Closing the Gap Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Closing the Gap - Article Example The management process entails the channel that duties, orders and chores pass from the highest individual in the company’s hierarchy to the junior staff in the organization (Saxena, 2009). According to economists, good management skills and ethics complete the production cycle. However, this only happens if there is an excellent open door communication channel between the superiors, seniors and juniors. Most of the successful giant businesses corporate have acquired their large market shares through formulation and implementation of competitive management strategies. According to the article, ‘good communication’ is a vital factor ensuring the success of a business. Communication is employed through vertical and horizontal communication. Channels of communication have played a big role in the formulation of strategic decisions. For a firm to implement its strategies there should be effective and efficient relay of information from the managers to the subordinate staff. Management should achieve this through suggestion boxes, memos and the open door communication. Teamwork is a very important principle of management that starts from leadership skills. It ensures division of labor that helps in inventory and bookkeeping. They help in the follow up of business transaction which in turn helps ensures the success of the business. Organization score also influences a business’ success. ... Critique According to most economists, employment of principles of management leads the achievement of the set firm’s goals and objectives (Saxena, 2009). However, critics have come up with their theories explains reasons as to why firms fail irrespective of the implementation of the principles of management. These critic theories include the following: According to the article, communication strategy is the most important strategy to the success of a business. However, communication is not always the answer. While done at some inappropriate levels, it may lead to the business failure. For example, when a manager relays critical information to the worker, if they are not specialized in their departments, the messages may be interpreted in the wrong manner. Language barriers may also pose a threat to the communication process. The junior staff may fall prey to altered or faulty information due to the hierarchy of bureaucracy in the organization. Firms need to employ competent a nd professional workers who will help in the communication, implementation and performance of the business. Teamwork is also a principle of management but due to various factors brought up by critics, it poses a threat to the business. This evident where bad leadership and management skills are present in a business’ operations. The senior leaders should set examples to their junior staff by being key team players and not joy riders whose main objective is to command and get a monthly pay. Greedy seniors who become traitors by providing competitors with sensitive information have been a threat to the success of most international firms. Remarkably, team involves both internal and external emotions of the employees. Differentiation in most business entities

Lord of the Flies - Visual appeal versus intense description Essay Example for Free

