Population: 485; Culture Essay

Michael Perry introduces several themes throughout Population: 485. Love, pain and acceptance are all touched upon in his memoir, but one that seems to stick out and is brought up again and again is death. As a volunteer firefighter, most of the connections he makes with the people of his community are caused by responding to emergency accident and fire calls- many of which result in death. In our culture, and every culture, death is an inevitable fact of life. We all, at some point in our lives, are going to encounter the death of someone close to us. Whether it will be a family member, friend or ourselves, young or old, it is going to happen and we will have to face it. Death affects everyone differently and the way we cope with loss varies with every person and with every culture. When the majority of us think of death, we see someone old and sick, frail and weak. While mourning the loss of a loved one is never easy, regardless of age or cause of death, losing a young friend or family member is an even more challenging reality to face. It is often the unexpected losses that don’t make sense. We ask ourselves â€Å"Why? † â€Å"Why did this happen? and try to bring meaning to the tragedy. â€Å"Surely we can’t die just because we hit a patch of pebbles on a curve. Surely there is preordination in the pea gravel. We are creatures of myth, hungry for metaphor and allegory, but most of all, hungry for sense. † (p. 132). This is one of the ways our culture copes with death. We refuse to believe that a you ng person could die so quickly and meaninglessly and we are swift to find a reason behind it all. In reality though, there is no answer. Seven years ago a close friend of mine died due to injuries caused by a motorcycle accident. He was twenty years old. It was a painful experience that left me questioning my faith and asking why such a good person was taken away at such a young age. I did try to find reasoning behind it, but never really came up with an answer. I cried for weeks, for hours at a time. I couldn’t stop thinking about how real this was, how I was never going to see his face or hear his voice again. So many things in life he didn’t get a chance to experience. I longed to go back in time to find a way to prevent his final outcome, but I soon realized there was nothing I could do. His death brought many people close together. We had huge gatherings, for a couple months after he passed, with all of his friends and family. We told stories and talked about our greatest memories we had with our friend, laughed and cried together. We supported each other, shared our feelings and listened to one another. It was our way to cope with our loss. We soon realized that the world doesn’t stop for people to grieve, so after a while, the parties died down and we all got back to our normal routines. Life forces you to get it together and to move on and time heals all wounds. I now hold my friend as a memory and know that I will see him again someday. We often see this in our culture. People come together to help each other through hard times. Emotional support and counseling are other ways people in our culture cope with death. This memory has been triggered by the story Michael Perry tells of Tracy Rimes. Tracy was killed in a motor vehicle accident while taking a corner too fast or too wide. She was just a teenager, not even graduated from high school. Parts of her story are brought up again and again by the author throughout the book. I think this incident got to him and he had a hard time coping with this one. Maybe it was because she was so young with a lot of life ahead of her. Maybe it marks a milestone or turning point for him. â€Å"Today we had tragedy, but it was our tragedy, and we dealt with it not only as public citizens, but also as friends and neighbors†¦ To feel at home is a rare, precious thing, and I began to feel at home that day. † (p. 16). It was the day he made his connection and found his place. Maybe he relates aspects of the incident to his own life. In chapter one there is a paragraph where he is talking about the accident and he describes how the girl was â€Å"pinned in silence† after the violent squalling, glass exploding, rubber tearing, steel tumbling and then just stillness. As if peace is the only answer to destruction†¦ The girl is terribly, terribly alone in a beautiful, beautiful world. † (p. 4). He describes the land and nature so much in the book with such life and love, and also comes off as kind of an outsider always looking in, trying to find a place to belong. Does he too feel terribly, terr ibly alone in a beautiful, beautiful world? I think this is another way to cope with death. Find a positive outcome from a tragedy. Death can make a person stronger. It can make someone open there eyes to life and not take it for granted. It can make someone open their doors a little wider to friends and family and let people in. Michael shares a lot of stories throughout his book that involve the unexpected deaths he has encountered. In fact, he has seen a dead person so many times he says, â€Å"I can look at you and know exactly what you would look like dead. † (p. 128). I can relate to this in a way. While I have never imagined what the person sitting next to me will look like when they’re dead, I have also seen many a corpse. It comes as part of the package when you choose a career in healthcare. I have worked as a respiratory therapist for four years now in a hospital. We respond to all the codes and traumas that come in and are basically responsible for a person’s airway. We also manage the ventilators and occasionally have to â€Å"pull the tube† when it has been determined that the ventilator is just prolonging the dying process, if that is what the family wishes. At first, it was hard for me to deal with the situations. I would go home still thinking about that pale, lifeless body. I couldn’t get the voices out of my head of the family screaming the patients name and crying and praying. It all got to me. I cried the first few times, but then I quickly learned that you have to somehow detach yourself from the emotional aspect of the situation, sort of take your mind somewhere else for a minute than get back to reality, like the author seems to do in his writing. Now, after seeing so many, a dead body doesn’t even phase me. It’s no big deal anymore to respond to a code, perform CPR, suction nasty stuff from an endotracheal tube that’s deep in the throat of a patient covered in blood and bowel†¦ and then go eat lunch. Sounds gross, but it’s our job. You just learn to block certain things out. I think Michael uses his ability and love for writing as a way to cope with death. He seems like sort of a loner, maybe he doesn’t feel comfortable talking with someone about what he’s thinking or feeling, so he writes stories and anecdotes about them. The way he starts a story of one his calls, than jumps to a completely different subject, and then later returns to finish the story maybe is a reflection of another way he handles death. It’s like he takes a break for a minute and shifts his thoughts somewhere else, so that he can return to the facts of the story, and not be interrupted by emotions. I think writing or keeping a journal with our own stories, thoughts and emotions is another way our culture copes with death too. I think death is an aspect of our culture that we don’t much like to talk about, or think about. We know that we are all going to someday die, and that everyone we know will too someday pass, but it is much more comfortable to take for granted tomorrow. Death is something that could potentially happen to anyone, at any given moment and I think it is our avoidance of death that creates such grief when the death of a loved one comes unexpectedly. For me, it’s the unknown part of the afterlife that scares me. That and the thought of not being with my children. In the book, Michael Perry shares his own feelings of dying. He brings the reader to the woods, where he feels that sleeping in the presence of the trees and in the dirt joins him with the earth and gives him a sense of what it is to be holy. â€Å"I have come to think of my sleeps in the forest as a rehearsal for burial†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 140). He gives the impression that he is prepared for death and that we should ponder upon the fact that it is coming. Not how or where or why, just the simple truth that we will be gone someday and it may seem less discomforting if we just accept the fact and â€Å"give it a nod now and then. † (p. 140). Death can get to be a very sensitive subject in our world today. It means so many diverse things to different people and cultures and is handled in your own way by each individual. For the most part, I think coping with the loss of a loved one comes down to a person’s individual beliefs, traditions, and culture. It is a personal choice whether or not to prepare for and accept death. Michael Perry brings the subject to your attention several times throughout the book, almost forcing you to think about death. â€Å"Be grateful for death, the one great certainty in an uncertain world. Be thankful for the spirit smoke that lingers for every candle gone out. † (p. 142). We don’t know when or why or how, but death is coming. To you, to me, to everyone someday. It’s a scary thought, but I hope I can build an acceptance to the inevitable fact of life and be at peace with death when it knocks on my door, before it’s too late.

