Merger and Acquisition Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Merger and Acquisition - Research Proposal Example This proposal considers the factors that drive firms to buy or merge with others, or to split-off or sell parts of their own businesses and the resulting tax consequences for firms and for investors. The main motive behind buying a firm is to create shareholder value above and over that of the sum of the two companies. The main assumption behind merging two companies is that two companies together are more productive than two separate companies. This underlying principle is particularly attractive to firms when the going is tough as has been the case for some of the companies in the prevailing economic crisis. Strong firms will opt buy other firms to create a more competitive, cost-efficient firm. The firms will merge with the intention of gaining a greater market share or to achieve greater efficiency. Due to these potential advantages, target firms will most of the time agree to be purchased when they are aware that they cannot survive alone. In fact merging or being acquired may b e the only way for some smaller and less established firms to survive this prevailing economic crisis. A merger occurs when two companies, most of the time roughly the same size, agree to proceed as a single new firm rather than be separately owned and operated. This sort of procedure is more accurately referred to as a "merger of equals". The stocks of both the firms are surrendered and novel company stock is issued in its place (Tibergien, 2006). For example, both Daimler-Benz and Chrysler ceased to exist when the two companies merged, and a new firm, DaimlerChrysler, was born. Although most of the time they are used in the same context and used as though they were synonymous, there is a slight difference in meaning the terms merger and acquisition. When a firm purchases and clearly establishes itself as the new owner, the taking over is called an acquisition. From a legal perspective, the target company ceases to exist, the buyer company takes over the business and the buyer's stock continues to be traded. In real world however, actual mergers of equals don't happen that regularly. Usually, one firm will buy another and, as part of the deal's terms, simply allow the acquired firm to declare that the action is a merger of equals, even though technically it's an acquisition (Donald, 2008). Being bought out most of the time has its negative implications, as a result, by defining the deal as a merger, deal makers and the top management attempt to make the acquisition more pleasant. A purchase deal will also be called a merger if both CEOs agree that joining together is in the best interest of both of their companies. But when the target company does not want to be purchased-that is when the deal is unfriendly - it is all the time considered as an acquisition. Whether a purchase is regarded a merger or an acquisition actually depends on whether the purchase is friendly or hostile and how it is announced. That is the actual difference is in how the purchase is communicated to and received by the target company's top management, other workers and shareholders. The economic crisis and anticipated slowdown in spending has made a number of firms that have great technology but weak balance sheets seek the shelter of a merger or an

Child minders Essay Example for Free

Child minders Essay My competitors are likely to be; Child minders offering full day service provide the main source of competition, with over 70,000 registered in the UK today. Many parents are attracted by the individual care a child minder is often able to give their child and the service is regarded as cheaper and more flexible than the day nursery. Family members remain the most popular choice for childcare, with well over half working parents opting for this informal option, largely because they cannot afford other care, or they cannot find a suitable service. Playgroups and cri ches offering occasional or seasonal care are both popular choices for slightly older children. However, parents working full time are still more likely to opt for the day nursery. On the yellow pages Web site there are 33 competitors listed, but most of them are in the same position as you, trying to start up. This is shown as in last years yellow pages there is only one competitor listed. A company called leapfrog though is a national chain; there are 14 of their nurseries spread across the midlands. There are roughly 39 in England. Training There are various childcare courses available and you should have gained a relevant qualification before you start running a nursery, so sally wont be able to start straight away. Training can be very flexible to suit you, based on full or part time courses at different levels. Local further education colleges will have lists of courses that will be appropriate for you which include N. V. Q. s, G. N. V. Q. s, H. N. D. s and H. N. C. s amongst other options. Qualifications for those working in early years education, childcare and play work fall within the occupational and vocationally related categories. You could get a NVQ in Early years care and education. Location In East Anglia there has been a 44% decrease in failing business. However this information is not all that reliable as it may say that in 2002 there has been 24 business failures, it does not say how many businesses started. If 25 businesses started and 24 failed, the figure is not at all impressive and it shows that lots of businesses failed. However if their were 100 businesses that started and 24 failed, than the figure shows that under a 1/4 of businesses failed, which is impressive. Peterborough is located 80 miles (128 kilometers) north of London and 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Cambridge. The city benefits from frequent high-speed train services on the main East Coast rail line. Adjacent roads such as the A1 (M), A14 and A47 provide swift access to the national road network. There are rapid connections with major airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, East Midlands and Birmingham. Peterborough is within easy reach of major East Coast seaports such as Felixstowe, Harwich and Hull so exports and imports will be easily done. Peterboroughs GDP (gross domestic product) per head of population (the total rate of output divided by the resident population) is the highest in the East of England with a figure of i 13,673. The figure i received from research for the total of Englands GDP per working person is 572. 68 to 2 decimal places. However this seems unrealistic considering Peterboroughs is over 13,000. After a little more desk research i found the average weekly wage to be  444. 3, thus making the average yearly wage roughly 23,103. 6. Knowing that GDP is different to wages i will now try and find out the average yearly wage for peterborough so i have some results to compare, by doing this i will find if their is a lot of money being earned in the peterborough area compare to England. Still i cannot find the answers so i have nothing to compare. The theft rate in Peterborough is very high compared to Huntingdon. 28. 6% of 1000 vehicles are broken into in Peterborough; in Huntingdon it is only 9%. The population and households are very similar. Finance There are many different sources of finance that sally could use to finance her business. One of these is a bank loan. The advantage to this is you get a large amount of money and you dont have to wait for it. The disadvantage is that you have to pay more back than you borrowed. Investment is another source of finance, this is when you have people give you money to put into your business, but they get a percentage of the profit. The advantage of this is that you receive a large amount of money

Summary Of Career Aspirations Goals Information Technology Essay

Summary Of Career Aspirations Goals Information Technology Essay As the name itself implies Personal Development Plan is a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development and to encourage critically reflective practice. SUMMARY OF CAREER ASPIRATIONS/GOALS My career plan is to become an Information Technology (IT) Consultant operating across nations. I like to work in firms of management consultants, software and systems houses within large manufacturers of computing equipment, or occasionally internally in major industrial companies. The above said areas are some of the places IT Consultants work. For I desire to work in partnership with clients, advising them how to use information technology in order to meet their business objectives or overcome problems. Consultants work to improve the structure and efficiency of organizations IT systems. Common job tasks IT Consultants do which I see as part of my career aspirations and goals include: Analyze IT requirements within companies and give independent and objective advice on the use of IT. Provide specialist support and back-up to professionals within client companies. Advise on strategic planning and operational efficiency. May run facilities for clients. Design, develop and test new systems. Train staff in new systems. Part of my career goals/aspirations is to gain growth in resources, that is upgrading my knowledge and resources to grow as a professional, better salary, job satisfaction, experience such as learning about the cultures of different countries, meeting new people and basically becoming familiarized with customs and traditions worldwide. This will enable me to increase my tolerance level and change perspectives and job stability. Accomplishing this goal is a long journey since I am still an undergraduate student but every long journey begins with a step. It is a challenging and technical aspiration though I have a passion for it because it is my dream and there after I want to have my own software incorporation with a group of professionals where I will be overseeing as a CEO of my to be company named Eyis Software Inc. ANALYSIS OF SKILLS Success as a consultant requires the following skill sets: Technical skills such as programming languages Analytical skills such as problem solving expertise Networking skills Database knowledge Interpersonal skills Communications skills Business management skills and Some professional certifications Some other skill sets required are not limited to: Leadership ability Teamwork skills Ability to learn quickly Confidence when making decisions Excellent customer service skills Good organizational skills to manage heavy work load Ability to communicate technical information to a non-technical clients and colleagues Flexibility and adaptability Time management skills Technical Skills Technical skill set includes good programming knowledge that is having knowledge of programming languages such as C, C++, JAVA, VB.NET etc and programming methodologies. Analytical Skills Good knowledge and logical approach to problem solving. Mathematically analyzing the problem and solving it. Networking Skills IT Consultant should possess an understanding of network devices, topologies, network protocols and data communication across networks such as LAN, WAN, Intranets, Extranet, MAN, CAN etc. Database Knowledge It needs Database knowledge including Data Manipulation Language (DML) statements, Data Definition Language (DDL) statements, Transaction Control (TC) statements and Data Control Language (DCL) statements. It requires knowledge of database systems such as MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, Oracle, and database administration. Interpersonal and Communication Skills As an IT Consultant, interpersonal and communications skills are required: Interpersonal skills in order to close sales, and even persuade your client to act on your advice. Communications skills such as making presentations and writing documents so that you can convey your value and your result to the client, so that the client can see what they have bought. Business Management Skills As an IT consultant business management skills are needed so as to keep track of your assets, cash, accounts receivable and bills and a basic level of organization so as to deal with few repetitive tasks (such as getting those bills out every month). Apart from that, you must plan to focus on marketing and it has to systematic and repeatable. Professional Certifications To be at the cut edge as an IT Consultant obtain professional certifications from the vendors such as MCSE from Microsoft, CCNA, CCNP from Cisco and OCA, OCP from Oracle University etc. Skills/Knowledge Gained These are the skill sets and knowledge I currently have that are required skill sets and knowledge needed for my career aspiration and goals and how and where I acquired them are tabulated follows: S/NO. Skill/Knowledge Area How Where 1. Technical such as programming Programming languages such as VB.NET, PHP MySQL, C and C++ Through my degree studies, private lesson, and personal studies. In college and at home 2. Networking Skills Network+ and CCNA, though they are professional Through my state government scholarship Gates Intense IT Network and Security Trainings, India 3. Database MS Access, Oracle SQL*Plus Through my degree studies. In college 4. Interpersonal Effective communication Through my IT training session India 5. Communication Effective communication Through my IT training India 6. Professional Certifications A+, N+, MCSE, CCNA Hardware engineering course Gates Intense IT Network and Security Trainings, India Skill sets/Knowledge Not Gained The table below indicates the skills/knowledge required for my career aspirations/goals I feel that are needed that I have not yet possessed: S/NO. Skill/Knowledge Area 1. Technical such as programming Programming languages such Perl, C#, JAVA 2. Analytical Further mathematics and core logical problem solving 3. Networking CCNP though it is professional 4. Database Microsoft SQL Server 5. Interpersonal/Communication Ascent, tradition and cultures 6. Business Management Marketing 7. Professional certifications CCNP, OCA, OCP and OCM Explanation of Steps The following are the necessary steps and time frame I have set or planned to obtain the skill/knowledge I have not acquired: Educational qualification: I am still an undergraduate student in the field of software engineering but I strongly believed that maximum by December 2011 I will be through with my first degree and to me only first degree is not enough, I will continue my second degree which is my Master degree in the related field and that will be a maximum of 2 years. The good news is I will not stop at masters and if I have a sponsor I will do my full time doctorate degree and it will take like another 3 years. The technical programming skills such as C# and JAVA will be acquired through my holiday periods and a set time of a least one year will be enough for each. I planned to work as a programmer in a software house for at least 2 or 3 years so as to acquire good programming skill and knowledge. Analytical skills will be obtained based on working on big projects, internships and core programming and a maximum of 4 to 5 years will be required for me to gain it. It is by several practices and doing and this I have to do every possible time that I have. Networking/Professional certifications such as CCNP by Cisco, OCA, and OCP by Sun Microsystems etc. will be obtained during the process. I will go one after the other to gain them and it will take like 2 years. I planned to acquire the knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server prior to my first degree graduation which I will be learning it by myself. Interpersonal/Communication areas such as improving my ascent, studying people traditions and cultures will be obtained through various presentations, documentations and reports, going along with the people, making vital friendships, self discipline, practices and learning within a time set of at least 4 to 5 years and during life process as life itself is a process of learning and no one is an island or paragon of knowledge. Business Management skills such as marketing and business strategies are needed as an IT consultant. I planned to take part-time studies in business related field so as to gain business knowledge, liaising and negotiating with clients and that will take me at least 3 years. Conclusion Having a career as an IT consultant is interesting and technical and one requires a huge set of skills and knowledge. The field of IT industry is diversified and IT consultants carry out such a variety of tasks that one IT consultant career may develop into a number of different industries and sectors. As for me and my career I have to reach my ultimate goals and I have to carry out my set out plans. For I look forward to achieve it and beyond becoming even as a CEO.

