Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Favorite House Styles in the USA

Cape Cod and Ranch style houses were once the rage, but Americas tastes have changed over the past decade. Here are todays favorite house styles, according to our Dream House Survey. Mind you, this survey isnt scientific, but the results suggest some interesting trends. Readers are choosing homes homes with cozy details and a romantic flavor. Do you agree? Craftsman Bungalow House Style Homey bungalows with low-pitched roofs and exposed rafters took America by storm in the early 1900s... and then faded from favor after 1930. But perhaps the style is making a comeback. Craftsman and Arts Crafts homes and bungalow homes were the most popular pick in our Dream House survey. Tudor and English Country House Styles Scoring a close second in our Dream House Survey, this cozy style with half-timber details is reminiscent of Medieval English cottages and manor homes. Readers who responded to our survey were drawn to the small, diamond-paned windows and exposed wood framing found in many Tudor Revival homes. Victorian Queen Anne House Styles Victorian is not actually a style, but a period in history, and Victorian architecture comes in many forms. There are the austere stick style homes, the fanciful Gothic Revival cottages,  and the majestic Italianates. When people discuss Victorian architecture, they are often thinking of Americas so-called Queen Anne  style; an elaborate, rather feminine, fashion with lavish details such as towers, wrap-around porches, bay windows, and elaborate trim. Queen Anne ranks number three in our survey, falling behind the more restrained Craftsman and Tudor styles. Georgian Colonial House Styles Symmetrical, orderly Georgian houses became a prominent Colonial house style. Today, Georgian Colonial Revival is a model often imitated for elegant new homes. Prairie House Styles Frank Lloyd Wright pioneered this style in Chicago at the turn of the century. Low-pitched hipped roofs give Prairie style  homes the appearance of hugging the earth, and the square, often symmetrical lines suggest strength and homespun values. Dreams for the Future Borrowing ideas from the past, modern-day styles take on many shapes. One imaginative reader said that he dreamed of owning a home designed for desert living. The floors, he said, would be polished concrete. Air conditioning and heat will duct through the cement slab up through sand-filled interior walls, he wrote. Sounds very modern. Desert Modern. Homes for Right Now Dream houses dont have to be big. In fact. sometimes our deepest passions come in small packages. One man from Ohio has created his own dream house. The 150-year-old cottage has no electricity, so hand tools and elbow grease were used to paint the shutters, sand the floors, and decorate the rooms with an admittedly eccentric style. A quirky man with dogged independence, he writes, This was meant to be fun, not some job to be instantly done. We cant argue with that.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Starbucks - 7018 Words

Page 39 STARBUCKS: MAINTAINING A CLEAR POSITION Bryan C. Seaford, TIAA-CREF Robert C. Culp, Tuscan Sun, Inc. Bradley W. Brooks, Queens University of Charlotte CASE DESCRIPTION The primary subject matters of this case are Marketing and Branding. Secondary issues examined include brand equity and brand positioning. This case has a difficulty level of three (appropriate for junior level courses or higher). This case is designed to be taught in one and one half class hours and is expected to require four hours of outside preparation by students. CASE SYNOPSIS When Starbucks originated in Seattle, Washington in 1971 as a purveyor of dark roasted coffee beans and coffee merchandise, its founding owners didn’t anticipate the extraordinary†¦show more content†¦They had become hooked on the dark-roasted coffee Alfred Peet advocated over the light-roasted coffee found in most large stores. Peet had encouraged their desires to bring dark-roasted coffee to the Seattle, Washington marketplace. He taught them that the fullest flavor is from a very dark roasting of the coffee beans (Schultz, 1997). The First Starbucks The three partners i nitially disagreed over naming their new coffee company. Gordon consulted with a creative business associate, artist Terry Heckler, about naming the store â€Å"Pequod† after the ship in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Terry told him, â€Å"You’re crazy! No one’s going to drink a cup of Pequod!† (Schultz, 1997). Eventually, the Starbucks name was chosen as a derivative of â€Å"Starbo,† the name of a Mt. Rainier mining camp in the 1930s (Skoog, 2002). Baldwin liked the additional connection to Starbuck, a character from Moby Dick. Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies, Volume 18, Number 3, 2012 Page 41 The first store opened in Pike’s Place Market in Seattle. Consistent with locating in such a key port city, the first Starbucks had nautical dà ©cor. The one employee, Siegel, wore a white apron. The store sold 30 varieties of coffee beans (direct from Peet’s) as well as other coffeerelated merchandise but no ready-to-drink beverages. The original Starbucks logoShow MoreRelatedStarbucks And Starbucks : Starbucks1047 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction: Rumors have fluttered about a widely known company that specializes in coffee called Starbucks. The rumor accused Starbucks in 2004 over an email. A Sargent in the Marines helped make the email go viral. A friend of his informed him about the email and it then began to spread like wildfire. According to the Sargent, he actually contacted the disgruntled sender and got a â€Å"real story† from him, but this was never actually verified as to whether or not it’s true. The whole situation upsetRead MoreStarbucks : The Success Of Starbucks1080 Words   |  5 Pages What factors accounted for the extraordinary success of Starbucks in the early 1990s? What was so compelling about the Starbucks value proposition? What brand image did Starbucks develop during this period? The factors for the extraordinary success of Starbucks is all due to the vision of Howard Schultz. Schultz wanted to change the coffee drinking experience by establishing benefits to create value in the coffee drinking experience. One of his vision was to recreate the coffee culture in ItalyRead MoreStarbucks : The Entry Of Starbucks923 Words   |  4 PagesThe entry of Starbucks in Australia began in July 2000. The Starbucks Australia is a wholly owned subsidiary as a joint venture between Markus Hofer and Starbucks Coffee International, subsequently licensed its local chain to the Withers Group, which operates 7-Eleven in Australia. Began selling espressos, frappuccino, and filtered coffee from its first store in Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD). The company was facing difficulties in the Australian cafà © market. However, the company aggressivelyRead MoreStarbucks And Its Impact On Starbucks1054 Words   |  5 PagesA total weighted score at 2.67 for Starbucks po ints to an average but good internal standing in the Internal Factor Evaluation. The first strength of Starbucks is its diverse and inclusive workforce that allows this corporation to cater to a wider market reflecting today’s current demographics. This key strength has put Starbucks as a well-recognized brand among this young and diverse market. According to the Starbucks website, their workforce has led the way in diversity, 65% of U.S. employeesRead MoreStarbucks694 Words   |  3 PagesIntroduction 1.1 Purpose of report The economic impact of Starbucks on the UK economy June 2013 The objective of this report is to investigate the economic contribution of Starbucks to the UK economy. This contribution is quantified in terms of impacts from: ï€  The operation of Starbucks in the UK; ï€  The supply chain effects created by Starbucks purchases of inputs from elsewhere in the UK economy. ï€  The consumer expenditure of Starbucks’ staff and those employed directly in its supply chain spendingRead MoreStarbucks And Its Effect On Starbucks1079 Words   |  5 Pagesyear Starbucks made 10.7 billion dollars? Who here has ever been to Starbucks? Well I have, they have delightful hot and cold drinks and scrumptious desserts. But did you know Starbucks also owns Teavana. Today I’m going to talk to you about one of the world’s most well-known coffee shops in the world; Starbucks. Firstly I’m going to talk about its history. When first started it was called Pequod’s coffee because Pequod was the name the owner’s first ship. But they soon settled on Starbucks. StarbucksRead MoreStarbucks : Starbucks Economic Analysis1673 Words   |  7 PagesStarbucks Economic Analysis 1 Starbucks Economic Analysis PATTEN UNIVERSITY JULY 29, 2015 MGT407 Managerial Economics Starbucks Economic Analysis 2 The coffee industry had never been the same since the early 1970s when three investors started a Seattle business called Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spice in Pikes Peak Market. Each invested about one thousand dollars and-and borrowed five thousand more from a bank to launch their endeavor. The coffee-loving character in Herman Melville’s great novel MobyRead MoreStarbucks, A Large Portion Of Starbucks1055 Words   |  5 Pages For Starbucks, business is good. Starbucks continues to come up with more and more innovations and ways to market their products. Last year Starbucks started bottling their iced coffee and selling them as a new product lines in their stores, as well as many new sandwich choices. The ability to provide fresh new ideas year after year provides Starbucks with a growing customer base and a growing net gain. Starbucks will continue to come up with new ideas and products that will continue to bring inRead MoreStarbucks Case Analysis : Starbucks1580 Words   |  7 Pages7/25/15 Starbucks Case Study I chose to do a case analysis on Starbucks because I am a huge fan, as a college student I am addicted to caffeine and Starbucks is how I get my caffeine fix! I am a gold card member with Starbucks meaning, I drink so much of their coffee they rewarded me as a valuable customer. Some perks include a free food or beverage after twelve purchases, a free food or beverage on my birthday, as well as discount coupons and exclusive member deals. The first Starbucks locationRead MoreStarbucks1117 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Starbucks started in 1971 and by creating a cozy third place to customers beyond home and work and offering a slightly higher price yet fine quality coffee, within 25 years, it had opened just over 1000 stores. In order to maintain its leadership position, Starbucks had continued pursuing growth opportunities by selling Starbucks products through mass distribution channels and expanding its retail footprint. Along with the rapid expansion and success, Starbucks has encountered financial downturn

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Moral and Social Philosophy Free Essays