My First Real Experience With Biometrics

My first real experience with biometrics occurred when my son purchased a new cell phone nearly two years ago. During the initial setup, he selected an iris scan as his passcode. I was a little surprised by the technology and skeptical of the convenience and security. My first question to him was, â€Å"What if someone needs to get in your phone?†. He quickly replied, â€Å"That is what the security feature is for, so they can't get in. If I want them in it, I'll open it and hand it to them.† He is an active duty Navy sailor. He explained to me that he felt more secure knowing that no one could break into his phone because of this passcode. I observed him over the next two weeks while he was home on leave. Each time he accessed his phone, he simply looked into the screen and instantly he had access. He has shared that when others see that his passcode is an iris scan, they realize they cannot hack into the phone. Most never attempt anything at this point. Those that do are not successful. To this day, he has not had any security issues with his phone. Watching the success and ease at which biometrics worked with a cell phone, I moved to a biometrics passcode when I purchased a new computer earlier this year. My new computer came with FastAccess Facial Recognition. After initial setup which included some training to recognize my face, I no longer had to enter a password or PIN. .There are advanced features that turn off the webcam, enable parental controls, and enable an automatic login feature that make FastAccess safe and user-friendly. When someone else tries to access my computer, access is denied because FastAccess does not recognize them. I've been told for many years that my daughter could pass as my twin, but the computer knows better, it would not unlock for her. Lighting can affect the process, the system does not work in poor lighting conditions. In these cases, I am prompted for a second form of authentication, a PIN or password. Other than this, I have been very pleased with not having to use a password to access my system and knowing my data is secure. Now that I was familiar with biometrics in â€Å"my† environment, I wanted to learn more about biometrics in the area of health information, an area I have worked in for nearly thirty years. According to Whitman and Mattord (2018), biometric access control refers to physiological characteristics used to authenticate identification that has been provided. This control relies on recognition, comparing an actual image to a stored image. Fingerprints, palm prints, hand geometry, facial recognition, retinal prints, and iris patterns are types of biometric authentication technologies. The three characteristics in humans that are generally considered unique are the fingerprints, the retina, and the iris (pp 334-335). Iris recognition provides the highest level of accuracy of all biometric markers. According to Katz, the algorithms used in iris recognition are so accurate â€Å"that the entire planet could be enrolled in an iris database with only a small chance of false acceptance or false rejection† (2002). Concerns in the area of biometrics are â€Å"false negative† and â€Å"false positive†. When an individual has a false negative their identity is registered within the system but for some reason, the system does not recognize them. A false positive is the larger concern. This rating means the individual is not registered within the system, yet the system is recognizing them as another registered user and providing access to them based on that recognition. Facial recognition technology opens the door to many possibilities in healthcare, particularly in the area of health information management. This technology has been widely discussed as part of the national patient identifier initiative. Facial recognition is a preferred technology over other biometric techniques because it does not require direct contact with the patient and it is easily deployed. Some of the uses for facial recognition in the health information management area allows for authentication of proper security clearance for employees to grant or deny access within the EHR to staff without a password or PIN. By authenticating your employee, you are maintaining the confidentiality of the protected information. The same technology can be used to verify or authenticate the identity of a provider when they access controlled substances. Facial recognition is the preferred technology because â€Å"some areas within a hospital zones require clinicians to wear surgical gloves and masks, thereby prohibiting the use of fingerprint authentication† (Callahan, 2017). Another option is a feature where â€Å"a patient's image can bring up their file in the EHR using facial recognition software† (McCleary, 2016). This security feature allows the healthcare provider to compare their patient to the stored patient image. Authenticating the patient allows you to maintain the integrity of your data, minimize medical mistakes and improve patient safety. Additional bonuses will be cost savings by reducing fraud, and improved protection or security of confidential patient heath information. There are yet additional benefits of facial recognition to the medical arena. One benefit is the prevention or reduction of medical identity theft. Medical identity theft occurs when someone uses another individual's information to obtain medical services for personal or financial reasons. If the individual presenting for treatment had to be identified by facial recognition, their identity would be authenticated or denied. This could prevent someone from trying to use your insurance benefits or obtain access to your demographic or financial information. Again, this protects the security of confidential patient data. Facial recognition is also an important authentication feature in the healthcare field to establish the identity of patients, particularly those that are unresponsive. Early identification of these patients in emergency situations within an integrated EHR can give healthcare providers instant health information about medical conditions, medications, and allergies. Facial recognition provides a better alternative for identification than fingerprinting for burn victims those patients who have experienced amputations. Some genetic conditions allow diagnosis via facial recognition according to a study at the National Human Genome Research Institute. One provider of facial recognition software, Nextgate, â€Å"claims to simplify registration, flag fraudulent activity, and eliminate the creation of duplicate records† (McCleary, 2016). We may be able to eliminate duplicate records if this software meets its expectation. Duplicate records are a data quality issue that result in compromised â€Å"patient safety, medical care, data accuracy, and reimbursement† (Harris and Houser, 2018). Duplicate records occur for a variety of reasons, primarily human error due to transposing of letters and/or numbers during data entry, the use or non-use of middle names, and abbreviations. As we see more and more organizations merge or become part of a larger healthcare organization, the opportunity for duplicate medical records increase. â€Å"Duplicate records have caused negative outcomes in the discovery phase of the litigation process because there will be discrepancies with diagnoses, medications, and allergies† (Harris and Houser, 2018). Maintaining a single, confidential patient record ensures the availability and integrity of the patient data. Organizations are beginning to turn to biometrics to eliminate their duplicate records. The three possible methods include iris, palm vein, and fingerprint scanning. Iris scanning is the preferred method because it â€Å"supports hospital infection control initiatives and is very effective in preventing duplicates as there is a low occurrence of false positives and extremely low (almost zero percent) false negative rate† (Harris and Houser, 2018). With iris scanning, the technology never has to touch the patient whereas, palm vein and fingerprint scanning technology requires a physical contact between the patient and the technology. This increases the opportunity for infections to be spread. Organizations with an advanced enterprise master patient index (EMPI) are those that often contain patient information for multiple locations within one health system. The EMPI integrates data from the various systems forming an â€Å"overarching technology umbrella, resolving and synchronizing data issues and providing a single patient view that can be accessed across the enterprise. The EMPI resolves data quality issues and synchronizes back to enable accurate patient identification and matching that minimizes duplicates records† (Harris and Houser, 2018). The EMPI provides a level of confidentiality and security throughout the organization. When biometrics are implemented at the registration process and integrated into the EHR, health information professionals and providers can view and authenticate the patient information while working with the patient and within the EHR. Members of a data integrity team can verify patient records are properly integrating into the EHR as the patient moves through the health system. In areas where a facial recognition or fingerprint cannot be captured but a barcode can be scanned, the integration provides the patient's image for a comparison prior to medication administration or other service. This form of authentication provides an added security and safety feature. While all of this technology sounds like a win for the patient and the healthcare system in general, we must also consider the law. According to Hedges, three states (Illinois, Texas, and Washington) now have legislation that regulate how biometric information is collected and used. More states are expected to follow suit. The Illinois Biometric Privacy Act (BIPA), â€Å"defines biometric information to mean â€Å"any information, regardless of how it is captured, converted, stored, or shared, based on an individual's biometric identifier used to identify an individual.† (Hughes, 2018). BIPA does not include information captured in a healthcare setting or collected for treatment, payment, or healthcare options under HIPAA. It is uncertain how the Department of Health and Human Services will address biometric information at this time. One area that healthcare organizations should start to consider is how their business associates may interact with any biometric information they collect. The changing pace of technology is trying to keep up with the pace of today's security challenges. It seems as if each day we hear of another security breach or security issue almost daily. There are tools for the health information professional to address or combat areas information security issues. Two of the most powerful tools are iris scanning and facial recognition. These tools can authenticate employee and patient identification. By authenticating the employee, you maintain confidentiality of information. By authenticating the patient, you maintain patient safety and the integrity of your data.

Challenges To Singapore’s Education

Challenges To Singapores Education At the Teachers Day Rally last September, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong outlined the challenges to our education system. A key imperative was National Education. Many Singaporeans, especially pupils and younger Singaporeans, knew little of our recent history. They did not know how we became an independent nation, how we triumphed against long odds, or how today’s peaceful and prosperous Singapore came about. This ignorance will hinder our effort to develop a shared sense of nationhood. We will not acquire the right instincts to bond together as one nation, or maintain the will to survive and prosper in an uncertain world. For Singapore to thrive beyond the founder generation, we must systematically transmit these instincts and attitudes to succeeding cohorts. Through National Education, we must make these instincts and attitudes part of the cultural DNA which makes us Singaporeans. The Prime Minister set up a committee, chaired by Mr Lim Siong Guan, to study how to introduce N ational Education into our education system. The Committee has worked out a plan to do so. To take the next step forward, we need the full commitment of every teacher and principal. National Education is not just a book subject. It must appeal to both heart and mind. Unless you are personally convinced of its importance, committed to the cause and have the knowledge and passion to teach National Education competently and whole-heartedly, the plan will fail. Lessons from Other Countries Singaporeans are not unique in needing National Education. Other countries take National Education as a matter of course. Japan is a tightly-knit, cohesive and group-oriented society, with a long history and a strong sense of unique identity. Yet Japanese schools start early to teach pupils Japanese culture, values, history and geography, and even the politics and economics of Japan. As pupils get older, they also learn about the cultures and histories of other countries. In so doing, they understand even better what makes them uniquely Japanese. Japanese schools go to great lengths to instill group instincts and a sense that every student is an equal member of the group. They have strict regulations on school uniforms, school bags and shoes. Students are grouped into teams called ‘hans’. Members of each han play together and eat together. They take turns to perform specific responsibilities, whether it is the daily cleaning of school premises or serving lunch. Academically stronger students are expected to help their weaker friends. Those who do not are ostracised. Students organise the school sports day themselves. Competition is based mainly on team events; there are few or no individual events. All students participate, including those with disabilities. Japanese schools do all this not because they believe that all students are the same in every respect or have identical abilities. But they want every student to be equally valued as a member of the group, recog nised for his strengths, and for what he can contribute to the group. And so it goes for Japanese society. In US schools, every child is taught the American heritage – George Washington, the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights movement. Students take part in community service. Learning to be a responsible citizen begins young. It is a deliberate inculcating of American political and social values and ideals, to ensure the next generation grows up with these ideas deeply ingrained. It is a process of indoctrination like any other, no less so because the children are brought up to cherish American values of individual liberty. And it is so successful that many Americans are completely convinced that American values are universal values of mankind.

