shocks to the market and themselves.4.3 Mix of Debt a nd EquityConsiderations have to be made when evaluating the recapitalisation of Wrigleys capital structure by adding debt. A concern of Wrigley is deciding the debt ratio which optimizes the overall value of the firm. Companies are often inclined to subscribe to debt over equity as the cost of debt is cheaper due to the tax shield created.With the addition of $3 billion of debt in Wrigleys capital structure, the tax shields benefit will increase the equity value by $1.2 billion. The estimation of the tax benefits are assumed under the condition that Wrigley will maintain debt value of $3 billion in perpetuity. As a result of $3 billion payout, the value of equity will decline by $1.8 billion which will be offset by the present value of the debt tax shield ($1.2 billion).Wrigleys debt/equity level after recapitalisation will be 78% and 22% debt. The conventional view is that taking on higher levels of debt could potentially generate more earnings on positive NPV projects which coul d increase the companys value. Although it should be noted that considerations have to be made at what which point, debt becomes more costly to Wrigley in terms of increased risk to shareholders.Assessing Wrigleys optimal debt level, it suggests that the optimal point would be not taking on any debt. By taking on debt, Wrigleys credit rating will fall from AAA to BB/B, as it would be increasing its risk levels of financial distress and risk of bankruptcy cost. Assessing From this, it can be recommended that Wrigleys optimal debt level, it suggests that the optimal point would be not taking on any debt.having minimal debt.4.4 Reported earnings per shareBefore the proposed recapitalisation, Wrigley will have no minimal debt. If Wrigley does not have any income, they still need to pay the interest on the debt, so EPS will be negative. Referring to Appendix 2, the two lines intersect where EBIT is $1.70 billion and EPS is $12.21. This is the break-even point if EBIT is preceding(preno minal) this point leverage is beneficial. If Wrigleys income was higher than $1.70 billion, they could should take the $3 billion debt. In fact, the current income is only $0.51 billion therefore according to a breakeven EBIT analysis, Wrigley should not pursue the debt.5.0 Other matters for the boards consideration5.1 Effect on Voting ControlAssuming the $3billion is used either for a dividend payout or share repurchase, only the second option would alter the amount of shares outstanding.The Wrigley family already controlled 21% of the common stock and 58% of the Class B common stock, which had superior voter turnout rights attached. A $3 billion share repurchase would substantially increase the voting control of the Wrigley family, however the family was already in a majority position so voting control would not be substantially different. A strong controlling majority is highly advantageous in deterring potential mergers and acquisitions.5.2 disdain and Signaling effectsIn gene ral, companies that take on debt signal to investors that the company is in a good financial position as it is able to make future interest repayments.If the debt were used for a dividend payout, this would signal to investors that the company is doing well and increase the stock price.However, using the debt for a share repurchase might have a clientele effecton potential investors that prefer dividend payouts. These investors could potentially sell their remaining stock in reaction to the share buyback resulting in the stock price falling.6.0 ConclusionThe WACC indicated that taking on $3b of debt would reduce the value of Wrigley company. This value could change, provided the Wrigley company had an investment opportunity or plan to use the pertly obtained debt of $3b. The WACC value may be disregarded or adjusted if Wrigley had a high NPV project to invest in or provided a specific use for the funds. However, in the current situation, there is no indication of the reasons for Wr igley to take on the debt and thus they are unnecessarily restricting their financial flexibility. This could prove costly in the future if there are any unexpected negative shocks to the market or Wrigley may miss out on a highly lucrative investment opportunity due to their inability to borrow more. Therefore it is our recommendation that the Wrigley company does not take on the $3b of new debt as it would reduce the total value of the company at this point in time.7.0 ReferencesArmitage, S. (2005). The Cost of Capital Intermediate Theory. Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press. DeAngelo H., & DeAngelo, L., (2006) Capital Structure, Payout Policy, and Financial Flexibility, University of Southern California working paper. DeAngelo, H., & R.W. Masulis. (1980) Optimal Capital Structure under Corporate and Personal Taxation. Journal of Financial Economics 8, 3-29. DeAngelo, H., DeAngelo, L., & Whited T.M., (2011) Capital structure dynamics and transitory debt. Journal of Financial Economics, 99, 235261.Denis, D J. (2011) Financial Flexibility and Corporate Liquidity. Journal of Corporate Finance, 17(3), 667-674.J.R. Graham, & C.R. Harvey., (2001) The theory and practice of corporate finance evidence from the field. Journal of Finance and Economics 60,187243. Jensen, M., & Meckling, W. (1976). Theory of the firm managerial behavior, agency costs, and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics 3, 305-360. Johnson, H. (1999). Determining Cost of Capital The Key to Firm Value. London FT Prentice Hall. Kraus, A., & R.H. Litzenberger. (1973) A assure Preference Model of Optimal Financial Leverage. Journal of Finance (September), 911-922. Modigliani, F., & M.H. Miller. (1958). The Costs of Capital, Corporate Finance, and the Theory of Investment. American Economic Review, 48 (June), 261-297.Modigliani, F., & M.H. Miller. (1963). Corporate Income Taxes and the Cost of Capital A Correction. American Economic Review 53 (June), 433-443. Pratt, Shannon P., & Ro ger J. Grabowski. (2008) Cost of Capital Applications and Examples. Hoboken, NJ Wiley.

Writing and Non Verbal Communication

DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT (DBM) Answers of Business Communication Case I 1) Comment on the appropriateness of the senders tone to a customer. Letter is written in a simple and direct manner. There is no beating active the bush. Letter is brief but its convey the purpose and idea of the writer fully. Impolite and harsh language is avoided. 2. Point out the old fashioned phrases and expressions. picture gallery and leatter head Reference Inside address Attention line Subject Salutation Body Complimentary close dentification mark Enclosure 3. Rewrite the tell according to the principles of effective writing in business. Case II 1. What is non verbal colloquy? Why do you suppose that this commercial relies primarily on non-verbal communication between a young man and a gorgeous woman? What types of non verbal communication are being used in this case? Non oral communication is that which communication through other symbols. The non verbal communication in this case used are Auditory symbols and Body languages . Would any of the non-verbal communications in this spot (ad) non work well in another subtlety? No it wont be working in another culture 3. What role does music play in this spot? Who is the target market? The music play in this spot for Advertising the Radio FM Brand. Fm Brand was the target market. 4. Is the music at all distracting from the message? No the music was not distracting from the message 5. How else are radio stations advertised on TV? Case III 1. Analyse the reasons for Arvind Pandeys dilemma.Arvind was in the situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between not want to lose the job and also against his loyalty to his company and his individual(prenominal) ethics. 2. Does Arvind Pandey really face a dilemma? Yes, definitely Arvind was facing a dilemma. 3. In your view what should Arvind Pandey do? Should he disclose it to his German Vice President? In this situation he should not go against his loyalty to his compan y and his personal ethics. He should place the whole thing before his German Vice President. Case IV . Comment on the terms and conditions placed by the society. The corporation was trying to negotiation in terms and conditions, delivery, sevices. 2. What factors influenced the computer companys decision to accept the contract? The computer company who was finally awarded the contract had agree to everyplaceall terms that were fine as far as their own products were concerned but had also accepted the same terms for the brought out items. In this case, the bought out items were to be imported through a letter of credit.The percentage of the bought out items versus their own manufacture was also very high. 3. Was it a succeed win agreement? Discuss? No it was not totally a win because the computer company started facing trouble immediately on supply. There were over 100 computers over a distance connected with one another with software on it. For the acceptance tests, it had be en agreed that the computer company would demonstrate as a pre-requisite the features they had claimed during technical discussions.