Moral philosophy is focused on the habits, customs, and values of a certain individual (Wikipedia, 2007). It has the following sub-categories: meta-ethics; normative ethics; as well as, applied ethics (Wikipedia, 2007). One of the major contributors of this school of thought is Immanuel Kant who said that â€Å"deontology† holds that an act is considered to be right if it goes with the moral rule or principle (Ethical. We will write a custom essay sample on Moral and Social Philosophy or any similar topic only for you Order Now ., 2001). For example, parents will have to decide whether or not to have their children immunized. Since it is required by the law then the parents will have to allow their children to be immunized; it is the right thing to do because it goes along with the moral rule or principle (Ethical.., 2007). Social Philosophy Social philosophy is technically defined as a study which addresses dilemmas concerning social/human behaviors (Wikipedia, 2007). It covers the following areas: effects of culture, effects of science, revolution, social contract, etc (Wikipedia, 2007). Simply put, social philosophy concerns itself with moral principles as applied to problems of equality, freedom, as well as, justice (Wikipedia, 2007). One of the major contributors of social philosophy is John Locke who stated that: men are equal, free, as well as independent; thus, they possess the faculty of reason, which gives them the right to preserve their property including their life, liberty, as well as, estates (Bennagen, 2000). In addition to that, he believes that the state of nature is one that is in a state of perfect equality, freedom, liberty, and rationality but it is possible to turn into a state of war especially in cases where there exists the absence of a common judge (Bennagen, 2000). Thus, for him, entering into social contract is necessitated so as not to go through anything that is similar to the state of war (Bennagen, 2000). Last but not least, he also believes that the people have the right to resist a government that tyrannical in nature (Bennagen, 2000). Subjectivism Subjectivism is the act of making moral judgments, however, based on an individual’s emotion (Ethics.., n.d.). For example, in judging if something is â€Å"nice†, an individual has to have a positive emotions about it otherwise it should not be labeled or declared as something â€Å"nice† (Ethics.., n.d.). Advocates of subjectivism claim that since moral judgments are decided upon subjectively or basing on emotions, then individuals are fully rational during such a period (Ethics.., n.d.). The major problem with subjectivism, however, is that, since it is based on emotions, the person may all the more arrive at wrong decisions or judgments, for example, dating a nice and handsome young but married man may feel nice but that doesn’t mean it is moral to do so (Ethics.., n.d.). One kind of subjectivism is known as metaphysical subjectivism and one of the major contributors of the aforementioned school of thought is Descartes (Wikipedia, 2007). Egoism Ethical egoism or simply egoism is doing something to fulfill an individual’s own interest whether it may be good or harmful to other people (Wikipedia, 2007). Egoism does not take into consideration the well-being of others nor does it do anything to be of assistance or help to others (Wikipedia, 2007). One of the contributors of this particular school of thought is Thomas Hobbes who advocated that self-interests should be pursued and practiced so that freedom may be equal to everybody (Wikipedia, 2007). He also believes that even if there is self-interest, it is impossible that an individual may be harmed because humans are typically the same when it comes to their wants and needs (Wikipedia, 2007). Virtue Ethics Virtue Ethics is where Aristotle’s moral theory is taken into consideration (Ethical.., 2001). Here, it is said that â€Å"an act is right if it is what a virtuous agent would do in the circumstances† (Ethical.., 2001). Let’s take for instance, the case on immunization, currently, there is a dilemma with regards to having every child immunized before going to school, utilizing virtue ethics in critical thinking, parents may decide that they will allow their children to be immunized because it is not only good for their children, but it will benefit all the others as well (Ethical.., 2001). Ethical Relativism Ethical relativism is where social, personal, historical, as well as, cultural considerations are the basis of one’s judgment or decision (Wikipedia, 2007). A contributor to this school of thought named Jean-Paul Sartre in fact claims that somebody’s morals, if any, will be proven only if the person follows certain social norms (Wikipedia, 2007). Utilitarianism John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism is built on the concept or principles of utility, which he believes is the foundation of morals (Bennagen, 2000). It holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness (Bennagen, 2000). Happiness, according to John Stuart Mill, is equated to pleasure and the absence of pain, while unhappiness, for him, refers to pain and the privation of pleasure (Bennagen, 2000). Categorical Imperative This rationally dictates a course of action independent of whatever goals the agent may have (Encarta, 2007). By this, Immanuel Kant also meant that the moral law is categorical or that it applies to all situations, and by imperative, he meant, it is commanding, thus making it absolutely authoritative (Gaarder, 1991). Immanuel Kant stated the Categorical Imperative in two key formulations: 1) Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will a general natural law (Encarta, 2007), meaning, that it should apply to all people in all societies at all times (Gaarder, 1991); and 2) Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only (Encarta, 2007). By this statement, he meant, we should not exploit others to our own advantage (Gaarder, 1991). References Bennagen, Pia. (2000). Social, Economic and Political Thought. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press. Encarta. (2005). Immanuel Kant. Retrieved May 26, 2007 from http://www.encarta.com. Ethical Theories Compared. (2001). Retrieved May 26, 2007 from http://www.trinity.edu. Ethics 02 – Subjectivism. (n.d.). Retrieved May 26, 2007 from http://www.jcu.edu/philosophy/gensler/et/et-02-00.htm Gaarder, Jostein. (1991). Sophie’s World. New York: Farrar, Straus Giroux Inc., Wikipedia. (2007). Cogito Ergo Sum. Retrieved May 26, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito_Ergo_Sum Wikipedia. (2007). Egoism. Retrieved May 26, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_egoism Wikipedia. (2007). Ethical Relativism. Retrieved May 26, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_relativism Wikipedia. (2007). Moral Philosophy. Retrieved May 26, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_philosophy Wikipedia. (2007). Social Philosophy. Retrieved May 26, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_philosophy                How to cite Moral and Social Philosophy, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Desktop Virtualization Benefit IT Services

Question: Discuss about the Desktop Virtualization Benefit IT Services. Answer: Introduction: Desktop virtualization or VDI is gaining the popularity at a rapid speed. More companies are trying to adopting the technology for connecting with the talented employees whenever they need without concerning about the time and place while upholding business growth and saving the operation costs. Virtualization of the desktops offers all the features of the computer with the facility of accessing from any computer at any place. The basic concept behind this technology is the use of the remote server and a virtualized data centre. The users of the virtual desktop can operate the machines as the same they operate their personal computers. However, virtual desktops require log in access for entering in the environment. In this paper, the ways of utilizing the desktop virtualization have been analyzed. It has been found that the emerged popularity of the desktop virtualization is the advanced level of benefits of the technology in the area of the IT services. The different types of benefits of the technology are the main focus of this paper. Finding and Analysis: Physical desktop set-ups can make challenges for IT offices when new working frameworks are discharged. Customarily, IT team expected to visit every desktop in the association to make the applicable overhauls. Be that as it may, with VDI, associations have the chance to lessen this cost and time, as the system can be redesigned midway, which means programming patches and OS updates can be streamlined. VDI brings end clients and associations an extensive variety of advantages including progressing cost sparing and consistence benefits. Organizations in all business divisions can understand a steady and positive rate of return, while giving a desktop situation that offers clients brisk and simple secure access to everything on the system to empower profitability. The rise of advances, for example, virtualization and distributed computing, the expanding utilization of complex, ultra-versatile gadgets and the changing scene of the Operating System (OS) showcase, consolidated with more extensive improvements, for example, globalization and developing demeanours towards work rehearses, have changed our comprehension of the end client scene. There are lots of benefits of the virtualized desktop in the present IT services in the organizations. The analyses of the benefits are given in the section below: Supporting BYOD Initiatives: BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) initiatives provide the facility of bringing the personal devices such as laptops, mobile and tablets for connecting to the network of the company. At present, this is an increasing trend in the most of the technology dependent organizations. The main facility of this scheme is to allow employees for working from anywhere by connecting into the network of the company. This increases the collaboration among the employees which further results in the greater productivity of the organization. IT departments of the companies are saving the operation costs in this way. At present, the IT security teams are working with the main focus on the sensitive data rather than the devices which are housing the data. This idea has made the BYOD services, an integral part of the desktop virtualization service. However, Vinson et al., (2012) mentioned that the virtualization can increase the complexity of the governance and security structure if the IT services. In this ar ea, the main focus of the IT teams is in the protection of the virtualized data. Again Vieira et al., (2012) said that the IT experts can give better security infrastructure in the area of the virtualized desktop in an easier way than the traditional computer uses Centralized