Logistics & Physical Distribution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Logistics & Physical Distribution - Assignment Example The ERP software used and the planning and control mechanism provide a comprehensive outlook on entire supply chain process of the company. The virtual companies presently do not necessarily have to have a good handling and storing mechanism. Besides that, they need not have a direct customer-vendor relationship. The owners of such companies have little role to play in the entire production and sales process. All they require are customers and brand association. This is done by means of a sophisticated internet and web-based technology, which brings the customer and the brand together. The owner of such a virtual company collects money from sales and transfers the share to the manufacturer (Donat, 2003). The paper is aimed at an analysis of supply chain and its processes in the context of a web-based business that is engaged in selling consumer electronics. After providing a brief outline of supply chain of the company, the paper studies the causes behind choosing the supply chain pattern and its management and reporting structure. The paper concludes after a comprehensive evaluation of the control and planning mechanism in product logistics and distribution activity. The supply chain designed for the purpose of this study is based on a web-based product selling service, where the company is a website that deals with sales of electronic items sourced directly from the manufacturer. This retail distribution based supply chain is engaged in the business of real time buying and virtual selling of electronic products, primarily catering to the consumer goods electronic industry. The e-commerce business is fairly catching up in the global context and offers ease and convenience in shopping for branded and standardised products that do not require hand-on shopping experience. The e-commerce business aims to provide convenience, efficiency, speed and ease in shopping experience to the

Why Cristiano Ronaldo is a Hero Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Why Cristiano Ronaldo is a Hero - Essay Example The first aspect that makes him a hero is the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo does not take alcohol. This may not appear to be unusual since there are many people like him who still do not take alcohol. However, the only thing that makes him a hero, regarding this aspect, is his reason for not doing it. His father used to take alcohol and consequently was affected by a liver disease, which emanated from alcohol intake. Having a deep love for his father, who had inspired him much to the footballer that he is today, he made a decision that alcohol was not good and therefore he would not take it. This to me is a heroic deed, because the reason behind his decision was the love he had for his father and the bitterness of his death, which emanated from alcohol. Thus, it is a heroic decision, based on a real-life experience, which serves to indicate the love and appreciation he had for his father. Notwithstanding that he has a lot of money and access to alcohol, and even more temptations based on his social status, he resolved and stuck to that decision. This is a heroic deed that needs to be applauded. More to his heroic deed is the fact that he has reached yet another decision that is very rare. He is among the very few celebrities who do not have a tattoo on his body. It is not out of the fact that he is not interested in beauty and fashion. Neither is the decision to avoid tattoos on his body influenced by any religious, cultural or social belief. He resolved not to have any tattoos on his body since he likes donating blood frequently. This is yet another thing that makes him unique and a hero. He displays the possession of a heart that is willing to serve the plight of others, through saving their lives. While having avoiding tattoos on the body is a decision that can easily be reached by anybody, his reason for doing it makes him stand out.  Ã‚  

International Expansion of Burger King into France Case Study

International Expansion of Burger King into France - Case Study Example Among the different factors identified by this model, we have singled out three that have a particular impact on the success of Burger King. Further PESTLE information is available in Appendix 1. 1. The most critical is the socio-cultural factor. France is a country with a long culinary tradition. French people who consume fast food show preferences guided by considerations of health and nutritional variety (Steele). French ex-employees of foreign fast-food chains have identified such preferences and successfully set up their own fast-food restaurants better aligned to French tastes (Rosenberg). Burger King will therefore need to adapt its cultural approach by extending the menu range beyond the basic burger-soda combination to produce meals to appeal both to the customer who is interested in novelty and fashion and to the one who seeks reassurance from tried and trusted classics. In general, culture occupies an important place in French life and extends beyond eating habits. Literature, art, lifestyle, values and traditions are all watched over and influenced by various French institutions as well as the government. As a nation, France seeks to develop and export its culture: "promoting cultural influence has been national policy for centuries" (Morrison). As such, a certain cultural protectionism exists in the French domestic market. For this reason, standardisation of Burger King operations extended to France must also be tempered by intelligent adaptation to the cultural norms that are deeply rooted in the market (Briscoe). 2. The legal environment and a number of governmental components are also specific to France. While to some degree harmonised with European policy, laws are still largely based on the Napoleonic Code, which has certain significant differences to anglo-saxon law. The french government has also recently begun a national awareness campaign for fitness and healthy eating, typified by its promotional web site (www.mangerbouger.fr). While this has no legal weight, it is an indication of the french government's wish to influence eating habits and therefore food market offerings. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity to Burger King. For example, if the company can adapt its promotional material correctly, Burger King meals can be positioned as the "healthy fast-food alternative" (Rosenberg). 3. Economic factors including exchange rates and inflation will also be important considerations. Exchange rates are based on the euro, which is currently strong against the US dollar. Revenue flowing back to the parent company from Burger King in France will therefore be enhanced, but operating expenses will be higher as well. France has one of the highest numbers of public holidays in Europe and almost double the amount of paid vacation for a salaried employee compared to the US. The french working week was redefined some years ago by the government as 37 hours per week. Where possible, the response of companies in France was to become more efficient in their working practices. However for restaurants such as those of Burger King, the repercussion is on higher staffing expenses. Adaptation of restaurant operating procedures may be required. Competitors of Burger King such as McDonald's (Briscoe) and

The Basic Needs of the Job and Education Needed To Perform the Job Research Paper

The Basic Needs of the Job and Education Needed To Perform the Job with the Help of Job Analysis - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that job analyses entail the entire procedure through which the duties, positions, and characteristics of the people to be hired in the organizations are determined. It is especially required for developing the job description and detailing about the job specifications. Every job needs some specific skill, knowledge, experience and some sort of educational and vocational training so that the tasks can be performed well. The nature of job analysis is to identify the requirements for building up the job description and job specification. Job analysis helps to locate the bets suitable employee for a particular job. Thus job analysis bridges the gap between what types of human resource in needed and what type of human resource is available which can be allocated with the best suitable jobs. In an organization, one of the most important resources is the human resource, whose efficiency is utmost important for every organization. Human resource e fficiency can be achieved if the right type of employee is allocated to the right type of job and is given the right type of working environment for performing the job. Thus the main problem the organization faces is to allocate the employee to the best suitable job. Job analysis can be defined as a systematic process which is used to collect information about the different aspects of a job these aspects which are work-related. The information collected while analyzing the various aspects of a job can be used for job description and job specification. The information collected while performing job analysis highlights the activities the workers perform while doing a job, the equipment which is mainly used by the worker while performing the job, the environment in which the worker is working etc. Job analysis is an important tool to collect information about the nature of the job. This information helps the manager to differenti8ate one job from the other. The information thus collect ed involves information about the ability of the worker, supervision, and guidance provided to the employees to perform a specific job, financial aspects of the job, budgets allocated to the work, the performance standards used to appraise the workers performing the specific job etc.

The Important of a business plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Important of a business plan - Essay Example For such a person the importance of a business plan can be limited though not essentially irrelevant. A business plan generally consists of cover page along with a table of contents and an abstract. It further has a description or an introduction, an analysis of the corporate environment along with a detailed study of the industry such as banking, finance, toys or even a home based business like the online service provision or domestic manufacturing. Next it will have a competitor analysis which would give a description of the nature and the extent of the competitive environment. It will also have a marketing plan, a financial plan, operational and management strategy, a policy approach and finally alternative possibilities of change (Berry, 2008). A potential entrepreneur will have to consider a number of possibilities and probabilities before he launches the operations connected with the business. Therefore he has to consider a number of things to be initiated before the actual business activity starts. A business plan is primarily important due to the following reasons. In the first place a potential businessman or an entrepreneur ought to have a well defined approach to understanding the kind of business that he or she is going to do. For example a potential businessman has to gather as much information as possible on the business environment and the nature of the industry before he himself set up the business. This will be helpful to him by way of creating a certainty about what he is going to do. The inability to clearly define the nature of the business and understand the connected implications often leads to business failure. Secondly a business plan enables a potential businessman to identify and isolate the type of relationships that he will have to develop once the business is launched. For example a sole proprietor operating from home would still have to deal with a bank or a number of banks, a supplier or a number of suppliers, a

Online Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Online Business - Essay Example The Headquarters and call centre is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Their huge buying power of over '150 million a year enables them to purchase stock at discounted prices. This allows them to provide the customer with a huge choice of top brand Electrical Appliances at truly unbeatable prices. Prompt delivery is the priority of EmpireDirect.co.uk. The fast, efficient delivery service comes direct to your home. Their bulk stocks means that most orders are processed and delivered normally within 2-3 working days from payment anywhere within the UK mainland. UK mainland delivery starts from just '1.49 per order, some of the items include free delivery at our hugely discounted rates. All products carry the full MANUFACTURERS GUARANTEE. What's more, at EmpireDirect.co.uk also offer a NATIONWIDE IN-HOME SERVICE on all non-portable appliances should the need arise. Optional extended guarantees and installation services are available at discounted rates. EmpireDirect.co.uk has now been in o peration for over 25 years. You can take comfort in the fact the company has many years of experience in the supply and service of electrical goods throughout the UK, and is financially secure. EmpireDirect.co.uk has been listed No. ... 006 Europe's 500, an annual listing endorsed by 3i, Microsoft, Boston Consulting Group and PricewaterhouseCoopers and published by Europe's Entrepreneurs for Growth. Hitwise is pleased to announce that EmpireDirect.co.uk has qualified for a Hitwise Top 10 Award December 2007. Empire operates a quality system approved by BSI. EmpireDirect.co.uk is a key member of RETRA - the Radio, Electrical & Television Retailers Association, which lays down strict guidelines on performance in all areas. EmpireDirect.co.uk scooped the best e-trading award for the UK in the prestigious government backed ecommerce awards. EmpireDirect.co.uk successfully won the Top 100 Worldwide Website awards 2004. EmpireDirect.co.uk supports the IMRG "Internet Shopping is Safe" Campaign and they are on the Safe Shopping List. This campaign is backed by Industry and Government and aims to re-assure the customer of the safety of shopping online. EmpireDirect.co.uk supports the IMRG "Internet Delivery is Safe" Campaign too. This campaign is also backed by Industry and Government and aims to re-assure the customer of the safety of getting your order delivered. 100% Secure Shopping. All personal information is stored using 128 bit encryption. They utilise the industry-standard Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt all the personal information including credit or debit card numbers, names and addresses. They offer optional secure payment options with Google Checkout and Paypal Task B Terms and Services 1. Titles - General, Customer Sales, Delivery, Installation, Collections, Cancellation and Returns, Refunds, Guaranties and Warranties, Faults, Data Protection, Others, Christmas Delivery , and Extra membership Terms and Conditions 2. Reference to statutory rights - Reference is made to our National

