Marketing Nike Essay Example for Free

Marketing Nike Essay Growing up there was one brand that all professional athletes used in my eyes, Nike. The Swoosh, was the icon that all kids had to have, and why not? All the big time players not only had it, but endorsed it. Ads, which had Michael â€Å"Air† Jordan, Bo Jackson, or Wayne Gretsky â€Å"The Great One† doing amazing physical feats, always, motivated the crowds. The Nike company new this, and blasted it marketing campaign through all sorts of media. In this essay I will break down this multi-billion dollar company’s marketing techniques in the areas of: customer value, promotional items, marketing’s four p’s of the marketing mix, the segmentation, targeting, and positioning (STP) approach to market the product, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), environmental trends, the largest customer base, its competitors, and ethical marketing for this corporation both stateside and overseas. Putting these athletes in the ads is just one way to build value for a company. From Ashford universities â€Å"Principle of Marketing† by â€Å"Sara White† We are introduced to marketing with the definition of marketing as â€Å"an activity designed to stimulate exchanges that have value for customers, partners, and society at large†. With this definition of marketing intact the question that still is out pondering is what is value? â€Å"Value was defined as the perceived trade-off between benefits and the sacrifice required to take possession of those benefits†. To break it down further we will look at customer value. Customer value is a title for the cost of a particular trade for the purchaser (buyer) instead of the company (seller). Looking into a selling Nike abroad, whatever a customer may pay in the United States may not be the same overseas. The first thing is to look at is how the current client group influences the market in the states. Nike had a humble start with creators Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight trying to improve on the track shoe of the day. The former â€Å"Blue Ribbon Sports Company† now known as Nike wanted to increase value into their product by having athletes endorses it. So they found the person that they thought would be the best at building future customer value, Steve Prefontaine. During his college time he never lost a race on his home track, and was exposed to national notoriety with is fourth place finish in Munich. This was one of their first successes in marketing. As popularity for their product rose the selected new sports models to display the shoes on the track. This really kicked of the sale of the shoes. Seeing how this success worked at their home setting, taking it to other countries should be no problem. Paving the way with athletes that had above average ability in their field was how Nike struck the marketing campaigned. Finding someone in another country that could spark the same influence over the masses would keep thing on track for Customer value overseas. This would all depend on what country we planned on taken our product to. The last thing that we are going to look at with customer value is the four utilities of customer value. The four utilities are: Form, Time, Place, and Ease of Possession. The form in the four utilities shows what effort Nike puts into their product that makes it desirable. Part of this desire is the quality and showmanship they place in every item. The other part is who they put in their invention. This was very clear in the mid-80 when Nike was the company that took on NBA rookie Michael Jordan, to represent their company’s goals. Being one of the leaders of in business, time is important. Nike put their product out when they need to. They also change it enough to keep things fresh. Time also goes along with place. Not only does the timing of releasing product play a huge role, the place does as well. Lastly, ease of possession is just that, how easy will it be to get the product. Included in this is can I get my item fixed or replaced easily also. With internet available in almost everyone’s pocket from smartphones to tablets getting Nike’s items have become very accessible. With ease of possession we have to look at what trends are working or not, so that we may fix them. Understanding these four utilities just scratches the surface of what we need to know. To be more in-depth with a strategy we must look at the targeting and market mix portion of promoting. In order to utilize the four utilities properly we must look at the STP approach of marketing. This Approach involves segmentation, targeting, and positioning looks at what a byer values. â€Å"Segmentation can be defined as the process of splitting a market into smaller groups with similar product needs or identifiable characteristics, for the purpose of selecting appropriate target markets. Targeting (or target market selection) refers to: An organization’s proactive selection of a suitable market segment (or segments) with the intention of heavily focusing the firm’s marketing offers and activities towards this group of related consumers. And positioning (which is sometimes referred to as product positioning) is: Positioning is the target market’s perception of the product’s key benefits and features, relative to the offerings of competitive products. † With the number of competitors only the rise it is important for an organization to forecast what the consumers buying trends are. Nike, although one of the largest establishments in their field, they still are not untouchable. They have to stay a success by continually improving on the products. Nike leads the way with new technology that innovate all sports. In the late 80’s the introduction of Nike air did this well. Again they launched a promotional campaign that introduced a series of ads by Bo Jackson one of the top athletes at the time. They saw the future of what their clients wanted, Air. It was the first shoe out on the market with air in the sole. Following the marketing targeting set at this point propelled them ahead of their competitors. To stay ahead of the game the implementation of the four P’s is the next tool to evolve business plan. The four P’s that come from the widely used â€Å"marketing mix† developed in the 60’s includes production, price, place and promotion. â€Å"Product: The combination of tangible goods, services, and beliefs offered at a specific price. † To stay on the breaking edge of athletic gear with rivals on your heels they have to produce a â€Å"product† that reaches the masses. The creations did just that, they made it tangible for all with a specific price. â€Å"Price: The amount of money or other consideration a customer must exchange for the offering. † Nikes merchandise because it was ahead of others cost a little more. At the same time they could justify their cost due to the fact the merchandise operated better than anyone else’s. â€Å"Place: The strategy by which a company gets the right goods in the right quantity to the right place. † Because Phil and Bill both had roots on the west coast mainly Oregon, this is where the perfect place to offer the product out of was. Now, a global sensation you can get it from any corner of the world. â€Å"Promotion: The advertising and selling activity a company undertakes to create demand for the offering . † The only real way to endorse this type of product is to show the benefits in different people that use it. This not only sums up the four P’s but gives examples of how it applies to this enterprise. While putting all of these aspects together there has to be a way to track certain trends to be more productive. This can be done by customer relationship management or CRM system. CRM is a good tool to utilize once your product has hit the market. This system tracks the companies’ relationship with the purchaser. The data collected will be from sale and overall marketing . Some items that might be pulled from this information are demographics of the individual buying an item. This is so important to direct and promote ads to those that will actually be utilizing them. When I got my first pair of Nike shoes I was stoked. They were everything that I wanted and more. I was fast to show them to my friends. At that point I would have done anything that Nike asked me to (I was a typical kid). Inside the box was a card and at the time I did not understand what it for. It had questions on it like race, age, sports that I played in at school level†¦etc. This was there way of finding out who is buying their goods. Some places will add in rewards or freebies to get their customer feedback. This information can also give feedback on when to promote certain items so that there will be a larger return. Now that all the information is being tracked and fixed, we can now see how it does abroad. In the 90’s Nike wanted to figure out how to reach an even larger fan base. Soccer was the ticket to gain that popularity not only in one country but almost every country in the world. At the point of taking production to another country the process of building customer value and marketing kind of starts over. Knowing this Nike took players from the World Cup-winning Brazilian National team. They redesigned the uniforms and pulled in some US teams as well . This organization could go a little farther by endorsing other sports as well. One of the most important things about going into other countries with this appeal line is to see what effects it has on the area. From â€Å"Principles of Marketing† by â€Å"White† there are a couple of things that affect the marketing environment. The acts that affect the environment are actors and forces . They both exist in two different categories Micro environment and Macro environment. In Micro-environment actors are individuals like: stockholders, board members, competitors, public, and customers . In this category there are also forces which include: Strategic moves by, competitors, Channel partners, Changes in consumer behavior . Macro- environment deals actors with leaders in Culture/society, Politic, Economics, Technology development, Finance and Law . Forces in Macro-environment are; globalization, Technology and media . Let’s see how this looks with Nike. If Nike is to be a success in other countries they have to know how they are going to affect the environment where they go. They also need to know how other countries can affect them. An example of this would be in the Middle East females are not treated as equals. Therefore it would not be a good idea to start up only female sporting lines there. Another example of how they could be affected by the environment is the culture is different that the US, some countries that would use their product cannot afford American prices. This would cause a new marketing scheme. A good place to start is checking the CRM to see what trends these cultures prefer. So currently who is Nike’s biggest byer? Nike hits such a wide range of sports, from their start in track, to sponsoring golfer Eldrick â€Å"Tiger† Woods. Almost every sport today has some kind of influence from Nike. The largest in today’s market is probably the NFL. The National football league has just signed up Nike to create some new gear for this 2012 – 2013 season. The great thing about Nike is it now has sister labels that produce more than just athletic products. â€Å"A significant event in Cole Haan’s timelines happened in 1988 when Nike acquired Cole Haan . Thence, international flagship stores and more outlets opened making the reach to influence the use of quality and fashionable footwear become broader and wider . † â€Å"Then the technology of Nike Air was incorporated in the design of women’s shoes which made a mark on Cole Haan’s emphasis on providing comfort and protection not only for men but also for women. This was the first at that time and the demand for Cole Haan shoes continued to rise . † Nike seems to be unstoppable but they are only a small percentage of the market. There are so many different shoe companies out there today. If an individual can get it in the States they can get overseas via the internet. A few brands that compete with Nike are: Reebok, Adidas, Asics, and New balance. But they are not close to the company that distributes to over 170 countries. Unfortunately although Nike from the stand point of business is a great company they have a dark side also. Ethics is gaining power in the business world. People are tired of seeing cooperation’s destroy morale of the world and marketing is no different. There is a responsibility to the public to give honest communications and things that are not going further corrupt children mind. A lot of marketers will play to children’s weaknesses. Rebecca Clay wrote an article on advertising to children. The article goes on to explain that children’s psyches are not to the level to decipher fact from fiction. This weakness is exploded and ads well over load kids with ideas of toys and games that they do not need nor should they have. One case of unethical marketing goes deeper than what we can see. It was what was going on behind the curtains. According to† Mail Online† that put out an article on Nike, about the treatment in the converse factory . They continue on to say that the employees are under paid, making around 50 cents an hour. Terminology such as; dog or pig from supervisors are thrown around in a derogatory way. This is a decade after Nike came under fire for their child labor seat shops in Indonesia. Should something be done to this marketing tycoon? Some kind of apology should come to the public not only in America but to the world. This is part of their obligation to the society has a whole. As kids we can be drawn into many different that catch our attention. Mine, like many juveniles was following the dream of growing up to become a professional athlete. It was the lifestyle at the time that seemed effort less. Nike open my eyes to this more than probably any other brand. The slogan† Just do It† was what I needed to pursue my goals. For a while it felt as though they were not just talking about sports but life who knows maybe they are. Whatever it may be there marketing plan from the start of the back of a trunk; to multibillion dollar cooperation is one of the best. Going through the marketing world with Nike we covered the following: customer value, promotional items, marketing’s four p’s of the marketing mix, the segmentation, targeting, and positioning (STP) approach to market the product, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), environmental trends, the largest customer base, its competitors, and ethical marketing for this corporation both stateside and overseas. References: (n. d. ). Clay, R. A. (2000, September). Advertising to children is it ehtical. Retrieved Jan 11, 2013, from American Phychological Association: http://www. apa. org/monitor/sep00/advertising. aspx Fripp, G. (2012). .segmentationstudyguide. Retrieved Jan 14, 2013, from www. segmentationstudyguide. com Reporter, D. M. (2011, July 13). Mail Online. Retrieved Jan 13, 2013, from daily mail: http://www. dailymail. co. uk/news/article-2014325/Nike-workers-kicked-slapped-verbally-abused-factories-making-Converse-line-Indonesia. html uknown. (2011). History Heritage . Retrieved 01 10, 2013, from Nike, inc : http://nikeinc. com/pages/history-heritage unknown. (2013). A History of Cole Haan. Retrieved jan 13, 2013, from Shoe metro delivering sole satisfaction: http://www. shoemetro. com/t-history-of-cole-haan. aspx unknown. (2013, jan 13). Forbes: profile and News. Retrieved Jan 2013, 2013, from Forbes. com: http://www. forbes. com/companies/nike/ White, S. (2012). Principles of Marketing. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education,inc.