Fourier Series :: physics fourier

Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier (March 21, 1768 - May 16, 1830) was a French mathematician and physicist who is best known for initiating the investigation of Fourier series. He was born at Auxerre in the Yonne dà ©partement of France, the son of a tailor, and was educated by the Benedictines. The commissions in the scientific corps of the army were reserved for those of good birth, and being thus ineligible he accepted a military lectureship on mathematics. He took a prominent part in his own district in promoting the revolution, and was rewarded by an appointment in 1795 in the Normal school, and subsequently by a chair in the Polytechnic school. Fourier went with Napoleon on his Eastern expedition in 1798, and was made governor of Lower Egypt. Cut off from France by the English fleet, he organized the workshops on which the French army had to rely for their munitions of war. He also contributed several mathematical papers to the Egyptian Institute which Napoleon founded at Cairo, with a view of weakening English influence in the East. After the British victories and the capitulation of the French under General Menou in 1801, Fourier returned to France, and was made prefect of Isà ¨re, and it was while there that he made his experiments on the propagation of heat. He moved to Paris in 1816. In 1822 he published his Thà ©orie analytique de la chaleur, in which he bases his reasoning on Newton's law of cooling, namely, that the flow of heat between two adjacent molecules is proportional to the extremely small difference of their temperatures. In this work he claims that any functions of a variable, whether continuou s or discontinuous, can be expanded in a series of sines of multiples of the variable - this result isn't correct at all. But the fact that some discontinuous functions are the sum of infinite series was a breakthrough. The question of determine when a function is the sum of its Fourier series has been fundamental for centuries. Lagrange had given particular cases of this (false) theorem, and had implied that the method was general, but he had not pursued the subject. Dirichlet was the first to give a satisfactory demonstration of it, with some restrictive conditions.

One’s Self Essay

â€Å"Self† expresses an individual person as the object as his or her own reflective consciousness. It expresses one’s own interest of struggle and gain, as well as having their own consciousness of one’s being or identity. In the story â€Å"Yes Ma’am† by Deirdre McCloskey, and the Ted Talk â€Å"embracing otherness, embracing myself† by Thandie Newton both share a conception of one’s self through being mindful of the impact of society and the role that is expected to be played, but is confident and accustomed in what makes them content with themselves mentally. They differ for the reason that Deirdre explains the gesture differences amongst men and women despite the fact that she uses the women gestures to display her feminine qualities. Thandie speaks about going through hardships while she was growing up as well as obtaining her dancing and acting career. The attempt of trying to be accepted, but was repeatedly rejected by society and not being able to fit. However, she explains that â€Å"self† shapes out interactions with others and the world around us. Also how the connections of self and being judged shape the way people feel about themselves. Thandie expresses the fact of not being born with self but developing one as we are taught about ourselves the details, opinions and ideas from parents, family and friends that influence a person’s character. On the other hand those details opinions and ideas become fact to navigate the construction of ourselves (identity). She states that our self-projection is based on others projections and complicates who one is and who one wants to be. Newton Implies that the things individuals do and are successful at is mocked by others because it is perceived to be the â€Å"right way† to do things: also entitled an organized or controlled society. Thandie Newton articulates that â€Å"self is not a living thing†¦things that are affected by society like jobs, money, cars we drive and jewelry devalue life. † Newton evaluates her quote by stating self remains inside, not being defined of what someone has or what someone have earned but being content with knowing who one is intellectually and emotionally. People must use uniqueness and creativity of the mind to be one’s own person. Thandie talks about throughout her life she has been distanced in character and in the color of her skin. She explains that being a black atheist attending a white catholic school every one look at her as different. Thandie’s mother being black from Zimbabwe, and her father being from Cornwall was a problem growing up in the time period she grew up in. Trying to escape the reality of being different she finds a passion for dancing and acting. Newton expressed that she felt at peace in another world with herself. â€Å"Dysfunctional self could plug into another self, not my own and it felt so good†. She states that the nagging selfhood did not exist when she danced. Thandie says that she would put all of her expression into dancing. She would forget about where she was or even who she was and the problems of being an outcast. Deirdre was once a husband for three decades with two children, and after internal struggle she began the process of gender change. Years after her scholarly work in the field of gender studies Deirdre articulates the gestures of men and women and how they carry themselves. She explains how she watched other women in her culture for characteristic gestures and would do them on the spot. She would perceive the women to check their hair frequently, play idly with their jewelry, rest with hands together, and years after her transition she would use these gestures to be noticed as feminine women. While Deirdre was at a conference someone told her, â€Å"last year your motions were a little abrupt; now they are convincingly feminine†. (175) Deirdre and Thandie both explain the concept of being’s one’s self in different ways. Thandie expresses the point of being judged and looked down upon. In addition, she tries to understand the meaning of one’s self by recognizing who she is, and what she wants throughout her life and career. On the other hand, Deirdre has overcome who she once was and is at ease with being a women, and showing off her feminine characteristics. She has found a self that she is able to be comfortable enough to write a book on her highly personal gender crossing experience. In the book Crossing: A Memoir Deirdre states â€Å"My gender crossing was motivated by identity, not by a balance sheet of utility†. Deirdre expresses that she became a women by her choice of how comfortable she felt not because of what society looked at her as. Self† comes from the identity you give yourself or what others see you as not what you do as a career or what car you drive or how successful you are. As Deirdre talks about attempts to take a physical identity that strangers would accept her as a women and Thandie specks on the struggles of growing up as an outcast who never fit it, both authors share a conception of one’s self through being mindful of the impact of society and the role that is expected to be played, but is confident and accustomed in what makes them content with themselves mentally.

Fayol vs Mintzberg Essays

Fayol vs Mintzberg Essays Fayol vs Mintzberg Essay Fayol vs Mintzberg Essay Management is the art of organising and allocating various tasks and resources in order for a business to achieve its objectives. These objectives usually have to be completed within a specific time frame, therefore, in order for a business to successfully complete these objectives it must retain managers who possess vast amounts of skills, experience and confidence. Managers that primarily focus on quality are usually hired by businesses that thrive. This essay will discuss both Fayol and Mintzberg’s theories and how they were imposed on businesses. Furthermore, it will discuss whether their principles and ideologies are still relevant in this day and age. Henri Fayol (1841-1925) was a French mining engineer born in Istanbul, who believed that management education was vital in order for firms to reach their full potential. He promoted his theories regarding management and administration after reaching fame through his critically acclaimed and widely published book titled ‘Administration Industrielle et Generale’ (1916). The book, however, was published after many years of his own personal experiences within the mining industry. He believed in 14 principles of management. These principles are believed to be the guidelines for managers in helping their firms reach optimum efficiency. Furthermore, he outlined five main components of the â€Å"management process† (Dessler, 1985, p. 4). These constitute of organising, planning, controlling, commanding and co-ordinating. According to Fayol (1949), the 14 principles should ‘guide the execution of these management processes’. : Ultimately, his thesis has been greatly influential over the years to managers, as well as affecting how management has been practiced on a global scale. Henry Mintzberg (1939-present) is a Canadian professor at McGill University in Montreal. His theories regarding managerial skills are, if anything, confrontational and basic. He believes that managers should not concern themselves with solitary work, rather their job is simply responding to the pressures of his or her job (Mintzberg, 1975, p. 225). Fundamentally, Mintzberg criticises the authorative, strategic planning that large corporations tend to apply in their workforce; stating that planning is ineffective towards an organisations performance. An organization can plan (consider its future) without engaging in planning (formal procedure) even if it produces plans (explicit intentions); alternately, an organization can engage in planning (formalized procedure) yet not plan (consider its future); and planners may do all or some of these things, sometimes none of them, yet, as we shall see in conclusion, still serve the organization. (Mintzberg, H. , The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning: Reconceiving Roles for Planning, Plans, Planners, Simon Schuster, 1993. ) He began observing how several managers operate in various types of corporations and came up with six organisational configurations which are: [1] Simple Structure: A newly found company that is usually autocratic (prone to a single heart attack) [2] Machine Bureaucracy: A corporation with multiple levels of command and a hefty amount of formal procedures. 3] Professional Organisation: It is usually set up as a partnership. However, these organisations solely target in enhancing their performance and disregard both their internal and external corporal issues. [4] Division Organisation: It is where there is little central authority, found mostly in multinational corporations. Furthermore, it coordinates between the conducting crux and strategic zenith. [5] Ad-hocracy: Also known as the innovative organisation. It is the structure of the future according to Mintzberg (1974). [6] Idealistic (Missionary) Organisation: This type of organisation is simply and primarily based on managers having the same ideals, in order for a company to innovate,thrive and succeed. Both theorists had similar yet different perceptions on how managers are supposed to serve in an enterprise. Fayols classical theories defined management in a broader scale a nd how management should be portrayed. Gathering information from his own personal experiences, being in a french mining company for thirty years, he claimed that planning and organising were crucial in allowing him to be a successful manager. These were of the two specified principles of management which I frequently had to apply (Fayol,1948, p. 19). Fayol had inspired many modern day management sages such as Mintzberg, who built up on his doctorines and stated that lucrative organisations (The Economist Newspaper Limited. (2009). Henry Mintzberg. Available: economist. com/node/12918770. Last accessed 17/11/2012. )