Industrial Hygiene Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Industrial Hygiene - Essay Example Also, the United States Code defines toxin as a deadly and poisonous substance that is either produced by plants, animals, or by artificial processes (US Code, 18, 2008). Toxins are classified into two main groups: bio-toxins and environmental toxins. Bio-toxins are toxic materials that unequivocally substantiate biological origin. Common types of bio-toxins are systemic toxins, neurotoxin, cytotoxin, and hemotoxin. On the other hand, environmental toxins are those that include man-made poisons. Most common types of environmental toxins are neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, and toxic triggers like pesticides and monosodium glutamate. Exposure to toxins does not necessarily cause disease. The amount or dose of the toxic material and length of time at which a person is exposed to the toxin determine the risk of developing serious diseases (CCOHS, 2009). Parkinson’s disease is considered to be caused by exposure to toxins. However, case studies show that there is no direct correlation between developing the disease and exposure to chemicals. In fact, it â€Å"involves combination of genetic and environmental risk factors, which include exposure to manganese, lead, etc. (Schmidt,

Ethical Decision Making Essay Example for Free

Ethical Decision Making Essay Ethics are important in business and the leader has important role in ethical decision making. A success leader is who has the courage to build his or her company to meet the needs of all the stakeholders, and who recognizes the importance of the service to society. The common theme for the leader play in ethical decision making is trust, fairness, and transparency. First, trust is based on ethical behavior of firm to form a strong base of any long-term business. Thus, leaders must act what they believe based on their strong value of religion, education, and family. Secondly, ethics refer to the fairness for making any decision or adjustment. Therefore, leaders should consider would their decision be fair for everyone affected by it before any action taken. Finally, it is important in such a way that is easy for others to see what actions are performed. Leader with well transparency would be happy to make the decision in public, especially to the people affected by it. Making the ethical decision is the duty of ethical leaders to instill these principles and face its sequential challenges. Business leaders must energize employees at all levels, utilizing a comprehensive set of methods to promote and recognize ethical actions. What must be in place for ethical decision making to occur in a business? In business, ethics is an essential configuration of leadership. The leader needs to make ethical decision when the business operators make competitive, strategic and tactical decisions that affect both stockholders and stakeholders such as downsizing and outsourcing. According to â€Å"How leader can be ethical role models† article, 79 percent of teens surveyed said they felt prepared to make ethical decisions when they enter the workforce. However, 38 percent said it is sometimes necessary to cheat, steal, lie or behave violently to succeed. Many leaders are now torn between company profits and doing the right thing. They are also torn between doing what is right for the company long-term and what is good for their careers in the short-term.

Attachment Styles and Relationships Essay Example for Free

Attachment Styles and Relationships Essay As human being there is the thought that love is difficult to understand. Why are some people attracted to the people that they are attracted to and what is it that draws them to each other? Understanding the dimensions of love and knowing attachment styles clear up some of the confusion. There are three dimensions of love: intimacy, passion, and commitment. These are known as the triangular theory of love (Sternberg, 1986, 1987). Intimacy refers to mutual understanding, warm affection, and mutual concern for the others welfare (Baumgardner, 2009). Intimacy is imperative to a relationship if it is going to last. With intimacy there is a bond or a closeness between a couple. If a couple has intimacy, they are connected on more of an emotional level than a couple who only experiences passion. Intimate couples have more of a chance to move on to commitment as well. While intimacy is a big step toward commitment, having intimacy does not necessarily mean that there will be commitment on anyone’s part. There may be nothing more to the relationship other than the passion and intimacy which is romantic love. As long as neither person plans to be with this person for a long time there is not a commitment. Passion means strong emotion, excitement, and physical arousal, often tied to sexual desire and attraction (Baumgardner, 2009). Passion can be lustful infatuation but is also an important element to a happy and strong relationship. A relationship without any of these components could be in danger of dissolving, however, in our society today, sex and passion is very important. The importance placed on sex by society is taught to children early in life, most before they know what it is. A couple without passion could lose the bond they have created through intimacy without any passion and risk them falling out of love. Commitment is the conscious decision to stay in a relationship for the long haul (Baumgardner, 2009). Being committed does not necessarily mean that there is intimacy and passion involved. Many couples decide to stay together for different reasons even though there is no love involved. Some couples stay together for the benefit of the children if there are any, others may be bused or have low self-esteem, or it may be ma simple matter of convenience. Consummate love combines high levels of all three dimensions to create a complete love. This is a love where some of the components may fade but are never completely gone. Intimacy, passion, and commitment may be stronger in some couples than others but they are happy and in tune with each other. These couples prefer the company of each other over going out with a group or crowd. They always touch or have some type of contact with each other and prefer to be close to each other most of the time. The attachment theory raises the intriguing possibility that some of our most basic, and perhaps unconscious, emotional responses to intimacy are shaped by the relationships we have with our parents (Baumgardner, 2009). Infant attachment styles look at the relationship between children and their caregivers. There is an assessment of attachment styles known as the strange situation test. This experiment involved an infant, the child’s mother, and a stranger in a room equipped with toys. The test involved seeing how the child would react when the mother left the room, then again when the stranger left and came back in a specific order. Most infants showed a secure attachment style. This style shows that the child is secure and confident while the mother is in the room, and as the mother leaves, shows some distress and plays with less of the toys. After the mother returns, so does the child’s confidence. Some of the children exhibited no signs of distress when their mothers left the room and even avoided the mother. This is avoidance attachment style. The anxious-ambivalent attachment style is the style used to describe the minority of children who both seek and avoid the mother’s attention. They played very little and showed great distress when the mother left the room. The parenting style of the mothers to these children were avoidant and almost neglectful, showing mixed feelings toward the child. There are four adult attachment styles also. Secure attachment, preoccupied attachment, fearful avoidant attachment, and dismissing avoidant attachment. Secure attachment style describes people who are confident in their relationship, with no anxiety or avoidance. A relationship of a couple with secure attachment style experiences positive emotions and sensitivity toward each other’s needs. The preoccupied attachment style represents people who want intimacy but have high levels of anxiety and low self-esteem. Their actions are centered more on themselves that those of the people they claim to love even though they may seem loving and caring. The fearful attachment style describes people who are high in avoidance and anxiety because of their low self-esteem and fear of being rejected. These people display a lack of love for themselves and therefore, feel they cannot be loved. These people show little to no trust toward people and may come off as hostile or distant. Dismissing avoidant attachment describes people who are high in avoidance and low anxiety. This type of people are usually self-reliant, independent, and confident. Basically their view is that they do not need other people because they, themselves, are all they need. Relationships with these people are usually without commitment and less intimacy than those of secure or preoccupied attachment styles (Baumgardner, 2009). People’s attachment styles define what their relationship will be like. For example, a person who exhibits the fearful avoidant attachment may be alone most of his or her life because they are too afraid of rejection to ask for or accept a date. People with secure attachment have healthy relationships and seem more satisfied with their lives. If a person is unhappy with themselves the idea that no one else could love them could destroy a relationship. To make sure both parties are equally happy, compromises and considerations need to be thought of. Getting to know all of the things a person likes and dislikes is the most exciting part of a new relationship. If done well, it will result in a well-rounded couple.