History And Creation Of Science Fiction Film Studies Essay

History And Creation Of Science Fiction Film Studies Essay Science fiction has a rich and varied  set of cultural and  historical traditions. With reference to at least two different films and/or television texts discuss the evolution of Science Fiction as a genre. You should consider its literary origins as well as discussing how science fiction is a lens through which to view the social, political and technological progress and anxiety. In this essay I will discuss the history and the creation of Science fiction and the journey it has travelled that has changed society and surroundings of today. I will talk about the Science fiction genre and also the birth of the genre and how it all was created. I will talk about the literary origin as well as the social change and political influences and messages that are encrypted in this genre, and how the political society we live in, is touched upon in this. I will also discuss how technology has had an impact in the way the world is changing through Science fiction, and how it has helped us see things that we could only imagine. I will start this question firstly discussing the science fiction genre. The science fiction genre is a collection made of intellectual and physical adventure which overlaps predominantly with other genres. It is difficult to define this genre with a simple definition that clarifies it relation to other genres. There is a debate about the difference between the two, fantasy and science fiction. The science fiction fans and those, whom are passionate in this genre, usually have strong and different views on what makes a science fiction, a science fiction. Sci-Fi is known to be a genre that questions the What If? It always investigates philosophical, morals, and technological possibilities by making new and exciting realities. In the book, Genreflecting by Diana Tixier Herald, she defines science fiction deals with, scientific topics, space travel, aliens and recognizably Earth-variant worlds of life forms that have not been touched by magic. Also time travel is common theme in many of the sci-fi novels. Science fiction can be traced back to the revolutionary works of Mary Shelly in Frankenstein which was in 1818. This is the story of somebody being made by a scientist from different body parts, and a person who discovers that in the eyes of the world he is a monster and wants to get revenge. The idea that science might become an anti-social force and diabolical is one of the foundations for one of sci-fi most known assumptions. Even though many celebrate science as the end of lack of knowledge and superstition, SF can also remind us that it can be used as tool of violation, oppression and small minded destructiveness. Certainly many critics of industrialisms explained the products of scientific thoughts did more harm than any good. Technology did not free workers in the nineteenth and early century; it was mainly mutilated and then mutated them. H.G Wells allegorized the social and physical mutations inspired by industrialisms in his portrayal of the cannibalistic, technology-obsessed Morlocks in 1895 the novel, The Time Machine. In the early 20th Century we saw a large interest in this subject and it became more clearly defined and identified by the public. The emergence of the sci-fi pulp magazine helped develop a new generation of sci-fi writers, mostly Americans at the time. Also with fantasy writings, the use of art helped define the stereotypes in the public mind. Hugo Gernsback became a cultural leader at this time as a founder of Amazing Stories magazine. In the 1930s late, John Campbell became editor of Astounding Science Fiction, and a number of new writers started to come forward in New York. They names themselves the Futurians, which including Isaac Asimov, James Blish, Fredrick Pohl, and many others. Sci-fi writing and art become cultural bed fellows, and lurid covers of books were now the norm. During this time, authors such as Arthur Clarke, Robert Heinlein and A.E Van Vogt started making themselves a name. Campbells supervision of the Astounding Science Fiction magazine is thought to be known as the beginning of the Golden Age of sci-fi. This continued until after the war, when new magazines like Under Pohl Galaxy as editor, broke the old mold. Arthur C. Clarkes film 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968) is well known as an all time classic film, which also succeeded in achieving a new cinematic high. In 1950s, author William S. Burroughs came into his own and in the 1960s and early 1970s, writers like Frank Herbert and Harlan Ellison started experimenting with newer ideas and writing styles. In Britain we were not far away behind it, coming forward as the sci-fi new wave. In the 1970s, writers like Poul Anderson began to reshape so called hard sci-fi while Ursula Le Guin and others experimented with soft science fiction. Female characterisations were starting to eventually creep into this fiction increasingly. Twentieth century sci-fi in the U.S owes a lot to the gothic tradition of Frankenstein, which has also returned to haunt the dystopian subgenre of cyberpunk with its electronically generated identity and bitter assumption about the consequences of human greed coupled with scientific progress. More current SF are still keeping in with Wells vision, however speculative narratives about the life on other planets also human life in the future, dominates the market in sci-fi. Tech Fiction a whole subgenre has come out in the wake of Isaac Asimov most famous anthology, I, Robot (1950), which offered a way of imagining artificially-generated intelligence and consciousness. The Utopian sci-fi was heavily influenced by ecology, feminism and the TV show Star Trek. This was caught in the 1960s and created a slay of novels about the birth of a much better society made possible by the use of new technologies and a notion of science counterbalanced by humanism, spirituality, and democratic mulitcu lturism. What continues to bring narratives in the sci-fi tradition is an urgent desire to reimaging human society, even if having to revise history, inventing possible new technologies, civilization and life forms or even creating a speculative future. The term, Science Fiction was first used in the nineteenth century, arguably as the results of the god father of science fiction, H.G Wells, from his novels, Time Machine 1895, The Invisible Man 1897 and The War of Worlds 1898. Cook and Bernink (1999) argue that science fiction did not become established until the beginning of the twentieth century, when the magazines started to produce science fiction in written format. Cook and Bernink argues that one of the first and most known contributions to putting science fiction in the realms of cinema is Le Voyage Imaginares (1926) which says, ..helped to establish the bond between science fiction, special effects technology and set design that has remained a feature of the genre ever since, (Cook and Bernink, 1999:192) Science fiction cinema achieved mainstream in the late 1960s and 70s, with the infamous film, 2001 Space Odyssey  (1968) and also Star Wars (1977). Since then it has grown to become a much famous and popular genres moving away its previous status as of a B-Movie in the past. Some theorists have outlined a number of elements that are common within sci-fi. Using the semantic and syntactic conventions as mentioned above, an analysis of two specific films, The Fly (1986), story of powerful scientists Seth Brundle, who has a vision to change the limitations of space and time through the use of teleportation machine, however somehow manages to, when experimenting on himself, to combine his DNA with of a fly then produces a bad result. Also Even Horizon (1997) in which a crew travels into space in an effort to save a ship built by scientist Dr Weir, which while being abandoned in outer space, he has travelled into an unknown dimension and will be conducted in order to know weather, and to what extent, they conform to the conventions of science fiction as a genre. You can say that some authors may not believe that sci-fi is just about science, but its about politics. A lot of authors have used this genre to explore their political beliefs or outrage the political machine. Authors such as Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov and many more. Even if their main story is not meant to be political, political science fiction is quite important today. In the sci-fi genre there are analogies to current and past politics and government organizations, allowing the authors to explore political possibilities that may never be tested. Almost every military sci-fi there is a political wheel that turns the war for example, Starship Troopers (1959). Also there is government regulation and oversight such as the regulation of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (1959). Also other subgenres of science fiction, it is not mutually exclusive. The film Avatar (2009) is a big blockbuster movie, with new 3D effects. It is not a movie that you watch normally but a movie that you immerse yourself, going through the adventure with dragons, hoping the good guys win and bad guys lose. However I believe this film has hidden political message through it. There is no doubt the director James Cameron created the most expensive movie ever created with message about environment, government corruption and terrorism. Avatar (2009) overt it own message about the environment and how mans interference with that area. The story is based on how humans have destroyed the earth and is now mining nearby planets for minerals including an unobtainium, on the Eden style Pandora. The area Pandora is a peaceful place, Navi, a race of blue humanoids whom live in peace with their exotic land and are linked to their ancestors in a way you might believe Aborigines, and Native Americans and other many tribes around the world. When the huge bulldozers cut down the Navis special spaces, you can imagine the same bulldozers cutting the many trees in rainforests in todays society, ripping apart tribes and the forests as this happens quite frequently in todays world. Al Gores documentary in 2006 states that global warming is real, and it is caused by human activity, and that all humans and the government has to do something before its too late and our planet will move past the point of no going back. You can argue that it is kind of like what is happening in Avatar (2009). Avatar (2009) takes many similarities of President Bushs War on Terror, even in the film, Stephen Langs war manic Col. Quartich exclaims, we will fight terror with terror!. When the Navie is refusing to leave their land so the government can mine their mineral, the military will not stop until they achieve their target. Even if it requires to kill every Navi and replacing their plant life with an apocalyptic land of charred chaos and rubbles. They also have their own group of scientist to create the avatar