The Curious Effects on Benjamin Button Essays

The Curious Effects on Benjamin Button Essays The Curious Effects on Benjamin Button Essay The Curious Effects on Benjamin Button Essay The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) directed by David Fincher, is about an unusual story of a man living his life in reverse. Benjamin’s father abandons him at birth, but he finds refuge from a lovely young lady during the U.S civil war in New Orleans. As days pass Benjamin grows stronger and younger thus aging backwards leading him to experience war, parenthood and love. The sets are outstandingly realistic and detailed, bringing sense of authenticity. With the help of make-up, CGI, and sound effects, Benjamin’s reversed life from old age to babyhood look convincing, like a documentary. The make up really emphasizes the age of the characters and makes them look natural. During the first two hours of the film Benjamin is old and has the key features of an elderly person. (For instance the wrinkles, saggy skin, pale dried lips, freckles, and loss of hair). Sculptors’ and painters’ achieved the old age look by creating three life-cast silicon sculptures of Brad Pitt (Seymour). By adding life-like skin and hair to the sculptures the maquettes look like people in their 80s, 70s, and late 60s (Seymour). Through scanning, the maquettes turn into 3D images that overlay the actors’ faces during the first 52 minutes of the film (Seymour). Surprisingly, Daisy is the old woman at the beginning of the movie telling the story with her daughter. Daisy’s facial process is almost the same but instead of creating a maquette, the mould of the face is put on (Seymour). After the mould is assembled, it is then put on Cate Blanchett’s (Daisy) face and m ake up artists’ begins the process of blending combinations of makeup and brushes to make her look old (Seymour). As the movie progresses, small factors, such as smile lines around the lips and the change of colour in the characters hair helped determine the characters age. One instance is when Daisy and Queenie, smiles, there is wrinkles around the lips and the change of colour in their hair when they got older.) The same for Benjamin after the one hour mark he begins to look noticeably younger. He starts losing his wrinkles, pale skin, dried lips, grey hair, and freckles. Noticing these minuscule features really helped the audience recognize that the characters are aging. CGI plays a main component in the film and is astonishingly unnoticeable. In the first 52 minutes of the movie Brad Pitt is actually not acting as Benjamin Button (Seymour). Through 3D images from the maquettes, the actors’ faces begin to resemble Brad Pitt’s face as Benjamin from computer editing (Seymour). This allows the director to portray to the audience a smaller and older version of Brad Pitt without him physically being smaller. Unfortunately, the maquettes alone are unable to manipulate human facial movements, like talking, smiling, and blinking (Seymour). By surrounding Brad Pitt with twenty eight cameras and phosphorescent make-up; the directors is able to capture his facial expressions and movements frame by frame (Seymour). The static faces of the maquettes are then given life-like human expressions through image analysis technology from the recordings in the cameras (Seymour). On the other hand, Daisy and Queenie did not need any actors to replace them or editing to capture their facial expressions, but they did need something else. Make-up alone was unable to give them the young and old look so digital editing and visual effects was used. With digital editing and visual effects the editors are able to add and remove wrinkles and shadowing on the actors, making them look younger or older (Seymour). It’s intriguing how adding and removing wrinkles is by digital editing is unnoticeable to us. Without a doubt, other effects that is unnoticeably well done and that the audience is unable to pick up are the sound effects. Since Benjamin, in the first 52 minutes of the movie is not Brad Pitt; he is put in a room, re-enacting the scenes through a monitor while recording his voice (Seymour). With the help of the cast and computer editing, the voice is then put into sync with Benjamin’s CGI’s making it look like the images is talking (Seymour). A simple effect some audiences might not pick up that contribute to the film’s scenes is the volume level. Increasing and decreasing the level of the volume really makes the audience change their moods accordingly, without even realizing it. For example, when Benjamin is on the ship and is fighting against an enemy ship; the volume and sound effects dramatically increases. This gives the audience a sense of adrenaline and awareness that something life threatening is happening. Lastly, simple sound effects like closing the door, walking, eating, and putting on a jacket might sound silly but does interact with audience without them knowing. Since we do encounter these objects and activities in our everyday lives, when we hear these effects it makes the audience unknowingly comparing the sounds they hear in real life. This makes the film more realistic and convincing. In analysis with the help of make-up, CGI, and sound effects are pulled off exceptionally well making Benjamin’s life look convincing. Even though the story is bit unusual it gives the audience a feel of authenticity, like a life told story from a documentary. There is something that’s been on my mind though. It’s already strange Benjamin is bold old, but if he was born old why is he the size of an infant?

There are many ways to do laser eye surgery

There are many ways to do laser eye surgery, some are old, some are new, some have many side effects and some have barley. This report will be about the most popular way of Laser eye surgery, "laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis", also known as LASIK. This report will discuss what LASIK is (including procedure), the risks, complications and advantages, and qualifications. LASIK surgery was developed 30 years ago and can provide help for nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. It is the least risky and most commonly used type of laser eye surgery. A simple description of the procedure of the surgery contains 7 steps. Step 1: The doctor puts in eye drops to numb patients eye(s) and marks them with water-supple ink to direct him replacing the flap. Step 2: The doctor puts on a suction to keep the patients eye(s) sturdy and checks the pressure. Step 3: The surgeon raises a thin layer of the cornea, or corneal flap, with the microkeratome to expose the portion beneath. This part of the procedure is called keratectomy. Step 4: The flap is lifted and put to the side Step 5: The doctor checks the aim of the laser and walks the patient through the rest of the process Step 6: Then a computer-controlled laser reshapes the cornea in the proper way in less than a minute. Step 7: The surgeon then puts the flap back into its original position and watches it for about 3-5 minutes to make sure healing is working. Like every surgery there are risks, complications and advantages. LASIK surgery has the least percent of risks, complications and the most advantages. The advantages of LASIK are only several more then PRK. These advantages include, None- Low procedure discomfort, Less possibility of haze, 1-3 days of eye drops rather than 4 months, Generally no requirement to wear after-operation contact lenses, Rapid visual recovery, A higher chance of havin

Human resources management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human resources management - Essay Example In order for effective strategic planning to take place, both risk and uncertainty must be categorized and classified. Merely because it is not known what might come of a certain situation, decision, or action, this does not provide the leader, or leadership team with an effective excuse for not at least considering some of the likely externalities that might come out of a given situation (Kim 65). For instance, if a particular individual within leadership, or 18 of individuals within leadership, are distinctly aware of a potential risk that they face, they would be patently foolish to ignore the risk and not focus upon the means by which they can prepare for the eventuality that all of the possible outcomes may portend. Some of these might be negative, some of these might be positive; however, regardless of whether they are positive or negative, it is necessary for the individuals within leadership to at least planned for them so that when they occur the maximum amount of utility ca n be gained from whatever eventuality presents itself. The decision-making process cannot and should not be understood as something that is undifferentiated from the individual to the group. What is meant by this is that an individual making a decision necessarily engages in the process in a far different way than does the group seeking to make a decision. All too often, leaders within a particular management team are of the opinion that an individual decision must be made in far too many circumstances (Klinke & Ortwin 275). However, the fact of the matter is that employees/stakeholders, are not only their two perform useful work; they are also there to leverage upon their own decision-making and encourage their participation within the decision-making process. As such, the individual decision-maker would rely upon the accident information and personal experience that he or she might have with regards to solving a particular situation. Leadership is not something that can be effecti vely performed utilizing either a firm understanding of one or the other aspect of risk or uncertainty. Rather, it is necessary for a true leader to be well rounded in the strategic planning for both of these factors. By allowing for a well balanced approach that considers the means through which both risk and uncertainty plays into the expectations for success and threats of failure that integrate with the future of the firm. Whereas it is tempting for an individual to rely upon a given focus to a greater or lesser degree, the more appropriate response is to allow for strategic planning to take place in a well nuanced manner; fully mindful and cognizant of the degrees to which strategy and planning are part and parcel of the role that any leader and/or effective manager must engage. By comparison, a leader within a group would have the possibility and likelihood of drawing upon the inputs of the stakeholders as a means of making a well-informed and dynamic decision. Neither approac h is correct or effective in each and every situation; however, from an analysis of the existing documentation and a integration with the information that is thus far been presented course, it is the understanding of this particular student that the group

Acceptable Use Policy & Security Audit Assignment

Acceptable Use Policy & Security Audit - Assignment Example The policy has numerous advantages including governing the traffic into the IT resources or data. Such traffic monitoring are often intended towards reducing network congestion and preventing chances performance degradation. The owner of the policy is usually responsible for the users’ behaviors on the computers; therefore, anyone who is not authorized to the network cannot use the same. This notes that anyone accessing such computers without full authority of the owner constitutes to ill behavior to the policy. For instance, using someone’s name to access the resources and changing the access code among others. In other words, private computers cannot be used in such a computer network system. Those who violate AUP are liable to numerous disciplinary actions where each action taken depends on the degree of the offence and the relationship of the offender and the policy owner (Wright, Freedman, and Liu 220). For instance, if the violation is reported in learning institutions, the culprit may lose the institution’s computer privileges as well as facing possible termination, suspension, or expulsion from the institution. In some cases, such violation may lead to jail terms. Wright, Craig, Brian Freedman, and Dale Liu.  The It Regulatory and Standards Compliance Handbook: [how to Survive an Information Systems Audit and Assessments]. Burlington, MA: Syngress Pub, 2008. Internet

Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Research proposal - Essay Example ng under intoxication (DUI) trips per year at blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher which translates into 10% of all trips where at least some alcohol use is present (Dula, Dwyer & LeVerne, 2007). Various laws are in existence to achieve the Healthy People 2010 target for alcohol-related motor vehicle related fatalities to 4.0 per 100,000 persons or fewer. This would translate into a further decrease of 31% in the alcohol-related fatalities. Laws in force include the BAC level, the minimum legal drinking age and the minimum legal driving age. While statistics and data are available for the United States as a whole, no separate data for Houston is available on the extent to which the laws are being adhered to and to what extent violation of laws increases the number of alcohol-related fatalities. Hence the objective for this research would be to ascertain: 1. The age group that is usually involved in the alcohol-related fatalities in Houston. This would give details of the number of law violators both in case of minimum legal drinking age and minimum legal driving age. 3. To determine whether legal action was initiated against the violators in Houston. Initiating legal action can work as a deterrent for future and hence this data would enable corrective actions for the future. According to NHTSA (2006), during 2005, 15,195 people in the U.S. died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes, representing 39% of all traffic-related deaths (cited by Dula, Dwyer & LeVerne, 2007). Among the most widely used strategies in reducing alcohol-impaired driving has been the laws to deter such driving along with measures to reduce the sale or public consumption of alcohol (Shults et al., 2001). Community-based interventions and training programs for servers of alcoholic beverages have also been implemented. While majority of the drivers are dissuaded by the potential of a crash, injury or punishment, these disincentives are considered to be too insignificant to

The Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Body Ritual Among the Nacirema - Essay Example In such cases, though certain traits of any ritual differ from class to class and communal segment to another segment, performing this ritual often are based on a common metanarrative. Factually, the symbolism as well as the roles of the participants is determined by individual interests and communal interests in the ritual. One such American (or Nacirema ritual, in Horace Miner’s term) ritual is the eating ritual. Indeed Miner’s hoax anthropological article â€Å"Body Ritual among the Nacirema† deals with the question whether the American obsession with the cleanliness of human is justifiable or irrational. While parodying the American body ritual from an ethnocentric perspective, Miner clarifies his side by quoting Malinowski â€Å"Looking from far and above, from our high places of safety in the developed civilization, it is easy to see all the crudity and irrelevance of magic† (Miner, ). Meanwhile Miner explores deep into the fact whether modern anthro pologists are aware of the dichotomy between scientific knowledge of a ritual practiced by a community and the ethnocentric bias of research. When he uses the term â€Å"configuration† or â€Å"style†, he essentially criticizes the modern trends of perceiving a culture from a Eurocentric perspective.... Indeed the sense of individuality is greatly contributed to by a member’s corporeal or bodily existence in the society, that is, to a great extent can be considered as â€Å"one body, one individual† (existentialism). This attitude to one’s self highly determines their habit of eating in groups. Also this sense of individuality has a great role in the segregation of the society into the smallest functional groups that are mostly similar to modern family. The â€Å"one body, one individual† motive also shapes their taste in food. Sense of Individuality and Body in Shaping the Rituals The underlying grand principle of individuality is to sustain the body, therefore, to sustain the individual through rituals and ceremonies. Each of the functional segments like modern family has commonly one or two shrines where the members participate in the rituals. Often members of a number of families gather together in domestic and commercial shrines to take part in the b elly-ritual or eating ritual. Generally the laymen of the Nacirema do not have any specific shrine, whereas there are commercial shrines for people. Symbolism of the Eating Ritual While performing the eating ritual, the Nacirema perform some other rituals i.e. hand-washing as a process of purifying the evil, offering-vases washing, etc. Generally the Naciremans take two types of liquids: holy liquids and normal liquid. They take the normal liquid as a part of their livings. But they occasionally take the holy liquids in order to get temporal relief from the adversaries of reality. Reportedly a number of the Naciremans are found to depend excessively on the holy liquids. One of the mentionable eating rituals of Nacirema is to have granular and solid meals. The Naciremans show a tendency to classify

The art of Graffiti Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The art of Graffiti - Essay Example One day when I went to this mosque to investigate further, I met an old man who sometimes cleans to floors and walls indoors. I took him around to the back of the mosque to show him the graffiti and to ask him what he thought. He looked very surprised when he saw the drawings. He told me that what the people had done who had drawn the graffiti was unacceptable. He had been brought up not to damage or deface other peoples’ property and to show respect for others. These scribblings, he said, were like a slap in the face—they were like someone had drawn physically on his own body, or taken something that belonged to him away from him. â€Å"The people in this community worked hard save up to build this mosque,† he told me. â€Å"They paid to make this walls clean and white. There is no merit in what was done here. Instead it was an act of defacement and sacrilege. It is unacceptable!† My opinion of the situation closely mirrored that of this gentleman. Itâ₠¬â„¢s just a shame that the risk is not commensurate with the meaning of what they are saying. They really seem only to have drawn gibberish on the side of the mosque—not anything that can constitute the risk. Even if they had written something against to government that would be political expression which would at least give the viewer something to think about. Through out the Middle East there is a fair amount of graffiti on mosques. Because of the political turn in the world in recent years, there is sometimes a strong feeling about Muslims.

Individual project 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Individual project 3 - Essay Example ether a range of subjects that are pertinent to current global healthcare and fitness challenges especially when considered together with the need to reverse the rising incidences of lifestyle diseases. Individuals and societies around the globe should acknowledge the impact of diet on health and nutrition. It is common knowledge that a consistent pursuit of the right forms of diet can help bring down the incident of some of the lifestyle diseases among individuals, families, groups, and societies. Indeed, the rise in heart diseases, diabetes, some forms of cancer, obesity, and other life conditions correlated with the increase in poor diet practices across the globe (Shils, 2005). As such, it becomes necessary to consider the impact of nutrition within the understanding of the current trends and dietary practices and the consequences on human health. Most nutritionists will easily agree that the best way to maintain a healthy diet and cut down on the levels of cholesterol in the body is to reduce the daily intake of foods rich in cholesterol. The danger is that most people tend to ignore the value of restricting their diet to foods that are significantly lower in the levels of cholesterol. Many others lack access to the kind of knowledge that would help them avoid adverse health practices that are associated with high levels of cholesterol. However, basic categorizing of food into those that have high and cholesterol levels is one of the ways by which people can avoid the adverse impacts of cholesterol. Food substances such as meat pie, butter, cream, hard cheese, and biscuits contain high levels of saturated fat. Such foods have multiple adverse effects on health and fitness. Other foods such as salmon, mackerel, almond, sunflower, and corn have unsaturated cholesterol. A consistent pattern of feeding on this group of food can reduce the levels of cholesterol within days or weeks. Despite lack of thorough research on the impact of culture on general fitness,

The Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Body Ritual Among the Nacirema - Essay Example In such cases, though certain traits of any ritual differ from class to class and communal segment to another segment, performing this ritual often are based on a common metanarrative. Factually, the symbolism as well as the roles of the participants is determined by individual interests and communal interests in the ritual. One such American (or Nacirema ritual, in Horace Miner’s term) ritual is the eating ritual. Indeed Miner’s hoax anthropological article â€Å"Body Ritual among the Nacirema† deals with the question whether the American obsession with the cleanliness of human is justifiable or irrational. While parodying the American body ritual from an ethnocentric perspective, Miner clarifies his side by quoting Malinowski â€Å"Looking from far and above, from our high places of safety in the developed civilization, it is easy to see all the crudity and irrelevance of magic† (Miner, ). Meanwhile Miner explores deep into the fact whether modern anthro pologists are aware of the dichotomy between scientific knowledge of a ritual practiced by a community and the ethnocentric bias of research. When he uses the term â€Å"configuration† or â€Å"style†, he essentially criticizes the modern trends of perceiving a culture from a Eurocentric perspective.... Indeed the sense of individuality is greatly contributed to by a member’s corporeal or bodily existence in the society, that is, to a great extent can be considered as â€Å"one body, one individual† (existentialism). This attitude to one’s self highly determines their habit of eating in groups. Also this sense of individuality has a great role in the segregation of the society into the smallest functional groups that are mostly similar to modern family. The â€Å"one body, one individual† motive also shapes their taste in food. Sense of Individuality and Body in Shaping the Rituals The underlying grand principle of individuality is to sustain the body, therefore, to sustain the individual through rituals and ceremonies. Each of the functional segments like modern family has commonly one or two shrines where the members participate in the rituals. Often members of a number of families gather together in domestic and commercial shrines to take part in the b elly-ritual or eating ritual. Generally the laymen of the Nacirema do not have any specific shrine, whereas there are commercial shrines for people. Symbolism of the Eating Ritual While performing the eating ritual, the Nacirema perform some other rituals i.e. hand-washing as a process of purifying the evil, offering-vases washing, etc. Generally the Naciremans take two types of liquids: holy liquids and normal liquid. They take the normal liquid as a part of their livings. But they occasionally take the holy liquids in order to get temporal relief from the adversaries of reality. Reportedly a number of the Naciremans are found to depend excessively on the holy liquids. One of the mentionable eating rituals of Nacirema is to have granular and solid meals. The Naciremans show a tendency to classify

Individual project 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Individual project 3 - Essay Example ether a range of subjects that are pertinent to current global healthcare and fitness challenges especially when considered together with the need to reverse the rising incidences of lifestyle diseases. Individuals and societies around the globe should acknowledge the impact of diet on health and nutrition. It is common knowledge that a consistent pursuit of the right forms of diet can help bring down the incident of some of the lifestyle diseases among individuals, families, groups, and societies. Indeed, the rise in heart diseases, diabetes, some forms of cancer, obesity, and other life conditions correlated with the increase in poor diet practices across the globe (Shils, 2005). As such, it becomes necessary to consider the impact of nutrition within the understanding of the current trends and dietary practices and the consequences on human health. Most nutritionists will easily agree that the best way to maintain a healthy diet and cut down on the levels of cholesterol in the body is to reduce the daily intake of foods rich in cholesterol. The danger is that most people tend to ignore the value of restricting their diet to foods that are significantly lower in the levels of cholesterol. Many others lack access to the kind of knowledge that would help them avoid adverse health practices that are associated with high levels of cholesterol. However, basic categorizing of food into those that have high and cholesterol levels is one of the ways by which people can avoid the adverse impacts of cholesterol. Food substances such as meat pie, butter, cream, hard cheese, and biscuits contain high levels of saturated fat. Such foods have multiple adverse effects on health and fitness. Other foods such as salmon, mackerel, almond, sunflower, and corn have unsaturated cholesterol. A consistent pattern of feeding on this group of food can reduce the levels of cholesterol within days or weeks. Despite lack of thorough research on the impact of culture on general fitness,

Financial Statement Review Essay Example for Free

Financial Statement Review Essay What is the net income for the current fiscal year? Is it up or down from the prior year? Why would this information be important to investors? The total consolidated net income for Fiscal Year 2015 is $17,099 million dollars. This is amount is up from the previous Fiscal Year (2014) which had a consolidated net income of $16,695 million dollars. This information can be found on page 38 of the Walmart 2015 Annual Report. This information would be of importance to investors because it indicates whether the company is prospering financially and generating revenue. What is the ending balance in stockholders’ equity? Why would a labor union potentially be interested in this information? The ending balance in stockholders’ equity is $323 million dollars. This information can be found on page 40 of the Annual Report. This information would be of potential interest to a labor union because it provides information that could be used in determining labor rates, work salaries, and employee benefits. What is the total value of assets? Why would this information be important to a potential creditor? The total values of assets is $101,381 million dollars which can be found on page 60 of the Annual Report. This information would be of importance to a potential creditor because it provides an indication of whether the company would be able to repay any accumulated debt. It also provides a picture of how liquid those assets might be. What is the total cash flow from operation? The total cash flow from operations is $17,099 million dollars which can be found on page 41 of the Annual Report. What financial statement user would find this information most important?