Financial Sector Crm In The Financial Sector Marketing Essay

Financial Sector Crm In The Financial Sector Marketing Essay Like every other industry the financial services sector is also witnessing a plethora of changes. Facing umpteen challenges, the industry despite its phenomenal growth, has witnessed a slump in some areas. The main reason? Changes, vast competition, increased costs, decreased efficiency, inadequate client relationships and poor sales processes. Something vital is needed to cut through the waves and make the sector boom. Organizations need to basically better their relations with their customers in an effort to sustain them. Financial firms find it almost impossible to have a complete and holistic view of their customers and that puts them at a disadvantage when knowing their customers is a criteria. More often than not selling financial services and products is infinitely more difficult than the work other industries face. The past decade has seen companies in this sector slowly realizing that there is an answer. The financial services industry is now looking at customer focus as a means by which it can achieve lost profits. The result ? An acute focus on customer relationship management CRM. Adopting this strategy has slowly resulted in financial firms, venture capital, private equity, investment banking institutions etc, achieving an increase in overall productivity. CRM for financial services enables the financial firm to know the customer better. In addition it helps uncover potential customers and improves overall customer service. It helps build an advantage over competitors as firms are enabled to increase their intelligence about the customer. CRM manages to provide this information to almost every employee. CRM for financial services endeavors to improve and encourage relationship building with existing and potential customers, the various departments within the organization, management etc. The dilemma that most financial institutions face is that they do not store their valuable customer data in a comprehensible or easily assessable manner. In financial firms this intelligence is generally scattered throughout the firm and is almost unusable. CRM encourages financial services firms in changing their scattered data into something that can be used by every employee in an easy manner. Who does it benefit? Analysts, asset managers, financial professionals all stand to benefit from the implementation of customer relationship management. CRMS BENEFITS TO THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY IN A NUTSHELL ARE: Identification of potential customers Provision of data regarding history and preferences of investors Increase of customer knowledge of employees Provision of an excellent view of customer relationships Encouraging customer relationships Increasing and improving financial productivity Storage and provision of financial data of customers Easy assess to collated financial data Managing financial deals Evaluation of a potential investment Aiding client acquisition Investment selling Tracking and monitoring financial deals Aiding the sales team in the provision of customers needs Encouraging and assisting the increase of cross selling and upselling Enabling the building of trust for brokers, agents and financial planners etc GUIDELINES FOR FINANCIAL FIRMS OPTING FOR CRM: It is imperative to pay additional attention to what other means the organization can adopt in order to maintain and build customer relationships. Every possible means by which this can be achieved should be scrutinized and indulged in. Financial institutions implementing CRM need to realize the importance of online banking and indulge in it. Since almost 55 million is being spent on it firms opting for CRM need to focus more on online banking and understand that it benefits the customer enormously , indirectly giving a hand to customer management. It is highly important for financial institutions to analyze and understand the needs and preferences of their customers. The data that CRM provides should be scrutinized and studied sufficiently so as to really know the customer. Segmentation should be undertaken with sufficient focus being made on each segment and the right communication within the segment .The right marketing efforts should be made as well so that the adequate balance between customer focus and profitability is achieved. Firms need to focus their marketing efforts far more on the customer than on the product itself. It is imperative that sufficient and frequent customer retention programs are initiated. Technology should always be incorporated in all business efforts to ensure the right implementation of CRM. Focusing more on the hottest trend relationship banking will go a long way in the successful implementation of CRM. Sales and service should be carried out only after sufficient customer knowledge is obtained and scrutinized. Holding onto traditional practices is something most banks do. This should be avoided as much as possible. PITFALLS OF CRM FOR THE FINANCIAL SECTOR : The complexity and magnanimity of this particular industry makes it harder to adopt a holistic and integrated customer approach. Financial firms tend to focus more on the product than on the customer. In this respect they are almost oblivious to them. Since most financial organizations are considerably big in size, the cost involved is considerably higher. There are various challenges facing the industry and these all need to be overcome in order to actually succeed at the implementation of CRM. THE BOTTOM LINE? Is CRM for financial services actually benefiting the financial services sector? The answer is yes. Obtaining, maintaining and basically utilizing a customer database in an effort to maximize or improve customer relationships will go a long way in increasing overall productivity. A failure to focus on these relationships can prove detrimental while knowing and indulging your customer preferences can go a long way in securing and raising profitability. The financial services sector has been perceived by many as leading the adoption of CRM, and defining many leading practices, and there are certainly case studies to support this notion. However, while financial services companies, have pioneered in some cases, in others they have fallen victim to common mistakes in there approach to CRM investments. I would generally categorize these short comings as relating to how they went about applying CRM services to their CRM program, and on what objectives they focused these activities. THEHOW: A recently published global survey (conducted by IBM Business Consulting Services in conjunction with The Economist Intelligence Unit) revealed the primary culprits responsible for under performing CRM programs. The study was able to statistically define 79% of the difference between success and failure, and of this percentage, 70% of the difference between high performing and low performing CRM initiatives were attributable to how well, or badly they executed in the below five dimensions of a typical CRM project approach: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ CRM strategy and value prop development (22%) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Budget process management (20%) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Process change (12%) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Governance (9%) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Change management (7.1%) What immediately jumps out of this analysis is that project execution in areas like IT implementation, and customer data integration and data ownership had a much lower impact on success or failure of the initiative, yet, most would agree that these were the precise areas where most of the CRM services investment was made. The What: So, one might conclude that shoring up the services effort in the softer project dimensions would make CRM the sustainable competitive advantage it was promised to be. Unfortunately, emerging research suggests that this will not be enough, and that competitive advantage depends increasingly on what the company defines as the ultimate aims of the CRM program. Most of the CRM investments to date have focused on improving internal measures of customer management success such as cross sell conversion rates, and sales force productivity. To be sure, these are worthy goals, and have delivered much in terms of the efficiency and reliability of customer facing operations. One might call these the hygiene aims. Over time, however, these efforts have become table stakes in how a company interacts with a customer, and have proven to be easily replicable by competitors, therefore producing little sustainable competitiveadvantage. So to move ahead of the pack again, leading financial sector companies are beginning to direct attention, and CRM services effort to gaining deeper insight into what motivates a customer to become a true advocate of the company and its services. These are often referred to as the emotive attributes of the customer relationship. New customer insight techniques, enterprise communications frameworks, and human performance programs are the means to this end. Understanding and applying CRM services investments to these areas are where the financial sector will gain real competitive advantage.

Not Music To My Ears! :: essays research papers

Not Music To My Ears Today’s current music scene has steadily become filled with pre-packaged assembly line bands and singers. This teen oriented pop phenomenon is repulsive. I see the so-called bands and singers for what they really are. They are passing trends made special, just for the teens, with all image and no real talent. For their own good, I can only hope these brainwashed teens will grow out of this horrible phase. Fabricated bands such as O-Town, N*Sync, and The Backstreet Boys exhibit a minimum level of talent. The Backstreet Boys, referred to as BSB, for example were initially actors trying to get a job in Orlando, Florida, a virtual hotbed for aspiring young stars. None had any musical past history, however they were hired on an audition for a band because they are marketable. As we all know sex appeal has the power to market anything, and teens have money to burn on CD’s and any product containing the bands name. We have all seen teens at the mall buying boy band paraphernalia such as Calendars, mugs, and pens. They will purchase just about anything with the band name imprinted on it. The bands and record companies make their money not in record sales, but in revenue form this merchandise. An article from the Montreal Gazette written in July 1998 states that boy bands are a â€Å"Mass-marketed phenomenon, manufactured for overnight success.† Not one of the five members of the BSB can play a musical instrument. I went to the official Backstreet Boys website and learned that out of over 40 songs they released, the band only wrote three of them. Is it just me, or aren’t bands supposed to write their own songs and play musical instruments? How they can be referred to as â€Å"boys† in the first place I will never comprehend, they are all men in their twenties. These posers show teenyboppers that it is okay to be uninspired. Trans Continental president and music producer Lou Perlman has created such â€Å"Boy bands† as The Backstreet Boys and N*Sync. His latest project, an ABC network show in collaboration with MTV called appropriately enough â€Å"Making the band†, has tracked the weekly progress of his latest super group invention O-Town. I have had the unfortunate displeasure of viewing one episode where their voice coach scolds the five men; The coach told the members of O-Town they are â€Å"easily replaceable.

Message Boards and Their Abuse: Trolls :: essays research papers fc

Message Boards and their Abuse: Trolls Nowadays, anybody with and internet connection can go online and chat with a variety of peers. One of the most common places to chat is bulletin pages known as message boards. Messages written on these boards stay on the boards for everyone to view. Overtime, as people on the boards get to know each other, message boards usually end up being a part of a community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yet, with all the activity and chatter a message board supplies, there are nuisances as well. Adolescents who go on the computer usually want to start trouble or irritate others. These people are called trolls. Trolls are a very troublesome problem in the message board community. Trolls usually post beliefs that are not well respected within the message board community. Take a sports message board for example. A troll on a sports message board would usually say that the team that specific board supports â€Å"sucks† and the troll would go on to brag how his or her team is superior. Trolls usually do this on consistent bases to annoy the other members on the board.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Trolls also can abuse a message board by spamming or flooding the board. Some message boards have website problems where one can click the submit button a thousand times and then his or her message would be posted the amount of times the spammer clicked â€Å"submit.† Trolls can also find ways to exploit message boards into using censored words. If a message board censors out bad language, one can put message board code like [i][/i] between the censored word and it will bypass the censor system. Smart trolls can also program scripts to post a specific message during a specific time frame (every 30 seconds, for example). Egotistical trolls usually try to imitate other members on the board by making screen names that look similar to the members being impersonated. This can be done by such methods as putting an underscore before after the person’s name or exchanging syllables with letters ( for example, exchange the letter L with the number 1). When imp ersonating, a troll will usually try to act like the normal person at first to fool the community and then try to wreck that person’s image by posting obscene remarks. Trolls are just trying to cause trouble on the message boards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Trolls are the main cause of message board abuse. They do not try to work with the community, but rather try to destroy it.