program, to gain access to the tribe and report back with relevant information. A few of the scientists have hearts, however the military people are portrayed as cold-blooded people and just want to win and destroy. You can say to sum this up that the film is intending to give a political message as a sci-fi genre, to the audience by feeding them information of things going on in todays world and how in the future life out can be gone. Politics does not necessarily have a large influence on sci-fi. Sometimes science fiction has an effect on politics. A few government agencies have science fiction counterparts, both on a known level and on a more subtle level. Some events in our history have been influenced by sci-fi that came way before it. A good example of this is NASAs Space Shuttle Enterprise was named after the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek after a letter writing campaign. While the Enterprise itself did not make it into space, it was in fact the first Space Shuttle every built by NASA and marked the beginning of Space Shuttles as we know. The Political Science Fiction is the media through which we can explore potential government institutions, point out the errors of our own political system, and experiment with new ideas. It can play across the world stage, is the imagination. Usually political science fiction can be an instructive tale of a repressive government, but it can also try and prove that other political avenues are as viable. If its even purely political, or what seems afterthought, politics will always be behind a great deal of science fiction. In the last 60 years the faster technological progress and events has changed the world. Even though all films are a subject to change at each point of sci-fi, has a close relationship with both technology and the real world. As Robert A. Heinlein a science fiction writer says, science fiction is a realistic speculation of future events based on knowledge of past and present real world. For this reason, the cause of the evolution of science fiction movies is the real world, put another way: Science fiction is reality. In the 1960s the radical revolutions in technology and the technological achievements such as the Moon, had a large impact on sci-fi. Also the Cold War, Martin Luther King, JFK and the Vietnam War all have an influence in sci-fi during the decade. Some of the well known films of sci-fi films including 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and The Time Machine (1960) had an impact in a way by this occurrence during the 1960s. Most notably the spacecraft appears in 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968) are very similar to the ship used in the 1960s. When the production of films was improving, the success of science fiction in the 1960s quickly advanced the creation of science fictions in the 1970s. The popularity of the technology during the 1970s has changed the lives of many people, cars, pocket calculator, bar codes and the computer at home. Others technologies such as the Space Shuttle influenced neutron bombs and the Concorde. An increase population of 4.4 million people since 1978 has affected the genre. The atmosphere of the decade was featured in the sci-fi film Logans Run (1976), while the anxiety about overpopulation was made in the film Soylent Green (1973). The increase of computer technology in films, more advanced films started to be produced in the 1980s. These new technologies gave a fresh new amazing special effect in sci-fi films like The Flight of the Navigator (1986), Predator (1987) and The Terminator (1984). Blade Runner (1982) is a science fiction that first contained dystopia rather than of all apocalypse in the road warrior or the future of The Terminator (1984). One topic that usually seemed to be presented on a number of occasions has been the concept of powerful corporations and evil that rules the world. This can be found in Aliens (1986), RoboCop (1987), The Terminator (1984) and Blade Runner (1982). Large technological advances during the 1990s all had the potential impact on sci-fi films. Some progress includes World Wide Web, text messaging, the computer generated films, cloning, photos of deep space and also the International Space Station. The ending threat of a third world war with Russia has been replaced by an increase number of small conflicts. The first war source was since the Gulf and Vietnam War took place, with some of the latest military technology used in the battle. Teams began to engage in larger roles in special effects films producing in revolutionary films like Men in Black (1997) and Jurassic Park (1993). Films with storylines in natural disasters have been made quite frequently like Deep Impact (1998), Armageddon (1998) and 2012 (2009), as the currant global warming and save the world began to have an influence. The film Matrix (1999) came a new era of SF films with complex plot and special effect. In the years 2000s, this was a decade of the availability of technological achievements related to space travel and also astronomy. The new solar systems and planets like Earth was discovered, countries like China have launched people into space, several robots have landed on Mars and exploring different planets was discovered in our solar system, recycling comet dust and many of unmanned probes have launched into space by organizations around the world. We are seeing the future of space tourism and the potential possibilities of space travel in the future. Also the politics climate has changed even more in events such as 9/11. Also not to forget, the film Avator was written by James Cameron in 1994. In 1996 Cameron announced after the film Titanic was made he would film Avatar. However due to technology not have been ready for the story and vision Cameron had for the film, he decided to make this film for the future when these technology was ready which he eventually did and released in 2009. To my conclusion on this essay, I have identified how far science fiction has come over time. Science Fiction has emerged over 100 years from the start of literacy novels, comics, magazine, television and films. I identified how politics and the surrounding of society and social have messages in science fiction films over time. Also how these films change of evolution in society and brings ideas to up and coming technology, making the world more advanced, constantly improving each day. Without sci-fiction films, and the whole genre, I believe that even today we would not have expanded and have the intelligence to bring out these technology machines, computers, phone and television today, as new ideas are still occurring in films every day. We would not have identified what is out in space, and now we can clear our minds with any superstitious thoughts of what is out there can be identified. We also can see the what if situation in the world if there was world disasters, to make us th ink of what can happen, and thanks to science fiction, technology is expanding and we can see more clearly and get ideas of what we can make the future and possibly create the future as we go along. (2969)

Assessment of Hydraulic Conductivity of Soil

Assessment of Hydraulic Conductivity of Soil Hydraulic Conductivity Soil Chapter 1 Introduction Hydraulic conductivity or permeability of a soil is one important soil properties used in geotechnical engineering. It can be seen from the difficulty in measuring accurate and reliable values of hydraulic conductivity. Hydraulic conductivity of soil is basically the capacity of water to let water to pass through the pores or voids in the soil. There are many methods developed in order to measure the hydraulic conductivity of soil; both laboratory and in-situ field methods. Some of the common laboratory methods are the constant-head test and falling head test. On the other hand, the common in-situ field methods are pumping well test, borehole tests (e.g. slug test, variable head test), infiltrometer tests and using porous probes (BAT permeameter). All these in-situ field test methods were used to measure the hydraulic conductivity of subsoil for both saturated and unsaturated media. One other in-situ field measurement method that has been introduced is the Two-Stage Borehole (TSB) test, also known as the Boutwell permeameter test. This testing method is commonly used to test a low hydraulic conductivity soil such as compacted clay liner used in landfill barrier system or covers used at waste disposal facilities, for canal and reservoir liners, for seepage blankets, and for amended soil liners. The advantage of using this method is that it can be used to measure both the vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivity values of soil, kv and kh respectively. One other advantages of using this method is that it can be used to measure the rate of infiltration of water or other fluid into a large mass of soil which can represent the tested site. However, the application of the TSB/Boutwell permeameter test for natural soil or other soils having a higher permeability value has been limited. This report will discuss the theory behind the TSB/Boutwell permeameter test and the application of this method on natural soil. The methodology of this test will also be included in this report. In addition to the standard TSB setup, this report will also discuss the modification made to the standard TSB test which can be easily and quickly installed in shallow boreholes for subsequent testing. The methodology and results from the modified setup will also be included. The results from both the standard and modified setup will then be compared. Objectives The objectives of this project is summarised into four stages. In the first stage, the objective is to measure the hydraulic conductivity of the soil using the standard TSB/Boutwell permeameter setup. The second stage involves the modification of the standard TSB/Boutwell Permeameter setup. The aim is to obtain a simple installation setup which can be easily and quickly installed in shallow boreholes for subsequent testing. In the third stage, the objective is to test the modified TSB/Boutwell Permeameter test in the field. This is done by carrying out a series of tests in varied subsurface media at the assigned site location. The results from both the standard and modified TSB/Boutwell Permeameter test will be compared. The last stage of the project consists of particle size analysis of the soil obtained from site. The results from the two setups will again be compared to the hydraulic conductivity values obtained from the derivation of the Particle Size Distribution curves. The tasks that are done in this project include: The review of TSB/Boutwell Permeameter methodology Developing the modify TSB/Boutwell Permeameter Completion of field tests using the TSB/Boutwell Permeameter Collection of soil samples and subsequent particle size analysis Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Soil Water Soils are consists of separate solid particles. The pore spaces