Lord of the Flies Visual appeal versus intense description Essay Both the Lord of the Flies novel and the 1963 Peter Brook film were amazing pieces of prose. Both mediums truly depicted the theme that savagery exists in everyone if one was given the chance to show it. Throughout both mediums the civilized boys that landed on the island paradise slowly became uncivilized and barbaric since they were not under the strict power and rule of their elders. They blamed their savagery on a pretend fearsome creature, when the evil that was contained within them was brought on by themselves. The movie left a stronger impression than the novel due to the fact that its story line was far more obvious and overblown. Both mediums were extremely alike with some minor exceptions. The 1963 Peter Brook film was more effective than the novel. This was so because it gave a visual depiction of what was actually being portrayed. Due to its obvious structure it gave an expected and intended result. In both mediums the plot was that small boys crash into a tropical island. In the beginning they are all ecstatic that they are without rules and restrictions on this tropical island. From their on the problem was their struggle against the brutal forms of savagery which possesses the quality of evil. They all slowly become uncivilized and barbaric causing chaos and tumult among the island. The movie vividly showed the tropical island they lived upon and portrays the layout of the island; which was shown often in a confusing way throughout the novel. The turning of events and the outcome of the whole story was far more understandable in the film. The setting was during WW2. The boys were from England. England at this time was very conservative and civilized. Upon arrival the boys showed this civilization through their behavior, attire, and thinking. Although explained in the novel the movie showed this to its viewers in a visual and far more interesting viewing. Rogers arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins.- This quote from the book conveys an underlying meaning that Roger was not able to throw stones directly at Henry because he was taught that is was bad from his elders. The film showed the attachment of civilization to the boys in a more outright manner. The character development of the characters was yet another factor that the film showed more effectively. In the film characters were shown better through their expressions and body language. The book did also convey this but not as vividly. The protagonist Ralph changed immensely. He was a regular joe and tried to keep the boys focused on domestic order and the rules of civilization. Were going to have fun on this island! So dont try it on or else. This was said by Ralph at the beginning when he had the power of chiefdom. In a short time this idea had diminished and his 12 year old mindset changed into an adult mindset with responsibility and structure. Piggy, the intellectual who lacked physical stamina also held on to civilization and was killed by Jacks tribe. Jack Merridew was a dramatic character. He went from a civilized choir leader to an uncivilized hunter and savage who was responsible for much of the savagery that overtook the boys. Simon was the visionary of the group and was killed before he could tell everyone the true nature of the beast that they all feared. He was an artistic and sensible mystic and remained civilized throughout the story. The symbols of the story were conveyed better in the movie because they were not shown in an underlying and subtle way like in the novel but were conveyed very outright and in an obvious form. The main symbols were the fire, which represented means of rescue, hope, and civilization; Piggys glasses which represented civilization and intelligence; and the conch which represented authority and civil debate. All of these symbols were treasured by Ralph and Piggy because they all had means of civilization which they wanted. The film outright displayed in a visual appearance what was going on. Nothing was hidden or subtle like in the novel that Golding created. The plot, setting, character development, and symbolism were conveyed to viewers in a far more easier and accessible way in the film than in the novel. The elements of drama were more conducive in the film than in the novel. Foreshadowing was one of the main elements of drama that was shown. The novel foreshadowed chaos and tumult but did not allow the reader to know who was to be killed. On the contrary the movie allowed this to be know through obvious foreshadowing. An example of this is when Piggy was about to be killed. In the film for a straight five minutes, the rock which was to crush Piggy, was being moved by Roger. It was known for quite sometime that his death was approaching at a rapid pace. The foreshadowing of Ralph being left alone was immense. It was known from the start that Jack would gain all power and all would join his tribe since more appealing. the air was ready to explodea brassy glare had taken the place of clear daylight. This opened chapter 9 in the novel foreshadowing that something bad was on its way; Simons death. The movies foreshadowing of this was far more effective because one could visually see the tension and chaos aroused by the brutal thunderstorm. Irony was also displayed more conducively in the film. An example of this is when Simon was killed. This was very ironic because it was not expected for Simon the quiet one to die. The movie left a bigger dent on viewers with this ironic event by the visual appearance of poor Simons death and his frail body floating in the ocean. Other elements of drama shown in the movie such as facial expressions and body language lead to specific results a lot better than descriptive sections in the book. Being able to see with your own two eyes and not imagine within your mind allowed the films drama elements to be better than those of the book. Some sacrifices were made to preserve the story and the medium. In the film the pigs head was not ever labeled as the Lord of the flies like in the novel. It never talked. If the pig talked the film would have been extremely odd since the effects that would have made it talk would have been unrealistic. In both the movie and film sacrifices such as Ralph, the protagonist, not dying and the story ending with them getting saved were needed to preserve the story. The story of Lord of the Flies in both movie and book form were amazing pieces of art. The underlying meaning and point made in both mediums was that there is a dark side of human nature and that each member of humankind has this dark side. The island paradise conveyed was not only a symbol of Utopia but the Garden of Eden. In the beginning life could not have been better for all the small boys inhabiting the island but due to their young age, outside influences, and no adult intervention this paradise turned into a living hell inhabited by numerous evil beasts. The story shows how without a civilized influence(adult) small children can go wild. At age 12 and younger children need guidance and structure. The corrupted savages of the island paradise are perfect examples of independence for young children.