Type II Diabetes :: Health, Diseases

Introduction Type II diabetes is a heterogeneous syndrome results from the progressive defects of impairment of ß- cell insulin secretion and insulin resistant of the target tissues. It also increases due to the rising rate of obesity which involves the deficiency of insulin to compensate for insulin resistance by increasing insulin secretion [1]. However it is increasingly clear that reductions in insulin sensitivity and ß- cell functions leads to the rise of type II diabetes [2]. The normal pancreatic ß- cells displaying the remarkable response to nutrients and obesity – associated insulin resistance by the hyper secretion of insulin to maintain fuel homeostasis. But the cellular resistance unable to sustain the ß– cells compensatory response in type II diabetes [3]. Although the cause of the metabolic deterioration is unknown, but several hypothesis have been proposed including mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, ER stress, and gluco-lip otoxicity [4, 5]. Recent studies with intensive investigations suggesting that elevated glucose along with circulating free fatty acids distributed especially from the intra abdominal fat are the major culprits of insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction [6, 7]. But the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of gluco-lipotoxicity contribute to ß- cell dysfunction and loss in type II diabetes remains debated. A recent observation from experimental, clinical and genetic evidence suggests endoplasmic reticulum was responsible for molecular mechanism of gluco-lipotoxicity which may contribute to ß - cell dysfunction in type II diabetes [8, 9]. In this review, we discussed about the involvement of ER in gluco-lipotoxicity induced ß- cell dysfunction along with the brief involvement of mitochondria. ER stress response Adaptation to metabolic changes requires the high regulation and co-ordination of many homeostatic systems, since the quality and quantity of available nutrients does not temporally match their needs. Pancreatic ß - cells displaying remarkable response to nutrients by the balance between the anabolic hormone insulin and the catabolic hormone glucagon in order to maintain fuel homeostasis. For an appropriate response, the cells require the development of suitable sensors and signaling molecules, which integrates all these signals into an appropriate insulin secretory rate in order to maintain homeostasis.

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Its Political Issues

For many oil companies, the Gulf represents some of their most profitable and promising properties. The White House is seemingly making an increased show of pressuring BP, but President Obama is facing political heat from within his own party for what some say has been a lackluster response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Since the spill began, there has been some intense political debate regarding BP's responsibility, the government's response, and the extent of the environmental damage.Matthew Dowd, political consultant and chief pollster to former President George W. Bush, said the incident is likely to pose a huge political problem, similar to what President Bush faced after Hurricane Katrina. Administration officials also said the government will make changes to the way it allows offshore drilling, including new measures for the permitting process, new safety requirements for offshore rigs, and what was described as â€Å"strengthened† inspections for drilling ope rations.Having taking at least partial ownership of the crisis, the Obama administration is redoubling efforts to crack down on BP, sending a letter to CEO Tony Hayward complaining that his promises to provide complete and timely information on the spill â€Å"have fallen short in both their scope and effectiveness. BP has already agreed to set aside $20 billion over several years to pay for claims resulting from the oil spill. The company has paid the U. S. government $390 million for the cost of cleanup and received an additional bill for $128. million from the Obama administration. Obama and his senior White House staff, as well as Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, are working with BP's chief executive officer Tony Hayward on legislation that would raise the cap on liability for damage claims from those affected by the oil disaster from $75 million to $10 billion. However, WMR's federal and Gulf state sources are reporting the disaster has the real potential cost of at least $1 tr illion.Critics of the deal being worked out between Obama and Hayward point out that $10 billion is a mere drop in the bucket for a trillion dollar disaster but also note that BP, if its assets were nationalized, could fetch almost a trillion dollars for compensation purposes. There is talk in some government circles, including FEMA, of the need to nationalize BP in order to compensate those who will ultimately be affected by the worst oil disaster in the history of the world. The Obama administration also conspired with BP to fudge the extent of the oil leak, according to our federal and state sources.After the oil rig exploded and sank, the government stated that 42,000 gallons per day was gushing from the seabed chasm. Five days later, the federal government upped the leakage to 210,000 gallons a day. Obama aides stressed that BP would bear the cost of the spill, including the cost of plugging the well, cleaning shorelines and paying for government air and water tests. Separately , fishermen and others anticipating environmental damage filed class-action suits against the company. On a day when the stock market rose broadly and sharply, BP's stock price fell more than 8 percent to $52. 56 a share.In the minds of politicians and strategists, the oil has practically become a giant ink blot, a Rorschach test in which each of the opposing sides sees proof of â€Å"the larger narrative. † Florida Sen. Bill Nelson called on Obama to step back from his expanded offshore drilling plans. In a letter to the president, Nelson said he would file legislation to ban the Interior Department from following through on Obama's proposal for new seismic and drilling activity. He said the gulf spill â€Å"may be an environmental and economic disaster that wreaks havoc for commercial fishing and tourism along the Gulf of Mexico coast. Reference : http://www. nytimes. com/2010/06/30/us/politics/30polmemo. html? pagewanted=1 http://political. com/content/bp-oil-spill http:/ /abcnews. go. com/GMA/Politics/bp-oil-spill-political-headache-obama-democrats-slam/story? id=10746519 http://washingtonexaminer. com/politics/white-house/political-problems-oil-spill-may-stick-obama http://edition. cnn. com/2010/US/09/14/bp. justice. legal. action/index. html http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/29/AR2010042902290. html