Analysis of Theories in Environmental Psychology

Analysis of Theories in Environmental Psychology 1. Place theory Place is used as a manner of examining the environment and breaking the environment down into conceptual components. It is difficult to examine space and environment as they are too general. To understand the concept of environmental psychology, one would firstly have to establish the meaning of place theory as peoples interaction with their physical environment is a principal in environmental psychology. The place theory has three aspects that are interlinked with each other (see figure 1). These three aspects are physical attributes, conceptions and human activities. According to Canter (1997) a place is a state of harmony created by the dialogue between human activities, conceptions and the physical attributes of the environment viewed from a historical perspective. However, Castello (2006) states that place is a unit where human experiences and physical form are fused together, creating a unitary context. The physical attributes of the place theory demonstrates the surroundings or environment in which a person finds himself, such as a bedroom, an office etc. A geographer, Edward Relph (1976), has a similar notion of place but replaced Canters (1997) aspect of conceptions with experiences. Thus, allowing more information to be gathered about the place as experiences are a result of an individuals history and everyday life. The types of human activities and the way in which it is carried out are contingent on factors such as knowledge, cultural background, values, as well as formal and informal controls (Ndubisi, 2002). As a result, the place theory suggests that places are viewed as holistic units of activities, physical form and meaning shaped by the goals and purposes of individuals. The place theory also works in concurrence with place identity and place attachment. Many researchers explore this dynamic relationship between people and place. Place identity and place attachment are concepts that demonstrate the significant relations between a person and place. Moreover, when individuals interact with their environment, they create bonds and links and their environment develops meaning. 1.1 Place identity There are many factors that shape human identity, and identity is (among other things) a product of the psychical environment (Hauge, 2007). Dixon and Durrheim (2000) state that a key moment in environmental psychologys critique of a disembodied notion of identity was the publication of Proshansky, Fabian, and Kaminoffs paper on place identity. Place identity, according to Proshansky (1987), can be defined as: a sub-structure of the self-identity of the person consisting of broadly conceived cognitions about the physical world in which individuals live. Pretty et al (2003) state that place identity is a cognitive structure which contributes to global self-categorisation and social identity processes. According to Knez (2005): Breakwell (1986, 1992, 1993), Twigger-Ross and Uzzell (1996), Twigger-Ross et al (2003), and Vignoles (2000) has suggested four processes related to place identity: place-related distinctiveness (e.g. I am a South African) place-referent continuity (e.g. I am living there because it reminds me of my past) place-related self-esteem (e.g. I am proud to live in this town) place-related self-efficacy (e.g. The town satisfies my needs and wants) Consequently, these processes encourage our self-esteem and identity as individuals. Hence the questions of who we are are often intimately related to questions of where we are (Dixon Durrheim 2000; Pretty et al 2003). The places people belong to does not just encourage their self-esteem but also their environmental preferences, and how they see themselves. Place identity could also lead to place attachment because when an individual identifies himself with the environment, individuals tend to feel attached to the same environment. 1.2 Place attachment Every single one of us has developed an unconscious bond towards some place over a period of time. It is suggested by Inalhan and Finch (2004) that the concept of place attachment is complex and multi-faceted, as place attachment has been studied by scholars from several disciplines such as; anthropology, architecture, family and consumer studies, folklore, gerontology, landscape architecture, psychology and urban planning. Place attachment can vary from place to place and can change easily depending on the degree of belonging of the person (Knez 2005). Thus, the degree of attachment a person has towards a place may determine the perceptions and satisfaction of the person in the specific place. Our attachment to a place grows with length of time living in a place and age, but mostly through positive interaction with a community. According to Milligan (1998) place attachment could be defined as: place attachment occurs when a particular interaction was accompanied by significant meaning However place attachment, according to Knez (2005), can be defined as: the affective positive bond between a person and a place; more specifically, a strong tendency of that person to maintain closeness to such a place. Many studies and researchers show that there is no single accepted definition of place attachment. The definition offered by Milligan (1998) serves a better purpose for this study. From this definition it is clear that place attachment is an emotional bond formed by an individual to a physical setting due to the meaning given to the location through processes of person-environment interactions (Casakin Kreitler, 2008). According to Halpenny (2005), one of the factors that could play a role in the formation of place attachment is satisfaction with a place. Moreover, if individuals are satisfied with their environments they tend to protect that place more and return to it. Payton (2003) and Warzecha et al (2000) state that place attachment has two main concepts that have been prevalent in literature: functional place attachment and emotional place attachment. Functional place attachment refers to the functionality or the ability of the resources to meet the needs or goals of individuals. Furthermore, functional place attachment is also closely linked to the kind of activities users pursue. This is because some activities are more complex and require specific aspects while other activities are more general. Shumaker and Taylor (1983) suggest that functional attachment is also referred to as place dependence. The concept is affected by two factors (Shumaker Taylor, 1983): The quality of place is determined by the individuals satisfaction and, The quality of the place depends on how it compares to other available places. Emotional place attachment refers to the emotional attributes of a person-place relationship and how place contributes to an individuals identity. Shumaker and Taylor (1983) declare that emotional attachment is also referred to as symbolic attachment. Moreover, emotional place attachment can be based on emotional ties to a specific place and is formed over a certain period through many encounters with the environment. According to Warzecha et al (2000), emotional place attachment may also be expressed as an identity with a symbolic meaning or idea. Place theory and all its aspects mentioned above form a fundamental starting point for any study in environmental psychology. 2. Introduction to Environmental psychology There are numerous people who do not know what environmental psychology is and what it consists of. Traditionally, environmental psychology has focused on the interrelationship between environments and human behaviour (De Young, 1999; Garling Golledge, 1993). According to Gifford (1997) individuals change the environment and their behaviour and experiences are changed by the environment. Furthermore, each individuals behaviour and experience is unique and differs from the person standing next to him/her in the same environment. These environments could be natural environments, social settings, built environments, learning environments and informational environments (Veith Arkkelin, 1995). Environmental psychology also consists of environmental psychological-processes in terms of a clear social-psychological perspective (Bonnes, 2003). These processes are individual processes such as perception, cognition and personality, and social processes such as territoriality, personal space, crowding and privacy. In addition, environmental psychology has continual elements that help to define this relatively unknown field. According to Garling and Golledge (1993), Kaplan and Kaplan (1982) these elements are: Attention Understanding an individuals behaviour begins with understanding how he/she notices and perceives the environment. This includes two types of stimuli: those that unwillingly, even distractingly, demand human notice, as well as those places, things or ideas to which humans must willingly, and with endeavour direct their awareness. Re-establishing and enhancing the individuals competence to willingly express his/her attention is a major factor in maintaining human effectiveness in an environment. Perception and cognitive maps How people perceive the natural and built environment has been an important aspect of environmental psychology. Information is memorised in the brain as spatial networks which is known a cognitive maps. This information links experiences with an individuals perception of current actions, ideas and emotions. It is through these spatial networks that individuals recognize and perceive the environment, plan and conduct these plans. Ideal environments – People have a tendency to look for places where they feel self-assured and competent, where they can familiarise themselves with the environment whilst also being engaged with it. Research has extended the concept of environmental psychology to embrace unity (a sense that things in the environment work together) and legibility (the assumption that an individual can walk around in an environment without being lost) as contributors to environmental understanding. To investigate an environment and to engage in it requires that the environment has complexity (that it has enough information and diversity to make it worth learning about) and mystery (the expectation of acquiring more information about an environment). Maintaining, re-establishing and developing an ideal environment enhances an individuals sense of well being and behavioural effectiveness in a person. Environmental stress and managing Research has recognized various behavioural and cognitive results including poor physical health, reduced selflessness and weaknesses, as well as paying no attention to the environment. Individuals can adjust their physical or social surroundings to create a more supportive environment (e.g. smaller scaled settings, territories, privacy, personal space) where they can supervise the course of information or stress inducing stimuli. Individuals can also seek to understand or make sense of circumstances as a way to resolve its stressful effects, often sharing these interpretations with other individuals as a part of their culture. Involvement – Environmental psychology is dedicated to improve an individuals participation in environmental design. It is focused not only on promoting an individuals understanding of environmental issues but on ensuring their early and actual participation in the design, adjustment and organisation of environments. Protective behaviour – Environmental psychology has also played a key role in conveying psychological awareness to abide by the matter of developing an ecologically protracting society. The field also investigates environmental attitudes, perceptions and principles as well as planned involvement techniques for promoting environmentally appropriate behaviour. These continual elements form an essential part in an individuals perception of their environment as well as what to expect in that environment. Gifford (1997) states that environmental psychology is also studied at three levels of analysis. The first level of analysis sorts and arranges each individuals occurrence of the environment according to perceptions, cognition and personality. The next level of analysis is the collective organisation of space, which consists of four aspects namely; personal space, territory, crowding and privacy. The last level of analysis is the physical settings in which individuals find themselves every day. 2.1 Level of analysis 2.1.1 Perceptions, cognition and personality As previously mentioned, individuals form certain perceptions of their environment and surroundings. According to Veith and Arkkelin (1995), perception is one of the most basic and fundamental psychological processes in which humans engage. In addition Veitch and Arkkelin (1995) also state that perceptions are highly cognitive, which means that all environments carry a set of meanings acquired through their specific attributes. Consequently, these meanings are established from the environment by the perceiver with reference to his or her personal beliefs, values and attitudes. Furthermore, Bechtel et al (2002) point out that the forming of perceptions of a physical setting is associated with a molecular approach to the spatial-physical environment. This means that it places specific attention on the discrete sensory-perceptual features of the environment. According to Bell et al (2005) the term sensory-perceptions has been applied to relatively straightforward activity of human senso ry systems in reacting to a simple stimuli and forming a perception of the particular environment. According to Bonnes et al (1995) the term environmental perception is also often used interchangeably with environmental image, mental map and cognitive map. However, according to Bell et al (2005) cognitive maps refer to a mental framework that holds some representation for the spatial arrangement of the physical environment. Furthermore, Salmi (2002) states that wayfinding and cognitive mapping are inseparable, and most humans carry many cognitive maps in their heads. Therefore, cognitive maps assist individuals with another aspect of environmental psychology namely; wayfinding. Wayfinding according to Prestopnik and Roskos-Ewoldsen (2000) can be defined as the ability to navigate successfully through the environment. However, wayfinding according to Passini (1984) can be defined as the ability to identify ones location and arrive at destinations in the environment, both cognitively and behaviourally. Prestopnik and Roskos-Ewoldsen (2000) suggests that wayfinding can not be predicted in humans as different factors; internal and external, come into play. Internal factors include aspects of each individual, such as, gender, familiarity with the environment and the types of strategies the person uses to navigate through the environment (HÃ ¶lscher et al 2006 and Spiers Maguire 2008). External factors include aspects of the physical setting, such as, the density of the built environment, the availability of meaningful landmarks, and the pattern of the streets and intersections as well as staffed information booths (Salmi 2002). HÃ ¶lscher et al (2006; 2009) identified three wayfinding strategies that are used to support route choice decisions in three dimensional multi-level buildings. Firstly, the central point strategy as sticking oneself, as much as possible, to main hallways and main places in the building, especially if the individual is unfamiliar with the building. Secondly, the direction strategy of deciding on routes that leads towards the horizontal position of the goal as directly as possible, irrespective of changes in different levels. Thirdly, the hierarchically organised navigation plan strategy. This strategy is based on cognitively sectioning the building into areas which guide navigation decisions. However, Spiers and Maguire (2008) identified their own wayfinding strategies that assist individuals with their wayfinding experience. Least-angle strategy suggests that paths are chosen that minimise deviation from the angle pointing directly to the goal. Fine-to-coarse strategy proposes that routes are planned in fine detail in the currently occupied region, but only coarsely when planning navigation between regions. Least-decision-load strategy implies that individuals will often choose the path with the least number of possible decision points. As stated above, environmental psychology and the physical environment are influenced through wayfinding in a building, cognitive maps as well as perceptions of the environment. Another aspect that influences environmental psychology is personality of an individual. Gifford (1997) pointed out that there are five reasons why personality is an important part in environmental psychology. These five reasons are: Personality is strongly linked to the physical environment; Information of a persons personality helps us to comprehend and foretell environmentally relevant behaviour; Individuals have dispositions that are particularly related to person-environment transactions; Personal dispositions are an essential aspect to one of environmental psychologys most important concepts – environmental compatibility; The notion of personality can be applied to places instead of people. Bonnes et al (1995) agree with Gifford (1997) on the third reason. They suggest that personality and the environment are related to the disposition of individuals. 