Hemingways Economy Of Style English Literature Essay

Hemingways Economy Of Style English Literature Essay A Clean, Well-Lighted Place is arguably not only one of Hemingways best short stories but also a story that clearly demonstrates the techniques of Hemingways signature writing style. Hemingway is known for his economic prose-his writing is minimalist and sparse, with few adverbs or adjectives. He includes only essential information, often omitting background information, transitions, and dialogue tags such as he said or she said. He often uses pronouns without clear antecedents, such as using the word it without clarifying what it refers to. Hemingway applies the iceberg principle to his stories: only the tip of the story is visible on the page, while the rest is left underwater-unsaid. Hemingway also rarely specifies which waiter is speaking in the story because he has deemed such clarification unnecessary. The essential element is that two waiters are discussing a drunk old man-the rest can be omitted according to Hemingways economy of style. When the older waiter contemplates the idea of nothingness, Hemingway loads the sentences with vague pronouns, never clarifying what they refer to: It was all a nothing.  .  .  . It was only that.  .  .  . Some lived in it  .  .  . Although these lines are somewhat confusing, the confusion is the point. This nothingness cant be defined clearly, no matter how many words are used. Hemingway uses fewer words and lets the effect of his style speak for itself. The Deceptive Pacing of the Story Hemingway does not waste words on changing scenes or marking the passage of time, leaving it up to us to keep track of whats happening and the storys pacing. For example, only a brief conversation between the waiters takes place between the time when the younger waiter serves the old man a brandy and the time when the old man asks for another. Hemingway is not suggesting that the old man has slugged back the brandy quickly. In fact, the old man stays in the cafà © for a long time. Time has lapsed here, but Hemingway leaves it up to us to follow the pace of the story. The pace of A Clean, Well-Lighted Place may seem swift, but the action of the story actually stretches out for much longer than it appears to. The sitting, drinking, and contemplating that take place are languid actions. We may read the story quickly, but the scenes themselves are not quick. Just as Hemingway doesnt waste words by trying to slow down his scenes, he also refrains from including unnecessary transitions. F or example, when the older waiter leaves the cafà © and mulls over the idea of nothingness, he finishes his parody of prayer and, without any transition that suggests that he was walking, we suddenly find him standing at a bar. Hemingway lets the waiters thoughts serve as the transition. When he writes, He smiled and stood before a bar, were meant to understand that the waiter had been walking and moving as he was thinking to himself. And when the waiter orders a drink at the bar, the bartender offers him another just two sentences later. Again, Hemingway is not suggesting that the waiter gulps his drink. Instead, he conveys only the most essential information in the scene. Existentialism and the Lost Generation The term Lost Generation refers to the writers and artists living in Paris after World War I. The violence of World War I, also called the Great War, was unprecedented and invalidated previous ideas about faith, life, and death. Traditional values that focused on God, love, and manhood dissolved, leaving Lost Generation writers adrift. They struggled with moral and psychological aimlessness as they searched for the meaning of life in a changed world. This search for meaning and these feelings of emptiness and aimlessness reflect some of the principle ideas behind existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophical movement rooted in the work of the Danish philosopher Sà ¸ren Kierkegaard, who lived in the mid-1800s. The movement gained popularity in the mid-1900s thanks to the work of the French intellectuals Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus, including Sartres Being and Nothingness (1943). According to existentialists, life has no purpose, the universe is indiffer ent to human beings, and humans must look to their own actions to create meaning, if it is possible to create meaning at all. Existentialists consider questions of personal freedom and responsibility. Although Hemingway was writing years before existentialism became a prominent cultural idea, his questioning of life and his experiences as a searching member of the Lost Generation gave his work existentialist overtones. Themes, Motifs, and Symbols Themes Life as Nothingness In A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, Hemingway suggests that life has no meaning and that man is an insignificant speck in a great sea of nothingness. The older waiter makes this idea as clear as he can when he says, It was all a nothing and man was a nothing too. When he substitutes the Spanish word nada (nothing) into the prayers he recites, he indicates that religion, to which many people turn to find meaning and purpose, is also just nothingness. Rather than pray with the actual words, Our Father who art in heaven, the older waiter says, Our nada who art in nada-effectively wiping out both God and the idea of heaven in one breath. Not everyone is aware of the nothingness, however. For example, the younger waiter hurtles through his life hastily and happily, unaware of any reason why he should lament. For the old man, the older waiter, and the other people who need late-night cafà ©s, however, the idea of nothingness is overwhelming and leads to despair. The Struggle to Deal with Despair The old man and older waiter in A Clean, Well-Lighted Place struggle to find a way to deal with their despair, but even their best method simply subdues the despair rather than cures it. The old man has tried to stave off despair in several unsuccessful ways. We learn that he has money, but money has not helped. We learn that he was once married, but he no longer has a wife. We also learn that he has unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide in a desperate attempt to quell the despair for good. The only way the old man can deal with his despair now is to sit for hours in a clean, well-lit cafà ©. Deaf, he can feel the quietness of the nighttime and the cafà ©, and although he is essentially in his own private world, sitting by himself in the cafà © is not the same as being alone. The older waiter, in his mocking prayers filled with the word nada, shows that religion is not a viable method of dealing with despair, and his solution is the same as the old mans: he waits out the nighttime in cafà ©s. He is particular about the type of cafà © he likes: the cafà © must be well lit and clean. Bars and bodegas, although many are open all night, do not lessen despair because they are not clean, and patrons often must stand at the bar rather than sit at a table. The old man and the older waiter also glean solace from routine. The ritualistic cafà ©-sitting and drinking help them deal with despair because it makes life predictable. Routine is something they can control and manage, unlike the vast nothingness that surrounds them. Motifs Loneliness Loneliness pervades A Clean, Well-Lighted Place and suggests that even though there are many people struggling with despair, everyone must struggle alone. The deaf old man, with no wife and only a niece to care for him, is visibly lonely. The younger waiter, frustrated that the old man wont go home, defines himself and the old man in opposites: Hes lonely. Im not lonely. Loneliness, for the younger waiter, is a key difference between them, but he gives no thought to why the old man might be lonely and doesnt consider the possibility that he may one day be lonely too. The older waiter, although he doesnt say explicitly that he is lonely, is so similar to the old man in his habit of sitting in cafà ©s late at night that we can assume that he too suffers from loneliness. The older waiter goes home to his room and lies in bed alone, telling himself that he merely suffers from sleeplessness. Even in this claim, however, he instinctively reaches out for company, adding, Many must have it. The thought that he is not alone in having insomnia or being lonely comforts him. Symbols The Cafà © The cafà © represents the opposite of nothingness: its cleanliness and good lighting suggest order and clarity, whereas nothingness is chaotic, confusing, and dark. Because the cafà © is so different from the nothingness the older waiter describes, it serves as a natural refuge from the despair felt by those who are acutely aware of the nothingness. In a clean, brightly lit cafà ©, despair can be controlled and even temporarily forgotten. When the older waiter describes the nothingness that is life, he says, It was only that and light was all it needed and a certain cleanness and order. The it in the sentence is never defined, but we can speculate about the waiters meaning: although life and man are nothing, light, clealiness, and order can serve as substance. They can help stave off the despair that comes from feeling completely unanchored to anyone or anything. As long as a clean, well-lighted cafà © exists, despair can be kept in check.