Democracy and Jim Crow

The unify States of America is proud to be cognize as the land of the trim. Its re awardative mass rule Is vatical to capture the consent of every American colleens and figure bulge sure the organisation and extend toity Is upheld however, Its evince of administration has been actively partaking In actively and rulings that do non gather the whole of America. In accompaniment, umpteen of the press appears decisions fork over been working against specific racial minorities and creating a wretched justice dodge that al intimately mirrors the racist statues implement aft(prenominal) the Civil War, c exclusivelyed the Jim prevail laws.This pertly Jim exult un fairishly rear ends minority flights, convicts them harsher in court, and leaves them and t replacement families to set with the immense consequences. These consequences non single throttle them in a cycle of pauperization and immobility, solely take outside(a) m any(prenominal)(prenominal) a (prenominal) of the the proper(ip)fulness courses that argon supposed to be in allow to every citizen of the United States. These policies be move the U. S. Democracy back toward pre-Call War mentalities, do African-Americans (and new(prenominal) minority groups) voices Irrelevant and unheard. personnel and ascendency rest In the carry.While these ii words seem hvirtuosoymoons, they hold deuce very different meanings. Power Is the cap exponent to drag virtually one(a) do something they would non normally do by means of the enjoyment of force and authority is the justifi fitted well(p) to exercise that force-out. Only current government activity concur the consent of the state, while son of a bitch authorities scarce hold power over the governed, regardless to how the people feel. The unify States of America claims to be a state, a state that has consent of the governed peoples.However, is that truly the content? By questioning the nous of land in the United States, one moldiness look who olds the power in this bena and whether or non we can count the state working toward the overall benefit and happiness of country at titanic. The state Is defined as a tender community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate mathematical function of animal(prenominal) force within a accustomed territory (Dobra, Walden, and Bezel 201237).While some(prenominal) people would get it on the government as a legitimate authority, that can and should be allowed to use force, the government gaberdinethorn non exactly be utilize their power in a way that is concernly beneficial and fair to all its citizens. Power is seen as any individual, group or structural subject to achieve intend effects as a result of force, influences, or authority (Dobra, Walden, and Bezel 20123). The government and its moroseicials hold the power however, ar they using that power democratically, with the consent of all the citizens in the A SSAI?In a democracy everyone should be granted the opportunity to enroll in decisions of the policy- do state once you be considered an adult citizen of that state (Dobra, Walden, and Bezel 201247) whether it be by ballot or simply having the right to participate as over often or as little as you want. In the United States democracy, It Is thought that we wear the ability to vote and realize match opportunity In all semipolitical decisions. In reality, the democratic freedoms and rights that the united States Is cognise for can be taken international or be made unobtainable all too easily.Democracies, for their country, through take or participating in a Jury, among early(a) things. Yet, our democracy has somehow managed to c bargonfacedly stick run and racist gives back into government. galore(postnominal) different aspects of the state help to cook and enforce practices that work against the core set of democracy. The criminal aloneice brass, including polic e officers, courts, and Jails/ prisons, cover up institutional racism, putting some racial groups at a dis return, but non through overtly discriminatory mechanisms.Ingrained conventional images of minority groups, heavy guidance on innocent atomic number 18as, and leniency on medicates and/or crimes that ar to a greater extent associated with exsanguine people, energise this institutional racism. While individuals working for the state may not exhaust these concomitantors in mind, the system and our society have been mold to be to a greater extent aware of and divulge harsher punishments to people of colorize Alexander, 2012). Throughout memorial Americas government has used race as a determinate factor on ones social standing and level of capability.In the slow sasss Jim shoot a line laws were enacted in come out to open up a take apart but touch on status for African Americans. In 1868, Amendment 14 gave somber men full citizenship and promised them embo dy protection under the law. The northern supremacy in the Civil War and this amendment allowed scandalouss to vote, consort for and win elected office positions, and mete out on Juries. However, 10 years later when federal troops withdrew from the South, returning it to topical anesthetic blanched rule, this equal protection slowly disintegrated. In the twenty years after the fourteenth amendment was formed, blackamoors would lose almost all that they had gained.The freedoms and rights they had previously thought were guaranteed were macrocosm denied to them. This defensive structure was made legal by Jim exult laws, a series of racist statutes. These laws were implement in govern to appease white southerners and take back the rights that were granted to actor slaves. While the fourteenth amendment granted citizenship to everyone innate(p) in the United States, including blacks, and protected individuals rights of citizenship, the Jim shoot a line laws specifically w orked to destroy that. Citizenship allows one to vote.Therefore, Jim blow laws could not necessarily take the right to vote completely away, however they implemented parapets on registering to vote in order to assure that blacks would not be able to have a say. Through literacy tests and other prerequisites, the amount of blacks that were eligible to vote faded rapidly. These were originally found to be natural because they did not specifically attack one group of people due to heir race, culturality, or background. However, these laws bumed the black community by aiming at their weaknesses.Since the majority of southern blacks were fountain slaves, they did not have wealth, a esteemed line of ancestry, or the necessary skills or ne twork to seek employment out of servitude. The requirements to register to vote became nearly impracticable for a black man to achieve. round states required a literacy test sharp that motive slaves were banned from learning how to ascertain and write. If the slaves did pay off literate, on that point were many other stipulations that stood in the way of them registering to vote.There was a restriction on lineage, requiring that a grandparent had to have been a voter in order for you to become a voter. This was quite impossible for the majority of blacks, for the obvious primer coat that their grandparents were slaves themselves or had not been born in the United States so they were not voting citizens. Jim Crow laws took advantage of any government and hopefully be reduced back d avow to slaveholding or close to it. Implementing study taxes and requirements to own property targeted blacks lack of monetary pecuniary resource (Alexander 2012).As former slaves, they did not have a lot of coin ND they unquestionably did not have extra money to waste on poll taxes. til now up if they were granted land to purchase and had the money, most property owners would not get by to a black man. Last but not least, the good grammatical case clause was enacted. This is ostensibly a last resort. If a black man met all the former stipulations, the poll workers could simply give a cogitate as to why they question his use and deny him the ability to register. The good character rule is purely based on opinion.Along with restrictions on voting registration, Jim Crow laws were also enacted to include restrictions on marriage, housing, public institutions and compensate times of day one could be outside. These were taked to ensure that blacks were segregated as much as possible from the white community, beingness separate but equal. In gratify vs Ferguson, the Supreme Court found this idea constitutional however, while restrooms, schools, train cars, and hitherto neighborhoods became separate, they were rarely ever equal.Laws were even complete that segregated blacks from living in white neighborhoods through making it wrong to brisk on a block in which the majority of residents were people that you could not marry. Laws forbidding interracial marriage were established onward this. This ensured that blacks and whites would not live together, forcing blacks into parts of the townspeople that were more broken. To further belittle former slaves, most buildings, restrooms and drinking fountains were separated with whites just now and blacks only signs, wake an un testamentingness to even share water supply with a different race.These separate but equal practices were highly discriminatory and not constitutional however, the government was oblivious to this fact or chose to ignore it for quite a while. Brown vs Board of Education was one of the premier(prenominal) cases to point out the flaws in the separate but equal practices. In that hearing, the Supreme Court decided that it was unconstitutional and detrimental to minority children to have separate public schools (Alexander 2012 36). This court case was the first to rule that separate but equal was unconstitutional. This began the unraveling of Jim Crow.Separate public schools for white and black children were deemed unconstitutional and a violation of the 14th amendment, prima(p) the way towards complete integration and more victories for the gracious rights movement. After the first mastery in court, African-Americans continued their pursuit of civil rights and liberties, leading to the establishment of more equal practices. The Civil Rights mold of 1964, outlawed many forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic and religious minorities and women. It ended the ability to create unequal requirements in order to register to vote.Furthermore, it desegregated the school system completely, along with the workplace and public accommodations (Alexander 2012 39). This eliminated Jim Crow laws, but it could not change the minds of those who back up them. The Voting Rights Act (1965) and Fair lodging Act (1968) outlawed discriminatory voting practices and provided for equal housing opportunitie s regardless of race or national origin two things that had been trustworthy for the widespread the fifteenth amendment, making sure that no requirement or prerequisite was present in order to vote or to register.This way no citizen was denied the right to vote, no matter what race or ethnic background. The Housing Act also prohibits discrimination due to race, color, religion, or national origin. One cannot refuse to sell or rent a family to any person because of those particular traits. However, landlords are not required to rent to anyone that applies, they may deny someone based off of other criteria, interchangeable the applicants suspected ability to pay rent.While the civil rights movement desegregated American and won back the black worlds rights as citizens, this victory did not last long. These Acts seemed to have given the African-American population equation however, there were many loopholes in which dissimilitude still thrived the biggest one being the thirteenth amendments exception on slavery, allowing it only as a form of punishment for a crime (Alexander 201231). The 20th century changes in voter laws gave blacks the ability to change the political landscape and thus challenge white male corporate power.Yet, in the 40 years since the Civil Rights Movement, corporations (and the politicians that serve them) have been taking that power back by systematically attempting to deny African Americans the right to vote. This is where the birth of the New Jim Crow grew from. The New Jim Crow laws are more implicit in(predicate) and do not include overt racial language, however they are Just as adult. While they do not include specific details that are unique to one group of people, they create practices that foully attack minority groups through focusing on more impoverished communities and creating unequal punishments for crimes associated more with minorities.The War on Dcarpets is the main contributor to these New Jim Crow laws. This war gav e America a reason to view racial minorities as the bad guys. Through the establishment of certain laws, such as establishing a 100 to 1 sentencing disparity for the will power or trafficking of crack, compared to penalties for trafficking of demolish cocaine (Alexander 2012), there is a heavier focus on minority groups and larger literary criticism of their drug use due to increase arrested.The minimum mandatory sentence for gauzy amounts of drugs associated with minorities, like crack, are equivalent to large amounts of drugs that are vernacularly used by white people, like powder cocaine. Furthermore, minority groups that get arrested for drug charges are more likely to receive a harsher punishment than if someone white were to be arrested. With the junto of severe and unbalanced drug possession laws along with the rates of doctrine in terms of race, the Judicial system has created a large racial disparity.Due to the belief that refining is responsible for black poverty, the government abstinently erased their social occasion in fostering this poverty, forgotten are the failed schools, the malign welfare programs, the desolate neighborhoods, and the pinched years (Alexander 201253). This war on drugs and the huge push for law and order practices in midland cities or poor, black neighborhoods have caused lastly economic effects. The state is responsible for the negative effects that the black population is dealing with today.The war on drugs was supposed to be a crack rectify on drug users and sellers however, it disproportionately targeted racial minorities and the hat focused on these cozy cities and racial profiled community members to be targets of choke up and friskings. In accordance with police officers change magnitude amounts of arrests, courts were sentencing people of racial minorities longer prison terms than their white counterparts. To fit the inflow of prisoners, more state institutions needed to be built.From the streets to incarceration, the criminal Justice system and state institutions have been flawed and seemingly corrupt. These actions only hinder the groups of people targeted and lead to an interminable cycle of poverty and immobility. In the drug war, police have discretion regarding who to target (which individuals), as well as where to target (which neighborhoods or communities) (Alexander 2012123), enforcing strict policing in impoverished urban areas in which the majority of residents are of a racial minority.These police departments are bribed with monetary incentives in order to make drug-law enforcement top priority and step away from violent crimes to focus on inner city drug crimes. This is the state, the federal government, using resources to create inequality and put a target on areas where racial minorities are most common. Our society has established a stereotypical image of a criminal that includes darker skin color. This way of thinking is not only detrimental to certain ethnic groups, but establishes and enhances racial profiling.Police departments not only partake in racial profiling, they are taught to do so. The training program cognise as Operation Pipeline teaches officers how to use perceptual traffic hold offs and consent searches on a large get over for drug interdiction (Alexander 201270). This is enforcing the idea to make bias Judgments on civilians, check-out procedureping people who fit the profile of a rug user or criminal even if they are doing nothing wrongfulness and there is no probable cause to backtrack or search them. Along with racial profiling comes another unconstitutional practice implemented by our government agencies the stop and frisk rule.This rule allows police officers to stop anyone they wish to and question or frisk them, as long as they have reasonable articulate suspicion (Alexander 2012 63). great deal of color in impoverished neighbors turn accustom to stopping and spreading their arms up and onto the nearest wall whenever a police officer comes into view. This shows Just how common they are targeted. No matter if they are in a car, taking the bus, or simply walking down the street, racial minorities are aware that they unequally hold police attention, based solely on their appearances.Along with the unequal amounts of police attention, people of color also get unequal sentencing and conviction ratings. While the mandatory sentence for a large amount of cocaine, associated with the white population, is quin years the mandatory minimum sentence for nonaged amounts of crack, associated with urban poor, is also quintuple years (Alexander 2012). These longer shepherds crooky sentences are unfair and lead to huge repercussions that a small drug offense should not create. legion(predicate) people question why it seems like black fathers are always out of the picture.This may be due to the fact that a large percent of the black male population is under some form of incarceration and cannot be present for his family. The higher and unequal incarceration of moody males leaves many women alone and forces them to become a single parent. While nothing is wrong with being a single parent, it stifles their consequences that being in Jail produces psychologically, prisoners face lashings of active reinforcement when they are released from prison, as if being locked up was not punishment enough.Since a majority of impoverished black men are targeted for searches and questioning, a large number of convicts come from poor areas. When they are released with no money, no Job, and no way of getting end meats they are laboured to straight back to the neighborhood that caused their problems and will most likely get tortuous in some form of illegal activity to earn a a few(prenominal) bucks. Ex-convicts resort to illegal activities because the black pose on their record hinders them of getting any respectable Job. Being a felon is seen extremely negatively.Along with Job discri mination, felons lose their right to vote, their ability to receive welfare or student loans, and live in subsidised housing. Revoking all of these things leaves many felons, homeless, Jobless and on the road back to imprisonment. Our government does not have the consent of all it governs because a large portion of the land of the free is behind bars and without a voice. racial minorities are unfairly targeted, imprisoned and revoked of their rights. This is pushing America backwards, toward slavery, a time when only white males had to right to an opinion.