New Hire Communication Essay

The purpose of this message is to let others know about the confederacy conclusion, process and procedures, as well as general randomness on the keep company for new hires. The general audience for the message will be consumers, competitors, perspective and new employees. Channels of communication will embroil pamphlets, a company website, email to current customers, employment agencies, and also a memo to new employees. The message to our audience will start as simple as an explanation of our companys culture. We want the audience to know that we are customer focused with a friendly atmosphere where customers always feel satisfying and excited to visit. We are employee have with a low turnover rate and we promote from within the company. We have a management in training plan where those who express interest in management can learn every job we have in the company. Our company is a metal recycling company whose process is buying metals, excluding precious metals, processing t he metals, and the final product will be sold to larger recycling companies for a profit.We ensure that the metals are in the cleanest form to sell for the largest amount of profit. This process can include shredding of material, crushing of cars, removing plastics and trash, sorting of different metals, and packaging of materials to ship out. The process does not just include a buyer and a processer. It also includes managers to oversee the cleaning process, employees to package material, a cashier to pay customers, and office workers to perform everyday office functions. In order to keep costs at a minimum, there are as few employees as possible, but enough that employees do not abridge overwhelmed. Procedures are explained in detail when an employee starts the job. The line of communication is very open. We have an open door policy to ensure that employees are encouraged to give their infix on how procedures can be changed in order to make the work more productive and make both customers and employees satisfied. Our management does not stay in an office all day, rather they are in the yard and warehouse running machinery, cleaning material themselves, and even unloading customers.They are always knottywith the workload of the day to ensure that employees feel that management is involved and working just hard as other employees. As stated earlier, our company is employee owned which gives us a large advantage when it comes to benefits. We offer to all full time employees some of the greatest benefits you will find in any company in Tulsa. Not only do we offer health and dental insurance, paid vacation, personal time off, and 401k, we also have an employee stock ownership political program and profit sharing. We are self-insured with our health insurance and offer our own medical clinic with zero co-pays. You are 100 % vested in your 401k when you sign up and we contribute one-half of what you contribute, up to 6%.Our company has been in business for 70 pl us years and we continue to grow. It is only in your best interest to be busy by a company who has withstood a bad economy and continues to prosper. Our customers have been coming to us for generations and will continue to be this way for decades to come. We have the culture and mission to withstand the test of time and we hope you love us as much as we do.

Two Countries Possess Two Different Educational Sytems

Is Another Countrys Educational System Better? Doubtlessly, divers(prenominal) countries may have different disciplineal frames moreover who knows which of them is better. I am an international student who came from Malaysia, a country which is located in Southeast Asia then came to the united States, a country which is far apart from my home country, to pursue a higher education. Many of my friends often ask me whether Malaysia or the join States is better but I could not answer them with certainty because I think from each one country is inimitable.Although the duration that I have been to the states is not long, I discovered that the education systems ar distinct between my home country and the coupled States. Thus, each country has its own peculiarity as there ar certain dissimilarities in the educational system in terms of rules and grading systems that exist between two nations. First of all, the contrast of regulations in educational system is one of the factors tha t stretch out the country into the current position in the world today. Undeniable, most of the schools in Asia, such as Malaysia, have tougher rules than in the United States.For example, school uniform and restrictions on hairs are mandatory for pupils during their student career. This motivation is because the government thinks that pupils will look more organized and professional as in the appearance. In the contrary, students in the United State are much more unrestrained as they are permitted to wear any type of clothing that they enjoy wearing. Both of the guidelines in each country are correct but the one which is using in my home country will affect the cogitation of the students because of the restriction on infusion that they were accustomed to.Not solo that, pupils have no rights and is not allowed to converse while the lecturer is instructing because it is considered as an interruption if you intent to speak to anyone. While in the United State, students always inqui re the instructor regarding to the hesitation they have in mind immediately, unlike the students in my country. They are encouraged to exchange their own opinions with teachers. In short, the rules and regulations in both countries are different, but it is not up to us to make a judgment if one nation is superior over another because they are unique in their own way.Moreover, apart from schools ordinances, these two places use different approaches in the assessment system. Unquestionably, most of the Asia countries focus on the interrogative more than the students participation in the class. For example, students can still receive an outstanding grade even if they do not submit their homework according to the schedule that the instructor, as long as they study for the examination. As a matter of fact, this system is not equitable for those pupils that participate in the class as they only achieve the equal result with the students that do not engage in the class.Furthermore, in on e essay, it was stated that teachers nowadays focus on teaching the materials that were establish on the test which can financial aid students to achieve better soft touchs, but would cause a decreasing level of knowledge for this generations students. On the other hand, the scoring system in America is a reverse version of my home country. It is unthinkable for students here to attain an A even when they score wonderful marks for all of their tests because the system here concentrate more on the participation of students, but not just the scores.Unlike Malaysia, lecturers in America help pupils to obtain and absorb knowledge which can benefit themselves in the rest of their lives. Hence, these two regions possess distinct grading systems, but is the reason why they are incomparable. In conclusion, the education system that each country is having now makes them unconventional we could not decide whether it is wrong or right. Irrefutably, without doubt, some people would think that the system in America is better because of its current status in the world today but nobody can determine it.On the opposite side, the system in my home country, which is Malaysia, is more rigorous than where I am studying now. However, I could not tell which of them is better because both of them possess its own weaknesses and strengths. Even though we do not like some of the systems in education, we should adapt and acquire knowledge in the way it is formulated as. Every nation has a different educational system, but nobody can decide which of them is better.

Fast Food, Fat Food Essay

Nowadays, spry nutrition is a actually popular trend in Thailand. Teenagers think it is very smart when they go into the fast feed restaurant, especially, the restaurant which is a part of foreign franchise restaurants. Not only teenagers that like fast food but in addition children and adults. In the busy scroll of modern times people have no time to prep atomic number 18 nutritious food during the day so fast food becomes a very convenient choice. However, there are several health issues related to consuming fast food one serious concern is the connection between fast food and corpulency.Because of the growth of fast food restaurants, you can see them located allwhere in daily life. For example, on the first floor of MBK Centre, there are numerous fast food restaurants, such as KFC, McDonalds and Burger King situated not far from each other. However, at lunch time, you cannot find any seats if you arrive late. Similarly, at Chulalongkorn University there are more than 5 bra nches of 7-eleven, which is a shop where you can buy fast food such as sandwiches, hot dogs, and hamburgers. You would think that there are not many people there.Although there are many branches, students also have to wait in a long queue. This can show how popular fast food is. closely food is very popular not only in Thailand but also all over the world. The information from Wikipedia showed that Burger King has more than 11,100 restaurants in more than 65 countries, Pizza Hut is located in 97 countries with 100 branches in China, KFC is located in 25 countries and McDonalds is located in 120 countries on 6 continents and operates over 31,000 restaurants worldwide. Although fast food is very popular, it is not just for health because fast food is often high in carbohydrates, fat and sodium. Common menu items at fast food restaurants are fried chicken, french fries, hot dogs and ice cream. All of them are made of unplayful ingredients such as low quality bread, high fat meat an d salt. The fast food bread is made from refined grains that have been modified from their natural composition, so a fraction of the nutrients in grains are removed, remaining only excessive starchy. near ingredient is the high fat meat which can cause several health problems. Fat from animal sources is saturated fat that increased the bad cholesterol (LDL) levels which results in adverse negative effects on the health of persons heart (The Importance of Dietary Fat and Cholesterol). The last dangerous ingredient is the thing that makes fast food has a delicious taste it is salt or sodium chloride.Scientists from the Scientific Advisory Committee on sustainment recommend only 4 grams of salt per day because overconsumption of salt will cause high blood pressure and obesity (qtd. in Salt). In fact, according to the CASH survey, a Pizza Hut meal deal, which consisted of a Cheesy Bites Meat Feast, a medium Super Supreme, a portion of garlic bread, a portion of potato wedges, chicken wings, and a cheesecake dessert shared equally between four, could contain 12. 3 grams of salt per person (qtd. n Fast food salt levels shocking).People are increasingly being warned a stimulatest the ill effects of fast food and the potential damage they pose to valet de chambre health (Manohar). Many publications write about health problems from fast food such as nutrition deficiencies, increased cholesterol levels and diabetes. However, the most concern is obesity because this can link to many other dangerous health problems. One reason that fast food can cause obesity is because of its high calories.In one day, men need about 2,700 calories and women need about 2,000 calories but you can get excess calories from only one meal with fast food. For example, a KFC meal set includes KFC famous Bowls (Rice and Gravy), a breast of fried chicken, a box of French fries and a 32-oz Gulp of Pepsi. You can gain 790 calories from the bowl, 370 calories from the chicken, 500 calories from F rench fries and 425 calories from Pepsi, so from all of these you will have about 2,085 calories (KFC Nutrition Guide).As a consequence from the warning in many publications, the danger of fast food is widely known. However, no matter people know how it is linked to many health problems, it is also the popular choice. We cannot reduce fast food completely in our day-to-day life considering its taste, convenience and instant delivery. Fast food is suited to our everyday lifestyle, but, as we know, a smallish bit of everything is always good while overexposure to that little bit is disastrous more often than not. Fast food is not an exception to this.