2.1.2 Collective organisation of space Spatial organisation or organisation of space is considered the first major component in wayfinding design because it not only defines the wayfinding problems of future users, but also affects the ease or difficulty users will experience in comprehending and cognitively mapping the setting (Passini, 1984). According to Prestopnik and Roskos-Ewoldsen (2000) spatial orientation tasks are influenced by the familiarity of the environment. Furthermore, Iachini et al (2009) state that unfamiliar participants learn the environment through a map, whereas familiar participants rely on their long term experiences with the environment. According to Salmi (2002) there are key points to look out for in organisation of space. These points include: Architectural features in the building define different areas such as hallways, staircases etc. which assist the user with orientation in the building and increase the cognitive experience; Make sure that large-scale buildings have destination zones, such as an atrium, since it would assist the user to retrace his/her own path; Establish spatial overview opportunities so that a visitor can visualise a buildings design from different vantage points as it helps individuals to build a improved cognitive map; Consider the design of the building as a whole, the layout should not be confusing or allow visitors to get lost easily. 2.1.3 Physical settings According to Salmi (2002) physical settings must accommodate an increasingly, diverse population as it is critical that the setting be designed to be as inclusive and universally accessible as possible, addressing the requirements of a wide range of physical, sensory and cognitive abilities and needs. Veitch and Arkkelin (1995) state that any number of behaviours can occur within any physical setting. Moreover, Bell et al (2005) declare that physical settings both facilitate and constrains or limits the behaviour that occurs in it. Veitch and Arkkelin (1995) added that attitude towards an environment will influence a persons behaviours such as littering and attachment to the place. With environmental psychology being such a diverse field with many different aspects, the interactions between the four phenomenons (privacy, crowding, territoriality and personal space) help to address problems associated with environmental psychology. Gifford (1997) also states that environmental psychology is aimed at making buildings more humane and improving our relationship with the natural environment. 3. Privacy Privacy is an important phenomenon that each individual wants to achieve on a daily basis. There are many laws that have been established regarding individuals privacy, such as the right to privacy. Thus allowing individuals to have their own level of privacy. The level of privacy is measured in relation to the other social processes of environmental psychology namely; personal space, territoriality and crowding (Gifford 1997; Veitch and Arkkelin 1995, Bonnes et al 1995). In addition, according to Harris et al (1995) and Altman (1975) people use complex combinations of verbal, paraverbal, nonverbal and spatial mechanisms to attain a desired level of contact and degree of privacy. Faulkner et al (1994) state that the level of privacy is physical (sleeping, dressing) and psychological (for development and renewal). According to Demirbas and Demirkan (2000), the definition of privacy varies for each individual due to the different personal characteristics, cultural backgrounds, sex, age, economical, educational and social backgrounds. Ding (2008) defines privacy as the personal control over interactions and/or communications with others. However, Gritzalis et al (2009) state that privacy can generally be defined as the right to be left alone, meaning that it represents a sphere where it is possible to remain separate from others, anonymous and unobserved. Therefore, it is evident that privacy refers to the manner in which individuals control or regulate other individuals access to themselves. However privacy does not necessary mean withdrawing from people (Pederson, 1999; Marshall, 1972), instead it involves controlling the amount and type of contact one has with others. Gifford (1997) further declares that it is not easy to assess privacy because of its complex nature; as it has been measured in terms of preference, behaviour, need and expectation of each individual. Bonnes et al (1995) also state that the major interest of empirical research has been to study and measure the more strictly motivational and evaluative aspects such as; needs, expectations and values that individuals variously associate with privacy. Harris et al (1995) state that the universal aspects of privacy regulations are suggested by the apparent relationship between privacy, place attachment and quality of life. Cassidy (1997) pointed out that not everyone will react in the same way with regard to privacy. According to Altman (1975) and Westin (1970) there are certain characteristics that influence privacy such as: Individuals need for privacy is a continuing dynamic of changing internal and external conditions External and internal conditions are affected by privacy achieved Individuals effort to control privacy may be unsuccessful at some times Privacy can take different forms as it has many dimensions. 3.1 Types of privacy Demirbas and Demirkan (2000) also state that there are four types of privacy namely; solitude, reserve, anonymity and intimacy. Solitude refers to being alone and unobserved by others, which is either a neutral or desirable condition. Reserve, in turn, means that individuals form barriers between themselves and their environments which regulate intrusion. Anonymity is a type of privacy that gives individuals a chance to move around in a public environment without other people recognising them. Intimacy refers to an individuals aspiration to encourage close personal relationships with only preferred individuals. Additionally, Pederson (1999) identifies two more types of privacy; intimacy with family (being alone with family) and intimacy with friends (being alone with friends). According to Harris et al (1995) social functions of privacy and privacy regulation are central to psychological well-being. Privacy regulation refers to selective control over access to the self or to ones group (Altman 1975). Thus, making it clear that regulation of the types of privacy, mentioned above, is a function of both personal and situational factors. Personal factors refer to the individuals need for privacy, personal attractiveness, interpersonal skills, personality variables and ability to utilise privacy control mechanisms (Pederson, 1999). Situational factors may be social or physical. Social factors are presence, willingness and personal characteristics of others who have the potential for social interaction. Physical factors entail aspects such as barriers, location, layout and distances (Pederson, 1999). 3.2 Benefits and functions of privacy The psychological benefits of privacy reflect the function of privacy. Privacy supports social interaction which, in turn, affects our competence to deal with our world, which affects our self-definition (Altman, 1975). Therefore, the benefits of privacy arise from achieving its functions. According to Margulis (2005) the benefits of privacy are: Privacy is a basis for the development of identity, Privacy protects personal autonomy, Privacy supports healthy functioning by providing needed opportunities to relax, to ones self, to emotionally vent, to escape from the stresses of daily life, to manage bodily and sexual functions and to cope with loss, shock, and sorrow. However Keenan (2005) identifies other categories that capture the kinds of benefits privacy holds for people: Natural and psychological benefits: privacy provides physical, psychological and spiritual benefits to individuals. Individuals have certain needs, such as security and connectedness, that they want to satisfy, but invasion of privacy destroys ones sense of connectedness; Creative benefits: many people see privacy as conductive to creativity. Individuals have the need to have their own rooms where they are away from other people and regulate their privacy; Protective benefits: this refers to physical invasion of individuals sense of being safe and secure such as, the protection of ones home from burglary; Social benefits: individuals have the ability to regulate their own invasion of privacy and allow people they know or do not know to invade that privacy on a social basis; Democratic benefits: privacy is self-determining – each individual has the right to be left alone. According to Veitch snd Arkkelin (1995) the functions of privacy are: the achievement of a self-identity and the management of interactions between oneself and the social environment. According to Margulis (2005), privacy is important because it provides us with experiences that support normal psychological functioning, stable interpersonal relationships, and personal development. 3.3 Achieving privacy in design Individuals have a definite desire to a certain level of privacy in their homes. Privacy, in an architectural manner, can be defined as; the ability of individuals and families to lead their own lives without either interfering – or being interfered by the lives of others (Goodchild 1997). According to Faulkner et al (1994) a home provides privacy from outsiders with walls that protect the individual from physical, visual and various degrees of acoustical intrusion. Furthermore, Goodchild (1997) identifies three types of privacy in designing a house, whether in the house or outside the house: Firstly, privacy means circumventing problems with neighbours. Problems could arise when the layout of the resident and the type of housing is not correct such as; the walls of the enclosed area of each persons house are not high enough, which influences privacy. Secondly, privacy means a sense of seclusion. It means freedom from overlooking and freedom form invasive noise. This could be achieved by using noise insulation techniques and higher walls to increase space between neighbours. Thirdly, privacy means freedom from disturbance from other people, either guests or members of the same family, within the home. The level of privacy inside the home is determined by the number of different rooms in relation to the family size. Faulkner et al (1994) also states that the floor plan sets the privacy levels at which the home functions such as; open floor plan or closed floor plan. 3.4 Mechanisms of privacy Four aspects of privacy regulation mechanisms have been identified through data by Westin (1970) and Kent (1993). Firstly, privacy controls provide standards of behaviour for individuals and groups. Secondly, privacy creates an option between isolation and interaction, and can create the perception of being by yourself. Thirdly, individuals, groups, and societies tend to enter the privacy of others; curiosity is an example of this aspects. Fourthly, as society moves form primeval to contemporary, the physical and psychological opportunities for privacy increase. According to Bonnes et al (1995) and Altman (1975) personal space and territorial behaviour are used by individuals primarily to regulate privacy and to maintain their openness/closedness towards others at optimal levels. Additionally, Harris et al (1996) suggest that when individuals are confronted with negative privacy experiences, they will use a variety of privacy regulation mechanisms including verbal and nonverbal behaviours, cognitive, environmental, temporal and cultural mechanisms. Altman (1975) further suggests that the effectiveness and ease of implementing privacy regulation mechanisms may vary considerably across individuals and across social, physical and temporal context. Consequently, by combining these mechanisms individuals can efficiently express their needed level of privacy to others in order to attain the optimal level of privacy. Altman (1975) developed a framework for understanding the mechanisms of privacy regulation. This framework can be used as a summary of all of the above mentioned aspects of privacy (see figure 2). This figure indicates that privacy is a central concept that links the different phenomenons of environmental psychology (personal space, territoriality and crowding) with privacy regulation mechanisms. 