Management report. It should critically evaluate the leadership and Essay

Management report. It should critically evaluate the leadership and management processes within your own organisation or one th - Essay Example 468-469, 1998). This paper is an attempt to look at the leadership dynamics of a well-known leader Ricardo Semler, who is currently the CEO of Brazilian firm Semco SA. Ricardo Semler and his company are widely known for its principles of industrial and corporate democracy, participative management, innovative business management and corporate re-engineering. Born in 1959 at Sao Paula, Semler is one of biggest names of the corporate, business and academic arena of Brazil and all over the world. Semler has repeatedly been nominated as the top 100 global business leaders. In addition, â€Å"he was named as the Latin American Businessmen of the year in 1990 by the TIME magazine† (Antonakis, Cianciolo & Sternberg, pp. 41-49, 2004). Semler has is occasional lecturers to seminars and has received immense media attention. ‘World Economic Forum’ has also nominated Semler as Leaders of Tomorrow. He is the author of many business articles in Harvard Business Review and he ha s also written best sellers such as â€Å"The Seven Day Weekend: Changing the Way it Works† and â€Å"Turning Your Own Table† (Hamel & Breen, pp. 258-259, 2007). This paper would explore his business styles, leadership dynamics; compare the information available on him with the well-known leadership literature to draw certain conclusions and recommendations. Organisational Context Antonio Kurt Semler, an Austrian Born immigrant in Sao Paulo, established his little company with the name of â€Å"Semler & Company† in 1952 to sell his patented vegetable oil centrifuge (Patching, pp. 86-87, 2007). However, as the company grew, it diversified into the business of Mixer & Agitator and other supply materials for shipping and construction. However, Antonio Semler strongly believed in the autocratic and controlled style of leadership (Antonakis et. al, pp. 41-49, 2004). At that time, Semler was a tall and hierarchal organisation with many layers of management. Ricardo wa s the only son of the Semler family and therefore, Antonio wanted, right from the started, his son to take over the company after him (Sashkin & Sashkin, pp. 379-386, 2003). However, Semler was not interested in the family business. Despite the fact that he went to Harvard Business School for business studies, his interest was to join a Rock band, like the ones that were famous in the 1970s (Semler, pp. 3-6, 1989). However, on the insistence of his father, he took the position of Assistant to the Board of Directors. Even though, the job title suggests that young Semler had quite some authority over the business, the same was not true. He had disagreements over most of the issues with the other senior board of directors most of which were the â€Å"golf buddies† of his father (Tjosvold & Tjosvold, pp. 487-489, 1995). This frustration and disappointment grew so much that young Semler finally threatened his father to leave the company. As mentioned earlier that it was the dream of his father to see his son taking over the company. Therefore, after a few weeks, Antonio Semler took a decision, which surprised everyone. He himself went on a vacation to Europe, resigned from his post, and transferred all the power to his son, leaving Ricardo Semler as the incharge of the company (Semler, pp. 3-6, 1989). After taking over the company, he fired over 75 percent of the top and middle managers of the company and took the company into a new strategic direction of acquisitions and

Marketing Communications Memo Essay Example for Free

Marketing Communications Memo Essay This year this organization has elected to erect a monument to honor the fallen military heroes of Jacksonville, Florida. Some demographics of this large city are its’ multigenerational and diverse ethnic population, varied socioeconomic span, and of course, the large military representation, both active duty, retired, veterans, and their families. The location of Jacksonville in northeast Florida is a great stopover spot for tourists making their way to Orlando or Tampa and the snowbirds on their journey to southern Florida for the winter. The location of the monument should be centralized and near a major highway, possibly Interstate 95 between Interstate 10 and Interstate 295 South. Jacksonville, Florida is a military town and rich in its military history. According to United States Census Bureau QuickFacts (Jacksonville, 2008-2012) approximately 81,000 veterans live here. This number represents 10.5% of the total Jacksonville population. When including Orange Park and Jacksonville Beach to these numbers the veterans’ total number increases to nearly 85,000. This number is not reflective of the family members surrounding the veterans. The QuickFacts sheet goes on to state that the average household in Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, and Orange Park, is approximately 2.50 persons. The number of individuals living in the greater Jacksonville, Florida area directly related to the military member adds another 127,500 people for a total of 170,000 (QuickFacts Orange Park, QuickFacts Jacksonville Beach QuickFacts Jacksonville, 