between the solid particles are all interconnected which mean that water is free to flow through these interconnected pore spaces (Whitlow, 2001). The water will flow from a higher pore pressure point to a lower pore pressure point. The pressure of the pore water is measure relatively to the atmospheric pressure. The level in which the pressure is zero (i.e. atmospheric) is defined as the water table (Craig, 2004). The soil above the water table is assumed to be unsaturated and the soil below the water table is assumed to be fully saturated. The level of water table changes in relation with climate conditions and can also be affected by any constructional operations (Craig, 2004). It is usual to express a pressure as a pressure head or head which is measured in metres of water when considering water flow problems. According to Bernoullis equation, the total head at a point in flowing water can be given by the sum of three head components; pressure head (u/ÃŽ ³w), velocity head (v2/2g) and elevation head (Z). This relationship is illustrated in the equation below: (Equation 1) where; h = total head u = pressure v = velocity g = acceleration due to gravity ÃŽ ³w = unit weight of water Z = elevation head However, since the seepage velocities in the soil are so small due to the high resistance to flow offered by the granular structure of the soil, the velocity head is often omitted from the equation (Whitlow, 2001). The total head at any point is then can be adequately represented by: (Equation 2) In saturated conditions, the one-dimensional water flow in soil is governed by the Darcys Law, which states that the velocity of the groundwater flow is proportional to the hydraulic gradient: (Equation 3) where; v = velocity of groundwater flow = flow/area (q/A) k = coefficient of permeability or hydraulic conductivity (constant) i = hydraulic gradient = head/length (h/L) The empirical validity of Darcys Law depends heavily on the hydraulic conductivity, k, which must be carefully determined so that it can represent the soil mass (Azizi, 2000). The different practical methods that can be used to measure the hydraulic conductivity will be discussed in Section 2.3. It is important to study the flow of water through porous media in soil mechanics. This is necessary for the estimation of underground seepage under various conditions, for investigation of problems involving the pumping of water for underground constructions, and for making stability analyses of retaining structures that are subjected to seepage forces (Das, 2006). Hydraulic Conductivity (Coefficient of Permeability) Hydraulic conductivity, k, of a soil is the capacity of the soil to allow water to pass through it. The value of hydraulic conductivity is often used to measure the resistance of a soil to water flow. Hydraulic conductivity has units of length divided by time. The most common unit used of measurement is meter per second (m/s). Although hydraulic conductivity has the same unit as those to describe velocity, it is not a measure of velocity (Coduto, 1999). Importance of Hydraulic Conductivity Hydraulic conductivity is a very important parameter in geotechnical engineering or in determining the widespread of contamination. This can be seen in the difficulties in measuring it. This is because hydraulic conductivity can varies from one point in a soil to another, even with small changes in the soil characteristics. It is also, as mentioned in the previous section, influenced by the viscosity and unit weight of the fluid flowing through the soil. Hydraulic conductivity is also dependent to the direction of flow which means that the vertical hydraulic conductivity would not be the same as the horizontal hydraulic conductivity. This condition of the soil is said to be anisotropic. Studies that have been made indicate that the value of vertical hydraulic conductivity (Kv) of a soil is usually higher than the horizontal hydraulic conductivity (Kh) in one or two order of magnitude (Chen, 2000). Some applications in which information on hydraulic conductivity is very important are in modelling the groundwater flow and transportation of contaminants in the soil. Hydraulic conductivity data of a soil is also important for designing drainage of an area and in the construction of earth dam and levee. In addition, it is very important in tackling most of the geotechnical problems such as seepage losses, settlement calculations, and stability analyses (Odong, 2007). Factors Affecting Hydraulic Conductivity The hydraulic conductivity of a soil depends on many factors. The main factor that affecting the value of hydraulic conductivity is the average size of the pores between particles in the soil, which in turn is related to the distribution of particle sizes, particle shape and roughness, pore continuity, and soil structure (Craig,2004). In general; the bigger the average size of the pores, the higher the value of hydraulic conductivity is. The value of hydraulic conductivity of a soil that has a presence of small percentages of fines will be significantly lower than the same soil without fines. In the other hand, the presence of fissures in clay will result in a much higher value of hydraulic conductivity compared to that of unfissured clay (Craig, 2004). The range of the hydraulic conductivity value is very large. Table 1 below illustrates the range of hydraulic conductivity which differs from one soil type to another which is mainly due to the different average size of the pores between the soil particles. Table 1 Range of hydraulic conductivity values (m/s) with different soil type (Whitlow, 2001) 102 101 1 10-1 Clean gravels Very good drainage 10-2 10-3 10-4 Clean sands Gravel-sand mixtures 10-5 10-6 Very fine sands Silts and silty sands Fissured and weathered clays Good drainage Poor drainage 10-7 10-8 10-9 Clay silts (>20% clay) Unfissured clays Practically impervious The hydraulic conductivity is also dependent to viscosity and density of water in which both are affected by temperature. It is therefore conclude that the value of hydraulic conductivity will then be affected by changes in temperature. Theoretically, it can be shown that for laminar flow and saturated soil condition the relationship between temperature and hydraulic conductivity: (Equation 4) Where; ÃŽ ³w= unit weight of water ÃŽ · = viscosity of water K = absolute coefficient (units m2). This value is dependent on the characteristic of the soil skeleton. Since most of the laboratory graduations were standardised at 20C, the value of hydraulic conductivity at this temperature is taken as 100% (Craig, 2004). Other value of hydraulic conductivity at 10C and 0C are 77% and 56% respectively (Craig, 2004). Hydraulic Conductivity Tests Most of the tests for measuring hydraulic conductivity measured one average value of hydraulic conductivity. However, some tests measured both the vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivity values to obtained more accurate estimation. There are numbers of experiments and test that can be done to measure the hydraulic conductivity of a soil. These tests to measure the hydraulic conductivity can be done both in the laboratory and in the field. The following sections will briefly discussed the most common laboratory and in-situ tests practiced today to measure the hydraulic conductivity of a soil. Although with all the various tests developed to measured the hydraulic conductivity, there are uncertainties arise on how the soils that being tested represent the whole soil condition at the site of interest. It is therefore a good practice to perform different tests and comparing the results obtained. Laboratory Permeability Tests One problem with laboratory tests is that the samples collected do not adequately represent the detailed conditions of the soil, e.g. fissures, joints or other characteristics in the site of interest. Even with carefully conducted tests and good sampling techniques, it is impossible to obtain a very accurate result. The results typically have a precision of about 50% or more (Coduto, 1999). It is therefore important to take this into consideration if any construction activities or contamination remediation operations to be perform at the site of interest. Constant Head Permeability Test The constant head test is used to measure the hydraulic conductivity of more permeable soils such as gravels and sands which have a hydraulic conductivity value of 10-4 m/s (Whitlow, 2001). The equipments used for this test is called a constant head permeameter. A schematic illustration of this equipment is shown in Figure 2.1. The constant head permeameter was developed base on the basic idea of Darcys Law (Equation 3). The soil sample is contained in a cylinder of cross-sectional area A. Continuous water supply is let to flow from a tank to the sample to maintain a constant head. The water that flow through the sample is collected in a collection jar or container and the discharge through the sample is measured by calculating the volume of the water in the collection container over a period of time t. h Figure 2.1 Schematic diagram of Constant Head Permeameter (www.geology.sdsu.edu) The hydraulic conductivity, k of the tested soil is then calculated by: From equation 3: (Equation 5) Where; Q = the discharge through the sample (m3/s) L = the length of the sample (m) A = cross-section of the sample (m2) h = hydraulic head (m) The above diagram shows a simple setup of the constant-head permeameter. Other setup is also available which make use a pair of standpipes to measure the pore pressure and potential at two points. This is illustrated in Figure 2.2 below. Although both the setups are different, it makes used of the same concepts; Darcys Law. Figure 2.2 Alternative setup of Constant Head Permeameter (Whitlow, 2001) Falling Head Permeability Test The falling head test is used to measure the hydraulic conductivity of less permeable soils such as fine sands, silt and clay. The water flow resistance in these types of soil are very high which unable to measure accurate measurements of hydraulic conductivity if used with constant head permeameter. Undisturbed samples are required to perform laboratory test to measure the hydraulic conductivity of a soil. However, a small degree of disturbance of the sample is accepted as it is very hard to obtain a perfect undisturbed sample. An undisturbed sample can be obtained usually using a U100 sample tube or a core-cutter tube (Whitlow, 2001).The schematic illustration of the falling head test setup is shown in Figure 2.3. Figure 2.3 Laboratory setup of falling head test (Whitlow, 2001) The sample is place in a cylinder container with a wire mesh and gravel filter at both end of the cylinder. The base of the cylinder is left to stand in a water reservoir fitted with a constant level overflow. At the other end, which is the top of the cylinder, it is connected to a glass standpipe of known diameter (Whitlow, 2001). These standpipes are then filled with de-aired water and it is allow to flow through the