4. Territoriality The phenomenon territoriality is extremely widespread in the field of environmental psychology since it consists of many different definitions. According to Gifford (1997) there are different variables that influence territoriality such as; dominance, conflict, security, claim staking, arousal, vigilance, behaviour and cognition to place. Gifford (1997) also states that a formal definition for territoriality is: is a pattern of behaviour and attitudes held by an individual or group that is based on perceived, attempted, or actual control of a definable physical space, object or idea that may involve habitual occupation, defense, personalisation and marking of it. However territoriality, according to Veitch and Arkkelin (1995) can be defined as: behaviour by which an organism characteristically lays claim to an area and defend it against intrusion by members of his or her own species. According to Altman (1975) territories exist to meet both physical and social needs, while being temporarily or permanently owned, controlled, marked or personalised and potentially defended by occupants or owners. On the other hand, territoriality comprises a specific set of affective, cognitive and behavioural tendencies expressed towards the territory (Altman 1975). Faulkner et al (1994) agrees with Altman (1975), however sug Analysis of Theories in Environmental Psychology Analysis of Theories in Environmental Psychology 1. Place theory Place is used as a manner of examining the environment and breaking the environment down into conceptual components. It is difficult to examine space and environment as they are too general. To understand the concept of environmental psychology, one would firstly have to establish the meaning of place theory as peoples interaction with their physical environment is a principal in environmental psychology. The place theory has three aspects that are interlinked with each other (see figure 1). These three aspects are physical attributes, conceptions and human activities. According to Canter (1997) a place is a state of harmony created by the dialogue between human activities, conceptions and the physical attributes of the environment viewed from a historical perspective. However, Castello (2006) states that place is a unit where human experiences and physical form are fused together, creating a unitary context. The physical attributes of the place theory demonstrates the surroundings or environment in which a person finds himself, such as a bedroom, an office etc. A geographer, Edward Relph (1976), has a similar notion of place but replaced Canters (1997) aspect of conceptions with experiences. Thus, allowing more information to be gathered about the place as experiences are a result of an individuals history and everyday life. The types of human activities and the way in which it is carried out are contingent on factors such as knowledge, cultural background, values, as well as formal and informal controls (Ndubisi, 2002). As a result, the place theory suggests that places are viewed as holistic units of activities, physical form and meaning shaped by the goals and purposes of individuals. The place theory also works in concurrence with place identity and place attachment. Many researchers explore this dynamic relationship between people and place. Place identity and place attachment are concepts that demonstrate the significant relations between a person and place. Moreover, when individuals interact with their environment, they create bonds and links and their environment develops meaning. 1.1 Place identity There are many factors that shape human identity, and identity is (among other things) a product of the psychical environment (Hauge, 2007). Dixon and Durrheim (2000) state that a key moment in environmental psychologys critique of a disembodied notion of identity was the publication of Proshansky, Fabian, and Kaminoffs paper on place identity. Place identity, according to Proshansky (1987), can be defined as: a sub-structure of the self-identity of the person consisting of broadly conceived cognitions about the physical world in which individuals live. Pretty et al (2003) state that place identity is a cognitive structure which contributes to global self-categorisation and social identity processes. According to Knez (2005): Breakwell (1986, 1992, 1993), Twigger-Ross and Uzzell (1996), Twigger-Ross et al (2003), and Vignoles (2000) has suggested four processes related to place identity: place-related distinctiveness (e.g. I am a South African) place-referent continuity (e.g. I am living there because it reminds me of my past) place-related self-esteem (e.g. I am proud to live in this town) place-related self-efficacy (e.g. The town satisfies my needs and wants) Consequently, these processes encourage our self-esteem and identity as individuals. Hence the questions of who we are are often intimately related to questions of where we are (Dixon Durrheim 2000; Pretty et al 2003). The places people belong to does not just encourage their self-esteem but also their environmental preferences, and how they see themselves. Place identity could also lead to place attachment because when an individual identifies himself with the environment, individuals tend to feel attached to the same environment. 1.2 Place attachment Every single one of us has developed an unconscious bond towards some place over a period of time. It is suggested by Inalhan and Finch (2004) that the concept of place attachment is complex and multi-faceted, as place attachment has been studied by scholars from several disciplines such as; anthropology, architecture, family and consumer studies, folklore, gerontology, landscape architecture, psychology and urban planning. Place attachment can vary from place to place and can change easily depending on the degree of belonging of the person (Knez 2005). Thus, the degree of attachment a person has towards a place may determine the perceptions and satisfaction of the person in the specific place. Our attachment to a place grows with length of time living in a place and age, but mostly through positive interaction with a community. According to Milligan (1998) place attachment could be defined as: place attachment occurs when a particular interaction was accompanied by significant meaning However place attachment, according to Knez (2005), can be defined as: the affective positive bond between a person and a place; more specifically, a strong tendency of that person to maintain closeness to such a place. Many studies and researchers show that there is no single accepted definition of place attachment. The definition offered by Milligan (1998) serves a better purpose for this study. From this definition it is clear that place attachment is an emotional bond formed by an individual to a physical setting due to the meaning given to the location through processes of person-environment interactions (Casakin Kreitler, 2008). According to Halpenny (2005), one of the factors that could play a role in the formation of place attachment is satisfaction with a place. Moreover, if individuals are satisfied with their environments they tend to protect that place more and return to it. Payton (2003) and Warzecha et al (2000) state that place attachment has two main concepts that have been prevalent in literature: functional place attachment and emotional place attachment. Functional place attachment refers to the functionality or the ability of the resources to meet the needs or goals of individuals. Furthermore, functional place attachment is also closely linked to the kind of activities users pursue. This is because some activities are more complex and require specific aspects while other activities are more general. Shumaker and Taylor (1983) suggest that functional attachment is also referred to as place dependence. The concept is affected by two factors (Shumaker Taylor, 1983): The quality of place is determined by the individuals satisfaction and, The quality of the place depends on how it compares to other available places. Emotional place attachment refers to the emotional attributes of a person-place relationship and how place contributes to an individuals identity. Shumaker and Taylor (1983) declare that emotional attachment is also referred to as symbolic attachment. Moreover, emotional place attachment can be based on emotional ties to a specific place and is formed over a certain period through many encounters with the environment. According to Warzecha et al (2000), emotional place attachment may also be expressed as an identity with a symbolic meaning or idea. Place theory and all its aspects mentioned above form a fundamental starting point for any study in environmental psychology. 2. Introduction to Environmental psychology There are numerous people who do not know what environmental psychology is and what it consists of. Traditionally, environmental psychology has focused on the interrelationship between environments and human behaviour (De Young, 1999; Garling Golledge, 1993). According to Gifford (1997) individuals change the environment and their behaviour and experiences are changed by the environment. Furthermore, each individuals behaviour and experience is unique and differs from the person standing next to him/her in the same environment. These environments could be natural environments, social settings, built environments, learning environments and informational environments (Veith Arkkelin, 1995). Environmental psychology also consists of environmental psychological-processes in terms of a clear social-psychological perspective (Bonnes, 2003). These processes are individual processes such as perception, cognition and personality, and social processes such as territoriality, personal space, crowding and privacy. In addition, environmental psychology has continual elements that help to define this relatively unknown field. According to Garling and Golledge (1993), Kaplan and Kaplan (1982) these elements are: Attention Understanding an individuals behaviour begins with understanding how he/she notices and perceives the environment. This includes two types of stimuli: those that unwillingly, even distractingly, demand human notice, as well as those places, things or ideas to which humans must willingly, and with endeavour direct their awareness. Re-establishing and enhancing the individuals competence to willingly express his/her attention is a major factor in maintaining human effectiveness in an environment. Perception and cognitive maps How people perceive the natural and built environment has been an important aspect of environmental psychology. Information is memorised in the brain as spatial networks which is known a cognitive maps. This information links experiences with an individuals perception of current actions, ideas and emotions. It is through these spatial networks that individuals recognize and perceive the environment, plan and conduct these plans. Ideal environments – People have a tendency to look for places where they feel self-assured and competent, where they can familiarise themselves with the environment whilst also being engaged with it. Research has extended the concept of environmental psychology to embrace unity (a sense that things in the environment work together) and legibility (the assumption that an individual can walk around in an environment without being lost) as contributors to environmental understanding. To investigate an environment and to engage in it requires that the environment has complexity (that it has enough information and diversity to make it worth learning about) and mystery (the expectation of acquiring more information about an environment). Maintaining, re-establishing and developing an ideal environment enhances an individuals sense of well being and behavioural effectiveness in a person. Environmental stress and managing Research has recognized various behavioural and cognitive results including poor physical health, reduced selflessness and weaknesses, as well as paying no attention to the environment. Individuals can adjust their physical or social surroundings to create a more supportive environment (e.g. smaller scaled settings, territories, privacy, personal space) where they can supervise the course of information or stress inducing stimuli. Individuals can also seek to understand or make sense of circumstances as a way to resolve its stressful effects, often sharing these interpretations with other individuals as a part of their culture. Involvement – Environmental psychology is dedicated to improve an individuals participation in environmental design. It is focused not only on promoting an individuals understanding of environmental issues but on ensuring their early and actual participation in the design, adjustment and organisation of environments. Protective behaviour – Environmental psychology has also played a key role in conveying psychological awareness to abide by the matter of developing an ecologically protracting society. The field also investigates environmental attitudes, perceptions and principles as well as planned involvement techniques for promoting environmentally appropriate behaviour. These continual elements form an essential part in an individuals perception of their environment as well as what to expect in that environment. Gifford (1997) states that environmental psychology is also studied at three levels of analysis. The first level of analysis sorts and arranges each individuals occurrence of the environment according to perceptions, cognition and personality. The next level of analysis is the collective organisation of space, which consists of four aspects namely; personal space, territory, crowding and privacy. The last level of analysis is the physical settings in which individuals find themselves every day. 2.1 Level of analysis 2.1.1 Perceptions, cognition and personality As previously mentioned, individuals form certain perceptions of their environment and surroundings. According to Veith and Arkkelin (1995), perception is one of the most basic and fundamental psychological processes in which humans engage. In addition Veitch and Arkkelin (1995) also state that perceptions are highly cognitive, which means that all environments carry a set of meanings acquired through their specific attributes. Consequently, these meanings are established from the environment by the perceiver with reference to his or her personal beliefs, values and attitudes. Furthermore, Bechtel et al (2002) point out that the forming of perceptions of a physical setting is associated with a molecular approach to the spatial-physical environment. This means that it places specific attention on the discrete sensory-perceptual features of the environment. According to Bell et al (2005) the term sensory-perceptions has been applied to relatively straightforward activity of human senso ry systems in reacting to a simple stimuli and forming a perception of the particular environment. According to Bonnes et al (1995) the term environmental perception is also often used interchangeably with environmental image, mental map and cognitive map. However, according to Bell et al (2005) cognitive maps refer to a mental framework that holds some representation for the spatial arrangement of the physical environment. Furthermore, Salmi (2002) states that wayfinding and cognitive mapping are inseparable, and most humans carry many cognitive maps in their heads. Therefore, cognitive maps assist individuals with another aspect of environmental psychology namely; wayfinding. Wayfinding according to Prestopnik and Roskos-Ewoldsen (2000) can be defined as the ability to navigate successfully through the environment. However, wayfinding according to Passini (1984) can be defined as the ability to identify ones location and arrive at destinations in the environment, both cognitively and behaviourally. Prestopnik and Roskos-Ewoldsen (2000) suggests that wayfinding can not be predicted in humans as different factors; internal and external, come into play. Internal factors include aspects of each individual, such as, gender, familiarity with the environment and the types of strategies the person uses to navigate through the environment (HÃ ¶lscher et al 2006 and Spiers Maguire 2008). External factors include aspects of the physical setting, such as, the density of the built environment, the availability of meaningful landmarks, and the pattern of the streets and intersections as well as staffed information booths (Salmi 2002). HÃ ¶lscher et al (2006; 2009) identified three wayfinding strategies that are used to support route choice decisions in three dimensional multi-level buildings. Firstly, the central point strategy as sticking oneself, as much as possible, to main hallways and main places in the building, especially if the individual is unfamiliar with the building. Secondly, the direction strategy of deciding on routes that leads towards the horizontal position of the goal as directly as possible, irrespective of changes in different levels. Thirdly, the hierarchically organised navigation plan strategy. This strategy is based on cognitively sectioning the building into areas which guide navigation decisions. However, Spiers and Maguire (2008) identified their own wayfinding strategies that assist individuals with their wayfinding experience. Least-angle strategy suggests that paths are chosen that minimise deviation from the angle pointing directly to the goal. Fine-to-coarse strategy proposes that routes are planned in fine detail in the currently occupied region, but only coarsely when planning navigation between regions. Least-decision-load strategy implies that individuals will often choose the path with the least number of possible decision points. As stated above, environmental psychology and the physical environment are influenced through wayfinding in a building, cognitive maps as well as perceptions of the environment. Another aspect that influences environmental psychology is personality of an individual. Gifford (1997) pointed out that there are five reasons why personality is an important part in environmental psychology. These five reasons are: Personality is strongly linked to the physical environment; Information of a persons personality helps us to comprehend and foretell environmentally relevant behaviour; Individuals have dispositions that are particularly related to person-environment transactions; Personal dispositions are an essential aspect to one of environmental psychologys most important concepts – environmental compatibility; The notion of personality can be applied to places instead of people. Bonnes et al (1995) agree with Gifford (1997) on the third reason. They suggest that personality and the environment are related to the disposition of individuals. 