2008-2012). We will want to choose a central location for the monument as Jacksonville, Florida has the greatest land mass in the continental United States with 885 square miles (Insider’s Guide to Jacksonville, Florida, 2014). By centralizing the location we can attract as many of Jacksonville’s residents to visit the monument. We must also take into consideration the ease of access to the monument for out of state visitors. If the location is too complicated to get to many people will not visit the site. The monument site will also have a visitor/gift shop with smaller images of the Fallen Heroes Monument for sale, along with military memorabilia of the two naval military installations, Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport, and Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island Command along with military collectables. The various National Guards outfits along with the Coast Guard will be represented as well. The gift store will be maintain and staffed by Naval Air Station Jacksonville and proceeds will help with the upkeep of the monument. We will build the store as part of the monument site. The City of Jacksonville has donated the land in the name of the local fallen heroes. The project hopes to capture national attention with its innovative design and availability of military collectables. We want not just the Jacksonville, Florida residents to take pride in this monument but the State of Florida and our nation. Fundraising will be accomplished by reaching out to local military and veteran organizations. The Veterans of Foreign War, American Legion, Student Veterans of America, and American Veterans are all onboard to help with fundraising events like car washes, cook-outs, and large yard sales. We have also partnered with the local motorcycle clubs in Jacksonville, Florida who have scheduled several Saturday rides throughout the state. Historically the bikers clubs have donated large sums of money to events such as ours. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire Department are also collecting donations to help defray the total cost of the monument. Naval Station Mayport and Naval Air Station Jacksonville will have golf tournaments to support the building of the monument. Grants from the City of Jacksonville and from the State of Florida have been pledged.  There will be a website featuring the future monument and donations can be accepted there as well. Military personnel come from all ages, racial ethnicities, socioeconomic levels, and religious backgrounds; it is a fair assessment to predict that the visitors to the monument will be of the same diversity. The marketing direction will be of one from pride in our nations’ military men and women, the good work they do the world over, and the sacrifices they have given. The local community is fully committed to the project and is evident by the large number of private contributors. References: Insider’s Guide to Jacksonville, Florida. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.insideflorida.com/city/info/Jacksonville QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. (2008-2012). Florida. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12000.html QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. (2008-2012). Jacksonville, Florida. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/1235000.html QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. (2008-2012). Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/1235050.html QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. (2008-2012). Orange Park, Florida. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/1252125.html

The Traffic Congestion Problem In Toronto

The Traffic Congestion Problem In Toronto Traffic congestion is a problem which faces many large cities around the world. Many cities face the problem of traffic gridlocks especially during rush hour periods when employees are rushing to or from work. In Toronto, this is a major problem which threatens the long term economic growth of Canada mainly due to economic losses attributed to the congestion. In North America, Toronto is the fourth most congested city after San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles. Toronto was actually ranked last among cities in North America based on the average time employees spent commuting per day, which was eighty minutes. This rating is worse considering that it involved assessment of all transport forms and not only automobiles. In addition, only 30% of car owners in Toronto leave vehicles at home, which add to the congestion (Steve 2010). This congestion has an adverse cost to the economy especially due to idle time by employees, fuel wastage during traffic jams or lateness in deliveries. These costs add up to over $2 billion annually which is a great concern to any economy. In addition to these economic losses, there are other repercussions of traffic congestion including environmental pollution, which translates to millions of dollars in health care costs to affected people. It is important to understand reasons behind traffic congestion in Toronto in order to develop effective solutions to this problem. This paper will evaluate the traffic congestion in Toronto, assess the possible reasons for the problem and advance viable solutions