soil sample. The height of the water in the standpipe is measured at several time intervals. The test is then repeated using standpipes of different diameters. It is a good practice to take note of the initial and final unit weight and water content of the sample to get additional information about the properties of the sample (Whitlow, 2001). The hydraulic conductivity of the sample is then calculated from the results obtained from the tests. The Darcys Law concept is still used in determining the hydraulic conductivity. The derivation of the hydraulic conductivity for the falling head test is done as follow (Whitlow, 2001). Deriving from Equation 3: With reference to Figure 2.3, if the level of the water in the standpipe fall dh in a time of dt the flow, q will be and the hydraulic gradient, i Therefore; (Equation 6) Where; a = cross-sectional area of the standpipe A = cross-sectional area of the sample When equation 6 is rearranged and integrated, the final equation to calculate the hydraulic conductivity is given as (Equation 7) Particle Size Analysis Particle size analysis is commonly used to classify the physical properties of the soil being tested. This testing method is used for both soil science and engineering purposes (Keller and Gee, 2006). In context of engineering purposes, it is commonly used to define the particle size distributions of the soil. The data obtained from the particle size distributions can then be used to estimate the pore-size classes needed in calculating the hydraulic properties of the soil such as hydraulic conductivity (Keller and Gee, 2006). There are various methods of measuring particle size analysis. Traditional methods include sieving, hydrometer and pipette. Other new techniques are also been developed; one example is laser-diffraction techniques (Eshel et al, 2004). However, particle size analysis is dependent on the technique used for defining the particle size distribution. It is therefore a common practice to do more than one method to define the particle size distribution (Keller and Gee, 2006). The results from all the different methods can then be compared to obtain more representative result. For the traditional particle size analysis methods, two separate procedures are used in order to obtain wider range of particles sizes (Head, 1980). The two procedures are sieving and sedimentation procedures (hydrometer or pipette method). Sieving is used to categorise large particle such as gravel and coarse sand. The particles can be separated into different size ranges using a series of standard sieves. For the finer particles such as silt and clay, sedimentation procedure is used (Head, 1980). Once the particle size distribution is defined from the particle size analysis, the hydraulic conductivity of the tested soil can then be estimated using a number of established empirical equations. However, the applicability of the above equations depends on the type of soil that is being tested. The following paragraphs summarised several empirical equations from previous studies (Odong, 2007). Hazens equation: (Equation 8) Kozeny-Carmans equation: (Equation 9) Breyers equation: (Equation 10) Slitchers equation: (Equation 11) Where; g = acceleration due to gravity v = kinematic viscosity n = porosity of the soil d10 = grain size in which 10% the sample is finer than The estimation of the hydraulic conductivity from these equations required information on the kinematic viscosity v and porosity n of the soil. The kinematic viscosity can be calculated by: (Equation 12) Where; = dynamic viscosity ÃŽ ¡ = density of water The porosity n can be calculated using the empirical relationship below: (Equation 13) Where U is the coefficient of grain uniformity and is given by: (Equation 14) The values of d60and d10 can be obtained from the particle size distribution. d60and d10 represent the grain size for which 60% and 10% of the sample respectively is finer than. In-situ Field Permeability Tests Due to the problems associated with reliability and laboratory tests, as mention in Section 2.3.1, field methods of measuring the hydraulic conductivity should be used to obtain more accurate and reliable measurements. In the field test, the soil disturbances is kept to a minimum level and they usually involves the testing of larger, more representative samples. Although, in term of cost and time, field measurement method is more expensive, it will as well provide more reliable measurement of hydraulic conductivity when dealing with a wide range of soil macro-structural characteristics. Other more economic option of field measurement can also be done. Such example is by performing borehole test, provided the pumping observation sequences are carefully planned and controlled (Whitlow, 2001). Well Pumping Tests This method is more suitable if used to measure hydraulic conductivity in homogenous coarse soil strata (Craig, 2004). The procedure involves the measurement of water that is being pumped out of a well at a constant rate, then observing the effect of these pumping activities to the drawdown of the groundwater level at other wells. The diameter of the well is normally at least 300mm and penetrates to the bottom of the stratum under test (Craig, 2004). The pumping rate and the groundwater levels in two or more monitoring wells are then recorded. The analysis of the results depends whether the aquifer is confined or unconfined. Well pumping test in a confined aquifer In confined aquifer the permeable stratum is squeezed in between two impermeable layers. This is illustrated in Figure 2.4 below. To perform the test, the pumping rate must not be too high to reduce the level in the pumping well below the top of the aquifer. The interface between the top aquifer and the overlying impermeable stratum therefore forms the top stream line (Whitlow, 2001). Figure 2.4 Pumping test in confined aquifer (Azizi, 2000) Figure 2.4 illustrates the arrangement of the pumping well and two other monitoring wells. Two assumptions were made at this point; the piezometric surface is above the upper surface of the aquifer and the hydraulic gradient is constant at a given radius (Whitlow, 2001). In steady state condition, the hydraulic gradient through an elemental cylinder with radius r from the well centres estimated as follow: where; dr = thickness h = height The area in which the water flow, A: where; D = the thickness of the aquifer Substituting the area A into the Darcys Law (Equation 4) will give; Hence: And therefore the hydraulic conductivity is: (Equation 15) In the case that the piezometric level is above ground level, where the water level inside the well inserted into the confined aquifer rises above the ground level, this scenario is called Artesian conditions (Azizi, 2000). This is illustrated in Figure 2.5. Figure 2.5 Artesian conditions (Azizi, 2000) Well pumping test in unconfined aquifer An unconfined aquifer is a free-draining surface layer that allows water to flow through the surface. The permeable stratum is not overlain by an impermeable layer. The piezometric surface is therefore in the same level of the water table. This is illustrated in Figure 2.6 below. The surface layer permeability is very high, thus allowing the water table to fluctuate up and down easily. Figure 2.6 Pumping test in an unconfined aquifer (Whitlow, 2001) Under steady state pumping conditions, the hydraulic gradient i at a given radius is assumed to be constant in a homogenous media. Homogenous unit is where the properties at any location are the same. For instance, sandstone has grain size distribution, porosity and thickness variation within a very small limit (Fetter, 2001). With reference to the arrangement of pumping well and two monitoring wells in Figure 2.6 above, the hydraulic conductivity can be determine by: Deriving from Equation 3: where; Hydraulic gradient i is And area through which the water flow, Then, Thus, hydraulic conductivity for an unconfined aquifer (after integrating the above equation) is (Equation 16) Borehole Permeameter Tests There are many borehole tests developed to determine the hydraulic conductivity of a soil. The most common in-situ borehole tests are as follow: Slug test Two-stage borehole test/ Boutwell Permeameter Variable head test In-situ constant head test Slug test is one of the cheapest in-situ field methods to determine the hydraulic conductivity of a soil. The procedure of this test involves the rapid adding or removing a slug or water into a monitoring well. The slug can be of anything that can displace the volume of the water in the well, e.g. water, plastic tubing capped at both ends, and other material of known volume and can fit into the monitoring well. The rate of rise and fall of the groundwater level is then observed until it reaches an equilibrium state. In a variable head test, a slug is introduced into the monitoring well by either adding in a measured volume of water into the well or other materials mentioned earlier. The rate of water level fall is then measured in time. This is called falling head test. The water can also be removed out from the well by using a bailer or a pump. The rate of water level rise is then measured with time. This is called a rising head test. Depending on the properties of the aquifer and the soil, and the size of the slug used the water can either returns to its original water level before the test quickly or very slowly. For instance, if the porosity of the soil is high then the water level will returns very quickly to its original water level before the test is done. There is also the constant head test. In this test the water level or head is maintained throughout the test at a given level. This is done by adjusting and measuring the flow rate of the water at intervals from start to the end of the test (Whitlow, 2001). The constant head test is said to give more accurate results, provided the water pressure is controlled so that it would not cause fracturing or other disturbance to the soil (Whitlow, 2001). There are several assumptions made for this test: The soil is homogenous, isotropic, uniformly soaked Infinite boundaries Soil does not swell when wetted The expressions use to calculate the hydraulic conductivity for the above tests depend on whether the stratum is unconfined or unconfined, the position of the bottom of the casing within the stratum and details of the drainage face in the soil (Craig, 2004). The horizontal hydraulic conductivity is tend to be measured if the soil is anisotropic with respect to permeability and if the borehole extends below the bottom of the casing. On the other hand, the vertical hydraulic conductivity is often measured if the casing penetrates below soil level in the bottom of the borehole (Craig, 2004). The following expressions are all recommended in BS 5930 to calculate the hydraulic conductivity (Whitlow, 2001). For variable head test: (Equation 17) Or, (Equation 18) For constant head test: Hvorslevs time lag analysis (Equation 19) Gibsons root-time method (Equation 20) where; A20% clay) Unfissured