Faulker vs. Hemingway Essay

Each writer has its very own and unique expressive style when writing a apologue. The style a writer uses to write a story shows the tone being use, symbolism, characterization and description, enough for the redeer to under carrell the story. Two well-known writers with alone different styles ar Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner. Faulkner uses many wrangling to weave an intricate picture in the endorsers head of what is going on, and Hemingway uses many monosyllabic nomenclature to create a seemingly simple story (Dayan).Their similarities and differences in style are seen when comparing and contrasting two of their famous short stories, A Clean, well- mailed Place by Ernest Hemingway and Barn Burning by William Faulkner. Ernest Hemingways story A Clean, Well-Lighted Place uses simple words that directly mean what they stand for. Hemingway uses simple, less complex words to describe both characters and chastenting. Examples of it are found in the title, A Clean, Well- Lighted Place (Hemingway 141). The two waiters describe the customer as a clean old man a good client (Hemingway 141).Hemingways word choice was blunt and to the point. The word usage does not allow the reader get funny ideas or leeway to think anything other than what Hemingway says. Hemingways style reflects when the unfledged waiter states the old man is drunk (Hemingway 141). The young waiter does not suggest he was tipsy or that he seemed intoxicated, he simply meant he was drunk. On the other hand, William Faulkners use of words are more complicated due to the fact they are slang and misspelled. Some misspelled words and slang are kin hisn and hit (Faulkner 145) which stands for the words can, his, and it.The effort for the use of a southernern accent is to set the mood of where the story takes place. Racist slurs such as nigger (Faulkner 146) are used to build a certain attitude toward the character who says them. Faulkner describes the way Abner walks as stiffly (Faulkne r 146) which also affects the way the reader feels about the character. Many readers who are not familiar with the south the complex word usage in Barn Burning mean many things and nothing at times this can also affect the readers attitude toward the story. In his writing Ernest Hemingway gives you a clearer and easier image of the setting in the story.It was late and everyone had left the cafe except an old man who sit in the shadow the leaves of the trees made against the electric light (Hemingway 141). Another image follows instantly, of a girl and a soldier hurriedly passing by, The street light shone on the brass number on his collar (Hemingway 141). These images are visualized clearly which helps set the setting. The images Hemingway wants to show and describe in his story are gear up into simple words, which leave no confusion for the reader not to be able to feel or see the story. However William Faulkner uses a different technique.Faulkners images are given in difficult wo rding with excessive details. An example of this is shown in one of his stories, ranked shelves close-packed with the solid, squat, dynamic shapes of tin cans whose labels his lose read the scarlet devils and the silver curve of fish (Faulkner 145). His description is longer and harder to realise unlike Hemingway which is easier and understandable to read. Ernest Hemingway brings us to the moment with speedIn contrast Faulkner mildly leads, involves and seduces, and then overwhelms (Hemingway, Line Ernest).When reading Faulkners storys one essential re-read the story in order to understand. In Ernest Hemingways story, the details he wants to describe are done to get the theme across. The details of the cafe and the bar are given so one can compare and understand the characters loneliness and his need for light and cleanness. The cafe was clean well-lighted (Hemingway 144). The bar on the other hand was unpolished. Other details Hemingway includes are those of the old mans charact er. Last week he tried to commit suicide, (Hemingway 141) and He has plenty of money. (Hemingway 141) are given to descried the old man and set a setting. Also the language used in Faulkner and Hemingway are completely different. For instance the language used in the story Barn Burning by William Faulkner includes informal and slightly slanged words. Naw, he said. Hit dont hurt. Lemme be. (Faulkner 147). Interior Monologue also makes up the element of language. Interior monologue is a beak through which a writer can exhibit the thoughts of the characters to the readers. I could run on and on and never look back, never need to see his deliver again. (Faulkner 155) is Sartys interior monologue. Faulkner uses interior monologue to prove Sarty was not allowed to express himself freely out of fear. The sentence social structure used in a story also has an impact on the readers attitude. The sentences are structured in a way to get certain points and feelings across. Sentence structur e in Ernest Hemingways A Clean, Well-Lighted Place includes short, choppy, simple and direct sentences. For example, He has plenty of money. (Hemingway 141) and Nothing. (Hemingway 141).Formal, complex and long drawn-out sentences make up the sentence structure in Barn Burning by William Faulkner. In the day the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man care to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference. (Faulkner 141). His sentences tend to long and breath taking. Faulkners style is formal but excessively detailed. He creates sentences extremely complicated that many times the best way to understand them is to go back and re-read the sentence.The boy, crouched on his perk keg at the back of the crowded room, knew he smelled cheese, and more from where he sat he could see the ranked shelves close-packed with the solid, squat, dynamic shapes of tin cans whose labels his stomach read, not from the lettering which meant nothing to his mind but from the scarlet devils and the silver curve of fish-this, the cheese which he knew he smelled and the hermetic meat which his intestines believed he smelled coming in intermittent gusts momentary and brief between the other constant one, the smell and sense just a little of fear because mostly of despondency and grief, the old fierce pull of blood (Faulkner 145).The style of both Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner are very different. One style, Hemingway being simple and to the point the other, easy enough for the reader to get a quick understanding and clear image of the story. Faulkner being complicated and full of details makes it complicated for the reader to understand the story. One must be open minded in order to understand Faulkners stories and the possible meanings of each one. Works Cited Dayan, Evea.Faulkner Vs. Hemingway A Comparison of Writing Styles. Associated Content from hick Associatedcontent. com. Web. 30 July 2011. http //www. associatedcontent. com/article/292995/faulkner_vs_hemingway_a_comparison. html? cat=38 Faulkner, William. Barn Burning. Literature An submission to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 2nd Compact ed. New York Longman, 2000. 145-158.Hemingway, Ernest. A Clean, Well-Lighted Place. Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 2nd Compact ed. New York Longman, 2000. 141-144. Hemingway, Line Ernest. Philip S. Rader Faulkner

Field Trip

instigate Report Yorgos Amanatidis This is a trip report for the sack up skill assembly 2009 ( netSci09) that took place from the 18th to the twentieth of marching 2009, in capital of Greece, Greece. Location The convocation was held at the Hellenic Cosmos complex of the Foundation of the Hellenic accreditedity. Hellenic Cosmos was indeed in truth suitable for such an sheath. The place was technologically equipped, the location was comfortably admission priceible for me, both by public transportation and by car, with adequate parking space.Although I stayed in Piraeus, I mickle assume that the transportation to/from the Conference was equally easy for all the start divulgeicipants. Organization Concerning the goernment and the advertisement of meshSci09, I fuck off to say that e trulything was head planed and the host was quite publicized. However, and this was non an objection of me alone, just ab bulge of the publicity was due to the unusually large derive o f members of the Greek Parliament that speaked during the Conference.Workshops, Talks, Posters I touched the net wisdom Curriculum Workshop and just the first hour of the UIWoSC Workshop due to my jet lag. I appreh extirpate that the two stores were planned to substantiate solo a closely participants, however they were real(a) en miscellaneale and illustrative of the struggle to determine the boundaries of an emerging scientific vault of heaven. To say my opinion, I can non travel to weathervane information independent of computing machine skill, and I think the or so plausible direction is the one of information science, as it is called in the U. S.I be several negotiation and enjoyed intimately of them, although the topics of some(a) academic seances diverged too much from my idea of what weather vane science should/ depart be, e. g. the hea consequently Convergence and Digital Technology school term. I had the chance to dress down to a few peck intimately my look for and set up some provoke ideas on more than apply directions I was a position disap ap evidenceed though, that two of the three oppo grade speakers in my sitting did non ground up. Finally, a few thoughts approximately the Poster Session. I open up umpteen of the posters in reality capture toing and I had the chance to talk to some of the authors.It seems to me, that it would be a good idea if the poster academic session was a routine more central in the program, since at the and of the first daylight around plurality were already exhausted. Also, it would be squeamish to have some information slightly the posters on the vane summon of the collection. Overall, I would say that examineing WebSci09, was a effectual and evoke throw, and I will try to meet WebSci conclaves a benefit in the future day. WebSci09 Report Norhidayah Azman When I certain the e-mail saying that I was one of the fortunate recipients of the WebSci09 burs ary award, I couldnt desire my eyes.Firstly, it dawned on me that I was going to attend the first ever conference to be run by WSRI. Then secondly, I was going to go to Athens The conference ran from 18-20 March 2009 in the beautiful Hellenic Cosmos of the Foundation of the Hellenic World. The moment me and my friends set eyes on the locus, we were real excited. I fully agree with Dame Wendy when she said in her welcoming address that the futuristic covered stadium was reason enough to come on that point for the conference. The city join in addition provided more than enough distractions for us delegates before and later on the conference.Being a first- form PhD student, I was thrilled to be disclosen to the opportunity to conflate amongst these brilliant minds congregating in support of a rough-cut goal to witness the future of the Web. I excessively had the merriment of talking to Bebo White, a prominent soulality in the frameing of Web look for. He said it was s uch a good reception for a conference where nobody knows what its or so carve up of prominent speakers graced the event, delivering careing recognize none speeches that provided a good overstance of the breadth and depth of Web scientific discipline.Sir Tim Berners-Lee, with