which will help end the traffic problem in the city. The discussed issues will be summarized at the end. Traffic congestion in Toronto As has been discussed, Toronto is the most congested city in North America judging by the transport delays experienced by residents. Traffic congestion is experienced when traffic volume is generally higher than the available road capacities. This is also known as saturation and it is simply a situation where demand for roads is greater than the supply. Generally, causes of traffic congestion are categorized into two; recurring and non-recurring causes. Recurring causes of traffic congestion are caused by traffic issues which recur such as ineffective management of capacity, unrestrained demand and insufficient capacity. Non-recurring causes are those which occur due to unique circumstances which are not normally experienced. These include work zones, car accidents, bad weather, disabled vehicles and emergencies. For purposes of this paper, the recurring causes of traffic congestion will be addressed since this forms the major part of congestion of traffic in Toronto. Key reasons for increase in congestion There are several reasons which have played a role in increasing traffic congestion in Toronto. Some of the causes of recurring traffic congestion in Toronto will be briefly discussed below; Increased automobile use The increase in use of automobiles is one of the major causes of traffic congestion around the world. As has been discussed, Toronto is the most congested city in North America with over 70% of automobile owners driving to work. In addition, pedestrians and bicycles also compete for the limited road resource. This causes a strain on roads and contributes heavily to the congestion experienced in Toronto (Halberstam 14-17). Many automobiles carry one or two passengers as opposed to public transport where several people are transported by buses. This also increases congestion since more private vehicles are used to ferry very few passengers between various locations. The increase in automobile use also has adverse effects on the environment since there is more pollution from automobiles. Idle time experienced by automobiles as a result of traffic jams also increases pollution by automobiles. This pollution not only harms the environment but also causes respiratory infections and illness es to humans which translate to a huge cost to the economy. Poor planning Every government planning department or ministry is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the population growth matches available resources to reduce strain. It is therefore the responsibility of the government to ensure that resources such as roads are well planned and developed to cater for the population growth. However, the Canadian government has performed poorly in developing roads which cater for the large population in the country (Conrad Finkel 55-58). For instance, some experts have pointed out that on some roads, bike lanes have been placed in poor locations. These lanes have not been connected to other routes, which is wastage of space and money. In addition, some bike lanes have been placed in thoroughfares which are major and in addition to contributing to the congestion, parking and stopping spaces are drastically reduced. Some pedestrian crossings have been placed in dangerous locations where they cause a reduction in traffic flow as opposed to easing traff ic. Lapse in implementation of laws There is a notable inconsistency in implementation of the law which regulates traffic. It is unclear whether this is done intentionally but experts have blamed it on ignorance and corruption. Parking and traffic laws are generally not evenly applied for all types of vehicles. In addition, many motorists who commit traffic offenses are not dealt with in a harsh manner in order to act as a deterrent to other motorists. This creates a situation where motorists are ignorant of traffic laws, which further complicates the problem of congestion. Effects of traffic congestion in Toronto There are various effects of traffic congestion in Toronto and these will be discussed below; Pollution Due to the increase in the number of automobiles in use in Toronto, the city has experiences high pollution levels than many cities in North America. Toronto is one of the most congested cities in North America and pollution levels are high due to high automobile usage. Many automobiles used emit high levels of carbon monoxide and other gases which harm the environment and the health of the public (Lerner Wilmoth 74-81). Over 1500 people die annually in Toronto due to diseases which are related to environmental pollution. In addition, over 6000 people are admitted to hospitals in Toronto annually due to complications related to pollution and motor vehicle usage is a large contributor to this problem (Ruddiman 81-87). Pollution due to increase in automobile use is therefore a major problem which causes economic costs to Toronto through damage to the environment and adverse effects on the health of residents. Traffic congestion also results in idling of automobiles which leads to more pollution on the environment. Idle time and opportunity costs A lot of time is spent by workers in Toronto commuting to and from their place of work. Toronto