Unit Outcome

At 3 months babies give lead off to nonice objects more than or less(prenominal) them like mobiles above beds, TVs, lamps t ables etc. At months babies provide start to explore toys passing them from one fall in to the next and exploring it with their mouths too. Babies bequeath start to smile rump at smiling faces at close to 3 months at around 6 months babies start to turn in that they be go throughing dome of what is being utter for instance they may start to lift gird in the air to communicate that they would like to be picked up.Babies at between 3 and 6 months get out be settling into a good tour which testament ready a balance of two inpatient and cinch time spending lot of time smiling and compete with locomote 6-12 MONTHS At this st years babies lead be becoming mobile, creep bum shuffling and at immediate to 1 2 months maybe cruising apply furniture to patron stable themselves s they move around on their feet and possibly walking freely. Babi es go away becoming more independent at submiting to feed themselves using fingers and possibly with spoons. Babies at this stage leave alone stock- let off be exploring objects with hands and mouth exploration may happen for longer periods of times.When children start to reach the 12 months they will start to recognize symbols do casual water running for baths bib at viands time etc. At this stage children will start to understand some key rowing like bottle, dinner. There speak will scram longer and more tuneful they may start to point to object to express to adults that they want it. At this age children start to understand that objects and people do not unthaw this sozzleds that when primary(prenominal) c beers disappear they may become upset and cry they may raise to stay close to main cargoner they may become anxious if strangers approach then. -2 age By 1 8 month children have found their feet and atomic number 18 moving with speed, they will delight nobblein g with ride-on toys using legs to push off. And honor playing push/ pull toys pushing cars down ramps etc. At closer to 2 children ar likely to start explore to climbing things such as contributes, tables and the stairs. Children at this age will use childrens cutting tool (spoon and crotch) to try to independently feed themselves although may not always be successfully and may assoil a mess. Children at this age enjoy instant games and posting Or pop up toys.At closer to 2 they may start playing with building block building 1 ,2,3 block tower, and certainly enjoy knocking it down. They may start to do simple puzzles. And even start to play pretend. The spoken language of children at this age will change from babbling to some recognizable raillerys, at the age of around 2 they are likely to have a vocabulary of round 200 words chiefly Ames of people and objects. They will communicate times of foiling and anger when they piece of assnot happen upon what they want or do what they want with tantrums and emotional.They will withal communicate happiness with squeals smiles and laughter Children display lots of emotion at this age laughter smiles and squeals for happiness. Temper, tantrums and emotional outbreaks when they are cross and/or angry. They start to notices other children around them although will not pay directly with them but on base then (parallel play). YEARS Children at this age are exploring climbing to get to things they may want e. G. Boning chair to climb on and get things. They will try to peddle tricycles and use their feet if they find it too difficult.They will become able to walk up stairs using alternate feet. Their cutlery skills will add and will star to use knife and fork possibly cutting softer foods for themselves. During this period children generally take care to potty train and are usually kinda independent by 4 Children at this age enjoy agency play and small knowledge base toys recreating scenes that they ha ve witnesses and taken part in. They become kindle in books and story, messy play and mark fashioning and often by 4 give meanings to hosepipe marks at 4 children will discipline their concentration if the activity interests them.At children start to join word e. G. mummy gone my toy and at 3/4 generally childrens speech is understandable and children are starting to form sentences. Children nookie communicate feelings and emotions. Children still enjoy adult interaction story cuddles and play. Children recrudesce and interests in their peers and start to play along, side them jubilantly sometimes copying and mimicking some of the things they observe. Cooperative play will start to emerge. Children can express themselves verbally so tantrums start o become less frequent.Children become less apprehensive about main career leaving although still like to be in the company of familiar adults. Children at 2 have no apprehension of right and do by but understand the word NO. As c hildren turn 3 they will start to understand and follow simple rules most of the time. 4-7 YEAR visible development at this age progresses slower. Children are able to kick, catch and control balls. Children are to a fault get the hang their fine motor skills doing threading, cutting starting to issue recognizable letters and words and at 5/6 handwriting becomes more legible.Childrens concentration is increasing. They are able to count and do simple calculations. Children will start to read and be able to do free writing in sentences. Children enjoy pleasant in games which have rules. Children at this age look lots of questions and enjoy talking they start to enjoy making and hearing jokes. Children will start to trace words. Children play well with their peers in cooperative play although the odd augment will still arise. Friends are important to children at this age and they make preferences with their peers creating crush friends.Unit outcomeThe purpose and benefits of co ntinuously change performance are exceed any limitations and achieve personal goals and those set by team leadership and management. 1. 2 It is good to hear other peoples feeling on your work, in order to see you are doing it right and for help. Also, others can make suggestions on variant ways to do things so you can try and test and if the suggestions dont work you can always go back to how you use to complete the process. Encouraging feedback also shows illnesses to improve performance. . 3 Learning and development can improve your own work as it brings refreshing skills to light and should give the employee a bankrupt soul of the Job they are doing. Through learning untested skills, an employee could realize that they are now able to do a job they previously felt under-qualified for, and also giving you more career options. It could also mean that they could have promotion or salary raise. It can benefit work as well the employee is better qualified and should have a bet ter brain of their Job theatrical role. 1.The career development in my on-line(prenominal) role would to become a Claims Handler and act on up the levels to Claims Specialist. With the experience from being a claims executive director in Direct Group I will have learnt the basics of the claims process and have an understanding of the company systems. 1. 5 The possible development opportunities that will arise from my current position could be to that my academic knowledge of the Business Administration role by applying to complete Level 3 in Business Administration. Or, to apply for a claims handling role and apply to complete and NV in customer service.

Women in Slave Comunity

WOMEN IN break ones bandaging COMMUNITIES thr completelydom is the misfortunatedest catamenia of gentlemans gentlemans history. What slaves went through was very sullen and it moots secure battalion to stretch proscribed to thats situation. They non just had to cash in ones chips both sidereal sidereal solar sidereal day of their lives without whatever compensation, barely they were as well baffled toss off mor completelyy and set-apart from their families. Slaves were not tempered as humans. They were clayeyened as objects and machines and the solitary(prenominal) amour they were divinatory(a) to do were to ensue to their outdos, and if not, they would m extirpate beaten(a) up, whipped or fifty-fifty killed.This is intelligibly sh knowledge on the Angela Daviss essay, look on the melanize cleaning cleaning ladys office staff in the partnership of Slaves. nevertheless if slaveholding was hard for men, for women was so more harder becaus e they had to break d ingest all day on the plantations standardized animals and at the end of the day they had to devour solicitude of the masters residence, cook, clean, and dispatch caution of every involvement else. They had no opposite choice. The following(a) first light fourth dimension they had to rout out up archaean in quadruple in the break of the day and do the analogous involvement fro the residual of their lives no future, no hope, postcode to respect them going. Slaves didnt charge obtain the hold water of their families because they were degage from them.The aim would reward stray from their babe as curtly as they were natural and they were not supposed to clear their own blood. They had no mightily to the family, to pull in marry ect. If devil slaves would be in passionateness with apiece other, they would sire their rituals and ceremonies to teach down marries inwardly thraldom, and mum they didnt wear the in force(p) a s a charr or as a economise. The master could exhaust find oneself off with whatever charwoman they wanted and the husband could do postal code close to it they had no even up on their own lives and of phone line they didnt countenance all rights in defend their women.What s all everywherelyd up to me is that, how did these women, having this wide component part in slave communities, how did they induce the time to satisfy their duties? They didnt occupy all motivation. even off when they essay to ascend against their make up the hang by drunkenness the solid food or instal the support in fire, they would get killed, burned, hanged ect. It is special(a) how women in todays old age opine close to the smallest matter they grumble that they fox to go to draw and take sustainment of their babies and houses, and they recoil that it is too much. all(prenominal) I watch close to me is the grimace I am so tired, Didnt get abundant balance ending night, etc and when I weigh roughly these woman that had to range on the plantations all day dogged in the bruise put up and with no brakes, they had to go phratry back to their maters and take compassionate of the house as well, and they had to sex up unfeignedly early(a) in the morning to do the selfsame(prenominal) thing over again. That is truly sad and not fair. I am delighted that that figure of slavery is over yet I shamt guess why thither is politic disparity and racism out there.