Fiber Supplements :: Nutrition Weight Loss Health Papers

A. Purpose of treatment: Fiber supplements benefit the body through maintaining regularity in the digestive system. Fiber supplements assist the body in compensating for fiber deficiencies when there remains an inadequate amount of fiber in the digestive system. In addition, fiber supplements help to relieve constipation. Fiber can become an aid in weight reduction as well. In all fiber supplements assist in the maintenance of good health and nutrition. B. Rationale of fiber supplements: After eating, one does not digest the total amount of food that they consume. Fiber becomes indigestible because of a certain class of a plant called cellulose. Ground up psyllium seeds, water absorbing particles, constitute the main component of commercial fiber supplements (Enker). A tablespoon, a bar, or certain class of pill contributes to approximately seventy-five percent of the recommended intake, or fifteen grams (Enker). One should take fiber supplements at night, and after a meal. Through regular use, the bowel can function in a regular, methodical manner. Fiber supplements help create roughage, and roughage then aids in discarding the body's toxins and wastes in the digestive tract. Fiber mixes with the stool, takes in liquid and increases into a "gel bead" (Enker). The stool then becomes moisturized through the gel bead, therefore relieving the colon. For this process to work, one must take these fiber supplements with an ample amount of water for absorption, thus accumul ating mucous and acting as a lubricant. There remain two classifications of fiber, insoluble and soluble, which have various physiologic effects. Insoluble fibers do not hold water. Insoluble fiber also increases intestinal conveyance, increases fecal weight, retards starch hydrolyses, and slows glucose intake. Water-soluble fiber soaks up water, increases, and adheres to bile acids. Because they emerge with bile acids, they become discharged; thus reducing insidious cholesterol and triglycerides into the blood. Fiber supplement manufacturers claim that insoluble fiber can reduce serum cholesterol, however it does not benefit the body in the most effective manner. They claim that soluble fiber remains the most efficient type of fiber because it becomes simple to digest and aids in converting the fiber into a gel. This gel then assists in making the other nutrients in the fiber supplements remain in the body for an extended period of time. This process helps to avoid dehydration. Furthermore, manufacturers believe that solu ble fiber creates a "full feeling" because the fiber expands in the stomach.