was ranked last in terms of commuting time spent by employees when using different forms of transport and this was seen to be an average of eighty minutes. This is a lot of time since workers spend over an hour commuting daily to and from their place of employment. The costs of this idle time to the economy have been estimated to be over $2 billion annually (Roess et. al. 34-37). These are opportunity costs which would have brought even greater value to the economy. In addition to idle time by employees, there are the costs of fuel used during traffic by the many automobiles which use the roads. Such costs also run into the billions as vehicles burn fuel in traffic each day. These costs experienced due to idle time are opportunity costs which would have been used for development purposes and development of infrastructure by the Canadian government. Delays Traffic jams usually lead to delay for either employees to reach their work stations or for products to be delivered on time. It also makes employees be late for meetings, flights or other opportunities which further their career. Delays may have a negative impact on individuals, the government or businesses at large. When individuals get delayed, they may miss certain opportunities which may result in earning lower disposable incomes which adversely affects their families. When there are delays, businesses suffer from lower sales due to delays in supplies or other factors. When delays occur, the government may also earn lower revenue due to lower tax received from decline in opportunities associated with the delay. Delays should therefore be avoided since they have negative effects to the society at large. This can only be achieved if viable solutions to the problem of transport congestion are implemented. Barriers to emergency services When there are traffic delays, it becomes difficult for emergency services to reach people in need. Emergency vehicles usually find it difficult to navigate through Toronto due to the problem of traffic congestion. Ambulances and fire trucks usually take longer than necessary to reach their destinations due to traffic congestion. This is very dangerous for Canadians since many people may continue losing lives due to delays in emergency service provision. It is imperative that urgent solutions to the problem of traffic congestion in Toronto are developed in order to ensure residents have access to fast emergency services. Viable solutions to the problem There are several solutions which will help reduce traffic congestion in Toronto and these will be discussed below; Encouraging commuters to use public transport It has been discussed that one of the reasons why there is traffic congestion in Toronto is that over 70% of automobile owners use their cars as opposed to public transport. Since private cars mostly carry one or two people, there are very many private cars which are needed to transport employees to and from work. These private cars cause congestion in roads due to their large numbers. In order to ease congestion, public transport should be encouraged since it involves transporting many people simultaneously hence easing traffic congestion. Trains and public buses carry hundreds of people simultaneously which reduces the number of private cars on roads. The government should discourage the use of private cars especially within the city through making it expensive to drive and park private cars within the city. Parking fees for private cars should be increased to discourage use of these vehicles within the city. This will encourage more people to travel by train or buses which will ea se traffic on roads. Decongesting public transport Although public transport is very effective in reducing traffic congestion, it has to be effective to achieve this goal. The public transport system in Toronto faces certain weaknesses which contribute to the traffic congestion experienced in the city. Many subways including the Yonge subway is very crowded yet this is one of the most important subways in Canada. Although there is a plan to computerize control and signals system in order to enable a greater number of trains to run closer together, this plan will take some years to implement, which means that Canadians will continue facing transport congestion in the short run (Preville 2010). There are also problems with train capacity and speeds with commuters complaining some trains are too slow and have low capacities. This is a problem which should be addressed by the government through increase in number, speeds and capacities of transport trains. Decentralizing businesses from the Greater Toronto Area There are very many businesses which are present in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). As a result, many employees commute from suburbs into the GTA each day. The large number of people who commute to the GTA is one of the major reasons why there is traffic congestion. In order to reduce congestion, it is important for the government to encourage investors to invest in suburbs or the outskirts of the city (Wallace 65-69). This is one of the most effective solutions to this problem since fewer people will travel to the GTA. When many businesses are decentralized and established in suburbs and outskirts of Toronto, the traffic systems