clays Practically impervious The hydraulic conductivity is also dependent to viscosity and density of water in which both are affected by temperature. It is therefore conclude that the value of hydraulic conductivity will then be affected by changes in temperature. Theoretically, it can be shown that for laminar flow and saturated soil condition the relationship between temperature and hydraulic conductivity: (Equation 4) Where; ÃŽ ³w= unit weight of water ÃŽ · = viscosity of water K = absolute coefficient (units m2). This value is dependent on the characteristic of the soil skeleton. Since most of the laboratory graduations were standardised at 20C, the value of hydraulic conductivity at this temperature is taken as 100% (Craig, 2004). Other value of hydraulic conductivity at 10C and 0C are 77% and 56% respectively (Craig, 2004). Hydraulic Conductivity Tests Most of the tests for measuring hydraulic conductivity measured one average value of hydraulic conductivity. However, some tests measured both the vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivity values to obtained more accurate estimation. There are numbers of experiments and test that can be done to measure the hydraulic conductivity of a soil. These tests to measure the hydraulic conductivity can be done both in the laboratory and in the field. The following sections will briefly discussed the most common laboratory and in-situ tests practiced today to measure the hydraulic conductivity of a soil. Although with all the various tests developed to measured the hydraulic conductivity, there are uncertainties arise on how the soils that being tested represent the whole soil condition at the site of interest. It is therefore a good practice to perform different tests and comparing the results obtained. Laboratory Permeability Tests One problem with laboratory tests is that the samples collected do not adequately represent the detailed conditions of the soil, e.g. fissures, joints or other characteristics in the site of interest. Even with carefully conducted tests and good sampling techniques, it is impossible to obtain a very accurate result. The results typically have a precision of about 50% or more (Coduto, 1999). It is therefore important to take this into consideration if any construction activities or contamination remediation operations to be perform at the site of interest. Constant Head Permeability Test The constant head test is used to measure the hydraulic conductivity of more permeable soils such as gravels and sands which have a hydraulic conductivity value of 10-4 m/s (Whitlow, 2001). The equipments used for this test is called a constant head permeameter. A schematic illustration of this equipment is shown in Figure 2.1. The constant head permeameter was developed base on the basic idea of Darcys Law (Equation 3). The soil sample is contained in a cylinder of cross-sectional area A. Continuous water supply is let to flow from a tank to the sample to maintain a constant head. The water that flow through the sample is collected in a collection jar or container and the discharge through the sample is measured by calculating the volume of the water in the collection container over a period of time t. h Figure 2.1 Schematic diagram of Constant Head Permeameter (www.geology.sdsu.edu) The hydraulic conductivity, k of the tested soil is then calculated by: From equation 3: (Equation 5) Where; Q = the discharge through the sample (m3/s) L = the length of the sample (m) A = cross-section of the sample (m2) h = hydraulic head (m) The above diagram shows a simple setup of the constant-head permeameter. Other setup is also available which make use a pair of standpipes to measure the pore pressure and potential at two points. This is illustrated in Figure 2.2 below. Although both the setups are different, it makes used of the same concepts; Darcys Law. Figure 2.2 Alternative setup of Constant Head Permeameter (Whitlow, 2001) Falling Head Permeability Test The falling head test is used to measure the hydraulic conductivity of less permeable soils such as fine sands, silt and clay. The water flow resistance in these types of soil are very high which unable to measure accurate measurements of hydraulic conductivity if used with constant head permeameter. Undisturbed samples are required to perform laboratory test to measure the hydraulic conductivity of a soil. However, a small degree of disturbance of the sample is accepted as it is very hard to obtain a perfect undisturbed sample. An undisturbed sample can be obtained usually using a U100 sample tube or a core-cutter tube (Whitlow, 2001).The schematic illustration of the falling head test setup is shown in Figure 2.3. Figure 2.3 Laboratory setup of falling head test (Whitlow, 2001) The sample is place in a cylinder container with a wire mesh and gravel filter at both end of the cylinder. The base of the cylinder is left to stand in a water reservoir fitted with a constant level overflow. At the other end, which is the top of the cylinder, it is connected to a glass standpipe of known diameter (Whitlow, 2001). These standpipes are then filled with de-aired water and it is allow to flow through the soil sample. The height of the water in the standpipe is measured at several time intervals. The test is then repeated using standpipes of different diameters. It is a good practice to take note of the initial and final unit weight and water content of the sample to get additional information about the properties of the sample (Whitlow, 2001). The hydraulic conductivity of the sample is then calculated from the results obtained from the tests. The Darcys Law concept is still used in determining the hydraulic conductivity. The derivation of the hydraulic conductivity for the falling head test is done as follow (Whitlow, 2001). Deriving from Equation 3: With reference to Figure 2.3, if the level of the water in the standpipe fall dh in a time of dt the flow, q will be and the hydraulic gradient, i Therefore; (Equation 6) Where; a = cross-sectional area of the standpipe A = cross-sectional area of the sample When equation 6 is rearranged and integrated, the final equation to calculate the hydraulic conductivity is given as (Equation 7) Particle Size Analysis Particle size analysis is commonly used to classify the physical properties of the soil being tested. This testing method is used for both soil science and engineering purposes (Keller and Gee, 2006). In context of engineering purposes, it is commonly used to define the particle size distributions of the soil. The data obtained from the particle size distributions can then be used to estimate the pore-size classes needed in calculating the hydraulic properties of the soil such as hydraulic conductivity (Keller and Gee, 2006). There are various methods of measuring particle size analysis. Traditional methods include sieving, hydrometer and pipette. Other new techniques are also been developed; one example is laser-diffraction techniques (Eshel et al, 2004). However, particle size analysis is dependent on the technique used for defining the particle size distribution. It is therefore a common practice to do more than one method to define the particle size distribution (Keller and Gee, 2006). The results from all the different methods can then be compared to obtain more representative result. For the traditional particle size analysis methods, two separate procedures are used in order to obtain wider range of particles sizes (Head, 1980). The two procedures are sieving and sedimentation procedures (hydrometer or pipette method). Sieving is used to categorise large particle such as gravel and coarse sand. The particles can be separated into different size ranges using a series of standard sieves. For the finer particles such as silt and clay, sedimentation procedure is used (Head, 1980). Once the particle size distribution is defined from the particle size analysis, the hydraulic conductivity of the tested soil can then be estimated using a number of established empirical equations. However, the applicability of the above equations depends on the type of soil that is being tested. The following paragraphs summarised several empirical equations from previous studies (Odong, 2007). Hazens equation: (Equation 8) Kozeny-Carmans equation: (Equation 9) Breyers equation: (Equation 10) Slitchers equation: (Equation 11) Where; g = acceleration due to gravity v = kinematic viscosity n = porosity of the soil d10 = grain size in which 10% the sample is finer than The estimation of the hydraulic conductivity from these equations required information on the kinematic viscosity v and porosity n of the soil. The kinematic viscosity can be calculated by: (Equation 12) Where; = dynamic viscosity ÃŽ ¡ = density of water The porosity n can be calculated using the empirical relationship below: (Equation 13) Where U is the coefficient of grain uniformity and is given by: (Equation 14) The values of d60and d10 can be obtained from the particle size distribution. d60and d10 represent the grain size for which 60% and 10% of the sample respectively is finer than. In-situ Field Permeability Tests Due to the problems associated with reliability and laboratory tests, as mention in Section 2.3.1, field methods of measuring the hydraulic conductivity should be used to obtain more accurate and reliable measurements. In the field test, the soil disturbances is kept to a minimum level and they usually involves the testing of larger, more representative samples. Although, in term of cost and time, field measurement method is more expensive, it will as well provide more reliable measurement of hydraulic conductivity when dealing with a wide range of soil macro-structural characteristics. Other more economic option of field measurement can also be done. Such example is by performing borehole test, provided the pumping observation sequences are carefully planned and controlled (Whitlow, 2001). Well Pumping Tests This method is more suitable if used to measure hydraulic conductivity in homogenous coarse soil strata (Craig, 2004). The procedure involves the measurement of water that is being pumped out of a well at a constant rate, then observing the effect of these pumping activities to the drawdown of the groundwater level at other wells. The diameter of the well is normally at least 300mm and penetrates to the bottom of the stratum under test (Craig, 2004). The pumping rate and the groundwater levels in two or more monitoring wells are then recorded. The analysis of the results depends whether the aquifer is confined or unconfined. Well pumping test in a confined aquifer In confined aquifer the permeable stratum is squeezed in between two impermeable layers. This is illustrated in Figure 2.4 below. To perform the test, the pumping rate must not be too high to reduce the level in the pumping well below the top of the aquifer. The interface between the top aquifer and the overlying impermeable stratum therefore forms the top stream line (Whitlow, 2001). Figure 2.4 