his affable conduct, show graphic symbold his radical thinking during the blusteringing WWW Forum. He said that 80% of the worlds population does non have access to the Internet, then future technological knowments must be inclusive of this huge populace. To help reach out to more citizenry, he suggested building a water- base wireless router Its quite kindle to see the antithetic ship canal of how different keynote speakers envisage the evolution of the Web.Joseph Sifakis likens its maturity today as similar to physics during the spunk Ages, while Nigel Shadbolt symbolized the Webs issues as an elephant in the room. He to a fault asked how do you prise the economic value of incarnate content? Nosh Contractor gave an fantabulous speech, clearly outlining the rooms to identify different generative mechanisms that relieve emergent constructions observed in large-scale net acts. He show that technology does not spell the death of distance, because from his experimental results using EverQuest, individuals within a 50km radius is 22. cartridge holders more likely to be friends online than compargond to a 50-80km radius. The text file and adorns non plused were eye-opening as advantageously. This is where the breadth of Web science seemed rattling apparent. On the same track, you could find a Computer Science publisher seeed by a Law cover which was then followed by a Sociology motif. The different approaches and angles towards addressing Web issues do spur a grass of handleion during the Q sessions, which I find in truth refreshing. I be the following tracks organized religion and Distrust, Openness vs. Control, ensurety Networks, and Government, Citizens , Law and the Web.Throughout these tracks, some of the interesting issues entangle reputation, restless Web, collaborative filtering, trust propagation, Net neutrality, digital identities and Bibles written in Klingon. My favourite was the legal panel which discussed privacy and selective information retention issues. It was interesting to see how the perspectives of practice of legality practitioners and calculator scientists clash when it comes to determining the roles of law in the Web. I truly enjoyed my days in Greece. The intellectual stimulation was well complemented by the heathen sites across Athens.I am thrilled to be a part of Web Sciences history, and what better place to do this than in a historical city like Athens Summary Report for WebSci 09 Conference Athens, Greece 18th-20th March, 2009 by Bipana Bantawa Doctoral Student It was indeed truly arouse to attend my first Web Science conference and I admit that I came back with mixed feelings intimately the pro ceedings of the conference. The very first shop class on blade science computer program turned out to be more like a presentation session and I real wish thither could have been a better way to handle the unprecendented number of participants.Although it was mandatory to submit a position paper to attend the workshop, or so of the attendees linked at the final stage minute and I mean we lost a big opportunity to have an engaging debate near the subject. In the end I would have agreed with Jim Hendlers command that the curriculum should be such that students should be able to create something in the buff and only relevant elements from different controls should be chosen for the purpose.The second workshop on the strike of the sack up was conducted on similar lines and I was eagerly looking onward to have a discussion, which ofcourse did not materialise due to the structure of the room and number of participants. I for sure enjoyed more or less of the participants v iews and Steven Harnads introduction to the debate could not have been more appropriate. Nigel Shadbolts key note speech on the second day was certainly promising and encouraging to novices like myself-importance.His emphasis on philosophy and multidisciplinarity was the superiorlight for me of that day. The following paper session on teaching and discipline began with a presentation, which really disappointed me since it gave us a brief overview of the nett phenomenon in a very superficial manner without much evidence to back it up. It might be a bit too critical approximately it, just maybe I was expecting something immature and exciting as a strarter. However, Carl Lagozes presentation on OreChem usher ind me to in the altogether methodologies that I had been looking for.The highlight of the ordinal day and perhaps the entire conference for me was Noshir contractors key note, which was perhaps the most engaging speeches of the event and it was wondrous to hear from a tr ue multidisciplinarian and I am certainly going to follow his work, which I recall I would not have found so easily early(a)wise. The paper session on complaisant networks was the one that was most memorable that day and I quite enjoyed Schindler and Vrandecics presentation on wikipedias new features and Halpins philosophical arguments for this methodologies.Overall, I definitely gained a lot from attending this conference by getting to disturb academics from different disciplines and fellow doctoral students who had such diverse views that I had to challenge my own. I was to a fault introduced to new methodologies and theories which I will study in detail in the next mate of months to determine what could be important for my query. I appreciated the diversity of participants and their effort to understand each new(prenominal) although they came from completely different academic disciplines, which I imagine is not an easy matter.The opportunity to briefly introduce myself to several academics whose work I intend to follow and maybe ask for advice on different aspects on my own idea was truly invaluable. It was my first conference as a doctoral student and I would like to thank you for braggy me the opportunity to participate. Apart from information more about the emerging plain stitch, I feel greatly encouraged to pursue my own research and attend future conferences and I am looking forward to the next meshworksci event. Thank you, again. WebSci09 Conference Attendance Report Mohamed Bishr m. emailprotected e The first WebSci conference was a very good chance for me to attend the birth of a new research community. The general musical arrangement of the conference was, in fact excellent, and the poster session where I was problematic was very well managed. I have met several interesting people at the conference as well I have managed to sacrifice valuable contacts for my research and career. The conference as an interaction platform proved very valuable to me. The paper presented at the conference, while being diverse, managed to attract my attention for the most part.Especially papers focalization on non-technical aspects of the web as this is an area that is often understudied. The location of the conference was ideal, and allowed me to experience a new country and culture, which is alship canal a benefit Im look forward to from attending conferences. My attending of the conference was supported by a generous grant from WSRI sponsors, and as a young detective this support is warmly appreciated and I hope it will continue to the next few old age of the WebSci conference.Overall, it was, for me, a very good opportunity to present my work and receive feedback from a multi-disciplinary audience. It is also, a forum of established people in their domains which I have found very exhilarating. WebSci09 Trip Report Ilaria Bordino I have been very glad to be given the opportunity to attend the 1st Web Science Conference. We all know that in the last few years the Web has really changed the life of everybody. In particular, it has changed the way in which we communicate and collaborate, disclosing possibilities that could not be even imagined before.The Web Science Research initiatory is promoting a joint work of several different scientific fields, with the aim of gaining a clear cognizance of the fundamental issues that have to be addressed in regularise to improve the future institution and usance of the World Wide Web. This new Science is inherently multidisciplinary, as it requires to take into con viewration different aspects that actually need to apply knowledge derived from several fields, like physics, computer science and also kind science. The unmatched nature of this new Science has made the participation in this conference a novel and great experience for me.First of all, I had the chance of meeting the great scientists that are the founders of the Web Science Initiative. It was re ally nice to meet people that have given so great a contribution to the development of the Web and to listen to their opinions and ideas about the crucial issues that researchers have to take into consideration when thinking about the future of the Web. The presented papers were also very interesting because they spanned different topics from research areas much broader than the ones that I am utilize to see when taking part in typical Computer Science conferences.There was a lot of interaction mingled with computer scientists and social scientists. This is important, because the WWW does not exist without the participation of people and organizations. Significant parts of peoples lives are now spent online in many countries. For example, among the topics that were taken into consideration, at that place were eCommerce, Social Sciences and e-learning, e-culture, Cybercrime, cross outging schemes. The researchers discussed many problems that have a critical importance for the so called online society, like openness and control, privacy and trust.The conference also addressed issues concerning peoples conduct and motivation on line. Yana Breindl Ph. D Candidate Information and Communication Sciences Department Universite Libre de Bruxelles Belgium Susan Davies Administrator for the Web Science Research Initiative School of Electronics and Computer Science University of Southampton UK April 20th, 2009 Subject WebSci09 Bursary Report To whom it may concern, The Websci09 conference was worth participating in. From the first day on, the program was of outstanding quality.It was a unique occasion for me as a Ph. D student to listen to high-standing speakers which turned out to be quite approachable as the size of the conference was small enough to feel comfortable. The various panels were highly interesting and touched upon most issues link up to the World Wide Web. Coming from a social sciences background, I found it very stimulating to get in touch with many scholars from various disciplines and especially the computer sciences. At stages it was hard to discuss ones research objects in more depth.The topics represent were very wide-ranging and the lack of common plans and knowledge about the others disciplines turned out to be quite a challenge as discourses risked to remain somewhat superficial. However, the conference left me more convinced than ever that it is very necessary to favor interdisciplinary research. When studying the World Wide Web, legal, governmental, social, technical and certification issues need to be addressed. As the web constitutes a unique site for research, scholars from all fields need to think about how to address its many challenges.In this sense, it could have been even more interesting to organize methodological panels. Indeed, all participants would have benefited from a deeper insight into how other disciplines study the WWW. It was super rewarding to be part of such an ambitious project and I am lo oking forward to the next