will face lower congestion due to the reduced number of users. In addition to benefits of decentralization to the transport system, decentralizing businesses will also ensure that there is balanced development in Toronto and Canada as a whole. This will raise the standards of living of people and reduce the gap between the poor and the rich. Investing in transport infrastructure In order to cater for the growing population, the road infrastructure should match population growth. Since the transport system in Toronto is congested, it is important to invest in new and more effective transport infrastructure to ease the congestion. One of these types of infrastructure is investment in subways. Subways which run under major roads are very effective means of easing traffic congestion in most major cities. The government should construct such subways and offer commuters a variety of choices to make when making transport decisions. Other infrastructures include billing systems which discourage the movement of private cars into the city. These billing systems may resemble that used in London where cameras monitor vehicles entering congested zones and require motorists to pay a certain sum of money. Motorists who do not pay receive very heavy fines. Such a billing system may be required to adjust the rates according to traffic movements. This will ensure that traffic congestion is eased in Toronto. Passing relevant transport legislation In order to ensure motorists comply with changes which have been suggested in the paper, stronger legislation is required to ensure that private cars are discouraged from entering the city and that any traffic offenders receive harsh punishments. This will serve as deterrent to other offenders who are not keen to be part of the traffic decongestion efforts. For instance, in London, private cars entering congestion zones pay 8 pounds in fees. However, people who do not observe this rule pay a harsh fine of 120 pounds. There are cameras which records all registration plates of motor vehicles hence it is difficult not to comply with the rule. Toronto requires legislation and policies which support traffic decongestion to be passed in order to develop long term solutions to the problem of traffic congestion. Dialog with stakeholders in transport industry In order for the government to ensure that changes required to the transport industry are effectively implemented, all stakeholders should be involved in the changes. The government should convene a meeting with stakeholders in public and private transport with the aim of developing long term solutions to the problem of traffic congestion (Quentin 16-22). These people may offer very effective solutions to this problem since they are the major road users. The general public will also be keen to follow changes and recommendations made to improve the transport sector once it is involved in developing solutions to the problem. Dialog with stakeholders will provide the government with an opportunity to listen to a variety of suggestions on how the transport problem can be resolved. Summary and conclusion Various aspects of traffic congestion in Toronto have been analyzed in detail. It is clear that Toronto is facing a serious problem of traffic congestion since it is the most congested city in North America. Traffic congestion in Toronto costs over $ 2 billion annually and it is caused by a variety of factors. These factors are categorized into non-recurring and recurring factors. However, the paper focused on recurring factors which contribute to the largest proportion of traffic congestion in Canada. These include increased automobile use, poor planning and lapse in implementation of laws which govern traffic systems. This leads to the use of many private cars by employees who commute to work as opposed to use of public transport systems resulting in congestion. Traffic congestion in Toronto has various adverse effects including barriers to emergency services, delays, idle time and opportunity costs as well as pollution. These effects have adverse effects on the health, welfare and economic development of the society as whole. All stakeholders in society suffer either indirectly or directly from traffic congestion. There are several solutions which should be implemented to reduce traffic congestion in Toronto. These include encouraging commuters to use public transport, decongesting public transport, decentralizing businesses from the Greater Toronto Area, investing in transport infrastructure, passing relevant transport legislation and dialog with stakeholders in transport industry. These solutions aim at discouraging the use of private vehicles and increasing the effectiveness of public transport to increase the capacity and speeds needed to reduce congestion in Toronto. However, it is important to involve all relevant stakeholders when developing solutions to the transport congestion since as earlier discussed, these people may offer very effective solutions to this problem since they are the major road users. The general public will also be keen to follow changes made to improve the transport sector if it is involved in the change process. This will ensure that Toronto has one of the best t ransport systems not only in North America but across the world.