2.1.2 Collective organisation of space Spatial organisation or organisation of space is considered the first major component in wayfinding design because it not only defines the wayfinding problems of future users, but also affects the ease or difficulty users will experience in comprehending and cognitively mapping the setting (Passini, 1984). According to Prestopnik and Roskos-Ewoldsen (2000) spatial orientation tasks are influenced by the familiarity of the environment. Furthermore, Iachini et al (2009) state that unfamiliar participants learn the environment through a map, whereas familiar participants rely on their long term experiences with the environment. According to Salmi (2002) there are key points to look out for in organisation of space. These points include: Architectural features in the building define different areas such as hallways, staircases etc. which assist the user with orientation in the building and increase the cognitive experience; Make sure that large-scale buildings have destination zones, such as an atrium, since it would assist the user to retrace his/her own path; Establish spatial overview opportunities so that a visitor can visualise a buildings design from different vantage points as it helps individuals to build a improved cognitive map; Consider the design of the building as a whole, the layout should not be confusing or allow visitors to get lost easily. 2.1.3 Physical settings According to Salmi (2002) physical settings must accommodate an increasingly, diverse population as it is critical that the setting be designed to be as inclusive and universally accessible as possible, addressing the requirements of a wide range of physical, sensory and cognitive abilities and needs. Veitch and Arkkelin (1995) state that any number of behaviours can occur within any physical setting. Moreover, Bell et al (2005) declare that physical settings both facilitate and constrains or limits the behaviour that occurs in it. Veitch and Arkkelin (1995) added that attitude towards an environment will influence a persons behaviours such as littering and attachment to the place. With environmental psychology being such a diverse field with many different aspects, the interactions between the four phenomenons (privacy, crowding, territoriality and personal space) help to address problems associated with environmental psychology. Gifford (1997) also states that environmental psychology is aimed at making buildings more humane and improving our relationship with the natural environment. 3. Privacy Privacy is an important phenomenon that each individual wants to achieve on a daily basis. There are many laws that have been established regarding individuals privacy, such as the right to privacy. Thus allowing individuals to have their own level of privacy. The level of privacy is measured in relation to the other social processes of environmental psychology namely; personal space, territoriality and crowding (Gifford 1997; Veitch and Arkkelin 1995, Bonnes et al 1995). In addition, according to Harris et al (1995) and Altman (1975) people use complex combinations of verbal, paraverbal, nonverbal and spatial mechanisms to attain a desired level of contact and degree of privacy. Faulkner et al (1994) state that the level of privacy is physical (sleeping, dressing) and psychological (for development and renewal). According to Demirbas and Demirkan (2000), the definition of privacy varies for each individual due to the different personal characteristics, cultural backgrounds, sex, age, economical, educational and social backgrounds. Ding (2008) defines privacy as the personal control over interactions and/or communications with others. However, Gritzalis et al (2009) state that privacy can generally be defined as the right to be left alone, meaning that it represents a sphere where it is possible to remain separate from others, anonymous and unobserved. Therefore, it is evident that privacy refers to the manner in which individuals control or regulate other individuals access to themselves. However privacy does not necessary mean withdrawing from people (Pederson, 1999; Marshall, 1972), instead it involves controlling the amount and type of contact one has with others. Gifford (1997) further declares that it is not easy to assess privacy because of its complex nature; as it has been measured in terms of preference, behaviour, need and expectation of each individual. Bonnes et al (1995) also state that the major interest of empirical research has been to study and measure the more strictly motivational and evaluative aspects such as; needs, expectations and values that individuals variously associate with privacy. Harris et al (1995) state that the universal aspects of privacy regulations are suggested by the apparent relationship between privacy, place attachment and quality of life. Cassidy (1997) pointed out that not everyone will react in the same way with regard to privacy. According to Altman (1975) and Westin (1970) there are certain characteristics that influence privacy such as: Individuals need for privacy is a continuing dynamic of changing internal and external conditions External and internal conditions are affected by privacy achieved Individuals effort to control privacy may be unsuccessful at some times Privacy can take different forms as it has many dimensions. 3.1 Types of privacy Demirbas and Demirkan (2000) also state that there are four types of privacy namely; solitude, reserve, anonymity and intimacy. Solitude refers to being alone and unobserved by others, which is either a neutral or desirable condition. Reserve, in turn, means that individuals form barriers between themselves and their environments which regulate intrusion. Anonymity is a type of privacy that gives individuals a chance to move around in a public environment without other people recognising them. Intimacy refers to an individuals aspiration to encourage close personal relationships with only preferred individuals. Additionally, Pederson (1999) identifies two more types of privacy; intimacy with family (being alone with family) and intimacy with friends (being alone with friends). According to Harris et al (1995) social functions of privacy and privacy regulation are central to psychological well-being. Privacy regulation refers to selective control over access to the self or to ones group (Altman 1975). Thus, making it clear that regulation of the types of privacy, mentioned above, is a function of both personal and situational factors. Personal factors refer to the individuals need for privacy, personal attractiveness, interpersonal skills, personality variables and ability to utilise privacy control mechanisms (Pederson, 1999). Situational factors may be social or physical. Social factors are presence, willingness and personal characteristics of others who have the potential for social interaction. Physical factors entail aspects such as barriers, location, layout and distances (Pederson, 1999). 3.2 Benefits and functions of privacy The psychological benefits of privacy reflect the function of privacy. Privacy supports social interaction which, in turn, affects our competence to deal with our world, which affects our self-definition (Altman, 1975). Therefore, the benefits of privacy arise from achieving its functions. According to Margulis (2005) the benefits of privacy are: Privacy is a basis for the development of identity, Privacy protects personal autonomy, Privacy supports healthy functioning by providing needed opportunities to relax, to ones self, to emotionally vent, to escape from the stresses of daily life, to manage bodily and sexual functions and to cope with loss, shock, and sorrow. However Keenan (2005) identifies other categories that capture the kinds of benefits privacy holds for people: Natural and psychological benefits: privacy provides physical, psychological and spiritual benefits to individuals. Individuals have certain needs, such as security and connectedness, that they want to satisfy, but invasion of privacy destroys ones sense of connectedness; Creative benefits: many people see privacy as conductive to creativity. Individuals have the need to have their own rooms where they are away from other people and regulate their privacy; Protective benefits: this refers to physical invasion of individuals sense of being safe and secure such as, the protection of ones home from burglary; Social benefits: individuals have the ability to regulate their own invasion of privacy and allow people they know or do not know to invade that privacy on a social basis; Democratic benefits: privacy is self-determining – each individual has the right to be left alone. According to Veitch snd Arkkelin (1995) the functions of privacy are: the achievement of a self-identity and the management of interactions between oneself and the social environment. According to Margulis (2005), privacy is important because it provides us with experiences that support normal psychological functioning, stable interpersonal relationships, and personal development. 3.3 Achieving privacy in design Individuals have a definite desire to a certain level of privacy in their homes. Privacy, in an architectural manner, can be defined as; the ability of individuals and families to lead their own lives without either interfering – or being interfered by the lives of others (Goodchild 1997). According to Faulkner et al (1994) a home provides privacy from outsiders with walls that protect the individual from physical, visual and various degrees of acoustical intrusion. Furthermore, Goodchild (1997) identifies three types of privacy in designing a house, whether in the house or outside the house: Firstly, privacy means circumventing problems with neighbours. Problems could arise when the layout of the resident and the type of housing is not correct such as; the walls of the enclosed area of each persons house are not high enough, which influences privacy. Secondly, privacy means a sense of seclusion. It means freedom from overlooking and freedom form invasive noise. This could be achieved by using noise insulation techniques and higher walls to increase space between neighbours. Thirdly, privacy means freedom from disturbance from other people, either guests or members of the same family, within the home. The level of privacy inside the home is determined by the number of different rooms in relation to the family size. Faulkner et al (1994) also states that the floor plan sets the privacy levels at which the home functions such as; open floor plan or closed floor plan. 3.4 Mechanisms of privacy Four aspects of privacy regulation mechanisms have been identified through data by Westin (1970) and Kent (1993). Firstly, privacy controls provide standards of behaviour for individuals and groups. Secondly, privacy creates an option between isolation and interaction, and can create the perception of being by yourself. Thirdly, individuals, groups, and societies tend to enter the privacy of others; curiosity is an example of this aspects. Fourthly, as society moves form primeval to contemporary, the physical and psychological opportunities for privacy increase. According to Bonnes et al (1995) and Altman (1975) personal space and territorial behaviour are used by individuals primarily to regulate privacy and to maintain their openness/closedness towards others at optimal levels. Additionally, Harris et al (1996) suggest that when individuals are confronted with negative privacy experiences, they will use a variety of privacy regulation mechanisms including verbal and nonverbal behaviours, cognitive, environmental, temporal and cultural mechanisms. Altman (1975) further suggests that the effectiveness and ease of implementing privacy regulation mechanisms may vary considerably across individuals and across social, physical and temporal context. Consequently, by combining these mechanisms individuals can efficiently express their needed level of privacy to others in order to attain the optimal level of privacy. Altman (1975) developed a framework for understanding the mechanisms of privacy regulation. This framework can be used as a summary of all of the above mentioned aspects of privacy (see figure 2). This figure indicates that privacy is a central concept that links the different phenomenons of environmental psychology (personal space, territoriality and crowding) with privacy regulation mechanisms. 4. Territoriality The phenomenon territoriality is extremely widespread in the field of environmental psychology since it consists of many different definitions. According to Gifford (1997) there are different variables that influence territoriality such as; dominance, conflict, security, claim staking, arousal, vigilance, behaviour and cognition to place. Gifford (1997) also states that a formal definition for territoriality is: is a pattern of behaviour and attitudes held by an individual or group that is based on perceived, attempted, or actual control of a definable physical space, object or idea that may involve habitual occupation, defense, personalisation and marking of it. However territoriality, according to Veitch and Arkkelin (1995) can be defined as: behaviour by which an organism characteristically lays claim to an area and defend it against intrusion by members of his or her own species. According to Altman (1975) territories exist to meet both physical and social needs, while being temporarily or permanently owned, controlled, marked or personalised and potentially defended by occupants or owners. On the other hand, territoriality comprises a specific set of affective, cognitive and behavioural tendencies expressed towards the territory (Altman 1975). Faulkner et al (1994) agrees with Altman (1975), however sug