Pumping test in confined aquifer (Azizi, 2000) Figure 2.4 illustrates the arrangement of the pumping well and two other monitoring wells. Two assumptions were made at this point; the piezometric surface is above the upper surface of the aquifer and the hydraulic gradient is constant at a given radius (Whitlow, 2001). In steady state condition, the hydraulic gradient through an elemental cylinder with radius r from the well centres estimated as follow: where; dr = thickness h = height The area in which the water flow, A: where; D = the thickness of the aquifer Substituting the area A into the Darcys Law (Equation 4) will give; Hence: And therefore the hydraulic conductivity is: (Equation 15) In the case that the piezometric level is above ground level, where the water level inside the well inserted into the confined aquifer rises above the ground level, this scenario is called Artesian conditions (Azizi, 2000). This is illustrated in Figure 2.5. Figure 2.5 Artesian conditions (Azizi, 2000) Well pumping test in unconfined aquifer An unconfined aquifer is a free-draining surface layer that allows water to flow through the surface. The permeable stratum is not overlain by an impermeable layer. The piezometric surface is therefore in the same level of the water table. This is illustrated in Figure 2.6 below. The surface layer permeability is very high, thus allowing the water table to fluctuate up and down easily. Figure 2.6 Pumping test in an unconfined aquifer (Whitlow, 2001) Under steady state pumping conditions, the hydraulic gradient i at a given radius is assumed to be constant in a homogenous media. Homogenous unit is where the properties at any location are the same. For instance, sandstone has grain size distribution, porosity and thickness variation within a very small limit (Fetter, 2001). With reference to the arrangement of pumping well and two monitoring wells in Figure 2.6 above, the hydraulic conductivity can be determine by: Deriving from Equation 3: where; Hydraulic gradient i is And area through which the water flow, Then, Thus, hydraulic conductivity for an unconfined aquifer (after integrating the above equation) is (Equation 16) Borehole Permeameter Tests There are many borehole tests developed to determine the hydraulic conductivity of a soil. The most common in-situ borehole tests are as follow: Slug test Two-stage borehole test/ Boutwell Permeameter Variable head test In-situ constant head test Slug test is one of the cheapest in-situ field methods to determine the hydraulic conductivity of a soil. The procedure of this test involves the rapid adding or removing a slug or water into a monitoring well. The slug can be of anything that can displace the volume of the water in the well, e.g. water, plastic tubing capped at both ends, and other material of known volume and can fit into the monitoring well. The rate of rise and fall of the groundwater level is then observed until it reaches an equilibrium state. In a variable head test, a slug is introduced into the monitoring well by either adding in a measured volume of water into the well or other materials mentioned earlier. The rate of water level fall is then measured in time. This is called falling head test. The water can also be removed out from the well by using a bailer or a pump. The rate of water level rise is then measured with time. This is called a rising head test. Depending on the properties of the aquifer and the soil, and the size of the slug used the water can either returns to its original water level before the test quickly or very slowly. For instance, if the porosity of the soil is high then the water level will returns very quickly to its original water level before the test is done. There is also the constant head test. In this test the water level or head is maintained throughout the test at a given level. This is done by adjusting and measuring the flow rate of the water at intervals from start to the end of the test (Whitlow, 2001). The constant head test is said to give more accurate results, provided the water pressure is controlled so that it would not cause fracturing or other disturbance to the soil (Whitlow, 2001). There are several assumptions made for this test: The soil is homogenous, isotropic, uniformly soaked Infinite boundaries Soil does not swell when wetted The expressions use to calculate the hydraulic conductivity for the above tests depend on whether the stratum is unconfined or unconfined, the position of the bottom of the casing within the stratum and details of the drainage face in the soil (Craig, 2004). The horizontal hydraulic conductivity is tend to be measured if the soil is anisotropic with respect to permeability and if the borehole extends below the bottom of the casing. On the other hand, the vertical hydraulic conductivity is often measured if the casing penetrates below soil level in the bottom of the borehole (Craig, 2004). The following expressions are all recommended in BS 5930 to calculate the hydraulic conductivity (Whitlow, 2001). For variable head test: (Equation 17) Or, (Equation 18) For constant head test: Hvorslevs time lag analysis (Equation 19) Gibsons root-time method (Equation 20) where; A

Biography of Erik Estrada :: History

Biography of Erik Estrada (Frank Poncherello) Erik was born on March 16, 1949 as Henry Enrique Estrada in NY City. Back around 1968, he was in a dance troupe and earned $38 a week with free lunches and all the acting lessons he could take. In return, he had to perform daily in downtown Los Angeles. He had a 10-day hospital stay in August 1979 caused by on-set accident when he was thrown from his motorcycle and the 900-pound bike landed on him. At 5'10'', 160 pounds, he was an inch shorter and 15 pounds lighter than Wilcox. But his physical fitness routine helped him rebound from his injury: 240 situps and 120 push ups on a daily basis. He is going through custody disputes about his two boys and he has "a steady girl". Erik was voted as one of "The 10 Sexiest Bachelors in the World" in People Magazine on November 19, 1979. The cover features Erik towering above the other men (Willie Ames included) at the top of the page, cutting into the People sign, with nothing but a big smile and a towel lying across his shoulder. The magazine says, For all his raw physical appearance, Estrada regards himself as "gentle, kind and considerate." He buys his dates jewelry and treats them to champagne and sushi evenings. But Estrada has grown cunning. "In the past, women I've dated always decided to be actresses. I was just a means to an end for them." So what does he really look for in a woman? The actor flashes a huge smile. "T&A" Erik lives out in the San Fernando Valley. He's up in the hills behind the Burbank airport and south of Universal Studios. His house is way at the top of this hill and it's easy to spot. He did an interview on the Mexican Channel from some show called CONTROL and it shows you where Erik lives and the inside of his house. He has two "CHiPs" motorcycles (sans the engines) sitting in the middle of the house and old magazines with his picture on the cover (TV Guide, People) plastered all over the walls. He has really unusual wall paper (stripes & polka dots) and a bunch of trinkets sitting around. He has all sorts of little gumball machines and slot machines sprinkled throughout his residence. The house wasn't too big, seemed like your average 4-5 bedroom track home actually.

The Hostility Between Gene and Finny in A Separate Peace by John Knowle

The Hostility Between Gene and Finny in A Separate Peace by John Knowles Gene feels increasing hostility toward Finny before his fall from the tree. In the novel A SEPARATE PEACE by John Knowles, the hostility between Gene and Finny increase because of the competition inside of them both to be better then one another. It is about the increasing competition between Gene and Finny and the hostility it brings. The hostility finally burst inside Gene and for one instant it takes over. It makes him do something he will always regret. Gene’s increasing hostility towards Finny finally brings the down fall of their friendship. Gene’s first form of hostility toward Finny was the realization that Finny could get away with anything. First instance was when Finny was wearing his emblem, the pink button-down shirt, and Mr. Patch-Withers came up to him. Mr. Patch-Withers ask him about the shirt and Finny told him the meaning of the shirt. As he explained the substitute headmaster became more amused about the situation and allowed Finny to get away with breaking the school dress code. After this instance Gene admitted to being envious of Finny in this Quote, â€Å"I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn’t help envying him that a little, which is perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying your best friend a little.† (18) In this quote Gene is just saying that he envies his best friend for some thing that he can’t do. This situation is the first of many forms of hostility towards Finny that brings about the incident in the tree. At the Patch-Withers party anther sign of Gene’s increasing envy towards Finny is shown. This happens when Finny again gets away with breaking the dress code. At the party when discussing the bombing of Europe, Mr. Patch-Withers discovers that Finny is wearing the school tie with his pink shirt. With some quick anecdotes about how his shirt is a contribution to the war effort and also be glad he wore a belt because his pants could fall down. With these quick anecdotes Finny got away with it, gave Mr. Patch-Withers a good laugh and enraged Gene’s envy towards Finny. Gene gave this quote about the instance, â€Å"He (Finny) had gotten away with everything. I felt a sudden stab of disappointment........† (21) Gene really does not know what he is feeling he says, but deep down it is hi... ...out to wreck my studies. That explained blitzball, that explained the nightly meetings of the Super Suicide Society.............Sure he wanted to share everything with me , especially his D’s in every subject. That way he, the great athlete, would be way ahead of me. It was all cold trickery, it was all calculated, it was all enmity.† (45) Gene thinks he was doing this by cramming his schedule with clubs and sports so that he won’t have time to study and wreck his school grades. Then Finny can be better than him at everything. Gene’s misunderstanding of Finny, not understanding that Gene did need to study and that it did not come naturally, enraged Gene more making him ready to explode. â€Å"I (Finny) didn’t know you needed to study.† (50) When Finny said this Gene took it way out of proportion making it Gene’s final straw. Gene was so enraged that he could not take it that Finny only meant that brains came natural. With the final straw gone Gene lost it. His mind was in such confusion that he followed Finny out to the tree. He climbed up it, and with out any regard for human life, Gene exploded. He shook the limb making Finny lose his balance and fall to the ground.