conference. Sincerely, Yana Breindl Report about WebSci09 Conference Author Lucia Ciofi It is not an easy task to write a report about a conference. A conference, obviously, it is not made up only of presented papers and posters, which, at least, it is possible to read whenever you wish give thanks to on-line publishing.A conference conveys something more and the spare value comes principally from sensations and emotions felt during the happening. Let me remember then, that it has been exciting to see such a gathering of many far-famed researchers, whose work is wide known and appreciated. Beside it has been really impressive to see the success of the conference among the students, as in that location was a huge number of them attending the conference, and it is easy to reckon how the idea to become a web scientist is regarded as an appealing one.What instead, from my point of view, it has been demanding to perceive during the conference, it is a unit ary vision for the Web Science. This is belike due to two facts first one, Web Science is still a very young discipline and second one, its aim to follow an interdisciplinary approach it is extremely complex to obtain. Then it is still toilsome to find out a way of its own. Probably for this reason the program seemed to be a bit fragmented and that each fragment was not fully connected to each other.Beside the lack of a common language across the various disciplines involved in Web Science makes difficult to understand the point of view of researchers that come from different heathenish backgrounds. However the main fanny of the conference was to officially announce that this discipline has moved its first steps and it is no more a project of a few people, but that it has become a field of work shared by many different researchers and this target has been fully reached.For what concerns the choice of topics for the paper sessions, it seems that it has been paid more attention to social aspects connected with the Web and a bit less attention has been given to infrastructural aspects, for example, only the session entitled Web of information was touch with technological developments connected with the Web, but it could have been interesting to expand this topic. Again it must be difficult to find a proper balance among so many different aspects addressed by this discipline.On the other side the poster session has tried to solve the aforementioned question but it has resulted a bit confusing for the high number of posters presented and the different research areas addressed. At last it could be worthy to make a reflection about how an interdisciplinary approach could be a dangerous way to follow in the training of future web scientists, because it could result in having researchers that will have a overflowing cultural background but that could not master any particular area in order to conduct a proper research work as the one required nowadays.Among the papers presented, I would remember the work Semantic technologies for learning and teaching in the web 2. 0 era which has report a clear summary about which are the new positions in Semantic Web field and its possible developments in the future. Beside it seems important the effort spent trying to classify the current technologies available, since there is a lot of confusion in this area at the moment.Another work really engaging, it has been the one entitled divide associated structure derived from linked objects which identifies a possible model to describe the structure of RDF data published on the web following the linked data principles. The capability to understand such a model is really important for the execution of new applications, as it has been important for the current web, the analysis of the model of the information structure which allowed the birth of the famous Page Rank algorithmic programic program. Another work worth mentioning is the one entitled Social nub from the web From Wittgenstein To hunting Engines.It takes the move from an ongoing discussion about the meaning of the URIs. The object debated is from the point of view of the Semantic Web, the URI is a simple identifier without any meaning or it has to convey a meaning, as it is often used to identify different things in different situations? The author thinks that an URI has to convoy a meaning but he is not satisfied with the current approaches to solve this issue. His idea then, is to find the meaning of a URI through the meaning that the community of users gives to it, and in order to reach this purpose, he has studied the queries made to a search engine.The idea is good but it is possible to scale for all URIs this kind of approach? In the poster session I have appreciated the one entitled Towards a part architecture for Semantic Web applications. The purpose of this work was to find common features that are present in many different semantic applications and from this an alysis it has been tried to define a common architecture, which could represent a reference to develop software frameworks in order to aid the implementation of semantic applications, an approach that currently is widely used for the development of common web applications.Web Science 2009 Conference Trip Report. By Shankaron Gambi, Sheffield Hallam University. The Web science conference was the first ever conference of its kind to be held and Athens was to make it one of the most memorable. Being held in Athens Foundation of the Hellenic World the conference boasted a unique venue that represented a virtual future and helped to convey the conferences message of the webs power and its importance in our future world and everyday lives. The conference was on all sides a real success and easily met its key objectives of bridging the gap between computer science and social science.People from Psychology, Computer science, Web design, Sociology, Philosophy and other disciplines promptly filled the conference rooms, each presentation focusing on a number of diverse aspects of the impact of the Web on our lives. What was most enjoyable about this was that people genuinely seemed enkindle in learning about the research being carried out in different disciplines and many people like myself used the conference to help them shed light on different aspects of their own research.The key emphasize of the conference-society on-line, really brought alive the importance of understanding the web from both a behavioural and technological perspective. Coming from a social psychological perspective I have long thought that together such disciplines could project insightful answers to many research questions. I am already theorizing the resultants of my PhD which incorporate both spheres of the webs technological and social aspects. A real highlight of the conference for me was the poster session held on Wednesday evening.This was a highlight for me not only because I was presen ting my own research in a poster but because of the opportunity it gave people to actively ask questions about other researchers work and learn so much more about the work being done in the very new field of web science. I also met some very interesting people who had some very original ideas and who will no surmise go onto make some very big contributions to the new field of web science. There is already talk about next years Web Sciences 2010 conference commencing.I believe that this conference will only get bigger and more popular as the years go on and perhaps may include a number of other diverse disciplines which is very exciting. I will be in my terminal year of my PhD then and so plan to apply to present my research there. Overall, I really enjoyed the conference. I feel that the conferences success was in its highlighting the importance and significance the web is playing in ever-changing the way people communicate, socialize, work and generally live. Such an emphasis sho wed the positive power the web can have on many peoples distant and isolating lives.In such contents I believe that the power of the web has helped many people and society as a whole to live in a more connected way and has helped dissolve the loneliness and isolation in what would be a very disconnected offline world without it 1 Web Science 2009 Report Harry Halpin H. emailprotected ac. uk School of information science University of Edinburgh 2 Buccleuch Place EH8 9LW Edinburgh Scotland, UK The Web Science 2009 conference was an astounding success, and I can only give the briefest highlights.In particular, I presented Edinburghs more traditional Informatics curriculum, such as our over-subscribed information retrieval course, and received very returnsable feedback on the latest work on Web Science curriculum. bingle of the most individualally productive sessions for me was the workshop on Workshop on Understanding The Impact of the Web on Scholarly Communication (UIWoSC). St evan Harnads presentation, even over video, on the concept of the Web as sky-writing was of large relevance to my own work, as he seems to be pursuing similar ideas but from a about di? erent angle.We seem to have a major theoretical disagreement, as I am ultimately interested in how collective intelligence forms in the form of a new relational theory of the self based on the ideas of Maturana and Deleuze, while he is more interested in the Web as a form of external medium operating within a more classical Lockean or Kantian cognitive framework. I also explained the role of W3C Incubator Groups in possibly standardizing a vocabulary for open linked bibliographic databases. From the various sessions, I found the paper on On Measuring expertness in Collaborative Tagging Systems by Yeung et al. o be by to be very relevant to my old work on collaborative tagging systems. The largest surprise I had was during the poster session, where a poster by Jeremy Smart, Jim Hendler, and others talked about how my Ph. D. advisor, Andy Clarks, philosophical analysis on the Extended Mind could be applied to the Web. I had an absolutely matter to conversation with Jeremy Smart, and perhaps future collaboration could result. The invited talk by Noshir Contractor opened my eyes to a whole new world of statistical generative models for networks, and I explained linked open data to him in a way he really enjoyed over eat.The highlight of the conference for me was of course my talk, in which I had the honor of having Tim Berners-Lee, Jim Hendler, and Nigel Shadbolt in the audience. The talk went well, although it was di? cult for me to compress my entire Ph. D. thesis into a relatively on the spur of the moment talk. Jim Hendler gave very excellent feedback about my sampling method and how I should make my sample more deputy of the Semantic Web. Tim Berners-Lee gave me an invaluable hour or so of his time to give his feedback, and con? rmed in person a lot of the theses that I was attributing to him.Lastly, Nigel Shadbolt mentioned how his Ph. D. work was on a similar topic, work that I am now investigating. WebSci09 Trip Report Dave Karpf May 21, 2009 The WebSci09 conference proved to be an excellent experience for me in all regards. Going into the conference, I recognized it as my first opportunity to meet and interact with the international, cross-disciplinary web science community and an excellent chance to present my research and gain feedback from members of the various fields represented there. I could not be happier with how everything turned out.From an early interaction on Wednesday evening with semantic web developer Lynda Hardman to several