Essay --

The 3G+GPS shield uses the 3G module, SIM5218E from SIMCOM, which enables the connectivity to high speed WCDMA and HSPA cellular networks. It is a single board which can handle high speed wireless communication. The 3G module has an internal GPS with the help of which it is possible to locate the device outdoors as well as indoors. It combines the standard NMEA frames with mobile cell ID triangulation for accuracy and uses both assisted-mobile (A-GPS) and mobile-based (S-GPS) modes. A video camera can be connected to the shield which enables recording photo and video in high resolution (640x480). It is also possible to connect a microphone to the module and a SD socket to save directly all the data coming from the 3G network or recorded from the video camera. Since the 3G+GPS shield supports the above mentioned features with all the hardware on board, it became the first choice for the implementation of the prototype. Described below are the important components of the 3G+GPS shield that we have used. 3.1.1 Hardware 3.1.1.1 3G Module (SIM5218E) Figure ‎3 2: SIM5218E Sim5218E is a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS engine that works on frequencies of GSM 850 MHz, EGSM 900 MHz, DCS 1800 MHz, PCS 1900 MHz, and WCDMA 2100M/1900M/900M [28]. Sim5218E provides interfaces for Serial communication, GPS, Camera, USIM Card as well as an audio interface. These are described briefly below. Detailed information about these is present in the â€Å"Hardware Design† document of SIM5218E [29]. Serial interface Sim5218E has an asynchronous serial port. Sim5218E is designed as a Data Connection Equipment. It can be connected to any Data Terminal Equipment using standard DCE-DTE connection. Serial port can be used for sending AT commands ... ...verage problems are experienced, then two antennas are used, where the second antenna is connected to the sub-antenna connector. 3.1.1.2 Electret Microphone We have used electret microphone for the prototype. It is a small microphone useful in acoustic and audio applications. Figure ‎3 3: Electret Microphone 3.1.1.3 Camera The camera used for the prototype is a VGA Sensor Camera module. This camera is a very compact size. It uses a GC0309 CMOS sensor. It is 0.3MP (VGA) camera with a maximum resolution of 640 x 480 dpi. Figure ‎3 4: VGA Sensor Camera 3.1.1.4 Arduino Mega 2560 Figure ‎3 5: Arduino Mega 2560 Arduino Mega 2560 is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega2560. It has 4 UARTs (hardware serial ports), which will be very useful in interfacing various components. It has a 16MHz crystal oscillator with a flash memory of 256KB and SRAM of 8KB.

Cement Clinker Manufacturing Process Manual

What is cement? Cement is a fine powder which sets after a few hours when mixed with water, and then hardens in a few days into a solid, strong material. Cement is mainly used to bind fine sand and coarse aggregates together in concrete. Cement is a hydraulic binder, i. e. it hardens when water is added. There are 27 types of common cement which can be grouped into 5 general categories and 3 strength classes: ordinary, high and very high. In addition, some special cements exist like sulphate resisting cement, low heat cement and calcium aluminate cement.The quarry is the starting point Cement plants are usually located closely either to hot spots in the market or to areas with sufficient quantities of raw materials. The aim is to keep transportation costs low. Basic constituents for cement (limestone and clay) are taken from quarries in these areas. A two-step process Basically, cement is produced in two steps: first, clinker is produced from raw materials. In the second step cement is produced from cement clinker. The first step can be a dry, wet, semi-dry or semi-wet process according to the state of the raw material.Making clinker The raw materials are delivered in bulk, crushed and homogenised into a mixture which is fed into a rotary kiln. This is an enormous rotating pipe of 60 to 90 m long and up to 6 m in diameter. This huge kiln is heated by a 2000 °C flame inside of it. The kiln is slightly inclined to allow for the materials to slowly reach the other end, where it is quickly cooled to 100-200 °C. Four basic oxides in the correct proportions make cement clinker: calcium oxide (65%), silicon oxide (20%), alumina oxide (10%) and iron oxide (5%).These elements mixed homogeneously (called â€Å"raw meal† or slurry) will