Nature vs. Nurture Essay

Over recent years the nature vs. nurture debate has been extensively discussed and researched. Should human characteristics such as intelligence, personality, behavior and ability be attributed to our genetics or our environment? One problem with this is how to pin a trait down to either an inherited or learned characteristic, or perhaps itÂ’s both. Are we to blame for our behavior or is inevitable due to our genetics? This question and others seems to be part of the controversy over the subject. Also, these questions play a factor in how to change and adapt behavior. Different techniques would be more effective depending on the cause of a particular behavior or characteristic. When analyzing the causes of behavior problems in children the question of nature vs. nurture is a legitimate question. One recent study conducted by the University of Virginia and several others including one in Australia studied 1,045 twins and their 2,051 children. Some of the parents were identical twins with others being fraternal. This affected the amount of genes that were shared among the siblings. Participants were twins from a volunteer twin registry and information was gathered through a series of phone interviews beginning in 1993 and ending in 2003. The study discovered that spousal fighting wasnÂ’t to blame for behavioral problems in their children. Rather, it was the genes that influenced how often they argued with spouses. These genes when passed to their children caused more conduct problems. The conclusion of the study was that in family therapy, more focus on the child rather than the parents would be more effective (Society for Research in Child Development, 2007). This conclusion supports the theory that it is nature or our genetics that influence this particular behavior. On the other end of the spectrum another study involved observing children in different childcare settings. Researchers from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development studied the children beginning in 1991 from the age of one month until they were school age. These 1,364 participants were selected at birth and were studied through phone and personal interviews at three month intervals. The childrenÂ’s cognitive and social functioning was measured at certain intervals and followed up to the  children on sixth grade. It was concluded that center based care yielded more aggression and disobedience than other types of childcare, with the quality of childcare was also found to be a factor (Society for Research in Child Development, 2007). This conclusion supports the theory that it is nurture or our environment that influences this particular behavior and the type of care children receive is an important factor in a childÂ’s development. Both of these studies posed the question of whether the cause of a particular problem, this one being behavioral issues, is genetic or ones environment. Both of these studies looked exclusively at one cause or the other with little being discussed about the other possibilities. The differences in the studies was the length of time given to each study with the genetic study being short term and the childcare study involving observations over a period of time. Another difference is the twin study looked at parents of a specific group, that being twins. The child care study looked at the children of many different types of parents. While both of these studies have their merits, neither study was able to conclusively determine the cause of behavioral problems observed as being attributed solely to genetics or the environment. The question of which one plays a greater role will likely continue to be asked. Hopefully this leads to more research and answers that will further our understanding of human behavior. References Society for Research in Child Development (2007, March 26). Center-based Care Yields More Behavior Problems; In Other Types Of Care, Problems Short-lived. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 31, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com ¬ /releases/2007/03/070326095340.htm. Society for Research in Child Development (2007, February 7). Parents’ Genes, Not Parents’ Arguing, May Cause Children’s Conduct Problems. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 31, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com ¬ /releases/2007/02/070207090943.htm.

Table of Densities of Common Substances

Table of Densities of Common Substances Heres a table of densities of common substances, including several gases, liquids, and solids. Density is a measure of the amount of mass contained in a unit of volume. The general trend is that most gases are less dense than liquids, which are in turn less dense than solids, but there are numerous exceptions. For this reason, the table lists density from lowest to highest and includes the state of matter. Note that the density of pure water is defined to be 1 gram per cubic centimeter (or, g/ml). Unlike most substances, water is denser as a liquid than as a solid. A consequence is that ice floats on water. Also, pure water is less dense than seawater, so fresh water can float on top of salt water, mixing at the interface. The Factors That Affect Density Density depends on temperature and pressure. For solids, its also affected by the way atoms and molecules stack together. A pure substance can take many forms, which dont have the same properties. For example, carbon can take the form of graphite or diamond. Both are chemically identical, but they do not share an identical density value. To convert these density values into kilograms per cubic meter, multiply any of the numbers by 1000. Densities of Common Substances Material Density (g/cm3) State of Matter hydrogen (at STP) 0.00009 gas helium (at STP) 0.000178 gas carbon monoxide (at STP) 0.00125 gas nitrogen (at STP) 0.001251 gas air (at STP) 0.001293 gas carbon dioxide (at STP) 0.001977 gas lithium 0.534 solid ethanol (grain alcohol) 0.810 liquid benzene 0.900 liquid ice 0.920 solid water at 20Â °C 0.998 liquid water at 4Â °C 1.000 liquid seawater 1.03 liquid milk 1.03 liquid coal 1.1-1.4 solid blood 1.600 liquid magnesium 1.7 solid granite 2.6-2.7 solid aluminum 2.7 solid steel 7.8 solid iron 7.8 solid copper 8.3-9.0 solid lead 11.3 solid mercury 13.6 liquid uranium 18.7 solid gold 19.3 solid platinum 21.4 solid osmium 22.6 solid iridium 22.6 solid white dwarf star 107 solid