excellent conversations with students and faculty at the Oxford Internet Institute, I built the framework for what I believe will be longtermproductive working relationships. The presentation of my conference paper, Why Bowl Alone When You Can Flashmob the roll in alley? Implications of the Mobile Web fo r Online-Offline Reputation Systems, was to a large and enthusiastic audience which asked several useful questions for further exploration.I am currently revising the conference paper for publication with Policy and Internet, one of the conference cosponsoring journals. Keynote speeches by Tim Berners-Lee, Noshir Contractor, and Nigel Shadbolt were particularly illuminating for me, drawing together topics in network theory, the semantic web, and data mining in ways that had clear relevance to my work in political science. I also particularly appreciated Jim Hendlers enunciation during the keynote Friday night that we arent all from the same tribe. more than than anything, what I took away from the conference was a clear sense of what Web Science is and what it isnt. Web Science isnt a single discipline. It is a space where those elements of the various disciplines who share an interest in the web come together and interact with each other, cross-pollinating, if you will. Those spee ches, along with papers presented at the Government and Legal panels, were credibly the most impactful for me as a scholar. As a whole, I was extremely pleased to have tended to(p) WebSci09 and was thankful for the generous bursary support which helped make the trip possible.I am looking forward to next years conference and am already considering possible paper topics. WebSci09 Trip Report Spyros Kotoulas I have attended the first WebSci conference in Athens, Greece. In general, the conference was a happy mix of computer scientists (especially SemWeb people), sociologists, lawyers, philosophers , politicians, journalists and other disciplines that I failed to spot. I think that everybody contributed to making a really interdisciplinary conference. The opening event was attended by approx. 000 people and the rest of the conference by approx. 200 300. The conference started with a workshop on web science curricula. Researchers from various universities presented new studies that the y have devised for Web Science. I think there were about 5 of purely web science curricula, and some related ones. There was a protracted discussion about which disciplines should be included in a web science curriculum. Some proposals, along with an argument supporting them were Humanities We need to be able to examine and interpret sources on the Web.Linked data It is all about links and knowing WHAT it is that we are talking about. Social science We need sociology to show us how the Web is changing the world. Other proposals, for which the argument was not so clear to me were philosophy, economics & business, art, humanities. Although there was effort to throw some of these disciplines out, it did not happen. Furthermore, the curricula presented did not contain all of these disciplines. The opening event was meant for a much broader audience. Major greek policial figures attended. As a result, the audience was approx. 1000 people.The keynotes from Tim Berners-Lee and Wendy Hall were, as anticipate a bit of general information about Web Science, intended for a general audience. They were followed by a very different keynote. The accent changed from that of a british Sir and a Dame to than of a person from Crete and the content from generally the Web to embedded systems J. Sifakis (Turing award laureate) gave a talk about reliability and security of embedded systems, with a bit technical content. A keynote by N. Shadbolt was also about web science in general. There several dialog/keynotes about trust, security and privacy.The point was made that it is natural for the Web. Some people were advocating that this should be done through legislation and some by system design. These duologue were generally interesting. There were in total 27 paper presentations in (mostly) 2 parallel sessions. The topics were quite diverse, covering all aforementioned disciplines. I saw presentations on privacy, linked data, user interfaces, sociology, law and more. All in all, there were quite interesting and only a few of them I could not follow. I should also note that this was not the same for the non-comp. ci participants. I have serious doubts that they could understand some of the more technical presentations. There was a 2,5 hours poster session. Approx 40% of the poster presenters did not show up in the conference, mainly from the non comp. sci. fields. I was presenting a poster about MaRVIN. There was much interest for it. Namely, I was kept talking for almost the entire session and I barely had time to look at other posters. Admittedly, the interest was from the Sem. Web people. Researchers from other disciplines shunned with fear from papers with very technical content. 7 papers accepted for presentation 16% bankers acceptance rate 115 accepted as posters 75% acceptance rate Ordered list of participation by country (my own approximation, they have shown a tag cloud) UK There were many presentations from Southampton people US Greece Spain N etherlands All in all, it was a very educational experience and it was really great looking at how different disciplines fit together. Report During the 18th and 20th of March 2009 I had the opportunity to attend and participate as a volunteer and as a new scientist at the WEB Science Conference Society Online 2009.The experience was unique and worthwhile. I attended the most interested to me lectures and spend many hours during the poster session practice session the most of the posters of the conference. As far as it concerns the lectures I attended the presentations of distinguished scientists from around the world on issues that are related to my scientific area and interests such as Socio-Psychology of the Web. As far as it concerns the posters I really was enthusiastic about the number of them and the multi-dimensionality of the issues they covered.I had the chance to keep notes useful to my scientific research, meet posters authors and have discussions about our common resea rch interests. Additionally, as I had expressed the willingness and I been selected to be at the organizing committee, I voluntarily byeed my help whenever and wherever there was a need during the preparation months and during the three days of the conference. This was other aspect of my participation to the conference and it was a very important and useful experience, an undoubtedly life experience.The conference organization phase gave me the opportunity to understand better and in depth many issues related to a scientific conference and science. Finally, as my research work was selected for the poster session I had the chance during the conference and especially during the poster session to present to many people and especially to people who where experienced researchers or academicians the work that had been done by me up to these days and receive back their comments. Dialogues developed about the theme and content of my poster and offered me a lot of material opinions, impres sions, scientific methods, future implications) so as to improve my work in future. I end up with the conclusion that the WebScience Conference Society OnLine 2009 was very successful and as far as it concerns my case it was a great challenge and a experience I lived to the full. Helen Koutsonika Report It was my great honor to attend WebSci09 in Athens, Greece in March. First of all, I would like to thank Susan Davies in the Southampton University. Without her help, as a high student from China, I wouldnt be able to get the bursary and afford my travelling expense.Also, I want to thanks her colleague, Samantha Collins, for her reminding me of the report. I am really sorry for the late of this report. It was a fancy trip. As in brief as I relaxed from the discomposure in my first oversea travel, I indulged myself in enjoying the beautiful view outside the plane. The clouds above Beijing, the sea near the United Arab Emirates (where I changed my flight) and the mountains surroundin g the Athens were all very impressive. And of course, the Aegean Sea It was so amazing In the four days in the Greece, I lived in a youth hotel near the Sigma Square.Although the conference was held in the Hellenic World, which located between the Piraeus and Athens, the metro was very convenience for me to go to the conference. In the marvellous conference, I met with many famous scholars such Tim Berners-Lee and Joseph Sifakis, whose topics greatly attracted my attention. From the presentations in the WWW Forum, I knew the latest advancements in the area of the Internet research. What was more exciting was that my poster attracted the interest of many scholars. By responding to the comments and explained my research to them, I help them understand more deeply the situation in China.As I have just accepted a PhD admission from the Hong Kong City University, where I am supposed(a) to continue my research on internet and its impact on society, I think such an wonderful experience o f attending an international conference will make me more sure of the topics that I should ante up my time on. As I mentioned in my bursary-application letter this fancy travel will undoubtedly be an unforgettable memory of me, a future scholar at the age of 24, he got his first side paper published and at the same time, it was the first time he went abroad to see another world.Wu Lingfei School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University Jun. 12, 2009 REPORT ON WEB SCIENCE 2009 CONFERENCE SOCIETY on-line(a) 18-20 March 2009, Athens, Greece Date 18 March 2009 The conference starting with two half-day workshops Second Web Science Curriculum Workshop (WSCW2) chair by Dr. Catherine Pope, and Workshop on Understanding The Impact of the Web on Scholarly Communication (UIWoSC) chair by Dr. Leslie Carr. The opening ceremony officiated by H. E. President of the Hellenic Republic, Dr. K. Papoulias. grateful addresses were given by 3 other important persons including Prof. Dame Wend y Hall.Primary keynotes had been given by Prof. Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Prof. J. Sifakis. Prof. Sir Tim Berners-Lee gave talked about the concept of Web Science by comparing it with human neuron in mind. WWW design could be redesigned to replicate the neurons in human mind. Social Networks for human should be nurtured and encouraged from all over the world where web could be used for lots of benefits especially for humanity. The second keynotes speaker talked about system design in software engineering. Date 19 March 2009 The first keynote given by Prof. Nigel Shadbolt emphasized on refining our insight about the Web Science.He talked about the dynamic of Web Science where it is for orbicular used either in computer science or other domains, such as sociology, law etc, by avoiding the two culture syndrome. The collaborative between all domains could enhance creativity, engineering and science which will generate new innovation and development, because collaborative innovations came from collective intelligents. The conference followed with paper sessions, and I attended the swear and Distrust session. First paper covered about reputation systems which explained about the set size, proxy and algorithm for the systems.Second paper was about recommendation system which recommend about topic or others with personalization. And last paper talked about the Devils long tail. Afterwards, I have attended the Legal Panel session where the discussed about data retention, law between practical and moral/ethical and transferring data through mobile devices. The second keynote given by Jacques Bus, covered the principle of trust, 7 laws of identity and privacy including accountability, transparency, upright distribution of responsibilities, support tool and protection of personal sphere.The conference followed with panel discussion on deposit on the Web paper sessions of Tags and Search and posters session. Date 20 March 2009 Starting with paper session on Web of Data, covered papers on Class association structure, social meaning on the Web, interactive information access and new features to Wikipedia. The conference continued with discussion panel on the Cultural Convergence. The third keynote given by Noshir Contractor highlighted on Social Networks, based on rich Mechanism regarding the questions and answers of 8 issues on why do we create and sustain networks?.Followed by more paper sessions and ended with closing ceremony. Written by Miss Zurina Muda IAM, ECS, University of Southampton April 2009 WEB SCIENCE CONFERENCE 2009 March 18-20, Athens Greece Dade Nurjanah tuition Societies Lab Electronics and Computer School University of Southampton emailprotected soton. ac. uk The Web Science describes the evolution of the web and systems on the web. The implementation of systems is not only related to technological aspect systems but also social aspect. This one knave report The Web Science Conference 2009 held at Theatron, in Athens Greece, on March18-20, 2009.The conference was excellent that many researchers of many fields attended the event and many interdisciplinary papers and pages. All sessions conducted in English and the Poster session were excellent. The parallel sessions I attended are the ones which related to my PhD research Learning and Teaching, Openness versus Control, Web of Data and Life Online. The paragraphs below briefly summarize papers and poster presented in the Web Science Conference 2009. Teaching and Learning. Nowadays, with the popularity of web and Web 2. , learning systems has changed to open content system with evolving courseware that support lifelong learning. However, Learning is not only about content delivery. It must involve content, operate and users, and considers three aspects of technological, methodological and organizational aspects. Deal with the three aspects, semantic technology has given significant progression to learning systems by adding some information to content tha t both human and machines can understand, and also providing logical thinking mechanisms which support adaptation and personalization of learning.In addition to semantic technology, social network aspects has changed the paradigm of learning provided by learning tools from adaptiveindividualized learning to personalized-collaborative learning. With this paradigm learning is not a personal process between teacher and learner, but also social process that each learner can learn from other learners. Collaborative Work, knowledge Sharing and Online Community. There are many social systems that facilitate social interaction and collaborative work. One of them is Wikis that have shifted authoring paradigm to community driven knowledge development.It facilitates knowledge and content creation which is complex, immense and requires collaborative expertise. In addition, it evanesces to the development of online communities. However, the social webs have a problem in managing content that a lways evolve, thus causing complex structure and the difficulties in finding information. Semantic technologies like semantic annotation offer a solution to overcome the problem by structuring the content. We call the systems Semantic Wikis. At the other side of collaborative work, collaborative tagging provides a way for organizing and sharing knowledge.It enables user to find other research and researcher which are relevant to a particular domain. The relevancy of fields can also be found from other social technologies like Friend Of A Friend (FOAF). This network can also lead to the development of online communities. E-Commerce, e-Government, and e-Health. The web also gives impacts to daily life. Marketing including auctions, counseling, behavioral interventions, culture and governmental tasks are some works harnessing the web. Some works in the fields applied cognitive aspects to improve the result.The implementations raise issues of polity and regulation, trust and distrust, security, control, and bandwidth capacity. WebScience 2009 18th 20th March, Athens Greece I had the opportunity to participate in the WebScience 2009 conference. It was a very interesting experience my first international conference. I met many people from various areas from psychology to engineering. The most interesting meeting was the WWW Forum, where I had the possibility to know Time Berners-Lee, the father of HTTP technology.For me, it was the first time I met a person that has changed the future of the computer science. Moreover, I had the opportunity to talk with him and I found a very kind person, open to new ideas. Apart from the WWW Forum, the conference had more interesting appointments. It started with a workshop about the definition of an academic curriculum on Web Science a head to head among different areas. Participants started an animated discussion about the possibility to develop a curriculum with psychological and sociological topics, besides informatics ones. This discussion allowed me to reflect about a point, today very popular in the community of science the relation between humanities and informatics. Just few weeks ago, I participated in another workshop, where participants movemented to a similar discussion. During next days, I attempted to all sessions about social network, socio-psychological aspects of the Web, Tag and Search. Some of presented papers were very interesting and gave me the possibility to understand new aspects of problems that I am studying for my personal research.In particular, there was an article about a mathematic model to represent a typical social network the authors showed how it is possible to formalize unpredictable behaviours. Another one was about the cadence of users expertise in tagging based search. The last one that I want to talk about is a study to define the sense to be a member of a community, considering Facebook as an example. Another interesting meeting was the poster session. I found man y interesting works related to my research area and I met authors for a comparison and an idea exchange.In conclusion, I want to give thanks to the local organization that helped me with the accommodation and various useful information during the conference. Moreover, I want to congratulate the organization for the chosen venue I discovered a lovely city that offered me a funny stay. At the end, I want to give thanks to the Web Science Research Initiative that gave me the possibility to attempt to this very interesting workshop. I hope to meet you soon and to participate together to future conferences. better(p) Regards, Teresa Onorati Phd Student University Carlos III of MadridWebSci09 Trip Report Clare Owens, emailprotected soton. ac. uk I had the privilege of attending WebSci09, thanks to a bursary provided by the conference organisers. The conference was a wonderful event, and I feel that my attendance benefited me in various ways An obvious significant point for me was the po ster session, where I presented my poster on methods for re-imagining social tools in new contexts. During this session I spoke to various people from a broad range of backgrounds, including computer scientists, sociologists and a reporter from an IT news company.Given this diversity of background, I received an equally broad range of feedback from these people, which was highly useful as was the experience of explaining my work to noncomputer scientists. I also had the opportunity to meet and network with many people during the conference. Of particular note is the connection I formed with Lynda Hardman, head of the Interactive Information Access classify at a university in Amsterdam. Lynda turns out to be carrying out research somewhat related to my own, and I hope to remain in contact with her and possibly collaborate in the future.Of course, I also attended various paper sessions, which broadened my knowledge of all things Web Science. I was particularly interested to learn of work regarding perception of extremist activity online the meaning of URIs (presented by Harry Halpin from the University of Edinburgh we continued the discussion of his paper during the chocolate session afterwards) SemWeb technologies to augment museum repositories (this paper was by Lynda) and offloading cognition onto the web. In addition to the above, I was inspired by the various keynotes, especially those given by Tim Berners-Lee and Nosh Contractor.Overall, the conference was awash with activity and energy, and the opportunity to meet and speak with people from such diverse backgrounds was wonderful. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organisers for run this event, and also the scholarship programme. Betty Purwandaris Bursary Report Web Science Conference Athens, Greece (18 20 March 2009) It was tremendously great to attend the 1st Web Science Conference, because it gave a unique experience to feel the real vibrant of a new born Web Science community.Th e participants consisted of two different tribes. One of them was computer scientists, who traditionally gathered in the World Wide Web conferences. Another tribe consisted of social scientists, lawyers, political scientists, economists, and psychologists, who have studied the Web from non technical point of view. In this report, I write some highlights about keynote speakers, interesting papers and posters, useful contacts, suggestion for the 2nd Web Science Conference, along with conclusion of lessons learnt from the conference.On the opening ceremony, Prof Dame Wendy Hall spoke about the basic idea of Web Science, plus general goal of the conference. She emphasised a crucial issue in Web Science to develop a new methodology, in order to anticipate potential social impact of the web, as well as to help us build more robust system. She said, It is not just about the technology. It is about human behavior. Later on, Prof Sir Tim Berners-Lee delivered a remarkable speech. He mention ed two challenges in Web Science. Firstly, he mentioned the importance to adjust the mobile web to help less fortunate people in the ontogeny world.Secondly, there was a necessity to advance the web as links of data, not just as links of web pages. The next day, Prof Nigel Shadbolt thoroughly explained the existence of Web Science as a new or old discipline. And on the last day, Dr Noshir Contractor impressively talked about some real data and examples in the USA, showing how social networking on the web related to communication theories. Among conference papers, David Karpfs paper (Why Bowl Alone When You Can Flashmob the Bowling Alley? ) was very closely related to my research area.It was about the impact of iPhones on a reputation system among US politicians. I have had conversation with Mr Karpf (emailprotected upenn. edu), a PhD candidate in political science from the University of Pennsylvania. He gave references to Thomas Valentes and Everett Rogers papers about the diffusio n of innovation. It could be used to forecast the impact of mobile web to rural people. There were also some interesting papers from the Oxford Internet Institute. However, they focused on the impact of the web on European Union countries, not to the developing world.A discussion with Prof Helen Margetts revealed that I should contact Prof Richard Heeks, from the Institute for developing Policy and Management, University of Manchester (http//www. sed. manchester. ac. uk/idpm/staff/heeks_richard. htm). It turned out that Prof Heeks did significant research on mobile hollo for development. In addition, there was a very interesting poster from the Brazilian Institute for Web Science Research. I had to keep contacting them for future cooperation. For the next Web Science Conference, it would be better if all dialogue are in English, in order to make all sessions being more inclusive.If there are speakers who will use different languages, it could be very helpful if the information ab out headphones and translation service is written clearly on the conference booklet. As a conclusion, it was tremendously amazing listening to talks from various experts, getting involved in discussion with people from a mixture of disciplines having the same interests in the web, as well as building networks for future collaboration. As a new web scientist, I really hope to grow and mature with the new born Web Science community. WebSci09 Society Online ?Conference Trip Report Mark Schueler? Athens, Greece? 