Malaysian Legal History Essay

The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867. The colony was dissolved in 1946 as part of the British reorganisation of its south-east Asian dependencies following the end of the Second World War. The Straits Settlements consisted of the four individual settlements of Malacca,Penang (also known as Prince of Wales Island), Singapore (with Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands). The island of Labuan, off the coast of Borneo, was also incorporated into the colony with effect from 1 January 1907, becoming a separate settlement within it in 1912. With the exception of Singapore, Christmas Island, and the Cocos Islands, these territories now form part of Malaysia. The Island of Penang in highligh was under the governance of Sultan of kedah however its noted that after the esthablishment of English East India company an agreement was penned by the Ruler of Kedah and the company for penang. Now in judging what is the â€Å"’lex loci† of the island will require answers to two questions as below: i) Was the Island a â€Å"settled† or â€Å"ceded† colony?. ii)Was the law of Kedah to be applied to island of Penang on ground that the island was â€Å"ceded†? For the first 20 years after esthablishment , it was noted that the only law in place was â€Å"Regulations of 1794† or â€Å"nature of law†. On March 1807, the English Crown granted the first charter of justice, which resulted in the esthablishment of Court of Judicature in Penang. The effect of this charter could be seen in Kamoo v Basset, In re Goods of Abdullah and Reg v Willans. The Kamoo v basset (1808) case, notes that the plaintiff a native of Bengal, had agreed to be an employed by the defendent who was an army officer in the Bengal Native Infantary. However upon severe mistreatment by the employer an Police Majistrate complaint was made by the plaintiff. The plaintiff filed and action for assault,battery and false imprisonment against the defendent,claiming damages for $600. The verdict in short noted payment to plaintiff in $150 with cost. In the Goods of Abdullah (1835) is noted the principle issue is whether a Muslim,who died in Penang,device his entire property by means of will? However it was decided that the will of Abdullah being esthablished as a valid instrument. In the case of Fatimah Ors v Logan Ors it was noted that since 1786 , Penang being then a desert and uncultivated island,inhabited except by few intinerant fisherman and without any fixed institution was ceded by the Rajah of Kedah to Captain light,an office of EIC,for and on behalf of the company. This fact was important in this case in view of the platiff’s petition to obtain a decree of the court declaring that the deceased died intestate. Three preliminary question arised in this case which were, i) Wheter the capacity of the deceased to make a will is to be decided by Mohamedan or by English law. The verdict was given as the deceased’s capacity to write a will will be decided by â€Å"lex loci† and not by Mohamedans law. Other Important cases in aspect of the â€Å"lex loci† includes Choa Choon Neoh v Spottiswodde, Isaac Penhas v Tan Soo Eng, Shaik Sahied v Sockalingam Chettiar. Reception of English Law in Malay States. As noted earlier common law and equity was applied in the straits settlements by virtue of the three charter of justice. The charters however did not apply to the Malay states. The introduction of the Resident system in Perak according to the Pangkor Treaty 1874, allowed the introduction of english styled courts by the Sultan and english judges were appointed. It should be noted that beggining with the civil Law Enactment No 3 of 1937,such judicial practise received the official stamp of approvalby legislature. Section 2 (i) of the enactment provides that â€Å"save in so far as other provision has been or may hereafter be mada any written law in force in the federated Malay states,the common law of england,and the rules of equity,as administrated in england at the commencement of this Enactment shall be in force in the Federated Malay states. On case which can be disscussed in terms of â€Å"common law† are the Goverment of Perak v A.R Adams (1914) , which concerns damage to the plantiff’s land by the defendent. The question which was arised was wheter the defendant is exempt from liability on the ground that he was without wilfulness or negligence using his land on the principle that a man must use his own land and not to damnify another. The court found the defendent guilty under all circumstances he is liable for the damage caused. In re the will of Yap Kwan Seng, which the deceased gave direction in his will that his hose and land be held in trust for ever for a family house for ancestral worship and as family burial ground in accordance with chinese customs. The Issue before the court was whether such a custom was valid a not. The arguments made were (1) That the rule against perpetuities does not excist in and should not be adopted in the federated malay states, (2) That even if the rule be applied,the trust are saved from offence agaist it, (3) That having regard to chinese customs the trust should be regarded as religious and charitable and therefore without offence to the rule. During the proceeding of this case it was noted that the rule agaisnt perpetuities has never been applied in the states. However it was concluded that to regard these trust either as trust for religious purposes or as trust concerning or benefitting the community at large or any portion of it,it follow that there is no way to be sa ved or excepted from repugnancy to the rule of perpetuities and are therefore void. In the case of permodalan plantations sdn.bhd v Rachuta sdn.bhd (1985) can be discussed as legal set off which is based on english statute is not included in the expression â€Å"the common law of england†. Only equitable set –off is part of the local law and consequently the court can only deal with and equitable set-off.

Health Care Delivery System in the United States

Abstract The United States health care delivery system is comprised of a complex, unorganized and flawed health system, compared to that of Australia’s health care system. The four components of the inefficient system in the United States are categorized into a quad-functional model. Financing, insurance, deliver and payment are the four flawed components. Australia’s efficient and organized system is based on a national health system, which consists of one central agency; the government. The United States health system is comprised of countless public and private entities.Australia’s health care system is superior to that of the United States. Table of Contents Title Page†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1 Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 Table of Contents†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Introduction The quality of health care is vital to a nations well being. The United States is comprised of one of the most complex h ealth care delivery systems throughout the world.The complexity of the United States health care delivery is comprised of countless individuals and organizations, which include both public and private entities. Unlike the health care delivery system of Australia, the network of interrelated components of the U. S. health care system does not work together in an organized and efficient manner. Some of the components tend to overlap one another. The United States health care delivery system is based on the quad-function model, which consists of four components that are categorized into financing, insurance, delivery and payment.The fact that the United States health care system is not governed by a single central agency, opposed to Australia’s national health system, countless Americans endure physical and emotional suffering from the inefficiency of the system. Financing is one of the most important components of health care delivery system in the United States. This component pertains to the methods of paying for costly diagnostic tests, procedures, hospitals visits and treatment. Demand and supply has inflated the cost of health related services.Paying for health services is extremely costly without health insurance. Thanks to the a majority of employment establishments, most employed Americans, as well as their dependent children and spouses, are provided affordable health insurance. Although most employed Americans are provided health insurance, the United States health delivery system is fragmented and lacks to provide much needed health insurance for the majority of the unemployed American population. The second component of the quad-functional model pertains to insurance.Ownership of a health insurance plan protects individuals against health related issues. Insurance is very beneficial during occurrences when needing costly health care services. Insurance policies also determine the extent of health services the insured individuals are entitled t o receive. Most insurance policies specify details of the health care policy holders are entitled to receive. Unlike Australia, the citizens of America, except for the elderly who receive Medicare, must obtain their own insurance. The third component of the United States quad-functional model pertains to delivery.In terms of delivery, the quad-functional model refers to the proviso of health care services, along with the receipt of insurance payments for the health related services received. The payments are paid to providers who deliver health care supplies and services. The recipients of payment consist of doctors, therapists, hospitals, diagnostics and imaging clinics, and suppliers of health care related equipment. The difference between the health care systems of the United States versus the health care system of Australia is that Australia’s healthcare system is based on a national health care program.The highly organized and efficient system mainly consists of private practitioners (Hall 1999; Podger 1999). The fourth and final component of the United States quad-functional model pertains to payment. The payment function deals with reimbursement to providers for services delivered. Reimbursement is the determination of how much to pay for a certain service. The fact that Australia’s health care system is based on a national health care program, individuals who receive health related services are not overwhelmed with stress of worrying about making payment the providers of health services.Australia’s government handles all aspects of health care. The four components of the United States health care system dramatically vary from the components of the health care system in Australia. The health care system of Australia is classified as a national health care system. Unlike the United States, Australia’s health care system is referred to as a single-payer system or a system that is governed by a single central agency; the Austral ian government. The government finances health care through the means of general taxes, even though health care is delivered by private providers.The benefit of a central agency governing the health care system is that it eliminates the complexity by eliminating components that exists in the multi-payer system of the United States health care system. Although the citizens of the United States are free to choose the method of obtaining health care, countless individuals are left without any means of health care. There are many negative characteristics that differentiate the United States health care delivery system from that of other countries, such as Australia. These characteristics result in fragments and inconsistencies within the system.The United States health care system is flawed based on the fact that it is not governed by a central agency, health care services are limited to the confined terms of the insurance policy, multiple public and private entities results in lack of efficiency, and extremely high cost of health care services. Australia spends 8. 7 percent of its GDP on health care and covers everyone, irrespective of their employment status (Grant 1987; Lapsley 1987) Due to the complexity and inefficiency of the United States’ health care delivery system, many people in the U. S. go without much needed health care.The extremely high cost in the U. S. results in countless uninsured American from having the financial ability to receive access to health care services. More than two-fifths of lower-income adults in the U. S. said they went without needed care because of costs in the past year (Davis 2007; Schoen 2007; Holmgren; Shea 2007). The uninsured have options to receive services at county hospitals and government establishments, but their quality of services is much lower. The finding from my in depth research indicates that many changes need to be implemented into the health are delivery system in the United States, to improve the co mplex and fragmented system. The private health insurance covers care received in private hospitals (Australian Government 2004). To improve quality of life, the system in the United States should be changed from a multi-payer to a single-payer system, which is classified as a national health system or NHS. Aquiring private health insurance is voluntary, but strongly encouraged by the Australian government through tax subsidies for purchasers and tax penalties for non-purchasers (Healy 2002).The government will manage the overall infrastructure of the health system, without any regard to capitalism. All entities who seek personal financial gain will not be included in the NHS. This change will terminate most of the components that bring injustice to the citizens who are excluded, which mostly consists of unemployed individuals. The United States economy is driven by capitalism, where the where motives behind actions derive from pursuit of monetary gain. In a loosely organized system , countless entities and individuals seek monetary gain, without regard or compassion for human life.Greed is the main element in the United States complex health care delivery system. In 1998, the death rate pertaining to the health care delivery system was 25 to 50 percent higher in the United States than in Australia. Australia ranks highest on healthy lives, compared to the United States (Davis 2007; Schoen 2007; Holmgren; Shea 2007). The implementation of a national health care system, similar to that of Australia, will foster ethical practices and equality for all citizens of the United States.This change will impact health professionals greatly. Most likely their salaries will be reduced drastically and their employers will be the national government. In my opinion, most physicians are overpaid currently. Price inflation based on a free market economy will be more controlled. References Australian Government, Department of Health and Ageing (2004). Australia: selected health care delivery and financing statistics. Davis, K. , Schoen, C. , Schoenbaum, S. C. , Doty, M. , Holmgren, A. L. , Kriss, Shea, K. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall (2007): An International Update on the Comparative Performance of American Health Care, The Commonwealth Fund, 3. Grant & Lapsley (1987). The Australian Health Care System, 1987, 139, Table 7. 15 Hall, J. 1999. Incremental change in the Australian health care system. Health affairs 18, no. 3:95-110 Healy, J. 2002. Australia. In Dixon, A. , and E. Mossialos, eds. Health care system in eight countries: trends and challenges. London: The European Observatory on Health Care Systems, London School of Economics & Political Science, 3-16.