Management of the data, backup and recovery: The centralized management of all the equipments provides the ability of managing the whole administration of the organization from a central location. There is the high level of risks of the data lost in the personal setting. The backup and recovery function of the virtualized environment is easier and efficient than this. When the data is saved in the personal devices or a local server of the organization, then the damage of the single unit may be the reason of great loss of data and the organization. Proper security of all the devices is not an efficient idea. In this context, the use of the virtualized server is very effective. In this case, the protection of the central servers will be the cost effective and convenient idea for protecting the sensitive data stored in it. The damage of the associated devices has no effect on the data. Therefore, the backup and recovery in the virtualized platform is easier. However, if the central server got down, then the total IT infrastructure may suffer. This is one of the major drawbacks of the virtualized platform. Reducing the data security threats: The virtualized desktops are able to reduce the risk of losing data on the local devices as the actual data resides in the central or virtual server. This also increases the chances of identifying and isolating the viruses or threats from the server location before those become the reason of any damage to the system. Again, the virtualized platform has no connection with the individual operating systems of the local machines, thus he viruses can not affect the system files or applications. However, the attacks on the central server may be the reason of great damage to the total IT infrastructure of the respective organization. This can be controlled by developing a strong defence system for the threats and viruses at the central server location. Generally, strong firewalls and antivirus programs are used at the server side of the virtualized platform and the main focus of the IT teams are always given in this area. In this way the virtualized desktop minimizes the probability of viru s and threat attacking. Improved troubleshooting and support for the end users: Any kind of updates and changes can be implemented instantly and simultaneously across the devices companywide. This refers that the IT team can handle all from pushing patch updates to deploying operating system, such as Apple OS and Microsoft Windows. In case of solving the application system related problems, the IT team need not to go to the individual computers of the end users. The team can handle the problem from the centralized control centre. If any hardware failure is experienced by the users, then they can easily shift to another machine. The work is not getting hampered in this infrastructure. Greater mobility of work and Support to the green initiatives saves power: Since desktop situations and the information they utilize are facilitated in a local or remote server, representatives can work anyplace, at whatever time, regardless of what may occur at the workplace. Virtualized desktops permit organizations to draw in ability from any area, by offering the capacity to work remotely, while as yet teaming up with associates. This capacity additionally bolsters business coherence arrangements and calamity recuperation abilities companywide. Late history of climate related episodes and different occasions have traded off organizations outside their ability to control once in a while. Having a virtual desktop framework that backings workforce versatility helps an organization return to business speedier ought to an occasion effect the physical work environment [7]. Desktop machines are for the most part more expensive to buy, set up and keep up, than a virtualized server farm. VDI isolates the equipment assets from the working framework and uses of a physical workstation. This implies numerous, occasionally under-used; PCs can be virtualized into a solitary physical PC. Isolating these parts and overseeing them all the more effectively and for all intents and purposes saves money on influence and the utilization and transfer of gadgets. Since server-based virtual desktops keep running from the server farm, organizations spare power in two ways: In the server farm, the virtual Desktops additionally combine and save money on influence and cooling. On the desktop, the virtual gadgets have altogether littler power impressions than their desktop PC-partners. Capital expenditures Vs Operating expenses: One of the greatest obstacles for executing VDI is its cost. That being stated, it's vital to know from a CapEx consumption point of view, you won't see much investment funds. Be that as it may, there can be huge OpEx reserve funds, particularly when contrasted with a conventional, physical desktop rollout. Since OpEx of physical desktop machines have been consistently going up, changing to desktop virtualization is a chance to reign in these expenses [3]. So there you have it, a portion of the many advantages to VDI. As we have delineated in this white paper, virtualization of foundation is a diversion changing practice that could diminish cost, increment control, guarantee consistence, ensure secure information and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Making the jump can overwhelm, yet well justified, despite all the trouble over the long haul. In order to minimize the impact of the challenges and ensure the maximum benefits