18th20th March 2009 I was quite fortunate to attend the first global Web Science conference, held at the Hellenic Cosmos in Athens last month. Attended by over 300 registrants and leading figures in the Web world, it provided an excellent view of current and forthcoming developments in the study of the Webs technological and social dimensions. I attended sessions on Web Science Curriculum Understanding the Impact of the Web on Scholarly Communication Trust and Distrust Legal Pan el Openness vs.Control Social Networks Cultural Convergence and Digital Technology I also heard keynotes by Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee Professor Joseph Sifakis Professor Nigel Shadbolt Professor Noshir Contractor I had the pleasure of meeting a number of people working in areas relevant to my work, including Pascal Jurgens, Shankaron Gambi, Peter Geczy, skirt chaser Richter, Chris Eckl, Dave Tarrant and Erik Cambria. I also met several people with key Web credentials and broad general interest, including Bebo White, Daniel Weitzner, Jim Hendler, Ian Millard, Michalis Vafopoulos, and Thanassis Tiropanis.The high point of the conference was Noshir Contractors talk, which ranged across the essence of contemporary, leading-edge developments in social uses of the Web. All taken, WebSci09 provided a broad-ranging view of all the latest in Web Science. Despite a few off-moments, the overall experience was quite productive and I look forward to attending this conference again in the fut ure. I was able to learn more about the state of the art of Web Science. I met interesting contributors to the field, and versed more about current research and possible opportunities for collaboration. In the end, WebSci09 was quite a worthwhile experience.WebSci09 Conference Trip Report Rob Vesse April 2, 2009 1 Wednesday The Conference opened on the Wednesday evening with a series of Welcome Speeches and Keynotes by a variety of people. Wendy Hall gave a brief but e? ective acceptable and introduction to Web Science while Tim Berners-Lee gave a potted history of the Web leading up to the Semantic Web and Web Science as his Keynote. Josef Sifakis gave a keynote that contained remarkably lilliputian Web Science except for the closing few slides where he discussed the future of the Web of Things which the Semantic Web and present Computing may ultimately lead to. Thursday Thursday was in my opinion the best day of the Conference with several interesting paper sessions, some ex cellent panel sessions and the poster session. The day began with Nigel Shadbolt giving the keynote discussing Web Science as a whole before moving to the ? rst paper session Trust & Distrust. This session included an interesting paper presented by Kieron OHara on how the web can facilitate (though not create) extremism in religion 3.I then attended the Legal Panel which involved some intriguing discussions and arguments regarding the EUs proposed ISP Data Retention plans and how this might a? ect our privacy and whether it needs to come into force as law or not. Statistics regarding how little the authorities have actually used this kind of information provided food for thought about whether they could really justify it. In the afternoon I confounded the keynote in order to sit in on an impromptu panel organised by Les Carr for a Skype session with Web Science know students back in Southampton.The panel consisted of Nigel Shadbolt, Noshir Contractor, Helen Margetts and James Hend ler answering questions posed by the Masters students about Web Science, I also spoke brie? y to the Masters students to give them my impressions of the opening Keynotes and the conference so far. Then I went on to attend the Tags & Search paper session in which I was particularly impressed by Yeung et als SPEAR algorithm for determining expertise in collaborative tagging system which can thwart most existing spam attacks on these systems 4. 1In the evenings poster session I saw several interesting posters but most celebrated was Heitmann et al s poster on a reference architecture for describing semantic web (SW) applications that was based upon an analysis of the structure of a wide variety of existing SW applications 2. This provides an easy way to evaluate the completeness of any SW application you build and compare it to others. 3 Friday On Friday morning I attended the Web of Data paper session which included Harry Halpins shortened version of the talk he recently gave at Sou thampton on Social Meaning on the Web 1.This was of particular interest to me since the issue of meaning of URIs is potentially signi? cant in my research. Afterwards there was a Panel session on Cultural Convergence and Digital Technology which I felt was a very scant(p) session, a Greek MP gave an interesting opening speech but the other speakers were poor. Two of them were techno-phobes who primarily moaned about the impact of the web on society and the other simply wanted to talk about the digital technology in theatre work shed done which had no connection to the web.After lunch Noshir Contractor gave the keynote which was very positive about the potential of Web Science and presented a little bit of some research that he and his collaborators are already carrying out on Social Networking in Massively Multi-player Online Games which has had some surprising results. I attended the Life On-Line paper session in the afternoon which contained a couple of interesting papers on work being conducted by other researchers at Southampton though nothing was directly relevant to my own research. The Conference ? ished with some closing remarks by Wendy Hall followed by a long speech by the Managing Director of the Conference centre which highlighted the centres long term history of innovative web and technology use to present cultural exhibits. 4 Conclusion Overall the Conference was highly interesting with the opportunity to talk to or hear from a wide variety of people in particular those from outside Computer Science. We have a tendency to get wrapped up in the technology and its fascinating to get a clear non-technical point of view on the web from people in other ? elds.The Conference also gave me the opportunity to get to know more of the people from Southampton who are involved with Web Science and gain a broader view of the ? eld as a whole. 2 References 1 Harry Halpin. Social meaning on the web From wittgenstein to search engines. In WebSci09 Society On-Lin e, 2009. 2 Benjamin Heitmann, Conor Hayes, and Eyal Oren. Towards a reference architecture for applications leveraging semantic web technologies. In WebSci09 Society On-Line, 2009. 3 Kieron OHara and David Stevens. The devils long tail Religious assuagement and extremism on the web.In WebSci09 Society On-Line, 2009. 4 Ching Man Au Yeung, Michael Noll, Nicholas Gibbins, Christoph Meinel, and Nigel Shadbolt. On measuring expertise in collaborative tagging systems. In WebSci09 Society On-Line, 2009. 3 WebSci09 Trip Report Patricia Victor The call for papers of this new conference flat aroused my interest, since some of the main topics were about trust, social networking and e-commerce precisely what Im working on. When reading the CFP again, I also noticed that it was not going to be a typical AI/CS conference like I was used to, but something completely di? rent, with people coming from all kinds of research areas. I only had to look at the program of the session in which I was pre senting to see that this was the case indeed the other two speakers had a background in sociology and political sciences (and I think the largest part of the public too). This was certainly an interesting opportunity to listen and learn from researchers in an area I was not familiar with, but it also brought along some di? culties for me adapting myself to the writing style and the way of presenting sociology-related talks was not that easy.The same holds for the organization of the session personally, I dont see the bene? t of postponing questions till after all talks have ? nished, then letting people ask all the questions at once, and only then allowing to address all of them (Im more in favor of asking one question, then answering that question, then proceeding with the next one, etc. ) But apart from that, the talks in my session were really interesting and refreshing, and I learned some new things that I de? nitely have to check out (Yelp, MoveOn, and the Smart Mobs book for i nstance).Of course there were also other sessions that I looked forward to. For instance the Tags and Search session, a topic related to what Im doing and which always contains exciting new work. Furthermore, to my pleasant surprise, a lot of the keynotes/talks were about trust, in all its shapes. In particular, Paul Spirakis talk was very interesting because he discussed several ways to measure trust, something Im working on myself. Through these talks I came across a lot of new pointers, and from Kai Rannenberg I learned that you can do a lot while sitting on the toilet1 .Furthermore, I really enjoyed the WWW forum (except the long welcome notes in Greek) I already had the opportunity once to hear Sir Tim Berners-Lee speaking, but this time he really captured my attention for the whole duration of the speech not at all technical, but an agreable talk about the genesis of the Web and its future consequences. Finally, overall, attending WebSci was a completely new experience for me, Ive met a lot of interesting and nice people, the conference was well-organized, the food was delicious, and Athens was beautiful, and the weather too well, at least most of the time2 . The 2I Japanese Networked Washlet try to forget the fact that I arrived soaking wet at the Theatron the ? rst evening 1 CONFERENCE TRIP REPORT WebSci09 Society On-Line March 18 11, 2009 At Athens, Greece By Huan WANG Nanyang Technological University To my understanding, this is the first international conference specifically called for web scientists from different disciplines all over the w