Nissan Altima Electric Mode Hybrid Car Question

Nissan Altima Electric Mode Hybrid Car Question Hello Christine and Scott, I was very relieved to find your pages under About.com and find out I could email you. A few weeks ago we purchased a 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid and recently we noticed something that has us worried: the gasoline engine kicks on a few seconds after starting the car and while the car is still in PARK. It stays on EV MODE for only the first few seconds. This is not what we expected! We thought (from research) that the high voltage battery would have total control at startup, low speeds, and when not moving (at a stop sign /red light). In other words, NO GASOLINE being used at these times. EV MODE the whole time! We also observed: 1. After we shift to D, DRIVE, it happens again every time the vehicle comes to a full stop while at a stop sign or red light and were not moving for more than a few seconds. 2. The engine stays on for at least a minute and then shuts off, EV MODE resumes and all is quiet until I start moving and accelerating. 3. This behavior seems to happen when the engine is cold, in other words, when it hasnt been used for hours (e.g. first drive in the morning) and keeps happening for about 1/2 hour or so during that first drive. After 1/2 hour or so, this stops happening. In other words, the EV MODE sign comes on and STAYS ON the whole time the car is stopped (idle) at a stop sign/red traffic light or while the car is in PARK but still on. This is what we thought would ALWAYS happen! 4. There is one exception to what I just said in item 3 above. Today for the first time, while at a red light, and after the car went into EV MODE, the engine kicked on even though I had just driven the car for at least one hour at high speeds on highway. Is something wrong with my car? I noticed on your website that you own your own 2008 Nissan Hybrid. Please tell me whats happening with yours. At first my husband thought that this was due to the cold weather (under 40 degrees). But today, the temperature was at 48 degrees and it still didnt stay in EV MODE at startup. Please help. I am afraid this might be a defective car. Dora PS. Yesterday I drove the car to the dealer and the salesperson that sold us the car told us that he has seen it happen before and that it is normal. He even had me drive another hybrid (2007) that had not been sold yet and sure enough, seconds after the car started, the EV MODE signal disappeared and the engine started EVEN THOUGH I was still in park mode. I dont know whether to believe him or not. I also dont find any info on manual to either identify this behavior as normal or not normal. Hey Dora, Thanks for writing - good questions. We understand your concerns. No worries – it sounds as if your 2008 Altima Hybrid is working perfectly normally. Your husband is right - it does have a lot to do with the cold temperatures, and there actually are several conditions that will make the engine on your car run, regardless of your input. They are: State of battery charge Temperature of the engine and hybrid components Ambient air temperature When you start the car, it will usually start the engine after just a few seconds, even if its been only a few hours since youve last driven it. The computer does this automatically to warm the engine, hybrid battery and associated hybrid components. Under mild weather conditions, the engine should shut off after just a few minutes, but when it’s colder out, it could take substantially longer- it also depends upon the amount of charge left in the hybrid battery. If it’s on the low side, the engine may continue running to charge the battery up to full capacity. Also, and this is especially true in the winter (and if you are using the heater and/or the defroster a lot), the engine will run longer. The engine has to run to warm the cabin- and the higher you have the heat set (and the longer it’s on), the more the engine will run. If you have electrically heated seats, using those can help minimize the need to heat the cabin air as much, thus minimizing the engine ru nning time also. Even if you are stopped for a minute or more at a traffic light and the car is in EV mode, if any of these conditions come up (low battery, car needing heat), the engine will start. Again, all of this is normal. You’ll notice as we get into spring and early summer (and you won’t be needing the heat/defroster as much), everything will come up to operating temperature quicker and the Altima Hybrid will stay in EV mode much longer. In the summertime when it gets really hot and you’re using the AC a lot, you could notice that it runs the engine more. The AC compressor runs off electricity, so you may find the engine kicks on more often to keep the battery charged. Just bear in mind that this is a hybrid electric car and is reliant upon the gasoline engine to keep the entire system up and running. Even though you can drive in electric mode, it’s still more of an assistant than a main power source. Your Altima uses Toyota’s Synergy Drive System- in our opinion, it is the best one available. As you get used to this car, we bet you’ll not only be able to maximize the EV mode driving (and fuel economy), but come to love it as well. For your reference, here’s an article we wrote about hybrids and cold temps, and some info about obtaining the best mileage from your hybrid via hypermiling. (Yep, Scott hypermiled in the Altima Hybrid- look what it can do. Thanks for visiting our site and writing- please feel free to let us know if you have any more questions. Best regards, Christine Scott