from the desktop virtualization platform, the organizations should follow the below described steps: Assessing the end user landscape: An end client evaluation or client profiling activity ought to be viewed as an 'absolute necessity do' undertaking while considering desktop virtualization. Just by comprehension the requirements and qualities of the distinctive client families can the right conveyance techniques are picked. Good understanding of the technology: Comprehend the contrasts between the different sorts of desktop virtualization advances and how they fit or don't fit with business and IT targets. In spite of clear likenesses, each of the arrangements falling under the standard of desktop virtualization has its own preferences and downsides inadequately educated organization choices can demonstrate expensive. Developing a roadmap: A guide that joins where and when to send every innovation choice distinguished ought to be produced. Any such guide needs to consider the current IT bequest and be adequately adaptable to suit a portion of the instabilities of working with rising advancements. Conclusion: The advantages of desktop virtualization are both clear and convincing the abundance of choices accessible, however possibly overpowering, renders the current 'one size fits all' way to deal with end client IT administrations problematic and, at last, equivalent to focused drawback. At present, this is an increasing trend in the most of the technology dependent organizations. The main facility of this scheme is to allow employees for working from anywhere by connecting into the network of the company. The centralized management of all the equipments provides the ability of managing the whole administration of the organization from a central location. There is the high level of risks of the data lost in the personal setting. The backup and recovery function of the virtualized environment is easier and efficient than this. This capacity additionally bolsters business coherence arrangements and calamity recuperation abilities companywide. The centralized management of all the equipment s provides the ability of managing the whole administration of the organization from a central location. There is the high level of risks of the data lost in the personal setting. The virtualized desktops are able to reduce the risk of losing data on the local devices as the actual data resides in the central or virtual server. However, it can be concluded that the virtual desktops are bringing lots of advantages in the area of the IT uses in the organizations. The associated challenges can be overcome by proper steps. References: N. G. Vinson, J.-F. Lapointe, A. Parush, and S. Roberts, Cybersickness induced by desktop virtual reality, in Proceedings of the Graphics Interface 2012 Conference, 2012, pp. 6975. Z. Merchant, E. T. Goetz, W. Keeney-Kennicutt, O. M. Kwok, L. Cifuentes, and T. J. Davis, The learner characteristics, features of desktop 3D virtual reality environments.; College chemistry instruction: A structural equation modeling analysis, Computers and Education, vol. 59, no. 2. pp. 551568, 2012. J. Hwang and T. Wood, Adaptive dynamic priority scheduling for virtual desktop infrastructures, in IEEE International Workshop on Quality of Service, IWQoS, 2012. S. a Vieira, Why virtual desktop at CCRI? Finding sustainability for desktop support, SIGUCCS12 - ACM Proc. SIGUCCS Annu. Conf., pp. 8186, 2012. B. J. Dodd and P. D. Antonenko, Use of signaling to integrate desktop virtual reality and online learning management systems, Comput. Educ., vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 10991108, 2012. D. A. DaSilva, L. Liu, N. Bessis, and Y. Zhan, Enabling green IT through building a virtual desktop infrastructure, in Proceedings - 2012 8th International Conference on Semantics, Knowledge and Grids, SKG 2012, 2012, pp. 3238. L. Liu and R. Van Liere, Modeling object pursuit for desktop virtual reality, IEEE Trans. Vis. Comput. Graph., vol. 18, no. 7, pp. 10171026, 2012. K. Matsui, K. Horio, Y. Sato, and S. Sazawa, Virtual desktop display acceleration technology: RVEC, Fujitsu Sci. Tech. J., vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 469475, 2012. K. Drnemann, U. Boschanski, A. Zeiss, and B. Freisleben, Integrating virtual execution environments into peer-to-peer desktop grids, in Proceedings - 20th Euromicro International Conference on Parallel, Distributed and Network-Based Processing, PDP 2012, 2012, pp. 333340. D. Beck and R. A. Perkins, Review of educational research methods in desktop virtual world environments: Framing the past to provide future direction, J. Virtual Worlds Res., vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 127, 2014. E. A. L. Lee and K. W. Wong, Learning with desktop virtual reality: Low spatial ability learners are more positively affected, Comput. Educ., vol. 79, pp. 4958, 2014. P. Calyam, S. Rajagopalan, S. Seetharam, A. Selvadhurai, K. Salah, and R. Ramnath, VDC-Analyst: Design and verification of virtual desktop cloud resource allocations, Comput. Networks, vol. 68, pp. 110122, 2014. J. H. Kim, L. Aulck, M. C. Bartha, C. A. Harper, and P. W. Johnson, Differences in typing forces, muscle activity, comfort, and typing performance among virtual, notebook, and desktop keyboards, Appl. Ergon., vol. 45, no. 6, pp. 14061413, 2014. X. Liao, M. Zhang, and S. Kong, Experience of constructing virtual desktop, in WIT Transactions on Information and Communication Technologies, 2014, vol. 51, pp. 293296.