combine when heated by the flame at a temperature of approximately 1450 °C. New compounds are formed: silicates, aluminates and ferrites of calcium. Hydraulic hardening of cement is due to the hydration of these compounds. The final product of this phase is called â€Å"clinker†. These solid grains are then stored in huge silos. End of phase one. From clinker to cement The second phase is handled in a cement grinding mill, which may be located in a different place to the clinker plant.Gypsum (calcium sulphates) and possibly additional cementitious (such as blastfurnace slag, coal fly ash, natural pozzolanas, etc. ) or inert materials (limestone) are added to the clinker. All constituents are ground leading to a fine and homogenous powder. End of phase two. The cement is then stored in silos before being dispatched either in bulk or bagged. What is concrete? Concrete is a solid material made of cement, sand, water, aggregates and often with admixtures.When fresh, it has a certain workability and takes the form of the mould into which it is put. When set and hardened, it is as strong as natural stone and resists time, water, frost, mechanical constraints and fire. Typically, concrete is the essentia l material used in all types of construction [residential (housing), non-residential (offices) and civil engineering (roads, bridges, etc. )]. Read more: http://www. crusherindustry. com/ skype: anna. smith20121 Email: [email  protected] com

Ravage and Ravish - Commonly Confused Words

Ravage and Ravish - Commonly Confused Words Although ravage and ravish come from the same word in Old French (ravirto seize or uproot), they have different meanings in modern English.The verb ravage means to ruin, devastate, or destroy. The noun ravage (often in the plural) means serious damage or destruction.The verb ravish means to seize, rape, carry away by force, or overwhelm with emotion. (The adjective ravishingwhich means  unusually attractive or pleasinghas a more positive connotation.) Examples One of the worlds last great rainforests was ravaged by loggers working for the President of Zimbabwe and his ruling clique.Floods, droughts, and severe storms are likely to ravage North America more frequently as emissions of planet-warming gases rise.Scotland Yard has launched a photo campaign to show the physical ravages caused by drug addiction.The English, we know, are malicious, megalomaniacal sadists intent on world domination. Given the chance, they would almost certainly ravish you, your wife or your sister. They might even eat your children.(Gareth McLean, The Guardian, July 9, 2003) Usage Notes The word ravish, now literary or archaic, should be avoided in nonfigurative contexts. The primary problem with ravish is that it has romantic connotations: it means not only to rape but also to fill with ecstasy or delight. The latter sense renders the word unfit for acting as a technical or legal equivalent of rape, The term describing the act should evoke outrage; it should not be a romantic abstraction, as ravish is.Still, the word ravishing ( captivating, enchanting) is generally considered a perfectly good and complimentary adjective.(Bryan A. Garner, Garners Modern American Usage, Oxford University Press, 2003)Both words refer to powerful and usually destructive forces. Ravage is used when destruction is spread over a wide area by war or other overwhelming forces: ravaged by inflation / tribal warfare / acid rain. Ravish typically has a human subject and object, and means seize, rape or somewhat paradoxically transport with delight. The two kinds of meaning have their respecti ve cliches in ravished virgins and ravished audiences, which are symptomatic of the fact that the word is usually euphemistic or hyperbolic.(Pam Peters, The Cambridge Guide to English Usage, Cambridge University Press, 2004) Practice Questions (a) The credit crunch continues to _____ overstretched banks. (b) According to Montaigne, poetry does not seek to persuade our judgment; it simply _____ and overwhelms it.(c) Over the centuries, much of Koreas historic architecture has suffered the _____ of war and fire. Answers to Practice Questions (a) The credit crunch continues to  ravage  overstretched banks.(b) According to Montaigne, poetry does not seek to persuade our judgment; it simply ravishes  and overwhelms it.(c) Over the centuries, much of Koreas historic architecture has suffered the  ravages  of war and fire.